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The Gadsden is easy to find in Douglas: A large sign stands atop the historic building in this border town. The lobby is impressive. Your eye is drawn past marble columns and up the white Italian marble staircase to a series of stained-glass windows on the second floor. Light pours through the desert scenes depicted in the Tiffany glass, casting a rainbow of colors on the lobby floor.
Pancho Villa once rode a horse up those very stairs, which were among the few things to survive a sweeping fire that nearly destroyed the Gadsden in 1929. The hotel opened in 1907 and is named after the Gadsden Purchase of land that is now part of Arizona and New Mexico. Famous guests have included movie stars and dignitaries, including Eleanor Roosevelt.
Stop in the Saddle & Spur Tavern for a shot of whiskey (or other beverage) and admire the 200-plus cattle brands on the wall. Then visit the hotel's El Conquistador Dining Room for steaks, burgers and Mexican specialties.