amargosa opera house

A working opera house in the middle of the desert is unthinkable. That's what makes this so remarkable... a decade of commitment by a New York ballerina and artist that transformed an old mining town movie house into a cultural outpost. Marta Becket's impressive rendering of a packed balcony provides a colorful atmosphere that enhances present-day solo performances.Can't comment on the hotel since our tour didn't include an overnight stay.

One of the most peaceful and beautiful places on earth!! Have visited on several occasions and love it more each time!!

Get a personal $5 tour of the opera house where Marta Becket created her own dance theater. The inside is covered with murals that Marta, now 90, painted herself. Here the wonderful story of an achievement that could only be a Western classic story. Also visit the Railroad Museum on Tues. and Sat. at the same location. There is also a hotel on premises which is operational. Look for wild horses on premises!

We've lived in Las Vegas since 1968 and never been to Death Valley. Researching our trip we found this gem in the desert. We took the tour which was only 5.00 per person. Bob, our Tour Guide was very good at what he does. So good in fact we gave him a very nice tip afterwards.The story of Marta Becket and her Opera House is memorizing to say the least. The inside of the Opera House left us in awe.The Hotel is something to be experienced by only by those that can handle a very no frills room.Not television. No phone. No refrigerator. A bed. A chair. A lamp. A desk, is what you get.But you're paying to be a part of history even if it' only for a night. We stayed in Room 15. Ironically it was the same room that a YouTube video was filmed in regarding ghosts.Its scary dark at night but beautiful and romantic at the same time. The café is now closed permanently. You will have to bring food in with you as there is nothing but the Hotel and Opera House for many, many miles.There are no more performances as Marta just turned 90 and is unable to. A recent flood damage the wood floors of the Opera House so be cautious when visiting. We were in the middle of nowhere and loved every second of it.Thank you very much Bob and Amargosa Opera House & Hotel !!

We have visited the Opera House a couple of times. The first time was for an opera. My husband and I were the only people in the audience, yet they performed it just for us. The second time was to see Marta Becket, who bought the Opera House and did all the incredible paintings inside to give herself an audience when she performed if she did not have one. She is elderly and no longer performs, but we enjoyed her reading about her life and time performing there.,.a real step back in time!

Why this Opera House is here in the middle of nowhere - in the middle of nothing is a story unto itself. But we did stop and were given almost delightful and informative tour by the host. Cost was only $5 per person so we decided to support the cause. The Opera House has recently had a flood that did a lot of damage but thankfully the murals are okay. The tour includes the whole story of Marta. Whether it is completely factual I don't know but it was a fun hour and I would recommend it to anyone who was in the area. Surprisingly we had to wait for a tour to complete before we could have our tour. The hotel lobby and dining room are great to explore while you wait.

The painting inside of the opera house have to been seen. One of the finest displays that I have ever seen. Took my granddaughter to watch Marta dance & perform. Tom, Marta's partner gave us a tour of the music room/museum, in addition to looking at the walls inside the opera house. If you're going to view a performance, make reservations or arrive early. You wouldn't imagine that some place is such a desolate location could be sold-out, but, it goes happen. The is food available across the highway.

This is an incredible story of a woman who had a dream and made it happen. Not to be missed ! We took the tour and my mouth was continually gaping open at the talent and dedication of Marta Becket.

If you are near the Amargosa Opera House go take the tour, it is definitely worth it! Stepping into the Opera House and seeing the murals for the first time is amazing, I could spend hours in there just looking at the murals covering the inside of the space. Marta Beckett is a true artist and it is fortunate for all of us that her passion has saved this amazing building!

Thisn is NOT a review of the hotel, but of the Opera House.At the corner of no-wehere and long-gone...Death Valley Junction and the Armagosa Opera House. It's quite a story and if you have the 30 minutes...and for five bucks, you can get a tour from SOB...Sweet 'ol Bob. A ladies dream..a love story..and the story lives on, in-as-much as she still lives in the area. It's an amazing vision, really.

The Opera House and Cafe - as well as a few other businesses - are seated in what looks like a ghost town in the middle of nowhere! We stopped at the Cafe as much out of curiosity as anything!The waitress was completely delightful to chat with - as were the French tourists that happened in while we were enjoying a slice of pie and coffee. Don't miss the freshly baked pies and brownies: worth a stop just for that! Or maybe you're inthe mood for a smoothie or milkshake?... or perhaps a meal? Worth a stop: whatever your culinary preferences, you will find somethign to enjoy!

Artistic and offbeat both come to mind when describing the Amargosa Opera House. The former meeting hall, turned opera house has been painted with colorful murals by the woman who made it happen. We stopped while driving through and could not see a performance. (Please call ahead for the schedule.)Reportedly, three people live full time in this "town", which could become a "modern" ghost town. We hope tht the Amargosa Opera House is somehow preserved and performances continue.Rhonda conducted a short tour of the opera house and we appreciated her friendly, helpful and informative approach. $5 pp recommended fee was fair.We also had a meal at the cafe, which has hearty, good food at fair prices. Service was excellent. As of our visit, the cafe was open 8-8.(We did not stay at the adjacent hotel/motel, which appears to need work.)

We stopped at the cafe because it was in the middle of nowhere. Much to our hungry delight, it was very much worth the stop. It is recommended. We had a burger and an omelette. Stop in and support them. They are right on the road at Death Valley Junction.

This eerily placed opera house in the middle of a mighty desert brings to mind Herzog's film "Fitzcarraldo." Stopping by for a look is recommended.

Passed this strange little place on the way to Death Valley, a small mini bus of 7 people, on the way back I enquired of our Guide if there was a chance of stopping to look at the "Opera House".We were on our way back to Las Vegas at around 5pm, on enquirying the Receptionist was signing off for the night but agreed quite happily to show the Opera House.This whole building, the Hotel/Opera house is single story, painted white with royal blue paintwork, very Greek in the colour scheme, the paintwork is peeling, a couple of the windows are cracked, it's desperately in need of some TLC, however there is a strange charm about this building which is stuck in the middle of the desert, on the way to Death Valley.The Opera House has the happy and weeping masks painted in blue on it's double doors, the receptionist went into the dark cool building whilst we held the doors opened, she turned on a couple of lights and the sight we beheld was quite astonishing. The ceiling ( a tine Sistine chapel look alike)and walls are all hand painted by Marta Becket, who based her painted audience on the Spanish Royal Family, these works of art took her 4 years to perform.There is an old pot bellied stove which sticks out of the wall, the only means of heat in winter, there are, what I can only discribe as clothed Dummies, sitting on chairs at either side of the stage, together with a trio of grotesque heads at either side of them, this is surely the most bizzare Opera House I have ever seen, never the less extremely interesting.The hotel has an extremely run down feel, the reception/sitting room has a mismatched decor something from the 6o's, one of the dining room walls has a Spanish style mural painted by Marth Becket, there is a display of photographs of Marta during her professional life which are nice to see, also there is a hot where copies of Marta's book and copies of her paintings can be found.Well worth a visit, if you are passing by to Death Valley/Furnace Creek Visitors Center, I would also suggest that you go on to the internet to check out the Marta Becket story and how she came across the Omargosa Opera House, there is also a book about her life, she was a Ballet dancer. Today 9th September is her Birthday, this lady is in her 80's, wishing you a very happy birthday Marta.