The name Reno suggests casino gaming, celebrity performances, and 24 hour entertainment. High wire artists entertain nightly as do the country's top comics. Guests can watch live elephants perform and can dance into the early morning hours to the beat of their favorite rock group. A variety of activities areavailable around the clock, but the most spectacular events require no advance bookings. They are the sunrises and sunsets which are exhibited daily against the backdrop of the majestic Sierra Nevada mountains. The colors of the mountains and the sky are beyond description. They leave the viewer breathless with wonder, and with a feeling of exhilaration at the same time. Even the most ardent devotee of western films shot on location, is amazed at the first sight of the "real thing." The camera lens has not been able to capture the essence of the profound beauty of these masterpieces of nature.
Exploring the Reno area takes patience of a kind that, once practiced, can yield tremendous benefits to the traveler. Much of our 21st century family travel involves attendance at mega attractions where the only thing standing between the visitor and a total assault on the senses via Imax, theme rides, and action figures is an hour or two of waiting in line for admission. The Reno experience is entirely different. It is possible to drive through the desert and only remember passing along through a hot, dry wilderness of ghost towns with museums and attractions that look like a C rated western movie set. This is where the patience comes in!
Prepare ahead of time for what will be a journey through land that was at the bottom of what was once an inland sea. Look around for the fertile farms, the snow capped mountain peaks, the lush valleys. Watch for the herds of wild horses and for the families of tortoises making their deliberate way. Stop at a park for a picnic and discover pines, firs, and wild strawberries. Enter into the spirit of the wild west by visiting Ponderosa Ranch in Incline Village and recalling the drama of episodes of the Bonanza TV show.
The main route across Nevada, I-80, runs from Salt Lake City to Reno, skirting dozens of small towns with names like Winnemucca, Elko, and Battle Mountain.
The other main route, US 50, is older and slower than I-80, but highly rated in terms of scenic beauty. It follows much the same route as did the riders of the Pony Express in the 1860s. Many of the towns along it have faded away, and some have been entirely abandoned. Yet, these pioneers made their mark, and the imagination is stirred by memories of their accomplishments. Take a day trip to Carson City, the state capitol of Nevada. There you will find the Nevada Railroad Museum. Visit the Stewart Indian Museum or take the walking tour and see all the historic buildings. There is a wide choice of restaurants and lots of shopping. US 50 comes into Carson City as Williams Street.
US 50 passes by Nevada's only national park, Great Basin National Park in the eastern mountains.
From there it joins I-80 at Reno, and then veers off to the southwest to circle magnificent Lake Tahoe. The view of Lake Tahoe as approached from the mountain is incredible! If peaceful sight-seeing is your desire, you might want to venture out for the 72 mile drive around Lake Tahoe. Summer is the best time for this, as snow blocks some of the roads at other times of the year. On the drive, the diversity of the area is apparent. Snow capped mountain ranges (some peaks are 14.000 feet high) rise above magnificent beaches, and enclaves of multi-million dollar homes. Lake Tahoe offers a variety of winter sports such as alpine skiing and snowboarding, ice skating, cross-country skiing and dog sled rides. There is horseback riding, gambling, cruises on Lake Tahoe, and a chance to ride the cable car to the top of Squaw Valley.
Virginia City, not far from Tahoe, is an unusual place, and still has some musty corners that evoke its heyday, when it was far larger and a history-making mining town. Virginia City is on the side of a mountain, and elevated, providing a great view of the desert and surrounding hills.
One last main route, US-95, links Reno and Las Vegas, passing near Death Valley as well as Nevada's best known ghost town, Goldfield.
If you fly to Reno, a car won't be necessary. Everything is within a few blocks as far as casinos go. The casinos on the outskirts of town have shuttle service every half hour at no charge. For fun for the whole family, take a trip to Circus Circus Midway Stage. Young and old alike get caught up in the excitement of the carnival style arcade at the Midway where there is a chance to win stuffed toy animals and other prizes at the more than 30 games available. Wild Island Family Adventure Park, has eight water adventures, two miniature golf courses and a variety of racetracks in its Formula K Raceway.
In order to take advantage of the many outlet stores and do a little sightseeing around the area, rent a car for a day or two and explore. Reno is a beautiful city with much to see and do. It extends out toward the smaller city of Sparks. Reno and Sparks are one continuous urban area, but Sparks has its own separate character. Established in 1901 as a railroad maintenance depot, residents and businesses of Victorian Square in Sparks have created a turn-of-the century atmosphere with Victorian storefronts and a gazebo highlighting an entire area of shops, casinos and restaurants for visitors who enjoy the old time appeal.
The 1999 census reports an increase of over 23 percent in the population of Reno in the last ten years! The Biggest Little City in the World is, understandably, continuing to grow.
Settlement of Reno began in 1859 when a toll bridge was constructed over the Truckee River for pioneers on their way to California on the Humboldt Trail. Travelers followed the Truckee River up into the mountains north of Lake Tahoe and crossed the Sierra Nevada range at Donner Pass. This is basically the course of Route 80 today. Some of the property owners charged toll for the passage of people through their land. Myron Lake built a hotel, saloon and several miles of good road to steer the groups in his direction. When the silver mining boom began in Virginia City, Lake became wealthy, and the area became known as Lake's Crossing.
At about the same time that pioneers discovered Lake's Crossing, explorers Kit Carson and John C. Fremont happened to find Lake Tahoe. At 22 miles long, 12 miles wide, and an average of 1,000 feet deep, Tahoe is one of the deepest fresh water lakes in the world.
Lake Tahoe had more than scenic value. The rich forests surrounding the lake supported a thriving lumber industry and supplied the timbers used to build the silver mines of the Comstock Lode. Many of Lake Tahoe's modern resort areas can trace their origins back to the days of the lumber camps.
Much of the wealth on which Carson City and San Francisco were built came from the silver mines of the Comstock Lode, a solid seam of pure silver discovered underneath Mount Hamilton, fourteen miles east of Carson City off US50, in 1859. Rough and tumble Virginia City grew up on the steep slopes above the mines, and a young writer named Samuel Clemens made his way there from the east with his older brother, the acting Secretary to the Governor of the Nevada Territory to write about it. His descriptions of the wild life of the mining camp, and of the desperately hard work men put in to get at the valuable ore, were published years later under his pseudonym, Mark Twain. His tales of Virginia City life, collected in Roughing It, form a hilarious eyewitness account of the irreverent, hard-drinking life of the frontier miners.
With his new wealth, Myron Lake had purchased much of the land surrounding his original property. When the Central Pacific Railroad came through, Lake offered to donate the land the railroad needed if they would build a passenger depot and freight station on part of it. The deal was struck in 1868, and Lake's foresight insured that Lake's crossing (now Reno) would become an established municipality. The town was renamed for a Union general killed in the Civil War, Jesse Reno. Silver, and the railroads, turned Reno into a bustling town and led to settlement of the neighboring town of Sparks.
As the mining boom ended, Reno sought to remain economically viable through social vices that already existed in the mining camps. Prostitution and gambling were being legislated out of California, but were allowed in Reno. During Prohibition, Reno welcomed the illegal speakeasies and even became a place where gangsters profiting from the illegal sale of alcohol could launder their money. The other major industry was divorce. Many states had strict rules that made divorces almost impossible to obtain. Reno instituted a short 6 month residency requirement after which those seeking a divorce could obtain one automatically, as long as they had the required cash to pay for it. This was later reduced to three months and then to 6 weeks. A natural adjunct to the quick divorce was the rapid marriage. In Reno there was (and is) no waiting period for the eager bride and groom.
Wealthy socialites flocked to Reno, and the city proudly installed an arch over the entrance proclaiming it to be "The Biggest Little City in the World." Today the fourth generation of the famous Reno Arch greets the millions of visitors who flock to the city each year.
Hit hard by the Great Depression, Nevada took a chance in 1931 and became the first state to legalize gaming. It was a gamble that would pay off for the growing town of Reno.
The first skiers in the Reno/Tahoe area were gold miners from Scandinavia who introduced the long wooden boards as a means of transportation in the mid 1800s. With deep snow blocking roads and trails during the winter, the mail was carried on skis in those early pioneer days. Between 1856 and 1876 the legendary Snowshoe Thompson made the trip from Placerville, California, to Genoa, Nevada, twice a month, lugging about 100 pounds of mail. During the winter months, Thompson was able to get through the rugged mountainous terrain by strapping on hefty 10-foot long skis that weighed about 25 pounds. Although skiing was simply utilitarian in the beginning, it wasn't long before it became a recreational sport with lifts, competitions and established resorts.
Since Reno and Sparks get much less snow than the Lake Tahoe Basin (usually not more than a total of two feet for the whole winter season), it's not unusual to play golf in Reno or Sparks and ski in the nearby mountains in the same day.
Today Reno/Lake Tahoe is considered by many to be America's most complete vacation destination. The area's unique combination of indoor and outdoor attractions draws visitors from around the world.
