Things to do in Laughlin when you are not on the golf course

The best things to do in Laughlin between rounds are close by: the Riverwalk and casinos on Casino Drive, Davis Dam and Katherine Landing just upstream, and the Route 66 burros of Oatman about 48 minutes away. On a longer free day, drive to Lake Havasu City for the London Bridge and Topock Gorge.

Laughlin is built for evenings, not sightseeing, so most golfers fill their spare time with the river and the casinos. That still leaves plenty: desert walks, a ghost town, a dam, two lakes and a famous bridge, all within a couple of hours. One thing to keep straight is the clock. Laughlin venues are on Pacific time, while Bullhead City, Oatman and Lake Havasu City are one hour ahead from November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027.

Quick facts

• Closest: the Laughlin Riverwalk links the Casino Drive resorts along the river.
• Free indoor stop: Don Laughlin's Classic Car Collection, about 80 cars in two showrooms at the Riverside Resort.
• Half-day trip: Oatman, about 27 miles and 48 minutes by road.
• Full-day trip: Lake Havasu City, about 71.5 miles and 94 minutes, for the London Bridge.
• Golf on a wet day: indoor simulators at Back Nine Golf in Lake Havasu City.
• Clock: Arizona-side sights are one hour ahead of Laughlin in winter.

Things to do in Laughlin on the casino strip

The Laughlin Riverwalk is a paved path along the Colorado River that links the Casino Drive resorts. It is the easy evening walk after a round, and it saves moving the car between casinos. Water taxis have crossed to Bullhead City from the resort docks in the past, but current service was not verified.

Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort, the original Laughlin casino at the north end of the strip, has the most to do under one roof. Its free classic car collection shows about 80 antique, classic and special-interest cars in two showrooms. It also has a 34-lane bowling center, a six-screen cinema and Don's Celebrity Theatre.

At the south end, Harrah's Laughlin is the one strip resort with its own sandy river beach. The Laughlin Event Center, on Bruce Woodbury Drive behind the Aquarius and the Edgewater, hosts concerts and big shows, so check the casino calendars when you book. About 10 miles south of the strip, the Avi Resort & Casino has a private beach, a movie theater and Mojave Resort Golf Club next door.

Davis Dam, Lake Mohave and the river parks

Just upstream of the bridge, Davis Dam holds back Lake Mohave. Davis Camp, a Mohave County park on the Arizona bank below the dam, has a river beach, a launch and picnic areas. Above the dam, Katherine Landing is the marina and swim area at the south end of Lake Mohave, inside Lake Mead National Recreation Area, with boat rentals and clear, cold water.

Downstream, Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area is a Nevada state park south of the casinos with beaches, picnic sites and a boat launch, and a per-vehicle entrance fee. West of town, the Grapevine Canyon petroglyphs are a short desert walk to a canyon full of rock art below Spirit Mountain, reached off NV-163 on Christmas Tree Pass Road, which is graded dirt. Go early in warm months and carry water.

These pair well with a morning round. Laughlin Ranch, about 9 minutes from the bridge, finishes in time for an afternoon at Davis Camp or Katherine Landing. The Laughlin Ranch course guide has its rates and tee times.

Oatman and Route 66

Oatman is an old gold-mining town on historic Route 66 in the Black Mountains, about 27 miles and 48 minutes from the Laughlin bridge via Boundary Cone Road. It is known for the semi-wild burros that wander the main street and for the historic Oatman Hotel. The road on from Oatman to Kingman over Sitgreaves Pass is narrow and winding, so allow time if you drive the loop.

Golfers who want to make a day of it can add Kingman. Cerbat Cliffs, the city's municipal course, is about 50 minutes from Laughlin and has bentgrass greens, a change from the river courses. Third-party listings showed $50 with cart on a GolfNow deal in August 2026 and $72.94 for 18 on GolfLink in September 2026. The Cerbat Cliffs course guide and our Kingman golf courses guide cover the trip over the hill.

A Lake Havasu day: the London Bridge and Topock Gorge

Lake Havasu City is about 71.5 miles and 94 minutes from Laughlin on a free-flow estimate. The 1830s London Bridge was bought from the City of London and rebuilt here in 1971 over a channel cut to the Island. Walk the bridge and the channel path; the visitor center is at 422 English Village beside it. The lake also has a set of scale replica lighthouses, many best seen by boat.

On the way down, Topock Gorge is a stretch of the Colorado River through red volcanic rock between Topock and Lake Havasu, inside the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, with The Needles pinnacles at its north end. Guided kayak and boat trips run from Topock and Lake Havasu, but outfitters were not verified for this guide.

South of Havasu, SARA Park has the Crack in the Mountain slot-canyon hike down to the lake shore: rough footing, best on a winter morning. The Lake Havasu Museum of History at 320 London Bridge Road covers the Chemehuevi people, mining, riverboats, Parker Dam and the bridge, with donation entry per travel guides.

If you want golf on the same day, Iron Wolf is the closest Havasu course for anyone coming from the north on AZ-95, and Lake Havasu Golf Club's Desert West course is the town's original layout. Our Lake Havasu golf trip itinerary builds three days around them.

Things to do in Laughlin by distance

Drive times are free-flow estimates from our research; real driving can differ.

Rainy, windy or too-hot days

Laughlin averages only about 5.4 inches of rain a year, mostly from December to March, but wind and summer heat also push golfers indoors. The Riverside Resort's car collection, bowling and cinema are the main indoor options on the strip besides the casinos and showrooms. In Bullhead City, the small Colorado River Museum on AZ 68 near Davis Dam covers the river, the dam, steamboats and the Mohave people; hours were not verified.

For golf indoors, Back Nine Golf at 1850 McCulloch Blvd N in Lake Havasu City runs golf simulators bookable through GolfNow and TeeOff listings, the only simulator found in the area. The Lake Havasu Aquatic Center has heated pools, a wave pool and a long water slide, though which pools are indoors was not confirmed. Our driving range and practice guide lists the ranges and simulator in one place.

Fitting it around a golf trip

The simplest pattern is golf in the morning and the river or a casino in the afternoon. On a four-day trip, keep one afternoon for Oatman and save Lake Havasu City for a day when you play there too. Before booking a date, check the Laughlin events calendar: the Havasu Balloon Festival (January 21-24, 2027) and late-April rally week change traffic and room prices. For dinner after any of these, see where to eat in Laughlin, and for a full schedule, the four-day Laughlin golf trip itinerary.

Plan it on the map

The Laughlin 3D map shows every course and stay from the casino strip to Lake Havasu City, with drive times and rates seen in October 2026. Pick your courses there, then fit Oatman, Davis Dam or the London Bridge into the gaps. The $30 plan lays the trip out day by day.