Little A'Le'Inn - Aliens Welcome, Burgers Too

Stop on Area 51, a free self-guided tour.

Rachel is a town of 48 people, sitting at 4,794 feet. D.C. Day founded it in 1973, and in 1978 it was renamed for Rachel Jones, said to be the first baby born in the valley. Today it exists because of one building: the Little A'Le'Inn, a bar, restaurant, motel and RV campground that began as the Rachel Bar and Grill. Joe and Pat Travis ran it as the Little A'Le'Inn from about 1989.

The Extraterrestrial Highway was named in February 1996, and Governor Bob Miller helped dedicate it right here in April, alongside studio executives and stars of Independence Day. That film's producers left a time capsule near the inn, meant to open in 2050.

Order an Alien burger, browse the Area 51 Research Center shop tucked into one corner, and toast the strangest small town in Nevada.

Getting here: Continue west on State Route 375 for roughly 25 more miles. Rachel appears as a scattering of buildings and trailers, and the inn is on Old Mill Street.

Trivia: The producers of which 1996 film left a time capsule in Rachel meant to open in 2050?

Nearby: Restaurant, bar, motel, gift shop and RV campground on site. Hours are reported as about 8 am to 8 pm daily, so check littlealeinn.com before you count on a meal.