Every time when we went to Las Vegas, we were always in a rush to get to the city to have some fun. This time, I decided to take a detour on our way to Las Vegas by visiting Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch, a hidden gem on the historic Route 66. It is literally a forest of bottle trees. When I first walked to the entrance, I felt overwhelmed with all the bottle trees. I wanted to see everything all at once and I did not know which direction to walk through first. I ended up going left first and then made my way around the ranch.
There are thousands of empty glass bottles displayed as unique art sculptures. Elmer incorporates all kinds of objects with his glass bottle art, such as typewriters, surfboards, sculptures, mining equipment, tools, and signs including vintage Jeep. It was fun to explore objects. I felt like I was on a treasure hunt to see what I would find next.
Old Typewriter
This is a fun place to explore. Hopefully, you’ll get to meet Elmer when you visit it. I was lucky that I got to meet him. Elmer is a great and humble man with a lot of passion for bottles. He explained that after his father passed away, he inherited an incredible collection of glass bottles. However, he did not know what to do with the collection until an idea struck him to create bottle trees. Now thousands of people from all over the world come to visit his ranch.
Riffle
Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is worth the detour to Las Vegas, especially if you love to capture fun and unique pictures. This is the place for you.
Tips Before You Go
- Open sunrise to sunset
- Free to enter although donation is appreciative
Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch
24266 National Trails Hwy.
Oro Grande, CA 92368
Do you know any other hidden gems on Route 66?