Suuuuuuper cool adventure!!! We came on a Saturday afternoon in April with a total of 6 kids (ages…read more5-11) and 4 adults. Our kids could have done the loop themselves as young as 2 years old, holding the hand of an adult at some of the steeper parts. The views are gorgeous, the history and geology are rich, and the wow factor is definitely present!!! Start at the Marzen House in Lovelock. Grab two things - a Byway Guide and a Cave Interpretive Trail Loop Guide. Follow the Byway Guide to get from Marzen House (after learning about some of the history in Lovelock/ Pershing County!!!) and enjoy the adventure!!!

Lovelock Cave is a very easy cave to explore and fairly small, spanning only 160 feet in length. It…read morewas once inhabited by cannibal giants who were killed by natives via fire. Supposedly you can find the giants hand print in the cave and we looked and looked but could not find it. Our kids said that this was one of the coolest caves they ever explored. This could be because we read and saw the giants skull online and the story about this cave so it made it that much more interesting. 2,000 year old tule duck decoys were found here as well.The Native Americans used this cave and you will see the ceiling covered in black shapes. At first I thought someone must have vandalized the place but this is not the reason. The ceiling looks the way it does from the fire that emitted smoke in the cave. We saw one bat in the cave. There are not many bats in this cave because the area is too dry which means that there isn't enough food to support many bats. We did see lots of owl pellets outside of the cave which means that there are owls in the area.

July 9, 2026 - Inlay, NV…read more You must stop here if you are passing by on I-80. Right off the freeway, Thunder Mountain Monument, near Imlay, Nevada, is an unusual roadside attraction. Built beginning in 1969 by Frank Van Zant, who called himself Chief Rolling Mountain Thunder, the sprawling folk art site features towering concrete structures and more than 200 sculptures made from discarded materials found within a 50-mile radius of the site. Stop, read the info posted In the kiosk, leave a $2 donation, and take a gander at one man's mission to educate others.

In the middle of the Nevada desert, a stones throw from I-80 is a monument. I guarantee that any…read moreperson that visits it, will be affected. It was put together by a man named Frank Van Zant, the son of a Native American who was a member of the Creek tribe. Frank Van Zant served in WWII. There is a TON of YouTube and Wikipedia about the guy and his work. By the time I finished deep diving into this, I am convinced that the man held a lot of beliefs that many wouldn't understand fully. I think he was a good man at his core and he lived his life the way HE wanted to live it. The site is literally in the middle of nowhere (Nevada Desert) but right off the 1-80. Yes it is the oddest monument I have ever seen. The man claims to pay homage to Native Americans but there is way more going on here then just that. Fact is, we weren't sure what to think, other than this place was one of a kind. We stayed about an hour looking at all of the work he had done. 2 days later, I'm still thinking about this. There are two short movies (about 30 minutes) showing Frank talking about his place as you get a bit of insight to his minds eye. If you ever come upon Imlay Nevada, you absolutely need to stop here. We definitely will see it again.

This was such a fun event. I wish I had taken more pictures. Everybody was dressed up and looked…read moreamazing! The mansion was beyond beautiful and each room featured a cocktail from four different bars. They were all delicious and perfectly crafted, it was so hard to choose a favorite. Our night ended with a little crafting where we got to decorate our own candle holder. I hope there's another event like this one. 10/10!!

We came for the free event last week sponsored by Nevada Arts For All. Our 3 yo got to create…read moreseveral Christmas themed art projects, got a free Christmas themed book, and told Santa what he wanted for Christmas. We had a great time watching our boy learn to create, without spending much money. I really love this organization and location and encourage parents to check out their offerings. Truly a blessing to our community.

Ghost Town Haunted Attraction…read more This little walk-through was so much fun! Lots of laughs, just enough creepy stuff to keep the boys on their toes, and really well done. Perfect level of spooky for my 7- and 9-year-olds -- scary enough to be exciting, but not "Dad, I'm sleeping in your bed tonight" scary. Definitely one of those unexpected little stops that makes the expedition memorable.

So fun and family friendly! While walking around, we happened upon this haunted walkthrough and had…read moreto go in. A couple of jump scares and lots of laughs!

Driving to the Patagonia outlet we caught the Old Arch…read more Naturally had to get a shot of it.

My dad brought me to Reno for his bowling tournament once when I was very young but I still…read moreremember old arch and have fond memories of the trip. Since I have been an adult, I have visited Reno dozens of times and have lots of photos with the new arch, but on my last visit, I made a special trip to find this one and it brought back memories. The area is much less busy so it's easy to park and get out and take some photographs. I even recreated (ok, attempted to recreate) the photo from my childhood. I'm glad they didn't take it down when the new one was put up and I hope they never do.

We've done the Thunderbird Lodge tour a few times now and it is always an amazing experience…read more The stories vary by the guides, but we always learn something new (this most recent time we learned about the Disney & Hemingway connection) and everyone we've brought with us, has been amazed this treasure exists. It's SO beautiful and such a cool experience! The tour begins (and ends) at the Lake Tahoe Visitor Center in Incline Village. On the bus ride to the Thunderbird Lodge, a recording plays explaining some of the history. Then you're met at the lodge and get more history, stories and a tour, which includes the Lodge, the tunnels, the boat house and grounds. We've done the tour twice this summer, at the end of July and again last Friday (Sept 12), with different visiting family members. Everyone was seriously impressed, especially as many of us grew up in the area &/or have lived here for years and were unaware this gem existed. Check out this great article on the Thunderbird Lodge https://www.carsonnow.org/09/12/2018/nevada-lore-series-captain-and-the-bizarre-history-of-thunderbird-lodge-at-tahoe

Just finished the tour of this spectacular property! Definitely worth it! The views and the…read moreproperty are amazing. The amenities that it has from 1930's is fabulous

Can you imagine meandering the roads back in the Wild West days of yore? How did the Comstock Lode…read moreStart? It all started with a golden nugget. Today Silver City is a ghost town of its former glory days. Wandering down the hill from Virginia City is Gold Hill. Just down the road a piece from Gold Hill you will find Silver City. The first golden nugget was discovered at Devil's Gate in 1850 just a little north of Silver City. Devil's Gate is the border between Storey County and Lyon County. It is a natural landmark through a narrow gorge. Devil's Gate became a infamous as a hideout for disreputable men or highwaymen. It was an unsavory area and many were robbed so few came through unarmed. Thousands passed through this narrow gorge as it was the only way through the area to the notable Comstock mines. Despite the reputation of the Devil's Gate a boomtown cropped up and became known as Silver City. The City has the notoriety of having one of the first stamp mills in the state of Nevada. In it's heyday it boasted of 4 hotels, boarding houses, saloons, brothels, parlor houses, stables, corrals, freighting center for Gold Hill and Virginia City, and over 1,200 people. Silver City was an important link between the mines of Virginia City and Gold Hill and the processing mills in Dayton. The mines were less productive than Gold Hill or Virginia City.. The town thrived until the V & T (Virginia and Truckee) railroad was completed in 1869 and the town was no longer needed to be a freight center. Today there are remnants of it's former days and there are a handful of historic buildings and structures such as the a cemetery, U.S. Post Office, the Hardwicke House built in 1862, a former ice house and B & B, a mostly intact mining facility etc. Nevada State Route 342 and 341 loop together running through the communities of Silver City, Gold Hill, Virginia City and Carson City. It is a historic road that dates back to the the Comstock lode era. This highway serves as the main road for both Gold Hill and Silver City but has 15% grades and hairpin curves.

Cool little town you drive through on your way to Virginia City. I love the old buildings but wish…read morethere was more of an effort to save them. Silver City is a near ghost town and a small residential community in Lyon County, Nevada, USA, near the Lyon/Carson border. Settled in 1859, the population in 1861 was about 1,200, but began declining after the Virginia and Truckee Railroad was completed in 1869. Construction workers left the area, taking their business with them.The population as of the 2000 census was 170.

Virginia Street Bridge is historic to Reno. Since its remodel, it's added more beauty to the…read moreriverwalk district. Check-out some history: https://renohistorical.org/items/show/22 https://www.newtoreno.com/virginia-street-bridge-replacement-reno.htm https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Street_Bridge

Built in 1905, the current Virginia Street Bridge is the FIFTH in a series of bridges that have…read morebeen built here in downtown Reno. It was built in 2016 and is a single arch bridge with suspension cables. There is a historical marker here that gives some info. It reads, "First settlement in this area was a toll station & bridge constructed on this site in 1859-60 by E.W. Fuller. It was later known as Lake's Crossing after Myron C. Lake purchased this property in 1863. Lake's land gift to the new overland railroad assured a station and settlement. Charles Crocker of the Central Pacific sold the first town lots May 9, 1868, naming the town Reno after his friend, a Union general, Jesse L. Reno, killed in the Civil War." The bridge is located next to the county courthouse. Rumor has it that newly divorced women would walk out of the courthouse and onto the bridge, where they would throw their old wedding ring into the river. And yes, some rings have been recovered from the river. In case you weren't aware, Reno is known as the "Divorce Capital of the World." [Review 17718 overall - 62 in Nevada - 1239 of 2022.]

Had a great time at the Fleischmann Planetarium. The planetarium part itself was not necessarily…read morethe biggest or most comfortable one we've been in, but the show we saw, narrated by Diego Luna, about the elemental makeup of the universe, was eye-opening. The real highlight of the place, though, was the museum-quality sci-fi movie and TV show displays they had throughout the building. It was like geek heaven. You could tell it was assembled with a combination of passion for the subject matter and a desire to share as much as possible with visitors. There were tons of obscure and iconic Star Wars-and Star Trek-related items in display cabinets everywhere, as well as a lot of interesting information about science-related human accomplishments through time. It's too much to describe . . . I highly recommend a visit if you're at all interested in anything sci-fi-related. It was fascinating for me; I had a really good time taking in as much as I could learning about meteorites, learning about the T.A.R.D.I.S. from Dr. Who, posing next to the R2-D2, etc. etc. It was great. Parking in the West Stadium Parking Complex was super easy; you just park on the third floor (which is the garage-entrance floor off the main street) and the Planetarium is practically connected right to the garage via a very small walkway/bridge right off the third floor.

I love this place. Been going since I was a kid. Its a fun different date night. Spend an evening…read morelearning about our skies.