Sprawling Entertainment Complex on Idaho-Nevada Border

After the state of Idaho outlawed casino gambling in 1954, hoteliers "Cactus Pete" Piersanti and Don French shuffled their slot machines across the border and set up shop on a dusty plot of land in unincorporated Nevada. The sprawling campus, comprising two neighboring entertainment emporiums called Cactus Petes and Horshu Casino, soon defined the tiny town, fortuitously named Jackpot. Today, Cactus Petes attracts gamblers with 26,000 square feet of slot machines and gaming pits with blackjack and craps. Gamers can hold 'em and fold 'em in the live poker room, or try their luck in the Keno lounge.

Champagne and truffles, included with this Getaway, quell minor cases of the munchies, but guests can satisfy larger appetites at one of three onsite restaurants. Canyon Cove Buffet lays out a nightly smorgasbord of varied cuisine including seafood and prime rib as well as Italian, Mexican, and Chinese dishes. The Desert Room café keeps it casual with light lunch fare such as a honey-roasted-turkey melt, and chefs at the upscale Plateau Steaks and Seafood plate elegant entrees including veal milanese and Chilean sea bass.

Post-meal, the Gala Showroom is an ideal spot to sip a nightcap and watch headliners such as heavy-metal rockers Warrant, or have fractured funny bones mended by comics such as Paul Rodriguez.

Magic Valley, Idaho: Scenic Landscapes and Quaint Small Towns

Agriculture plays an important role in southeastern Idaho's economy, ever since early settlers used irrigation methods to transform the Magic Valley from an arid desert to a fertile plain. Roughly 50 miles north of the Idaho-Nevada border lies the town of Twin Falls, home to the Snake River–spanning Perrine Bridge, a popular site for year-round BASE jumping. Five miles outside of Twin Falls, the multitiered cascades of Shoshone Falls plummet 212 feet onto craggy rocks. The waterfalls empty into the Snake River, which winds alongside sites once used as mining camps during the mid-19th-century gold rush.

Less than 30 miles west of Twin Falls, in the small town of Buhl, Idaho, guests can lounge in Miracle Hot Springs' 15 private soaking pools and two public pools, each brimming with natural, warm spring water. Bathers can catch a glimpse of the property's three large alligators practicing the backstroke in a separate pool of their own.