Carson City: Recreation
Sightseeing
The Carson City Chamber of Commerce provides an illustrated map with details about various local historic sites.
Tours in a horse-drawn surrey are available. The Governor's Mansion, a 1909 example of classic southern Colonial design, is on the 2.5-mile Kit Carson Trail, a blue line painted on the sidewalk that takes visitors past a variety of historic sites. The route passes 60 historical homes, churches, and buildings featuring Victorian architecture. Also along the route are several museums. Visitors to the State Library and Archives Building can peruse its rich collection on Nevada history and view the original Nevada Constitution.
Historical homes that highlight the tour include the Bliss Mansion, an 1879 15-room mansion with seven marble fireplaces; the 1859 Roberts House, a Gothic revival structure that was moved to the city from its first site in Washoe City; and the 1876 Chartz House.
The silver-domed State Capitol, rebuilt during the 1970s, features portraits of Nevada governors, Nevada artifacts, and Old (Nevada) Supreme Court and legislative chambers that are open to the public when not in use. The Federal Building, once the federal courthouse, a post office, and a state library, and now the Paul Laxalt Building in honor of a popular Nevada politician, houses the state Tourism Commission.
The Nevada State Museum, inside the old Carson City U.S. mint, has displays on the history of the area, an exhibit that illustrates the process of making coins, a realistic mock underground mine, and an exhibit showing bears, bobcats, and other animals native to the area. The Fire Museum displays a century's worth of fire-related memorabilia, including goggles, helmets, hose carts, and Currier & Ives prints of New York fires. The Children's Museum offers displays and activities for the younger set such as 25 hands-on exhibits and a walk-in kaleidoscope.
The Stewart Indian Cultural Center houses the Cassinelli arrowhead collection, traditional basketry, grinding rocks, Great Basin artifacts, and the Indian School collection, as well as a gift shop. The Dat-So-La-Lee Museum features memorabilia of the famed Nevada basket weaver of the same name. Her original baskets, worth up to $250,000 each, remain on display at the Nevada State Museum and in other museums throughout the country.
Focusing on Nevada's rich railroad heritage, the Nevada State Railroad Museum's collection contains more than 60 pieces of rolling stock, including 6 steam locomotives, and more than 50 passenger and freight cars, many of which once operated on the famous Virginia and Truckee line. The museum also contains an assortment of exhibits relating to railroading in Nevada. At the Great Basin Wildlife Center, opened in 1992, visitors can observe coyotes, foxes, eagles, raccoons, a mountain lion, and a black bear, as well as geology and botany displays.
A short drive from Carson City is Virginia City, site of the legendary Comstock Lode mining operation, which produced
Carson City draws visitors with its 11 major gambling casinos, Best Western Carson Station Hotel-Casino, Best Western Pinon Plaza Hotel Resort, Cactus Jack's, Carson City Nugget, the Carson Horseshoe Club, Casino Fandango, Comstock Casino, Ormsby House Hotel & Casino, Silver Dollar Casino, Slotworld, and Slotworld's Cabaret.
Arts and Culture
The King Street Gallery, a showcase of the Nevada Artists Association, displays the works of over 75 local artists. Western Nevada Community College Art Gallery features works by local and regional artists. The Great Basin Gallery features fine contemporary art from Nevada and the region.
The Proscenium Players, Nevada's second-oldest year-round theater company, present dramas and comedies at the Brewery Arts Center, which also features other performing groups. The Renaissance Projects theater company also presents productions throughout the year. Affiliated with Western Nevada Community College, the Western Nevada Musical Theatre Company stages plays and musicals on campus.
The Carson City Symphony, renamed in 1998 from Carson City Chamber Orchestra, presents five annual classical concerts. Residents also enjoy the music of the Carson Chamber Singers who perform occasional concerts.
Festivals and Holidays
September calls for a trip to nearby Virginia City for the annual International Camel and Ostrich Races. Begun as a hoax, the event is now one of the most popular in the state. Since 1997 September has also been the time for the three-day Salsa y Salsas family celebration with food, entertainment, and dancing. October's special events in Carson City include the Nevada Day Parade and four-day celebration, the La Ka Le'l Be Nevada Day Pow Wow, filled with arts, crafts, dancing, the Chili Cook-Off, the High Desert Sierra Jazz Festival, and the Ghost Walk tour of homes decorated for Halloween. The December holidays are ushered in by the Silver & Snowflake Tree Lighting ceremony with caroling, and the Victorian Christmas Tour of houses on the Kit Carson Trail.
March is the month for the Mother Earth Pow Wow and the Cowboy Jubilee & Poetry Evening, which features cowboy poets and barbecues. March also features a traditional St. Patrick's Day parade. April brings the Eagle Valley Muzzle Loaders Spring Rendezvous. June's big events are the Downtown A-Fair, and the Stewart Indian Museum Pow Wow, as well as A Taste of Downtown, which features a food tasting from the city's restaurants along with live music and dancing. The Kit Carson Rendezvous and Wagon Train event, also in June, features a mountain man encampment, trader's row, an Indian pow wow, and mock gunfights, all in celebration of Nevada's history. Independence Day in July is hailed by a four-day celebration with the traditional fireworks and Silver Dollar Car Classics, a street dance, and music concerts.
Sports for the Participant
Included within about 600 acres of city parks is Mills Park, which offers tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pools, a mini-golf course, and a children's one-mile train ride. The park is also the home of the Carson City Skateboard Park that provides a skateboard area with platforms, ramps, and spectator seating. Centennial Park has several soccer and softball fields, tennis courts, a public golf course, and shady picnic sites. Residents and visitors can make use of the "Divine Nine" golf courses within the city limits. Horseback riding is also popular in the area, especially on the Mount Rose Wilderness trails. At the edge of town is an old hot springs where bathers can soak in a 100° F spring water pool, and make use of hot tubs, massage facilities, and an adjoining restaurant and motel.
Sports enthusiasts enjoy hunting for birds and big game such as elk, deer, antelope, and bighorn sheep. In addition, the city is only 45 minutes from several prime skiing areas at nearby Lake Tahoe.
Shopping and Dining
The once shabby block that houses the landmark St. Charles Hotel has been transformed into a delightful collection of shops and restaurants. Other major shopping areas include various downtown blocks, as well as Eagle Station Shopping Center, Southgate Shopping Center, and Silver City.
Diners in Carson City can choose from among 40 restaurants with American and ethnic cuisines, including Basque, Asian, Southwestern, and Italian. The Carlson House is a popular modern restaurant set in the wonderfully restored 1876 Rinckel Mansion, the city's second-oldest residence, with service offered in the garden during the summer months. Adele's French restaurant is set in a lovely Victorian house near the town center, while nearby Silvana's features Italian dishes. Breakfast lovers enjoy the hot cakes at Scott's and the hearty omelets at the Cracker Box or Heidi's Dutch Mill Restaurant.
Visitor Information: Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1900 S. Carson St., Ste. 100, Carson City, NV 89701; telephone (775)687-7410 or (800)NEVADA-1; fax (775)687-7416