The rodeo is a fun night. This year the temps were in the 70's which made it a perfect night to…read moreshop, enjoy the carnival and root for all the rodeo contestants ( I personally rooted for the animals). Just a great time. Park at the Salvation Army across the street for $5 instead os $20!

Love going to the rodeo, however we were stuck behind some very rude people who were not there to…read morewatch the rodeo only to drink their bottles of whiskey they must have snuck in, they kept standing up in front of us so we could not see. They were vaping and the smoke was going right in my face and they only got ruder to us after we told them that their smoking was bothering us. We ended up having to leave early which was disappointing just because others can't follow the rules.

Disappointment and just...what? The Virginia City rodeo in previous years has been pretty good…read morefrom what my friends in Reno told me, so we went to check it out yesterday (8/25/19). 10 dollars to park, 74 dollar for 3 adults and a kid to get in the door. No problem, lots of the pictures showed shaded bleachers and lots of vendors which is always fun. NOPE, unless you were in the beer garden tent there was only limited shade by some table umbrellas behind the bleachers. Only 5-6 vendors which had limited food options but at least the beer garden was supporting the local high school which was nice. The rodeo started with a skydiver presenting the US flag and then a caravan of really nice horses for the Mexican flag. Then...there was quite a lull for a while. Took about 20 minutes to get going and then they did some bucking horses with guys trying to saddle and ride them which was fun. Mutton Busting (which is normally my kids favorite event to do and watch) happened but it was so odd the kids had to participate in multiple days to actually win a belt. The main show was some bull riding...but there wasn't really bulls there nor any riders. Come to find out that the main supplier of livestock for riding pulled out and that there wasnt any prize pool for the riders either. Only about 5 guys rode what looked like steers and that was about it. No bucking broncos was disappointing. The whole event was over so fast that I was questioning if it was really close to 4 which it was. Honestly, the highlight of the whole show was seeing everyone partying at the beer garden with the mariachi band and enjoying music and beer. I would have really liked that minus the 74 bucks to get in the door.... Come on guys, its a rodeo not a horse show. I get there are a lot of logistical issues and whatever but when the Reno rodeo is 15 bucks to get in for a whole day of serious rodeo action...it's not very enduring to consider Virgina City again in the near future for anything Rodeo.

This is the real deal…read more You have mutton racing (kids training for the big time by riding sheep) You don't see that in wealthy, private school East Bay. Amador County is one of those places kids can still actually get hurt and parents are not coming apart at the seams. Don't forget the barrel racing, that would be the ladies part, riding horses around barrels without knocking them over. Then comes the big time, the steer riding, I suppose young men ride bulls for the same reason the government sends them off to war, they have so much testesterone that they actually can not see clearly. Visit the rodeo if you can. It's the real thing.

Unexpected FUN.....heard advertisement on the radio and had to attend. wasn't expecting too much,…read morebut had a great time. Has all the usual, fair food, exhibits and farm animals... -Food: was really good. Ribeye steak sandwich tasted better than some high-end restaurant. Grilled and season well. Their house made sauce kicked the sandwhich up a notch.... -Entertainment was cool. Nothing better than listening to a country girl or two perform while sipping on a local brew sitting on a haystack on a hot summer evening w/da family....

Amador County Fair has all the basics of a small town, good ole local rural fair. The down side is…read morethat it's held annually in late July. So it's super hot that time of year. Sizzling summer temps. This year it ran from 7/27-7/30. They had... 4H livestock auction Rodeo Carnival rides Midway games Carnival food Animal petting farm Pony rides Hey but that ain't all the events. They have some that are particular to Amador County and sets them apart from its neighboring counties fairs. They are the Demolition Derby, steam powered old time sawmill, working old time gold mine trommel, Miwok Village exhibit hosted by Sierra Native American Tribal Council, tractor parade of late 1800s and early 1900s tractors, and live demo of 19th century blacksmith. The fair grounds is mostly on packed dirt including the parking lot. I attended on the last day of the fair. I did not know until I got there that it was was Demolition Derby night. I didn't stay to watch that but definitely bookmarked for next time. I'm a history nerd, so I did go to all the live demos and displays even though I was nearly going to pass out from heat exhaustion. I had to duck into the various air conditioned buildings to cool down. They had several buildings for vendors selling their wares, children's arts n play area, potted flora and plant fair entries, and arts and crafts fair entries.

It's not all entirely about the food…read more It's about getting together with friends and spending the day in Virginia City and taking in some history and food. This year's Taste was a bit chillier than previous ones, go figure with our weather this year. The check in tent is in the lot next to the Jerky Company. Now you can start at one end of town and walk thru. This year there were some outstanding businesses that truly want to show off their food skills. Top two are Cafe Del Rio and the Cider Factory. Both have always created the best and plentiful offerings. Delta this year took the time to do a little research and made a apple cobbler with a johnnycake topping. The chef here was fun to talk to and her pride showed. Red's had a nice selection of small deli sandwiches. I hate to refer to the next group as disappointments, but after starting out with hits........ Virginia City Jerky Company, Mellow Fellow, And Ponderosa handed very small nibbles of very ordinary bites. Small would be fine but impress me a little. There were 5 cocktail stops. Seventeen places in all. Surprised that VC Brewery was on the list but closed. I also missed the Roasting House not participating this year. The Christmas Store was cute- Mrs Claus handed out cookies and sparkling sangria. All and all a great way to spend the day walking VC for $20

We've always enjoyed VC events, from the Candy Cane train to the Testicle Festival. We were excited…read moreto attend Taste of the Comstock for the first time with some friends. Parking in VC has never been an issue for us, just grab the first open space you find since everything is walkable. The day was a little chilly, and the crowds seemed light...a great day to be in VC! Our first stop was checking in for our whiskey and cigars, and holy cow, that was a lot of whiskey! We made 3 trips back to that tent and still couldn't use all our whiskey coupons! The single jack drilling competition was amazing to watch! Those folks are TOUGH! It's hard to have a bad time in VC, and we were there with friends celebration their anniversary (married at Mackay Mansion in '16) but I could help but notice the event just seemed to lack quality bites, especially with that much whiskey! Mellow Fellow said they "ran out" by noon and seemed to be ignoring patrons...surely they would have been advised on how many people were expected to participate. The Silver Queen literally had a 1" piece of hot dog with ketchup. Meh. Cheers to the Cider Factory, who's roasted green chili and chicken bisque and chicken bacon sliders saved the day! The Palace had nice chili, Silver Spoon featured grandma's recipe sauce with meatballs, and the Delta made a lovely spiced apple cornbread dessert. I can see from past year's maps that business participation seemed less this year, but we left hungry. I'm glad we tried this event, and we still love VC, maybe it'll rebound in years to come.

Oh my goodness! I was visiting Reno for a work conference when my Uber driver suggested I check out…read morethe Rib Cookoff at Nugget Casino & Hotel. I'm so glad she did! I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was basically a fun outdoor fair with tons of vendors serving barbecue and selling BBQ-related items. The food was delicious, there was live music, and the atmosphere was lively and fun. I'm so glad I got to experience this before leaving Reno. It really made my trip worthwhile!

Where do I even start? I hadn't been to the Reno Rib Cook Off in about four years, so I was really…read morelooking forward to coming back. We drove three hours, arrived early, got great parking, and were excited to start eating some ribs. There were four of us, so our plan was to cover more ground. Each person bought a half slab from a different vendor so we could try several places. Unfortunately, the ribs were a HUGE disappointment. Right away, I could tell that a lot of these ribs were made with very little care. Several still had the membrane on, and most were bland and tasteless. It honestly felt like no thought, effort, or love went into them. When you drive three hours specifically for a rib cook off, the RIBS should be the best part! I remember this event being something worth looking forward to, but this year it felt more about making money and getting food out than quality and customer satisfaction. I was so disappointed that I'll probably skip this event for the next 2-3 years. The funny part is, the sides were actually the highlight. We enjoyed the cornbread, fried pickles, onion rings, popcorn, and beer. But the ribs? They sucked. For an event called the Rib Cook Off, that's a pretty big problem. After a three-hour drive and eating at a few different vendors, I expected a whole lot better.

This is fun because it's Downtown. I really enjoy how it's like a farmers market and it's outside…read more There's parking nearby that's free but there's also I think paid Parking at the convention or the bowling convention center. We got the Beer pass which works the whole time you are at the festival for both days or three days. I'm not really sure but we've only went for two days and it's cool because you got to keep the cup and keep trying beers from all the vendors it's pretty affordable if you drink for the both days or if you even drink for that one day, it's cool to hear about all the different beers around and I feel like most of the vendors take credit card as well when we bought that cup to try the beers they took Cards as well. The music playing in the background is cool and very festive. This event is a lot of fun and something to do in Reno especially for those that like beer, the barbecue is just a bonus. And the music is a lot of fun too. I feel like this is an opening event for the summertime or outdoor events. This is right around when Reno gets pretty warm.

Always a fun time at BBQ Blues and Brews. This year (2025) they actually had more than 1 BBQ stand…read more Got to try some new beverages that I normally would not try. SurfSide had some nice lemonade and half lemonade half ice tea alcoholic beverages that were pretty tasty. Sierra Nevada Pils beer was alsoight and refreshing. Looking forward to next year.

We had so much fun. I usually don't look forward to the air races because they fly over our house,…read morebut when you're there, it's so much different. You actually get to see the humans that are flying the planes, rather than just the planes themselves, which gives you a little bit more Appreciation for them. We didn't run into a single person, volunteer, staff member, or the people who were watching, who weren't awesome! Everybody was happy, no tempers, even though the smoke was horrible, everybody just enjoyed themselves. I was really disappointed when they had to call it before the last two shows, but I appreciate the fact that they do that for safety. Safety is of the utmost importance! Thanks to all the pilots, staff members, vendors, and volunteers who helped to make our day special!

National Championship Air Races has to be one of the coolest events that happen in Reno, Nevada…read more There are other cool events but this is a good one. If you have never been to the air races, GO! At the very least go there once to check everything out. They have vendors that sell food, nick-nacks, air races memorabilia, gift items, air race t-shirts, sweaters, hats, did I mention food! And so much more! It's kind of like the Reno Rodeo circus area with the vendors and there are planes everywhere but not as hot haha. Well, depends of the year and also what time of day you go. But there is always something going on all day long, Thursday all the way to Sunday. Obviously, the main days are Friday and Saturday for spectators. But I like to beat the crowd and go Thursday or Sunday. Either way it's a good time. Parking can be tricky here on the busy days. Just prepare yourself for it. It will be a bit annoying but it is not the hardest thing you will ever have to do in your life haha. You have a few choices for parking. There is paid parking which is the safe bet and you can try your luck on one of the street parking with the possibly of getting towed. Make sure if you do the street parking don't park where it says "don't park" because they will tow your vehicle away. Just FYI this is where those tow truck guys make a killing but act at your own discretion. You will pay an entrance fee at the gate after parking but well worth it. There is plenty to see. There are air races going on all day so you can see that pretty much anywhere in the area. Also, they do arial shows. There is a military display area, where they have military planes on display. They have these big military planes you can go in and check it out. They will sometimes have old military planes on display along with the new planes that are in service now. It is really neat to see. If you haven't been to the air races come check it out. You really should. Thanks for reading my review.