Virginia City
Virginia City is a small town south of Reno on highway 341, in Storey County, Western Nevada.
Understand
Virginia City was a boomtown that sprung up around the 1859 discovery of massive silver deposits. At its peak, the city had a population of around 25,000 and was one of the most important cities in the American west. This was followed by a quick decline however, as silver deposits became exhausted starting in the 1880s. Today, Virginia city is a small town of about 1,000 residents that has managed to maintain much of its 19th-century "Old West" feel. It is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Visitor information
- 1 Virginia City Visitors Center, 86 S C St, ☏ +1 775 847-7500, VisitorInfo@StoreyCounty.org.
Get in
By road
From Reno: Take highway 395 south out of Reno and continue on to 341 south over the Geiger Grade.
By train
The V&T Railway offers same day round trip rides from Carson City to Virgnia City over the summer and near Christmas.
Get around
Most everything is on C Street, which is the main street through town. It is easy to walk from one end to the other in less than an hour. Parking is available along C street and some side streets, but it may fill up if you don't arrive early enough. The pay parking lots charge $10 for the day.
See
- People dressed in vintage 70's clothes (that would be the 1870s). They hang out at some of the saloons.
- 1 Silver Terrace Cemetery, North E Street (at Carson Street). Old cemetery with interesting headstones. Worth a visit.
Museums
Virginia City has many different museums (a full list can be found here).
- 2 Comstock Firemen's Museum, 125 C St, ☏ +1 775-847-0717. 10:00am-4:00pm. Museum dedicated to the history of firefighting in the county. Free admission; donations encouraged.
- 3 Fourth Ward School Museum, 537 S. C St., ☏ +1-775-847-0975. 10:00am-5:00pm. A historic school of the Comstock. This museum focus on the school and the Comstock history including Mark Twain, as well as modern mining techniques.
- 4 Mark Twain Museum, 53 C St, ☏ +1 775-847-0525.
- 5 Marshall Mint Museum, 96 C St, ☏ +1 800-321-6374.
- 6 Washoe Club Museum & Saloon, 112 S C St, ☏ +1 775-847-4467. 11:00am-5:00pm.
- 7 St. Mary's in the Mountains Catholic Church, 111 S E St (Museum is in the basement), ☏ +1 775 847-9099.
Further afield
- 8 Dayton State Park, US-50, Dayton, ☏ +1 775 687-5678, wlsp@parks.nv.gov. Day use $5/vehicle, camping $15/night.
- 9 Historical Society of Dayton Valley, 135 Shady Ln, Dayton, ☏ +1 775-246-6316.
Do
- Wander C Street
- Take a mine tour: there are several operators offering guided excursions into the mines beneath the city.
- Watch the Camel races.
Gambling
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If you win...
Chances are that, if you win it big in Virginia City or Dayton and you are not a U.S. citizen your winnings will be subject to a 30% withholding tax from the Internal Revenue Service. That $10,000 slot winning can dwindle quite quickly if that is taken off the top. Not to worry though you can reclaim your gambling winnings tax through a 1042-S form. You should get this from the casino so don't lose it: it is your starting ticket to getting your gambling winnings back. |
There are some gambling opportunities at the saloons.
- 1 Mark Twain Saloon, 62 S C St, ☏ +1 775-847-0599. Open 24 hours.
Further afield
- 2 Gold Ranch Casino, 755 Old US Hwy 50, Dayton, ☏ +1 775-246-9696.
Buy
- 1 Old Red Garter, 80 S C St, ☏ +1 775-847-4488. 10:00am-6:00pm. Good western wear.
There are lots of gift shops on C Street. The quality ranges from good to garbage.
Eat
At the Saloons
- 1 Cafe Del Rio, 394 C St (Southern end of C St.), ☏ +1 775 847-5151. A southwest spin on Mexican fare. Sunday brunch available.
Drink
- 1 Bucket of Blood Saloon, 1 S C St, ☏ +1 775-847-0322.
- 2 Delta Saloon, 18 S C St, ☏ +1 775-847-0789, info@TheDeltaSaloon.com. See the "Suicide Table"
- 3 Sundance Saloon, 160 S C St, ☏ +1 775-847-0636.
- 4 Firehouse Saloon (Firehouse BBQ), 171 S C St, ☏ +1 775-847-7744.
- 5 Old Washoe Club, 112 S C St, ☏ +1 775-847-4467, info@thewashoeclub.com.
- 6 Silver Dollar Saloon, 11 N C St, ☏ +1 775-847-0458.
- 7 Ponderosa Saloon, 106 S C St, ☏ +1 775-847-0757, cherrie@ponderosa-saloon.com.
- 8 Mark Twain Saloon, 62 S C St, ☏ +1 775-847-0599. Open 24 hours.
- 9 Red Dog Saloon, 76 N C St, ☏ +1 775-847-7474.
Outdoor consumption of alcohol is tolerated.
Sleep
- 1 Sugarloaf Mountain Motel, 430 C St, ☏ +1 775-847-0551. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Part of the motel was built as a boarding house for miners in the 1800s, and some rooms have original brick or stone walls and cast iron shutters. All rooms have a refrigerator, microwave, and WiFi.
- 2 Silver Queen Hotel, 28 N C St, ☏ +1 775 847-0440, info@silverqueenhotel.net. 28-room restored hotel established in 1876. Several rooms have claw foot bathtubs.
- 3 Silverland Inn & Suites (formerly Ramada Virginia City), 100 North E St, ☏ +1 775 847-4484. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. A 67 rooms and suites hotel with meeting spaces, indoor pool, and complimentary wireless internet.
- 4 Tahoe House Hotel, 162 S C St, ☏ +1 775-847-5264, tahoehousehotel@sbcglobal.net. Check-in: 3-6PM, check-out: 11AM.
Go next
- Carson City
- Reno - is just up the highway
- Republic of Molossia - micronation