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.

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.

Very interesting monument and a great stop to stretch your legs on I-80. The concept that inspired…read morethe buildings here is really cool.

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.

Artifacts, items of cultural or historical interest, are intended to counter the natural flow of…read moreforgetting. When I'm out and about I'm always looking around for artifacts. I wonder. What if it could speak? What would it tell me about itself? How has it been used? Where did it come from? How did it get to here? Whom did it belong to? It's a tale as old as time. For artifacts tell more about ourselves than our confessions. My family and I were recently at Reno City Plaza, 10 N Virginia St, Reno, NV, former site of the now demolished historic Mapes Hotel. An artifact, a cool street clock, is there. I remember when it was previously located at Park Lane Mall where it was a popular place for all ages to meet up at or to just hang out at. A couple of my cousins report they had their first kiss under this clock while it was at Park Lane. Park Lane Mall was not this clock's first home. Starting in 1935, this Joseph Mayer 18-foot-tall, 5,180-pound clock, made by E. Howard Co., was located outside Russian immigrants Ginsburg Jewelry https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=163887 at 133 N. Virginia St. Reno, Nevada where it was known as the Ginsberg Clock. "Businesses, especially jewelers, were known to place these types of clocks outside their stores. There was at least one other street clock downtown in the 1940s, located in front of L.C. Griffin, Inc. Jewelers, just across Virginia Street from Ginsburg's. However, as the only street clock remaining in the area, the Ginsburg clock is the last surviving local resource and artifact of its kind." Park Lane Mall, a popular cultural hub for a couple generations of Renoites, acquired it in 1967, painted it green, installed it, and incorporated it into their logo. I liked Park Lane Mall. It had a great selection of stores, supported many local causes held at the mall, held several national visits including a memorable Star Trek event, and was the place to walk for exercise during inclement weather. I always enjoyed watching horologist Brian Bullard, a Bachelors Degree graduate of California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and 25 year owner of Timeless Enterprises, Inc. in Reno, Nevada, maintain this clock. Sadly, Park Lane Mall closed in 2007. As an aside, many of we Veterans were so sad and disappointed and remain so that City of Reno didn't support the idea of expanding the very old and very small severely over-crowded existing Reno Veterans hospital to the Park Lane Mall location. To date, the Reno Veterans hospital remains very old and very small and very severely over-crowded. No surprise why Nevada has such a much higher rate of Veterans succumbing to suicide than the other states. Private real estate investment company M&H Realty Partners LLC bought the 40-year-old mall from long-time owner The Macerich Co. They donated the clock to City of Reno who put it into storage. Skip forward a few years to conversations between friends Bill Thornton (then co-owner of Club Cal Neva) and Tim Healion (then of Deux Gros Nez restaurant and now of Laughing Planet). They got to talking about this historic clock in storage and Healion mentioned he had a high school buddy -- Tom Erb -- who is a clock expert and owner of Electric Time Co. in Massachusetts. Thornton and Healion decided to get the beloved old clock restored by Erb. Jeffery Siri, president and CEO of the Cal Neva and voluntary donations by devoted-to-history Cal Neva employees footed the bill. As part of Cal Neva's 50th birthday celebration, A Time For Peace, in 2012, it was presented to City of Reno, who dedicated it on 18 September 2013. What makes this beloved historic preservation so special is that Cities of Reno and Sparks are not exactly good at preserving their history. Noted architect Frederick DeLongchamps built some of Northern Nevada's best known and stately landmarks. He designed more than 500 buildings in the Silver State, including the State Capitol in Carson City, Second Judicial District Court in Reno, downtown Reno Post Office, Riverside Hotel (now Riverside Artist Lofts) and the former train depot, now the Depot Craft Brewery and Distillery, and the beautiful Mediterranean Revival architecture Immaculate Conception Church in Sparks, built in 1932, cruelly allowed to be demolished in 2022 although on the National Historic Register. City of Reno just as cruelly allowed the demolition of in 2022, Reno's oldest, longest-standing commercial building, the old Masonic Lodge, which dated back to 1872, an elaborate, for that time, 3-story classic. More cool history about this clock and the Ginsberg Family are at: https://www.historicreno.org/media/custom/docs/FPv12n4.pdf https://www.newsreview.com/reno/content/time-for-preservation/623443/ I rate it 3 stars. According to the Yelp ratings' definitions, 3 Stars is "Ok". That to me is an acceptable rating of something that does day in and day out what it is there to do. It is NOT a negative review.

This trip I took to Virginia City was wonderful, the only thing I didn't like was the drive up the…read moremountain. Really whiny and my husband was driving too fast. I told my husband I'm not coming back here because of that road to Virginia City, he would have to go by himself.

Ghost Tour Of Historic Virginia City!…read morehttps://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ghost-town-virginia-city?select=v3ji0q4CHjh10hiTCgrKew&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w SITREP In the time of Gold & Silver mining, there is many a tale of tragedy as this prospecting community was growing, and within this Ghost Town there are many voices of the past who still clamor to have their stories told - yea, a warning - to the living.... THE SETUP Since some of us can't get enough stories about Pioneering tragedies, and traipsing across trails like the Donner Pass, why not go further up into Nevada Silver Country and just get the crap scared out of us, right? So a couple weeks back a bunch of us gathered in Virginia City - aka "Ghost Town" - and went to the Washoe Saloon, where some brave souls pledged to help us get to the bottom of these sordid tales of woe from yesteryear. STREETS, HOTELS, COURTS, OPERA HOUSES & SALOONS We trooped all Ghost Town and I dare say we had some close encounters of the spirit-kind. Our tour guides had some fancy-schmancy electromagetic detectors to indicate when spirits were nearby and I'd be lying if I didn't admit some wacky stuff happened while we went from one building to another. In one hotel - the aptly named "Ghost Hotel" - we learned the story of Rose, and such a sad plaintiff tale of her forlorn love. The one room pays a tribute to her memory. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ghost-town-virginia-city?select=Kh0qVAdHSpTJo-AEo5SJNQ&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w CONFESSION Okay. I admit I was a bit mean when we were all gathered, closely clustered together in a dark alley - and those meters were going off - and suddenly I was inspired to lift up a nearby dumpster lid and *slammed it down* with much THUNDEROUS NOISE! https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ghost-town-virginia-city?select=aS5hY36Gv4tasRGOURkx9g&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w And maybe I enjoyed just a bit too much all the people screaming. Heheheheh... THE LOWDOWN Whether you believe or not, the tour is tons o' fun!

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

What an amazing piece of history! Thanks to George Whittell, Jr., much of the Eastern Shore of Lake…read moreTahoe has been preserved. This beautifully preserved historic landmark is a must see! Don't miss the tunnels!

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.

What a fun place to explore! If you set your expectations that this isn't a huge planetarium, and…read morecheck the showtimes before you go, adults will have a fun time. Little ones (6 and under) will enjoy the age geared show. The sun dome in the center of the planetarium is where the shows are held. It's not huge inside, maybe a dozen rows. Kids won't stay quiet so be prepared for that while you watch the toddler show, but still really fun. Before the actual show starts they show constellations and views of space. Such a cool learning experience for littles and a reminder of how small we all are on this planet. Downstairs there is interactive astronaut stuff and a bunch of movies memorabilia. Upstairs is a beautiful moon display with a lot of American history. Bathrooms clean! Plentiful parking. Pay attention to signs. There's a walkway straight to the planetarium entrance.