Rich historic offerings, endlessly entertaining casinos and world-class golf draw visitors from around the globe for a Nevada vacation in Carson City. Due to our great Nevada location, Carson City serves as the hub of the wagon wheel for site-seers and adventure-seekers alike. My husband is a history nut, so all the following were something that we visited in some capacity during our recent trip.
The Nevada State Capitol and the Nevada State Library and Archives present changing historic exhibits which display memorabilia and exhibits to enhance cultural understanding. With my son heading into 5th grade and my oldest in 8th, the kids knew a few things about states, government, capitols, etc, so this was a must visit. My husband and I have visited 3 state capitols in the last 3 months and we love learning more history and passing that on to our kids. The security guard gave my youngest two kids a state coin, and now there mission is to collect all 50! (Free admission)
Nevada State Museum & Mint
Location: 600 North Carson Street (Hwy. 395) corner of Robinson Street.
Phone: (775) 687-4810
Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 8:30am-4:30pm, closed Sunday, Monday, Tues. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Price: Adults $8.00, free for children 17 and under and museum members.
Website: http://www.nevadaculture.org
Explore Nevada’s natural and cultural history. Discover a life-size Columbian Mammoth, Datsolalee American Indian baskets, ghost town, and a walk-through mine known worldwide for its authenticity. View the dazzling beauty of the USS Nevada Silver Service. See the historic Carson City Mint, featuring the original Coin Press No. 1, which stamped millions of gold and silver coins from the rich ores of the Comstock Lode. Shop the museum store for memorable books and Nevada gifts.
Nevada State Railroad Museum
Location: 2180 South Carson Street (US 395) at Fairview Drive, near the south end of Carson City
Phone: (775) 687-6953
Hours: Friday through Monday 8:30am-4:30pm, closed Tues, Wed. & Thurs
Price: Adults $5, Children 17 younger Free
Website: http://nevadaculture.org/
Friends of the Museum website: http://www.nsrm-friends.org
Considered one of the finest regional railroad museums in the country, it includes five steam locomotives and several restored coaches and freight cars. Most featured equipment is from the Comstock Era’s Virginia & Truckee Railroad, America’s richest and most famous short line.
The highlight of our trip to the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City with the kids was the hand cart ride but I thoroughly enjoyed the displays and diagrams of western Nevada Railroad history. After strolling through the remarkable collection of restored train engines and cars I was astonished by the restoration shop out back. Volunteers are on hand to describe and explain the history of and the effort necessary to take one of the dilapidated railroad artifacts (also on display in the back of the shop) and transform them into the beautiful examples of machinery, trophies of the industrial age. If your kids get a little tired of the history, there are train sets to play with at the front of the museum, smart!
The Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada
Location: 813 North Carson Street
Phone: (775) 884-2226
Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10am-4pm, Sat. & Sun. 10am-5:30pm
Price: Children 2+ $3, Adults 14+ $5, Srs. 55+ $4, children under 1 free
Website: http://www.cmnn.org/
The Kit Carson Trail, a 2.5-mile self-guided walking tour, escorts sightseers through Carson City’s famous historical homes district, the largest in the West. A painted blue line along the sidewalk with inlaid bronze medallions marks the route past various landmarks: Victorian-style homes over 100 years old, museums and original churches, the Governor’s Mansion and the home of Mark Twain’s brother – where the famous author spent much of his time. The tour also provides insight and anecdotes about the capital city and some of its more colorful personalities.
Railfest, a celebration of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, takes place in August in Carson and Virginia Cities. Activities include train rides, live entertainment, trolley rides and special exhibits at area museums.
Reno/Sparks Drive
We drove the Reno/Sparks area for a little drive on our trip, it wasn’t more than about 35 minute drive. Just north of Carson City, Reno is home of more than a half dozen first class hotel-casinos including the Silver Legacy, Harrah’s, the Eldorado, the Siena, and Circus Circus. Reno’s promotional slogan is “America’s Adventure Place” and one of the hottest new things in town is the Truckee River Whitewater Park, a half-mile water attraction in the center of Reno with rapids, a slalom racing course, and nearly a dozen “drop pools” and boulders for kayaking maneuvers.
Annual events ranging from Hot August Nights, a celebration of the music, cars, and fashions of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, to Street Vibrations, a huge motorcycle rally and parade, help keep the downtown rocking during the summer months. More upcoming fall events include: Reno-Tahoe Open (August), Great Reno Balloon Races (September), National Championship Air Races (September), and the Great Italian Festival (October).
Adjacent to Reno is the community of Sparks, once an important railroad town, which has grown into a vacation destination with first class hotels, fine dining, championship golf courses, and the Sparks Marina, popular with sun-worshipers, wake-boarders and day sailors. Victorian Square, in the center of Sparks, is a picturesque shopping/casino/restaurant district that incorporates a 19th century Victorian theme. The Sparks Heritage Museum in the downtown offers a glimpse into the town’s rich history.
We were not compensated for any of the places we visited in this post.
