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| - Bonnie Springs is one of my most favorite places to go.
It's far enough out of town to forget the Strip, and close enough, about 1/2 hour away depending on where you live int he valley. I ALWAYS recommended it to tourists when I was a concierge.
It's great for families, a lot of groups I see are Grandparents with their Grand kids. I usually get annoyed by kids yelling and screaming in public places, but this is mostly outdoors and kids are usually to happy to see the animals and wild, wild, west to scream.
The restaurant I'm told was built partially by the hands of Bonnie herself. One of the times we went, we actually got to meet her as she was having dinner at the bar. Off to the side you can see pictures of her when she performed as an ice skater and showgirl on the strip!
This is one of the stories you wish you could have. This is someone who has done something with her (and her husband's) money to not only preserve history, give a place for kids to go, shelter animals. Howard Hughes used to come in the restaurant and hang out. He's offered Bonnie several BLANK checks so he could acquire her ranch and the land. And bless Bonnie, she never budged.
The zoo has become a refuge for animals, obtained from zoos, strip performers like magicians. The sheriffs and BLM have been known to bring exotic animals that have been abandoned in the area that are too big/ unique to bring to the dog/ cat shelters in the valley.
There is always work to be done at Bonnie's. A lot of buildings need maintenance and refurbishing. We usually go to Bonnie's and spend a lot of money there, gladly, to help out. We go to the restaurant to celebrate something and go when we're starving.
You take all this in before you even get inside the restaurant. they used to have the menus printed on 5ths of alcoholic bottles: green bottles for breakfast (which I believe they still use). they changed the menu, so the lunch may not be on the clear bottles and dinner on the brown bottles anymore.
On Every table, you see a proclamation for Bonnie Levinson day every July. Her birthday is on the 31st, which to my disappointment, just found out about. (I write this aug 10th, I may still be able to go over there to wish her well).
We usually share an appetizer, last time it was potato skins. We've gotten beef sandwiches, bbq chicken. We can never seem to make it to desert. BUT, I do order Sarsparilla there, it's one of the few places that has it. It's one of the best sodas that I don't find in stores anymore.
In the winter, it does get cold out there. They have a fire pit by the entrance between the bar. On those occasions, we usually sit around it in the lounge chairs provided and sip a coffee drink, kahlua, bailey's, irish... They play country music which I enjoy. I used to think country sucked and was the music of depression, they always sing about losing a job, wife, dog, etc. But I even enjoy country and western music more because I associate it with this place. i've grown to appreciate it in general, part of it is vintage and a lot of songs are surprisingly topical and tell stories far better than pop/ rap/ hip hop music can.
She's been there since 1952 I believe. Bonnie springs is like a local Knott's berry farm, especially before it became a rides park. The restaurant is one of the most modern places at Bonnie Springs with cable tv at the bar, which is strange, but I suppose necessary for business. I don't believe the Saloon has TV's on, so that may be the most authentic watering hole on Property.
I first went there for Halloween festivities. We even got a hotel room and went on the horseback ride the next morning. I even understand that George Carlin freaked out once and left the strip and stayed at one of the rooms to get away. Was it after the fallout with MGM?
All in all, excellent experiences every time we've gone. when you think of vintage Vegas in the 50's, the wild, wild west, and those postcards of the Grand Canyon when tourists used to dress up like cowboys, this is the place that maintains that classic experience.
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