Finding myself in Winnemucca on a rainy day, I headed for this weird-ass joint mainly to escape the rain. But OMG! What a find!!! Basically an abandoned casino that has been repurposed into a convention center/museum/visitors' center/taxidermy hall of fame/shame, going in here feels like wandering around the NYC Natural History Museum after dark -- creepy and bizarre! The Buckaroo Hall of Fame exhibits have a lot of interesting cowboy artifacts and info...plus there's a huge collection of mining belt buckles (!!) and stuffed dead animals. The visitors center has postcards and tourist info for all the local stuff. I seriously enjoyed myself here, rain or not! Winnemucca gets a bad rap, but I actually found the town very charming. Hey, it's better than Tonopah!!! read more

I've been to the West Hall for two events, the 2010 Basque heritage dinner and wine tasting and the 2010 Hops & Grapes. During both events, I was pleased by the amount of space, the cleanliness of the facilities, and the friendliness of the staff. I've only been into the East Hall for a brief moment. I did, however, get to check out the big game/ natural history type exhibit. I'm glad that WInnemucca has these facilities to help promote cultural and community events. I know the Convention Center has also played host to things like 4-H fairs, photography exhibits/ competitions, and sportsmans' group dinners. read more