Step inside Quartzsite, Arizona, where snowbirds flock for warmer weather and a cheap place to park their RVs

  • Quartzsite, Arizona, is a small highway town where snowbirds flock each year.
  • For $180, visitors can stay on public land for up to seven months.
  • It's also where the movie "Nomadland" was filmed. I visited and discovered a welcoming, quirky place.  

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You'll find all types of people living in all kinds of setups in Quartzsite, Arizona .

Some nomads have massive fifth-wheel RVs, while others call a plastic tarp their home. School buses, vans, horse trailers, ambulances, semi trucks, and every other vehicle in between exist in the small town off Interstate 10.

Each winter, hundreds of thousands of snowbirds arrive, stake out a spot on public land, and call Arizona's dusty desert their temporary home.

On a recent road trip , I explored the town. There, I discovered a quirky place filled with movie-worthy characters and some of the country's cheapest living.

Quartzsite is home to cheap public land and dozens of RV resorts

When describing Quartzsite, you'll often hear people use the words "balloons," "explodes," and "swells."

For half of the year, the small town is just that — a small town with about 2,400 residents . Come winter, things drastically change when the town welcomes more than 2 million visitors, according to the Quartzsite Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism board .

Some visitors pass through, but others are temporary residents searching for a warm place to spend the colder months. And they specifically pick Quartzsite for its cheap, long-term camping.

Quartzsite is one of seven places where people can stay on public land for months at a time during the winter. The Bureau of Land Management typically limits camping on public land to two weeks. It's made the exception for a handful of places in an effort to both house winter visitors and protect desert land from overuse, the Bureau of Land Management's website states.

One of those places is Quartzsite's La Posa long-term visitor area .

People can pick up a seven-month permit for $180 or a two-week permit for $40. It makes Quartzsite home to arguably the cheapest rent in the country.

However, the cheap parking has its drawbacks. La Posa's visitors don't have access to electricity. Instead, the people live off-grid and rely on a handful of vault toilets, water faucets, and dumping stations the Bureau of Land Management has placed on the land.

If off-grid living won't fit a visitor's needs, Quartzsite is home to more than 50 RV resorts .

Casey Osborn, one of Quartzsite's many snowbirds, told me he's been traveling to the town from the northeast for decades. Osborn discovered Quartzsite on a trip to Mexico for a teeth cleaning. He's been returning ever since and sells antiques at a flea market called The Hi Al Swap Meet.

Osborn doesn't stay at La Posa. Instead, he rents a space in a nearby RV resort because he prefers "a little electricity," he said.

I arrived in Quartzsite at the end of October, and while hundreds of people had already set up in La Posa, residents and veteran snowbirds told me that the town was deserted compared to how it would look and feel in a few months.

"It's empty now," Bob, a booth owner at The Hi Al Swap Meet who declined to share his last name, told me. "Come back after Thanksgiving."

Although early in the season, I planned to explore Quartzsite for the next two days. I arrived in a Ram ProMaster I rented from Native Campervans . As I looked around, I knew the vehicle would fit right in.

I, on the other hand, stuck out. I was decades younger than the average person I saw in Quartzsite and lacked the thin layer of dust that seemed to coat everyone.

While some people prefer electricity, I was eager to explore La Posa. At 11,400 acres, it's essentially a free-for-all.

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Mini neighborhoods will slowly form throughout the season. Some are friend groups that will park together. Others are designated areas where anyone is welcome — as long as you embrace their values. For example, an area of La Posa called The Magic Circle welcomes nudism. The nearby Lit Cactus is known for its Friday night drum circles.

I drove down the dusty road feeling overwhelmed. I had endless places to park. In every direction, open land was dotted with RVs, vans, tents, and buses.

Colorful kites and flags flew in the air, serving as landmarks so people could find their way home in the sea of similarity. Others marked off their campsites with rock borders.

As I meandered around La Posa, I debated how close was too close to park next to a stranger. I wondered if there were rules I wasn't aware of and if I needed to know anything before claiming a spot.

I flagged down a man walking his dog. I needed parking advice. He told me what I already knew — I could park anywhere.

Eventually, I settled on a dusty patch of land that looked like all the other dusty patches of land on La Posa. My landmark would be a nearby saguaro cactus with lanky arms.

As I chatted with La Posa's long-term visitors, some were thrilled to be back for the winter. For some retirees, RV life in Quartzsite is the highlight of their year.

Others, after calling the area home for just a few weeks, were ready to leave.

"This is a life I can afford on Social Security," I overheard one man living out of an old maintenance truck say.

"Hell, I'm bored, though," his new friend responded.

Dotting the town's main streets are stores and warehouses filled with minerals and gems. During peak season, vendors set up tents outside to sell everything from amethyst to petrified wood.

Paired with the gem and mineral shows are countless swap meets where vendors sell antiques, oddities, collectibles, and practically anything you can imagine.

But beyond that, there isn't much else to the town. There are fewer than a dozen restaurants, a handful of fast-food options, churches, and gas stations. The open desert offers trails for hiking and ATVs, and there's a cemetery home to a famous camel driver who came to the town in the 1850s.

In 2020, Quartzsite became a Hollywood backdrop

Most people recognize the name Quartzsite from the Oscar-winning movie "Nomadland," which was released in 2020.

"Nomadland" follows the main character Fern — played by Frances McDormand, who won best actress for her role — in the aftermath of the Great Recession. After losing her husband, she decides to move into a van.

Fern ends up in Quartzsite to learn how to live off the land. Then, she falls in love with the town.

Parts of the movie were filmed in Quartzsite and featured the real-life people who make up the town.

Paul Winer, the former owner of Reader's Oasis Books, was one of them. Winer was known for wearing nothing but a thong and for his piano skills. In the movie, he's clothed as he performs his song "Next to the Track Blues."

The Quartzsite Yacht Club also makes an appearance in the movie.

I popped into the bar and grill at 3:30 p.m. on a Monday, expecting the place to be deserted. Instead, about a dozen people lined the bar. TVs aired sports games, and the sounds of pool balls colliding filled the room.

The Quartzsite Yacht Club has made a name for itself based solely on irony. There's no ocean in the middle of the desert, yet it claims to have the largest yachting membership in the world. Interested members can join for $49.99, which grants them a certificate and membership card.

It doesn't take long to explore Quartzsite, I learned — especially during offseason. And especially as someone without an interest in minerals. I wandered through aisles of stones and eyed dozens of tables of goods. I didn't need much more than a day in the town.

But I also understood the destination's appeal. There was a sense of freedom living on La Posa, and almost everyone I met was friendly and eager to chat.

Beyond that, it was clear two main things allure people to this tiny town: warmth and affordability.

Watch: This Mexican ghost town is being brought back to life

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Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant, Bar & Grill

You might not peg Quartzsite, AZ as sailor’s paradise, BUT its home to our yacht club and we can boast to having the largest  membership  in the world.

Quartzsite Yacht Club

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Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant, Bar & Grill 1090 W Main St, Quartzsite, AZ, 85346, Ph: ( 928) 927-6331

Wander With Wonder

Quartzsite AZ: Visiting this Quirky Desert Town

Written by elizabeth rose, arizona | destinations | outdoor travel | road trips | travel.

Out in the middle of nowhere—between Phoenix and the California border—you’ll find a quirky little desert town named Quartzsite. The town is filled with quirky:

  • The population of 3,700 swells to two million each winter
  • One of the main attractions in Quartzsite is a little cemetery with a monument to a Syrian camel driver
  • People come from near and far to check out the annual swap meet full of rocks, minerals, and oddities
  • Folks gladly put down $49.99 for a yacht club membership, even though there are no boats in the middle of the desert
  • More recently, the little desert town figures prominently in the Academy-award-winning movie, Nomadland ?

Quartzsite, AZ is just off I-10 about two hours west of Phoenix, and it’s now famous. Here are some of my favorite things about the quirky desert town of Quartzsite, AZ.

Quartzsite Arizona

Quartzsite, the crazy place in the middle of nowhere on the way to somewhere. Photo by Elizabeth R Rose

What's in This Article:

Quartzsite AZ and Nomadland Sites

Quartzsite entrepreneurs are gearing up for the 2021-2022 winter season. They have crazy ideas for Nomadland souvenirs. Vendors are preparing for an influx of visitors who are interested in visiting places where Nomadland , the award-winning saga, was filmed.

Nomadland , starring Frances McDormand and based on the book by Jessica Bruder , chronicles the wanderings of Fern, a 61-year-old widow who loses everything during a recession. She decides to live in a van, hit the road, and eventually join with a group of like-minded nomads who camp in the Arizona desert. This is where Quartzsite plays an important part.

Nomadland Quartzsite

If you watched Nomadland, you’ll definitely want to stop for a visit to see the quirky little desert town that was featured in the film.

In the movie, Fern joins an annual gathering of nomads—the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous—in the Quartzsite area desert south of I-10. The tribal gathering is run by Bob Wells, who lives in a van, runs the blog Cheap RV Living , and plays himself in the film. The nomads learn techniques on how to “boondock (camp for free),” and dry camp including how to use a bucket for a bathroom. In the winter, you’ll encounter all types of campers out in the desert surrounding Quartzsite.

One evening, the group heads into town and whoops it up at the Quartzsite Yacht Club (Open seasonally at 1090 W. Main Street) enjoying an evening of line dancing, pool, and brews. After the gathering, Fern decides to stay awhile in Quartzsite and picks up a job working at one of the many gem and mineral shows that pop up during the winter.

Quartzsite Yacht Club

The Quartzsite Yacht Club, scene of the nomad’s foray into local nightlife. Photo by Elizabeth R Rose

Nomadland Characters

In the film, Fern is seen listening to a piano performance by Paul Winer, the owner of Reader’s Oasis Books (Open year-round at 690 E. Main Street). Winer, who died in his sleep in 2019 after battling cancer, was notorious as he preferred to wear as little as possible (well, often just a pouch over his privates), and was dubbed the “naked bookseller.”

quartzsite yacht club for sale

Quartzsite Cemetery and Hi Jolly Monument

Before Nomadland, one of the main year-round attractions in Quartzsite AZ was the local cemetery. But this is not your average cemetery. In the middle is a large pyramid constructed of layers of local rocks with an impressive plaque placed in 1935 by the Arizona Highway Department. And on top of the tomb is an iron camel. This is the tomb of “Hi Jolly,” a man so important that Quartzsite holds an annual Hi Jolly event to honor this man. But who was Hi Jolly?

Quartzsite Cemetery and Hi Jolly Monument

What does a pyramid and a camel have to do with Arizona desert history? Photo by Elizabeth R Rose

Hi Jolly wasn’t really this man’s name. In fact, he was born Philip Tedro in Syria and was part Greek. At one point he converted to Islam and took the name Hadji Ali after his pilgrimage to Mecca. Ali, a camel breeder and driver, emigrated to the United States as part of a U.S. Cavalry experiment in the 1850s using camels for transporting goods in the desert. The closest the Americans could get to pronouncing his name was “Hi Jolly” and that name stuck.

US Cavalry Camel Corps

Ultimately the “Camel Corps” was disbanded, partially because the smaller animals, like burros, were terrified of the large creatures and partially because funding dried up due to the impending Civil War. Hi Jolly kept some of the camels and remained in the area. He did some prospecting, hauled freight, and served as a scout.

Hi Jolly died in December of 1902 and remains the subject of folk tales to this day. Some of the camels were spotted in the desert as late as 1942. You can visit his tomb in the pioneer section of the town cemetery located just off Main Street on W Elsie Ln and Hi Jolly Lane. There is a sign at the turn-off. It’s a peaceful place with fascinating grave markers and a nice mountain view.

Hi Jolly Tomb

Originally from “somewhere in Syria,” Hi Jolly spent his golden years in the Quartzsite area. Photo by Elizabeth R Rose

If you are in town in mid-January, check on the date for the Hi Jolly Daze Parade. It’s a big event and you may even see a real camel marching along.

Rock and Mineral Shows and Swap Meets

A major draw for visitors each winter is the huge sales events featuring rocks and minerals, flea market finds, antiques, and even an immense RV show and sale . In general, events and sales run October through March annually, which coincides with the influx of snowbirds and bargain hunters. Watch the Chamber of Commerce website for dates of special events . Or pick up a copy of the Desert Messenger newspaper when you get into town.

Quartzsite AZ

My friends from the Pacific Northwest forgot hats but fortunately, there was a vendor selling the perfect solution. Photo by Elizabeth R Rose

When the major swap meets and rock and mineral shows run, you will find that the traffic on I-10’s Quartzsite AZ exits back up.  So, it’s ideal to go early. Don a custom hat and wear sunscreen as much of the fun is outdoors. And wear comfortable walking shoes.

There will be steel drums overflowing with minerals from all over the world, fossils, arts and crafts, and quirky things like tipi’s, animal skins, garden sculptures, and more. There’s Navajo jewelry, petrified wood, hand-made items for your home, and, well…. just about anything you can imagine.

Swap Meet Quartzsite

You never know what you’ll find when you walk the rows upon rows of vendors. Photo by Elizabeth R Rose

While there are rock shops year-round in Quartzsite AZ, the winter shows attract vendors from all over the world. Right after the Tucson Gem and Mineral Shows end, you’ll often find new vendors arriving in Quartzsite after they pack up their goods and leave Tucson.

Quartzsite Gems and Minerals

There are both small and large specimens for sale at the Quartzsite shows. Photo by Elizabeth R Rose

Quartzsite Yacht Club

The Quartzsite Yacht Club has been a phenomenon for years. Now, this is really quirky. The Quartzsite Yacht Club has more members than any yacht club in the world and—there is no water nearby! Back in the 1970s, Al Madden opened the Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant Bar & Grill and started selling memberships as a joke. By 2010, more than 10,000 people representing every state and numerous countries around the world had become card-carrying members of the Quartzsite Yacht Club. And, some faraway yacht clubs have even offered free entry to their cushy amenities in reciprocity for the Quartzsite card-carrying members. After all, when you join for $49.99, you get a membership card, certificate, and snazzy sailing t-shirt.

Quartzsite Yacht Club

After a long day of shopping, the beer and burgers at the Quartzsite Yacht Club provided a welcome break. Photo by Elizabeth R Rose

RV Camping in Quartzsite AZ

There are well over 50 RV parks in Quartzsite. While they are not necessarily fancy, they offer amenities that the desert dry campers won’t have. Plus, many are within a walkable distance from shopping and restaurants.

Many people camp out in the desert at the BLM’s La Posa Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA). To camp on the 11,400 acres, your vehicle must be 100% self-contained for waste and gray water. And, during the winter crush, it’s not free.

According to the Quartzsite Chamber of Commerce, LTVA requires a Special Recreation Permit between September 15 and April 15. The LTVA allows camping between April 16 and September 14 at no cost, but the standard 14-day limit applies. Fees are $180 for long-term permits valid for 7 months. They are $40 short-term permits valid for 1 to 14 consecutive days. The minimum fee for camping is the $40 permit which can be renewed by paying another $40.

During the off-season, the standard BLM camping regulations and 14-day limit with no fee rules apply. The permits are valid in any of the six LTVAs in California or two LTVAs in Arizona. You can purchase permits from the Bureau of Land Management Yuma Field Office or on-site from the LTVA host during the winter season.

There are also areas a bit further away from the four-corner intersection of Quartzsite.  You can get current information and driving directions at the BLM site.

There are many blogs and organization websites that give good advice and information to people new to RV camping in Quartzsite. Online you can find maps and information along with campground reviews and photos.

Outdoor Rock Shop Quartzsite

Watch event calendars for the big shows in Quartzsite. Photo by Elizabeth R Rose

Off-Road Vehicle Trails Near Quartzsite AZ

The Arizona Peace Trail , a 750-mile Off-Road Vehicle (OHV) approved trail, draws OHV enthusiasts who enjoy exploring out in the desert around Quartzsite and as far away as Yuma and Bullhead City.

In addition, the area has more than 1,000 miles of BLM OHV-approved trails. Jeep trails are shown on an interactive map at the Jeep USA site . Be sure to check out more of our road trips on Wander, along with ideas for more fun things to see and do when you visit the Southwestern USA.

Out in the middle of nowhere—between Phoenix and the California border—you’ll find a quirky little desert town named Quartzsite, AZ. The little desert town figures prominently in the Academy-award-winning movie, Nomadland.

Boomer Travel | Camping | Copper | History | Phoenix | Quirky Travel | Retirement | Shopping

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Oscar-winner 'Nomadland' made Quartzsite famous. Now the Arizona town is readying for new tourists

It was the day after "Nomadland,” partly filmed in Quartzsite, Arizona, won the Academy Award for Best Picture . But the owner of a rock shop and gift store was readying a sign advertising another Quartzsite claim to fame: Home of the world’s largest belt buckle.

“I’m going to pull these guys off the freeway,” said Phil Bates, owner of the Main Trading Post on Monday as he readied the roadside sign, advertising the four-by-eight foot buckle.

One of Quartzsite’s industries has indeed been inducing drivers along Interstate 10 to turn off into the town for gas and food.

Quartzsite also hosts internationally-known rock and mineral shows and has shops that sell gems year-round.

But its other lifeblood is winter visitors. Both people with tricked-out RVs take a designated space in one of the town's many proper RV parks. As well as people who find space out in the surrounding desert.

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Where Fern lived in 'Nomadland'

It was the latter that was depicted in "Nomadland ." Frances McDormand won the Best Actress award for her portrayal of Fern, a widow who moves from a company town where the company has closed. She turns her van into her house and begins her nomadic life in Quartzsite, a small town in the desert of western Arizona.

It is not entirely clear whether the Best Picture win will translate into more tourists deciding to make a pit stop in Quartzsite. But Bates said he plans to be ready to sell "Nomadland"-related T-shirts and tchotchkes to any of the newly curious.

“I saw that it won,” he said, “It was like, son of a gun, that movie really took off.”

The Quartzsite Yacht Club

The filming of the movie, in late 2018, did not seem to draw much attention from residents, nor disrupt daily activities. Most of McDormand’s scenes were filmed where the nomadic travelers camp, in the desert south of I-10. The town proper lies north of the freeway, though two Quartzsite businesses are shown in the film.

In one scene, McDormand dances with co-star David Strathairn inside the Quartzsite Yacht Club , a bar and grill on Main Street that features live music when it’s open.

Those wanting to visit the Quartzsite Yacht Club, however, will have to wait until at least October. The bar closed for the season in February, a bit early because of staffing issues, according to its Facebook page.

MeMe Selleck, the Yacht Club's owner since 2015, said the bar will reopen in October along with what she anticipates will be "Nomadland" merchandise for sale. She no doubt will sell more memberships to the Quartzsite Yacht Club, each priced at $49.99.

The bar is at the center of a landlord-tenant dispute that has been scheduled for trial in La Paz County Superior Court in July, court records show. But Selleck didn't expect that to alter her business.

Donald Miller, who sings his "Quartzsite Vendor Blues" in the film, will be back at the club, Selleck said.

"With the movie and the big hype, I've been getting a lot of messages," Selleck said. "I think it will be a positive for everybody in this town."

A sad piano song at Reader's Oasis

In the movie, McDormand also takes in a performance by Paul Winer, who plays a melancholy boogie-woogie piano song paying tribute to dead friends. That piano sits in a small music hall adjoining the Reader’s Oasis bookstore , also along Main Street.

A location scout for the film heard Winer’s playing and sent a video to the film’s director, Chloé Zhao, who decided to include him in the film, said Joanne Winer, Paul’s wife.

In the scene at the piano, Winer offers a musical toast to, as he sings it, "the friends who had to depart. The friends in our heart," concluding, "Help me smile away the tears."

Winer died in November at 75 after an illness that started to hit him around the time of filming, Joanne Winer said. Paul Winer didn’t get to see himself in the movie, but he figured he would make the final cut after he received a check for $1,000, Joanne Winer said. She also received an advance royalty check of another $1,000 as Winer’s song, “Next To The Track Blues,” was put on the film’s soundtrack.

Paul Winer earned the nickname “The Naked Bookseller” because he would be naked much of the time. Though, Joanne Winer said, he didn’t have to be told that the filmmakers would want him clothed for his piano performance in the movie.

Joanne Winer said she’s hoping for a “Nomadland” bump in business. She said that with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping away tourists this winter, particularly Canadians, her business is off 80% compared to last year.

Much of her business, she said, comes from tourists who want to pick up a book as a souvenir, rather than a T-shirt.

Desert dwellers and the all-important bucket

The nomads who camp in the desert form their own community during the winter months, said Mark Goldberg, who runs a Quartzsite Off-Road , an atlas of interesting sites that can be viewed by users of all-terrain vehicles.

Goldberg also helps organize volunteer groups that clean up after what he called the small percentage of desert dwellers who leave waste behind.

Though the movie famously describes the merits of different sizes of plastic buckets to be used as toilets, Goldberg said the film didn’t show proper disposal techniques. That would involve either a pit toilet on Bureau of Land Management land or a solid waste facility in Quartzsite.

“We want to maintain the quality of what we have,” he said, “the beauty of the desert.”

Most of the seasonal Quartzsite visitors, both the nomads and the RV dwellers, have begun packing up, fleeing to cooler climes as summer approaches, said Lynda Goldberg, a member of the Quartzsite Town Council. Mark Goldberg is her husband.

During the summer, motorists stop for fuel, food and, from the town's perspective, hopefully, a keepsake of some sort.

The winter visitors begin returning in October. Some hold out until after Thanksgiving. Tourist traffic picks up in January when the gem shows start.

Goldberg said that she expects to see a few more long-term visitors next fall and winter as a result of the movie. “I don’t think it’s going to be a huge, huge amount, but I do think that we will absolutely have some curious people,” she said.

In April, the town council passed a proclamation to show its formal appreciation for the "national and international recognition" the movie brought to Quartzsite, its businesses and residents.

Goldberg thinks more motorists will pull off of I-10, just to get a brief peek at the place where the movie was filmed. She said she expected the gift shops that line Main Street to soon start featuring “Nomadland”-related items.

One possibility she thought about was a 5-gallon bucket. To be used as a novelty, not a necessity.

“I can see white buckets with Quartzsite on them,” she said. “You darn well know that’s coming.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Nomadland' movie filming site Quartzsite, Arizona, preps for tourists

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quartzsite yacht club for sale

Quartzsite Yacht Club

Started as a joke back in the 70s (a yacht club in the middle of a desert?), the club is a social gathering place with music, a bar&grill, and a motel.

Cost to join is $30 per person. Any visitors to the club have the option of joining, and with their membership they receive a t-shirt, a flag, signed certificates for framing, and official membership cards. There is one particular perk, though, that ends up being the best of the bunch: reciprocity, which MAY (not guaranteed) allow entry into other real yacht clubs.

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quartzsite yacht club for sale

Hours 7am – 11pm

Daily, monthly, yearly rates

Pull Through Sites, 50 AMP Available, Clean Restrooms, Dog Run, WiFi, Security Cameras

Hours 6am -7pm

Hours 6am – 8pm Tues – Sunday

Free Wi-FI and electrical outlets.

Subway and Dairy Queen available inside for your dining pleasure. Wireless Internet and ATMs also available.

West of McDonald’s. Open 7 days a week 6am-8pm.

There is a charge for dump and water service if you are not staying at this RV park.

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Photo of Quartzsite Yacht Club

Quartzsite Yacht Club

1090 W Main St, Quartzsite , Arizona 85346 USA

  • Independent
  • Credit Cards Accepted
  • Public Restrooms
  • Outdoor Seating

Learn more about this business on Yelp .

“Join the largest yacht club in the world!”

Come enjoy a night in the Quartzsite Yacht Club Motel, a nautically themed motel, adjacent to the restaurant and bar, the Quartzsite Yacht Club.

Photo of LD H.

Reviewed by LD H.

I had the calamari appetizer. The cocktail sauce was excellent tasting and had a nice little kick! I was pleased to see the XX sign out front because that's my favorite Mexican beer. The service... Read more

Photo of Dawn R.

Reviewed by Dawn R.

In all honesty this is more a bar with bar food. Not a bar and grill and not a restaurant with a bar. Just a bar with bar food. The prices are too high for what they offer. If you're looking to... Read more

Photo of Richard B.

Reviewed by Richard B.

An oasis in the desert, serving amazing fish and chips and ribs! Came with the least of expectations and thoroughly enjoyed my experience here. Rocking band my night, 4 stars all the way! Read more

View 98 reviews on

  • Sun: 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Mon, Tue: 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  • Wed - Sat: 12:00 pm - 11:00 pm

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Quartzsite, Arizona, made famous by Oscar-winner 'Nomadland,' readies for new tourists

quartzsite yacht club for sale

It was the day after "Nomadland,” partly filmed in Quartzsite, Ariz., won the Academy Award for Best Picture. But the owner of a rock shop and gift store was readying a sign advertising another Quartzsite claim to fame: Home of the world’s largest belt buckle.

“I’m going to pull these guys off the freeway,” said Phil Bates, owner of the Main Trading Post on Monday as he readied the roadside sign, advertising the four-by-eight foot buckle.

One of Quartzsite’s industries has indeed been inducing drivers along Interstate 10 to turn off into the town for gas and food.

Quartzsite also hosts internationally-known rock and mineral shows and has shops that sell gems year-round.

But its other lifeblood is winter visitors. Both people with tricked-out RVs take a designated space in one of the town's many proper RV parks. As well as people who find space out in the surrounding desert. 

Where Fern lived in 'Nomadland'

It was the latter that was depicted in Nomadland . Francis McDormand won the Best Actress award for her portrayal of Fern, a widow who moves from a company town where the company has closed. She turns her van into her house and begins her nomadic life in Quartzsite, a small town in the desert of western Arizona.

It is not entirely clear whether the Best Picture win will translate into more tourists deciding to make a pit stop in Quartzsite. But Bates said he plans to be ready to sell "Nomadland"-related T-shirts and tchotchkes to any of the newly curious.

“I saw that it won,” he said, “It was like, son of a gun, that movie really took off.”

The Quartzsite Yacht Club

The filming of the movie, in late 2018, did not seem to draw much attention from residents, nor disrupt daily activities. Most of McDormand’s scenes were filmed where the nomadic travelers camp, in the desert south of Interstate 10. The town proper lies north of the freeway, though two Quartzsite businesses are shown in the film.

In one scene, McDormand dances with co-star David Strathairn inside the Quartzsite Yacht Club, a bar and grill on Main Street that features live music when it’s open.

Those wanting to visit the Quartzsite Yacht Club, however, will have to wait until at least October. The bar closed for the season in February, a bit early because of staffing issues, according to its Facebook page.

MeMe Selleck, the Yacht Club's owner since 2015, said the bar will reopen in October along with what she anticipates will be "Nomadland" merchandise for sale. She no doubt will sell more memberships to the Quartzsite Yacht Club, each priced at $49.99.

The bar is at the center of a landlord-tenant dispute that has been scheduled for trial in La Paz County Superior Court in July, court records show. But Selleck didn't expect that to alter her business.

Donald Miller, who sings his "Quartzsite Vendor Blues" in the film, will be back at the club, Selleck said.

"With the movie and the big hype, I've been getting a lot of messages," Selleck said. "I think it will be a positive for everybody in this town."

A sad piano song at Reader's Oasis

In the movie, McDormand also takes in a performance by Paul Winer, who plays a melancholy boogie-woogie piano song paying tribute to dead friends. That piano sits in a small music hall adjoining the Reader’s Oasis bookstore, also along Main Street.

A location scout for the film heard Winer’s playing and sent a video to the film’s director, Chloé Zhao, who decided to include him in the film, said Joanne Winer, Paul’s wife.

In the scene at the piano, Winer offers a musical toast to, as he sings it, "the friends who had to depart. The friends in our heart," concluding, "Help me smile away the tears." 

Winer died in November at 75 after an illness that started to hit him around the time of filming, Joanne Winer said. Paul Winer didn’t get to see himself in the movie, but he figured he would make the final cut after he received a check for $1,000, Joanne Winer said. She also received an advance royalty check of another $1,000 as Winer’s song, “Next To The Track Blues,” was put on the film’s soundtrack.

Paul Winer earned the nickname “The Naked Bookseller” because he would be naked much of the time. Though, Joanne Winer said, he didn’t have to be told that the filmmakers would want him clothed for his piano performance in the movie.

Joanne Winer said she’s hoping for a “Nomadland” bump in business. She said that with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping away tourists this winter, particularly Canadians, her business is off 80% compared to last year. 

Much of her business, she said, comes from tourists who want to pick up a book as a souvenir, rather than a T-shirt. 

Desert dwellers and the all-important bucket

The nomads who camp in the desert form their own community during the winter months, said Mark Goldberg, who runs a Quartzsite Off-Road, an atlas of interesting sites that can be viewed by users of all-terrain vehicles.

Goldberg also helps organize volunteer groups that clean up after what he called the small percentage of desert dwellers who leave waste behind.

Though the movie famously describes the merits of different sizes of plastic buckets to be used as toilets, Goldberg said the film didn’t show proper disposal techniques. That would involve either a pit toilet on Bureau of Land Management land or a solid waste facility in Quartzsite.

“We want to maintain the quality of what we have,” he said, “the beauty of the desert.”

Most of the seasonal Quartzsite visitors, both the nomads and the RV dwellers, have begun packing up, fleeing to cooler climes as summer approaches, said Lynda Goldberg, a member of the Quartzsite Town Council. Mark Goldberg is her husband.

During the summer, motorists stop for fuel, food and, from the town's perspective, hopefully, a keepsake of some sort.

The winter visitors begin returning in October. Some hold out until after Thanksgiving. Tourist traffic picks up in January when the gem shows start.

Goldberg said that she expects to see a few more long-term visitors next fall and winter as a result of the movie. “I don’t think it’s going to be a huge, huge amount, but I do think that we will absolutely have some curious people,” she said.

In April, the town council passed a proclamation to show its formal appreciation for the "national and international recognition" the movie brought to Quartzsite, its businesses and residents.

Goldberg thinks more motorists will pull off of Interstate 10, just to get a brief peek at the place where the movie was filmed. She said she expected the gift shops that line Main Street to soon start featuring “Nomadland”-related items.

One possibility she thought about was a five-gallon bucket. To be used as a novelty, not a necessity.

“I can see white buckets with Quartzsite on them,” she said. “You darn well know that’s coming.”

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Quartzsite Yacht Club Bar And Grill

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Quirky Quartzsite, Arizona: What You Need to Know

A Guide to Visiting "The Rock Capital of the World"

quartzsite yacht club for sale

Pass through the small hamlet of Quartzsite, Arizona, in the summer, and you may think nothing happens in this flat desert town. But come winter, the entire area bustles with activity—and not just from tumbleweeds.

During the two months, RVers come by the thousands to camp (called "boondocking" here) in the temperate if fairly primitive desert conditions. Yet, there's another reason people descend in droves during the winter: a love of geology.

Quartzsite, with its unusual concentration of collectible gems, minerals, and precious metals, has been a rock hound's paradise since the 1960s. It swells in population each winter thanks to more than 1 million visitors, most of whom converge on the small town in a wave of RVs during January and February. The Desert USA website explains the draw:

“Eight major gem and mineral shows as well as vendors of raw and handcrafted merchandise peddle their wares to snowbirds, collectors and enthusiasts.”

Located in the Sonoran Desert of western Arizona, Quartzsite sits just 18 miles east of the Colorado River on Interstate 10. The 125-mile trip takes about two hours from Phoenix; the town is also easy to reach from Los Angeles in under five hours by car.

The annual show season runs from October through April, though the main events take place in January and February. If you like gems and minerals, hit the sales during the big “rock hound” events when you can find collectible geodes, crystals, and even fossilized bones from around the globe. Antique hunters score at the swap meets, and you can find unusual handmade items and one-of-a-kind jewelry at the nearly constant craft shows. Add in a mix of classic car shows, chili cook-offs, and  RV shows and sales , and Crazy Quartzsite keeps your social calendar full.

Check the  Quartzsite calendar  so you can come during the events that most interest you. Grab a copy of  The Desert Star  newspaper when you get to town for more up-to-date news and ads.

How does a town in the Sonoran Desert, hundreds of miles from the nearest body of water, gain the largest yacht-club membership in the world? Back in the 1970s, Al Madden opened the Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant Bar & Grill and started selling memberships as a joke. By 2010, more than 10,000 people representing every state and numerous countries around the world had become card-carrying members of the Quartzsite Yacht Club.

What to Expect

Be prepared for traffic during the height of the season; I-10 frequently gets backed up in January and February.

It’s dusty out there in the desert, and most shopping takes place outdoors in makeshift tents along rows of RVs. The wind can pick up or a rainstorm can move in suddenly, so be prepared with a jacket, sturdy outdoor clothes, and walking shoes. 

If you're not prepared to bed down in an RV, a handful of chain hotels operate in Quartzsite. You can also stay on the west side of Phoenix and venture into Quartzsite as a day trip.

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Quartzsite Yacht Club

I become a member of the Quartzsite Yacht Club — “Welcome Aboard – long time, no sea!” -the motto of the Quartzsite Yacht Club I joined a yacht club. I joined a yacht club in the middle of the Sonoran desert. There is no water, no sea access, no rivers in sight of this yacht [...]

I become a member of the Quartzsite Yacht Club —

“Welcome Aboard – long time, no sea!” -the motto of the Quartzsite Yacht Club

I joined a yacht club. I joined a yacht club in the middle of the Sonoran desert.

There is no water, no sea access, no rivers in sight of this yacht club, nor are there any boats — unless, of course, you count the ones that are being flatbedded behind rigs driving down the interstate running deliveries to the seaside ports of Los Angeles and San Diego hundreds of miles away.

——————— Phoenix, Arizona, Southwest USA, North America Tuesday, September 29, 2009 Wade’s Travel Gear | All Travelogue Entries ———————

Yes, it is true, the Quartzsite Yacht Club does not have any access to the sea — it never has and it never will unless California falls into the ocean and the Pacific rears up to meet its new coast line in Arizona — but these cold facts seemed to have done little to deter its founder, Al Madden, from founding a yacht club in the desert.

The fact that Quartzsite is as dry as a mouth full of saltine crackers  may even have encouraged the founding of the yacht club:

Americans possess nothing if not a love for a good twist of over obvious irony — and a yacht club in the middle of the Arizona desert is appropriately ironic.

Quartzsite Yacht Club

As you dust the grit of the desert off of your blue jeans and take one last breathe of air that cooks you from the inside out, you approach the Quartzsite Yacht Club, which sits right on the main thoroughfare of town. You may even caste one last glance out across a wide expanse of bare naked desert earth before you walk up to its door. The mere thought of water here is a mirage of the mind, and to even dream about the open sea seems ludicrous: you are in the land where fire combines with earth, and the water element seems to be a facade reserved for far away lands.

But as you reach for the handle you see a replica of ship’s helm hanging above the door — and you realize that you are about to enter a yacht club. Inside, the walls are covered in sea going paraphernalia — paintings of storms at sea, oars, shipping flags, stuffed marine animals, models of ships, ships in bottles, nautical charts, and a big galley bell hangs over the thick wooden bar.

The sign on the bell caught my attention:

“To he who rings this bell in jest, buys a round for all the rest.”

As I sat at the bar dreaming into the sea paintings and random assortment of ship parts and pieces that completely blanketed the walls of the club, I began to realize that this yacht club is no jest: it is for real. The people who duck into port and dock at Quartzsite may not be traveling by boat, they may not be traveling by sea, but they do have yachts: land yachts, a.k.a. Recreational Vehicles — RVs and campers.

Each year in Quartzsite 300,000 people from all over the USA and Canada sail across the continent in their land yachts for the cheap port fees and good docking facilities that are found in Quartzsite. These terrestrial sailors then stay for a few months drinking beer, worshiping the sun, and rejoicing that they possess the wisdom and gumption to follow the birds south and duck out of another winter . . .

And why not?

The yacht club serves as the main rendezvous point for these terrestrial sailors.

Terrestrial Yacht in the Desert

Terrestrial Yacht in the Desert

But as soon as spring breaks in again for its yearly round, Quartzsite is again left abandoned, and the sailors return home.

Though the yacht club still keeps its doors open for the few thousand sailors who have tied up to more permanent moorings and stay in the small desert town throughout the year.

“I pay $80 a month to keep my RV here,” spoke a year-rounder who pulled a stool up next to me at bar of the yacht club one night.

“Not bad,” I reply.

“Yeah, not bad,” he continued, “A lot of people say that they come here for the sun or for the weather, but no, they come here for another reason.”

People come to Quartzsite because it is cheap to live there.

$80 a month, apparently, claims a place for an RV, and a few more ten dollar bills on top of this covers rent with utilities. I must say here that, in my scant survey of inter continental sailing, this is a common tune of oceanic sailors as well: you go to where you can live the best on the least amount of money and effort.

For many RVers this place is Quartzsite, Arizona.

Yacht club in desert

Yacht club in desert

I ordered another $1.75 beer at the bar, and then inquired as to how I could become a member of the Quartzsite Yacht Club.

As for the benefits of membership I would get a t-shirt that had an image of a yacht sailing through the desert with cacti all around and a surprised jack rabbit watching the ship sail passed, a certificate confirming that I am a charter member of the club, a standard yacht club affiliation flag for the boat that I am soon to buy, and an official Quartzsite Yacht Club membership card.

People at the club even attests that the yacht club reciprocity statement that is printed on the card is in fact valid, and one man even told how he was permitted to gas up his boat at a club in California simply because he flashed his Quartzsite Yacht Club card.

I figure that if I am going to sail the world by sea I may as well be a member of a yacht club. And perhaps the only yacht club that is suitable for me is one out in the middle of the dry, dry desert.

I signed my name on the club membership ledger, and the bartender then saluted me and proclaimed me official charter member #7491 of the Quartzsite Yacht Club.

Quartzsite Yacht Club Card

Quartzsite Yacht Club Card

Arizona Desert Series

[seriesposts orderby=date order=ASC name=”arizona desert” ]

About the Author: VBJ

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VBJ is currently in: New York City

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' src=

You’ve got to love a bit of irony! Nothing better that a yacht club without the sea or boats. But instead “land yachts” also known as RV’s and Caravans.

You can certainly see the similarity in the lifestyles. Just one on land and another at sea!

Thanks for sharing this post. Has certainly brought a smile to my face!

' src=

This is a brilliant idea. I wouldn’t mind being a part of it just for the fact it’s a yacht club without any form of sea transport. It is a good idea to try to live the best you can on as little as possible because it means you can save money in the long run.

' src=

Right on, the place is really interesting.

' src=

I love the yacht club.

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Quartzsite Yacht Club Bar and Grill

quartzsite yacht club for sale

QUARTZSITE YACHT CLUB BAR AND GRILL - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

  • Quartzsite, Arizona /

Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant Bar

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Tasty fish & chips , cod and ribs will impress you at the first bite. Most likely, you'll come back to this bar later to order delicious beer or good liqueur . After a long working week, you can taste great ice tea .

Choose between indoor and outdoor seating. The high ratings of Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant Bar wouldn't be possible without the creative staff. Cool service is something visitors like here. This place offers you food at democratic prices. The terrific decor and nice atmosphere let clients feel relaxed here. This spot is rated on Google 4.2 by its guests.

Best in the city This award is based on the analysis of multiple factors, including reviews, ratings, and user engagement trends on Restaurant Guru.

Restaurant menu, frequently mentioned in reviews, ratings of quartzsite yacht club restaurant bar, visitors' opinions on quartzsite yacht club restaurant bar.

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IMAGES

  1. Quartzsite Yacht Club

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  2. Quartzsite Yacht Club Motel Rooms: Pictures & Reviews

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  3. Our Story

    quartzsite yacht club for sale

  4. QUARTZSITE YACHT CLUB MOTEL

    quartzsite yacht club for sale

  5. Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant, Bar & Grill

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  6. Quartzsite

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COMMENTS

  1. Our Story

    for the Quartzsite Yacht Club, Restaurant, Bar & Grill …. It all began with 'Commodore' Al Madden (1919-1996) Al Madden, who had an investment company in California, worked on a gold mine venture for clients in Quartzite, Arizona during the 1970's. Although this business venture was not successful, Al spent a lot of time in Quartzite ...

  2. Quartzsite Yacht Club

    Quartzsite Yacht Club, Quartzsite, Arizona. 2,622 likes · 7 talking about this · 5,525 were here. Quartzsite Yacht Club - Quartzsite, Arizona. Long time...

  3. Inside Quartzsite, Arizona, a Popular Town for Snowbirds

    The Quartzsite Yacht Club has made a name for itself based solely on irony. There's no ocean in the middle of the desert, yet it claims to have the largest yachting membership in the world ...

  4. Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant, Bar & Grill

    Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant, Bar & Grill 1090 W Main St, Quartzsite, AZ, 85346, Ph: ( 928) 927-6331

  5. The Quartzsite Report: Quartzsite's own yacht club; and presumably huge

    The real "secret" of the club is simple: That membership fee (now $49.95) gets you a fancy cap and an official membership card to the Quartzsite Yacht Club. Present said card at many on-the-water yacht clubs around the country, and its holder is often freely admitted to the no-doubt plusher-than-ours confines where they're visiting.

  6. Quartzsite AZ: Visiting this Quirky Desert Town

    There are both small and large specimens for sale at the Quartzsite shows. Photo by Elizabeth R Rose. ... The Quartzsite Yacht Club has more members than any yacht club in the world and—there is no water nearby! Back in the 1970s, Al Madden opened the Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant Bar & Grill and started selling memberships as a joke. By ...

  7. Oscar-winner 'Nomadland' made Quartzsite famous. Now the Arizona town

    The Quartzsite Yacht Club. The filming of the movie, in late 2018, did not seem to draw much attention from residents, nor disrupt daily activities. Most of McDormand's scenes were filmed where the nomadic travelers camp, in the desert south of I-10. The town proper lies north of the freeway, though two Quartzsite businesses are shown in the ...

  8. Quartzsite Yacht Club Bar and Grill

    81 reviews #1 of 1 Bars & Pubs in Quartzsite $$ - $$$ American Bar. 1070 W Main, Quartzsite, AZ +1 928-927-6331 Website Menu. Open now : 08:00 AM - 12:00 AM. Improve this listing.

  9. Quartzsite Yacht Club

    Started as a joke back in the 70s (a yacht club in the middle of a desert?), the club is a social gathering place with music, a bar&grill, and a motel. Cost to join is $30 per person. Any visitors to the club have the option of joining, and with their membership they receive a t-shirt, a flag, signed certificates for framing, and official ...

  10. Quartzsite Yacht Club, Quartzsite

    An oasis in the desert, serving amazing fish and chips and ribs! Came with the least of expectations and thoroughly enjoyed my experience here. Rocking band my night, 4 stars all the way! Read more. View 98 reviews on. Quartzsite Yacht Club is a Bar in Quartzsite. Plan your road trip to Quartzsite Yacht Club in AZ with Roadtrippers.

  11. Quartzsite, Arizona, where Nomadland was filmed, preps for tourists

    The Quartzsite Yacht Club. The filming of the movie, in late 2018, did not seem to draw much attention from residents, nor disrupt daily activities. Most of McDormand's scenes were filmed where ...

  12. Quartzsite Yacht Club Bar And Grill, Quartzsite

    Quartzsite Yacht Club Bar And Grill in Quartzsite, browse the original menu, discover prices, read customer reviews. The restaurant Quartzsite Yacht Club Bar And Grill has received 675 user ratings with a score of 82.

  13. Quartzsite, Arizona: How to Visit this Desert Town

    Back in the 1970s, Al Madden opened the Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant Bar & Grill and started selling memberships as a joke. By 2010, more than 10,000 people representing every state and numerous countries around the world had become card-carrying members of the Quartzsite Yacht Club.

  14. Quartzsite Yacht Club

    Quartzsite Yacht Club. I become a member of the Quartzsite Yacht Club — "Welcome Aboard - long time, no sea!" -the motto of the Quartzsite Yacht Club I joined a yacht club. I joined a yacht club in the middle of the Sonoran desert. There is no water, no sea access, no rivers in sight of this yacht [...] Published on September 29, 2009 ...

  15. Quartzsite Yacht Club Bar and Grill

    Review. 81 reviews. #1 of 1 Bars & Pubs in Quartzsite $$ - $$$, American, Bar. 1070 W Main, Quartzsite, AZ. +1 928-927-6331 + Add website. Closed now See all hours. Improve this listing.

  16. Quartzsite Yacht Club

    Quartzsite Yacht Club, Quartzsite, Arizona. 2,444 likes · 138 talking about this · 5,114 were here. Quartzsite Yacht Club - Quartzsite, Arizona. Long time No sea!!

  17. Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant Bar, Quartzsite

    Latest reviews, photos and 👍🏾ratings for Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant Bar at 1090 W Main St in Quartzsite - view the menu, ⏰hours, ☎️phone number, ☝address and map.

  18. Quartzsite LIVE

    Quartzsite LIVE - Gem Mineral & Jewelry Show, Quartzsite, Arizona. 2,474 likes · 78 talking about this.

  19. Quartzsite Yacht Club

    View the Menu of Quartzsite Yacht Club in 1070 W Main St, Quartzsite, AZ. Share it with friends or find your next meal. Quartzsite Yacht Club - Quartzsite, Arizona. Long time No sea!!

  20. Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant Bar

    103 photos. Tasty fish & chips, cod and ribs will impress you at the first bite. Most likely, you'll come back to this bar later to order delicious beer or good liqueur. After a long working week, you can taste great ice tea. Choose between indoor and outdoor seating. The high ratings of Quartzsite Yacht Club Restaurant Bar wouldn't be possible ...