5 Best Sights in Shoshone, Death Valley National Park

The Rand Mining District first boomed when gold was discovered in the Rand Mountains in 1895. Along with neighboring settlements, it grew further due to the success of the Yellow Aster Mine, which yielded $3 million worth of gold before 1900. Rich tungsten ore, used in World War I to make steel alloy, was discovered in 1907, and silver was found in 1919. Randsburg is one of the few gold-rush communities not to have become a ghost town; the tiny city jail is among the original buildings still standing in this town with a population under 100, and there's a museum that hosts Old West Days the third Saturday in September. In nearby Johannesburg, 1 mile south of Randsburg, spirits are said to dwell in the stunning Old West cemetery in the hills above town.

Although not officially in Death Valley, Ballarat—a crusty, dusty town that saw its heyday between 1897 and 1917—might make an interesting stop during a visit to the park's western reaches. Situated 30 miles south of the Panamint Springs Resort, it has a small store (open afternoons and weekends only) where you can grab a cold soda before venturing out to explore the crumbling landscape. The town itself has just one full-time resident, Rocky Novak. For years Ballarat's more infamous draw was Barker Ranch, where convicted murderer Charles Manson and his "family" were captured after the 1969 Sharon Tate murder spree; the house burned down in 2009.

A series of caves, carved into the caliche soil by miners during the 1920s, is a great spot for exploring and is a hit with kids. You aren't allowed to walk inside, but you can view the cells—with their stone walls, sleeping platforms, garages, and stovepipe chimneys—from the exterior.

An artist and dancer from New York, Marta Becket first visited the former railway town of Death Valley Junction while on tour in 1967. Later that year, she returned to town and leased a boarded-up social hall that sat amid a group of run-down mock-Spanish-colonial buildings. The nonprofit she formed in the early 1970s eventually purchased the property, where she performed for nearly 50 years. To compensate for the sparse audiences in the early days, Becket painted a Renaissance-era Spanish crowd on the walls and ceiling, turning the theater into a trompe-l'oeil masterpiece. Despite her passing in 2017, a simple hotel still operates in her name beside the opera house open daily for tours at 9 am and 6 pm for $15 per person. Within the hotel lobby, you can see Marta's hats, books, and works of art on display.

Housed in a 1906 building, this museum chronicles the history of the Southern Amargosa Valley and has a unique collection of period items, minerals, and rocks. A highlight is a mammoth skeleton found in the area. The museum also offers historical walking-tour maps of Shoshone Village, birding trails, culture walks, and local hikes.