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Peeking into Nevada's Rich, Colorful Past
The Museum Store is stocked with a large selection of books, offering more than 480 titles, videos, unique and fun clothing, replica signs, a full line of Meguiar's car care products, and more. The museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $7.50 for adults; $6.50 for seniors; $2.50 for children 6-18; children 5 and under are free. For more information, call (775) 333-9300 or visit http://www.automuseum.org/. The W.M. Keck Museum in the Mackay School of Mines Building at the University of Nevada, Reno, just a few minutes from downtown Reno, houses an outstanding collection of minerals, ores, fossil specimens and photographs, in addition to mining related relics. It spotlights early Nevada mining history with samples from famous mineral districts such as Virginia City, Tonopah, and Goldfield. The museum also is home to some of the spectacular Mackay Silver Collection, given to the school by the Mackay family and on loan to the museum. As a gift for his wife, Marie Louise, John Mackay sent more than half a ton of silver to Tiffany & Co. in New York for making the finest silver service possible. Two hundred silversmiths worked for two years to create what is now known as the Mackay Silver Collection, 1,350 pieces, weighing 14,718 ounces. The museum is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (775) 784-6052. Wilbur D. May was a long-time resident of Reno and owner of the famous Double Diamond Ranch. He was well loved by many because of his generosity to the community, especially its children. The picturesque Wilbur D. May Museum & Center (1502 Washington St., Reno), with its cascading waterfall and indoor garden, invites you into the museum and adjoining exhibit halls. The museum presents an incredible collection of memorabilia from May's numerous world travels and life as a Nevada rancher. The center is open year-round and offers many special exhibits. For information and seasonal hours, call (775) 785-5961. Admission is free. Bordering the eastern side of Reno is the city of Sparks, where the Sparks Heritage Museum (downtown 820 Victorian Ave.) preserves the history of this railroad town. Sparks was founded in 1904 when the Central Pacific Railroad built a new railroad there to replace Wadsworth as the big switching yard on this section of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Sparks was established when the railroad offered employees 50 x 140-foot lots for just $1 to build homes and the land went quickly. For more information and hours, call (775) 355-1144. Thirty miles east of Sparks is Fernley, where the Wigwam Native American Museum (225 W. Main St.) features arrowheads, stone tools, beadwork, baskets, Kachina dolls and original Western art. The museum is open daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and admission is free. For information, call (775) 575-2573.  Twenty-four miles southeast of Reno is the photogenic 19th century community of Virginia City, the main attraction of the Comstock mining district. Sunset Magazine claimed, "Virginia City is a dame with a past … . And now, primped and repainted by preservationists, Virginia City, Nevada, is ready for her comeback." Virginia City once concealed treasures of great wealth and held the attention of the world for a half-century, pouring over $400 million in silver and gold into the economy of an expanding nation. Little has changed in the town since its boom days 100 years ago. The Castle, The Mackay Mansion, The Chollar Mansion, and the old brick buildings retain their charm and speak eloquently of limitless fortune. A must-see is Piper's Opera House, one of the most significant vintage theaters on the West Coast. Built in the 1880s, it attracted famous stars from Europe and the United States and is listed by the League of Historic Theaters. A recent recipient of a $639,000 grant, Piper's Opera House has been renovated and now is open for live performances, lectures, and music in the Victorian Grand Ballroom. Hours: 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., daily. Season: May-Oct. Call 775-847-0433 admission price. While you're in Virginia City, take a ride on the Virginia & Truckee Steam Train; a narrated 35-minute steam train ride through the heart of the historic Comstock district. Hours: 10:30 a.m.-5:45 p.m., daily. Season: May-Oct. Admission: Adults-$5; children (3-12)- $3. For more information about Virginia City and its attractions, visit http://www.virginiacity-nv.org/ Nevada's cultural heritage wouldn't be complete without Dayton, the state's first non-Indian settlement, located to the south of Virginia City. Because of its proximity to the Comstock Lode, Dayton was home to several gold and silver stamping mills. The town also was a stop on the routes of both the Pony Express and the Overland Stage. Visit the Dayton Historic Society Museum located in Nevada's second oldest schoolhouse, and see the Levi Strauss painting on the south side of the Old Corner Bar. The Strauss company created the huge mural to match the original that was painted more than 100 years ago. The museum also features memorabilia and photographs from Dayton's history depicting pioneers, woodcutters, Native Americans, Chinese immigrants, ranching, railroading, the Sutro Tunnel and early Lyon County history. Call (775) 246-3256 for more information. Thirty miles south of Reno is Carson City, Nevada's capitol and home of the Nevada State Museum (600 N. Carson St.). Housed in the former U.S. Mint, the museum features remembrances of Nevada's history, geology, and culture, including a full-size replica of a ghost town and an underground mine. Each spring a new exhibit is created in the "Changing Gallery," offering repeat visitors something new. Museum Hours: 8:30 to 4:30 daily. Admission is $3 for adults and $2.50 for seniors; children under 18 are admitted free. Also in Carson City is the 2.5-mile Kit Carson Trail through historic downtown that features 24 "talking houses," Victorian mansions that take you back to when the Old West was young. One stop is the Clemens house where a youthful Mark Twain stayed with his brother. Call (775) 687-7410 for more information. Also on Carson Street is the Nevada State Railroad Museum (2180 S. Carson St.), dedicated to preserving the railroad heritage of Nevada. Locomotives and cars of the famous Virginia and Truckee Railroad, among others, are on display, and trail rides are available for the public. The collection features the Central Pacific's Director's Car that carried Leland Stanford and the Golden Spike to Promontory, Utah, in May 1869 for the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The museum is open daily year-round from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $2; children under 18 are admitted free. For more information, call (775) 687-6953 or visit www.nsrm-friends.org/. At the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada (813 North Carson Street), visitors are encouraged to touch, poke, turn, pull and take part in the gadgets, gizmos, puzzles, machines, unusual musical instruments and technological devices that reside on the exhibit floor. Exhibits include a medieval castle, a Smith's Supermarket, an Egyptian burial chamber and an Internet surfing station. For more information, call (775) 884-2226. Members of Warren Engine Company No. 1 have been very diligent in the preservation of their heritage. The company maintains a beautiful Historic Fire Museum (777 South Stewart Street) containing apparatus, equipment, photographs, and other mementos that extend back to that first meeting in 1863, including all of the written record books. For more information, call (775) 887-2210. The Stewart Indian School Museum (5366 Snyder Ave.) offers historical exhibits and artifacts, including the noted Cassinelli "Point Collection." The beautiful historic grounds are the setting for special events throughout the year including pow-wows and traditional craft exhibits. Ongoing workshops include beading, flint knapping, moccasins and basket weaving. Little Rock House Trading Post offers a variety of handcraft items. For more information call (775) 882-6929. A short journey down U.S. Highway 395 takes you to Genoa, (pronounced Jen-OH-uh), which will celebrate its 150th birthday in 2001. Genoa, Nevada's oldest permanent community (not to be confused with Dayton, the first settlement) is home to the Genoa Courthouse Museum (2304 Main Street), the realization of a dream envisioned by a group of descendants of Carson Valley pioneers who organized the Carson Valley Historical Society in 1961. Through an extensive restoration program, the exterior was repaired and the interior restored using much of the original oak furniture from the Genoa and Minden courthouses. The museum is open daily May through October from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call (775) 782-4325. While in Genoa, be sure to visit the neighboring town of Gardnerville and the Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center (1477 U.S. Highway 395). Housed in the former Douglas County High School, the building was designed by famed architect Frederic DeLongchamps and constructed in 1915. Exhibits include: natural history, Basque and Native American cultures and Farmers Telephone and Telegraph. A tribute to Carson City's medical profession spotlights Dr. Eliza Cook, the second female physician in Nevada, who practiced in Carson Valley. At 28, she made house calls in a horse and buggy and was active in community politics. The museum includes an art gallery, and a gift shop features Indian art, books, local crafts, and souvenirs. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed major holidays. For more information, call (775) 782-2555. The Lyon County Museum (215 S. Main St) in Yerrington, on Alternate Highway 95, looks back at the mining history of the Mason and Smith valleys through antiques, a schoolhouse, a general store, a livery stable and relics from the Anaconda Copper mine. Call (775) 463-3341 for more information. South of Yerrington, below Walker Lake, is the town of Hawthorne. The Mineral County Historical Museum (400 Tenth St.), located directly across the street from the rest area on U.S. Highway 95 at the north end of Hawthorne, features the history of this area, influenced by the Paiute tribe and Spanish miners. See a turn-of-the-century pharmacy, mining, fire and railroad equipment, horse-drawn vehicles, specialized tools from the ammunition base, wildlife and fossil displays and more. For more information, call (775) 945-5142. Admission is free. The museum is open April through October, Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and November through March, Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. Scenic Lake Tahoe is located approximately 30 minutes west of Carson City via U.S. Highway 50. The Pondersosa Ranch (100 Ponderosa Ranch Rd.) at Incline Village on the North Shore, offers a glimpse into the history of America's West at the Cartwright Ranch House, setting of the popular television show "Bonanza." In addition to tours of the house, there are hay wagon rides, hiking, and a display of Western Americana antiques that is among the largest collections of its kind in the world. On display are authentic stagecoaches from the Pony Express days and actual covered wagons that belonged to pioneers who made the arduous journey to California, including a Conestoga wagon that belonged to members of the Donner Party who perished in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the winter of 1846. The wagon was pulled out of Donner Lake in 1930, while the lake was at its lowest level in many years. For more information call (775) 831-0691 or visit http://www.ponderosaranch.com/. The Gatekeeper's Cabin Museum (130 West Lake Blvd.) is situated among ancient conifers in Tahoe City, on Lake Tahoe's west shore. The hand-carved cabin stands on the same foundation as the original log cabin, built sometime between 1910 and 1916. It served as the home of the resident gatekeeper, whose duties included the measuring and regulation of the lake's water level within legally prescribed limits. The museum showcases the history of Lake Tahoe, including Native American artifacts, natural history displays, stories of pioneers, a book and photographic library, and Lake Tahoe's vintage newspapers. The museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays, May 1 through June 15 from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; daily June 15 through Oct. 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and is closed in winter. For more information, call (530) 583-1762. The Watson Cabin Museum (560 North Lake Blvd.) is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites as the oldest home built on-site in Tahoe City. It also claims the town's first private indoor bathroom, and is certainly among the area's most picturesque residences, with its chinked log construction and sweeping lake vista. Admission is free. The museum is open daily from noon to 4 p.m. from June 15 through Labor Day. For more information, call (530) 583-8717. Take a dash through Nevada's Pony Express Territory east on U.S. Highway 50 from Reno and Sparks, and your first stop is Fallon and the Churchill County Museum and Archives (1050 South Maine Street). The museum brings the past to life and its changing presentations and programs preserve important pages in the history of the West. Displays represent the day-to-day life of the valley's earliest inhabitants to the "entry men" farmers and ranchers who came to farm the newly reclaimed lands of the New lands Project, the nation's first reclamation project. The museum also serves as the repository for Churchill County records from the early 1860s and city of Fallon records from 1906. The collection includes over 40,000 photographic images featuring Native Americans, pioneer families, farms, ranches and the New lands Project. The museum is open March through November, Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.; and December through February, Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a. m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (775) 423-3677 or visit http://www.ccmuseum.org/. History buffs traveling along U.S. Highway 50, also known as The Loneliest Road in America, should plan a few pit stops. The historic mining town of Eureka, a five-hour drive east from Fallon, is home of the Eureka Sentinel Museum Building. Once the town's newspaper offices, the museum chronicles the history of the town, its buildings, cemeteries and people. The museum is open November 1 - March 31, Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; April 1 - October 31, 7 days per week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. . For more information, call (775) 237-5010. Closer to the Utah border is the city of Ely, where the White Pine Public Museum (2000 Aultman St.) displays a cornucopia of Native American and settler curios, including a bottle of prohibition "White Lightning" and a large doll collection. For more information, call 775-289-4710 or visit www.webpanda.com/white_pine_county/museum/membership.htm. The railroad history of the West is captured at the East Ely Railroad Depot Museum (1100 Avenue) and the Nevada Northern Railroad Museum, (1100 Avenue ), which offers historic trains and train rides, including a jaunt on the notable "Ghost Train" on weekends. The Depot Museum is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 775-289-1663. For more information about the East ely railroad Depot Museum visit http://nevadanorthernrailway.net/routes_&_fares.htm If you're heading from Reno to Salt Lake City, plan an adventure through Nevada's Cowboy Country along Interstate 80 by way of a host of historical cities, beginning with Lovelock. Take the Lovelock Historic Walking Tour and learn the history of downtown sites, buildings and homes. Marzen House Museum is a two-story house built in 1874 that contains mining equipment, home fixtures, Native American heirlooms and an Indian Cave exhibit, antiquities from pioneer homes and the Immigrant Trail, and artifacts from the prehistoric era and Indian caves. Admission is by donation and the museum is open year-round. For more information, call (775) 273-7213. The Pershing County Courthouse in Lovelock, designed by Frederick J. DeLongchamps and built in 1919, is believed to be the only round courthouse in the country. Its courtroom, still in use, gives visitors a glimpse of the state's heritage. Heading east from Lovelock will take you to Winnemucca. Named for a famous Paiute chief, the town is home to the state's oldest rodeo held annually on Labor Day weekend. It also hosts a Basque festival in June. Stop by the Humboldt Museum (Jungo Road and Maple Avenue), comprised of turn-of-the-century buildings with antique autos, farm collections and Native American exhibits. The museum is open Monday - Friday 10:00 a.m. to Noon & 1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information, call 775-623-2912. Cowboy memorabilia including traditional working gear, paintings, sculpture and drawings are on display at the Buckaroo Hall of Fame (30 W. Winnemucca Blvd.). The museum is open daily from 8:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. (Closed for lunch) Admission is by donation. Call (775) 623-2225 for more information. In Battle Mountain, the Trail of the '49ers Interpretive Center (453 North Second Street) preserves the history of the eastern migration of the 19th century United States. Between 1840 and 1860, more than 200,000 people traveled the Overland Trail to California, the largest peacetime migration in history. Of the 2,100 miles of that journey, the most difficult 500 were in Nevada, along the meandering Humboldt River. The museum is open Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is by donation. For more information, call (775) 635-5720. In Carlin, the 1-mile wayside near the Carlin Tunnels offers interpretive panels that chronicle the travelers who have followed the Humboldt River through Carlin Canyon since Native Americans walked between winter villages near Carlin and Elko. For more information, call (775) 861-6586. Many of northeastern Nevada's artistic and cultural activities are held in Elko, the bustling center of commerce and government. It is the site of the National Basque Festival, celebrated annually July Fourth weekend, which honors the many Basque settlers that inhabit the region. Elko also hosts the famous annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering the end of January. The festival of storytelling, singing, dancing, great hats and boots, arts, handicrafts, and ranching traditions, lasts an entire week and is the nation's oldest cowboy poetry festival. The headquarters for the Poetry Gathering is the Western Folklife Center, dedicated to preserving, perpetuating, and presenting the folk arts of the West through educational programs, year-round activities and exhibits. A visit to the Center is necessary to understand the true culture of the Silver State's buckaroos. For more informaton visit http://www.westfolk.org/index.html Exhibited at the Northeastern Nevada Museum (1515 Idaho St.) are a variety of displays, including spectacular wild animal display, Basque costumes, and artifacts that depict the history of Elko. One in particular chronicles the Garcia Saddle Shop, whose proprietor's saddles and spurs soon became world famous. The shop, which still exists at Capriola's western store near the Western Folklife Center, is known for custom-made saddles for cowboys, buckaroos, rodeo stars and presidents and for bringing the rodeo to Elko. The Museum Store sells books on the history, natural history and other subjects about Nevada and its people. Also featured is the work of local artisans; jewelry, horsehair hitching, weaving, crafts, Tuscarora pottery, paintings, photography and clothing. The museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults; $3 for students 13 to 18; senior citizens over 65 free; $1 for children 4-12 ; children under 3 are free. Admission is free on the last Sunday of each month. For more information, call (775) 738-3418 or visit http://nenv-museum.org/.
Southern Nevada's most popular destination is the city of Las Vegas, and for good reason. There's no place on earth like it. The city thrives on superlatives - biggest, brightest, longest and tallest - and boasts more neon and lights than any other city. But visitors to the area often discover that in Las Vegas, they can hit a jackpot of another kind. The area's historic museums range from archaeological and anthropological exhibits of the original Native Americans to the glitzy collectibles of the legendary entertainer Liberace. Las Vegas and its neighboring city of Henderson are also home to unique businesses that offer tours of their facilities. Located in historic Lorenzi Park, the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society (700 Twin Lakes Dr.) exhibits biological sciences, regional history and earth sciences. The museum store offers publications on Nevada history and the Mohave Desert, Native American arts and crafts, and specialty items related to changing exhibits with a section of books, toys, and keepsakes for children. Admission is $2 for adults, and children 18 and under are free. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day For more information, call (702) 486-5205 or visit http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/museums/lv/vegas.htm. A timeline recounts 12,000 years of Southern Nevada history at the Clark County Museum (1830 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson) through exhibits of Native Americans, mining, railroads, gaming, historic houses and a ghost town. Ranching displays, a nature walk and a southwestern gift shop round out the experience. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and admission is $1.50 for adults and $1 for seniors and children. For more information, call (702) 455-7955. A short drive from the Las Vegas Strip, on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History (4505 Maryland Parkway), a 3,000 square-foot gallery that is host to international, national and regional exhibitions. The museum features exhibits on Mojave Desert wildlife, traditional baskets of southern Paiutes, Navajo textiles, Hopi kachina dolls, and early Las Vegas life, as well as Mexican dance masks, Guatemalan Huipils and pre-Columbian pottery. The museum gift shop carries a wide variety of geological, zoological, and botanical materials for adults and children. In addition, the gift shop offers a large array of Native American jewelry and crafts, including a wide selection of Zuni fetishes. The museum is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and Saturdays from10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (702) 895-3381. Dinosaurs come to life, the sounds of the rain forest reverberate and the indigenous marine and wildlife abound at The Las Vegas Natural History Museum (900 N. Las Vegas Blvd.). The museum is oen daily 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Admission is $5.50 for adults; $4.50 for seniors, students 13 and over, military; $3 for children 4 to12; children 3 and under are free. For more information, call (702) 384-3466. The Lied Discovery Children's Museum (833 N. Las Vegas Blvd.) offers more than 100 exhibits that allow children of all ages to experience the world of art, science and humanities. Special displays, programs and entertainment change frequently. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 Adults, $5 Seniors (55 and up), $5 Military & Children (1 thru 17), free for Members & children under 1. For more information, call (702) 382-3445. Two of the many cultures that make up Nevada's rich ethnic mix are represented at the Hispanic Museum of Nevada (2900 E Stewart Ave.) and the Walker African-American Museum & Research Center (705 W. Van Buren Avenue). The Hispanic Museum documents the art and artifacts indicative of the disparate national, racial, ethnic and cultural Hispanic people. For more information about the Hispanic Museum of Nevada, call (702) 224-7801. Gwendolyn Walker began to collect Black Americana at age 13 when her mother, Juanita Walker, gave the girl her first collection of Black Heritage Encyclopedias. During the past 29 years, Walker has amassed a collection in excess of 10,000 pieces. Items include dolls, figurines, postage stamps, prints, books, buttons, records, magazines, autographs, and much more. The museum is open at its temporary site by appointment only. Admission is a $1 donation for adults; children under 12 are 50 cents. For more information, call (702) 647-2242 or visit http://members.aol.com/Bigbrwnsis/index.html Las Vegas would not be complete without a tribute to its legendary entertainment scene. Paying homage to The King is the Elvis-a-Rama Museum (3401 Industrial Rd.), which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (702) 309-7200. Founded by "Mr. Showmanship" himself in 1979, the Liberace Museum (1775 E. Tropicana Ave.) features the late entertainer's dazzling jewelry, rare antiques, unsurpassed wardrobe, unique and historical pianos and custom car collection. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. We are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for seniors and students. Admission for Museum members and children under 12 is free. The Museum Store is open free to the public. Merchandise offered for sale includes Liberace-related items, audiotapes, compact discs and videocassettes, plus a selection of music books, gifts, stationery and jewelry. Call (702) 798-5595 for more information or visit http://www.flatwaremedia.com/liberace/index.cfm. The legend of Las Vegas lives at the Casino Legends Hall of Fame (3801 S. Las Vegas Blvd.). Photos, memorabilia and exhibits about the casino industry and the story of the showgirl tell the tale of this city at the Tropicana Resort & Casino. Call (702) 739-5444 for more information. Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for seniors. The Las Vegas Neon Museum at the entrance to the spectacular Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas (Fremont Street), displays some of the neon signs of the city's legendary locales. Admission to the museum, which is open 24 hours, is free. For more information, call (702) 229-6297. Amazing feats and facts are brought to life via replicas, videos and hands-on displays at the Guinness World of Records Museum (2780 S. Las Vegas Blvd.). Open 9 am - 6 pm September - May, 9 am - 8 pm June - August, admission to the museum is $6.00 Adults, $5.00 Seniors, Students, Military; $4.00 Children 12 and under Call (702) 792-0640 for more information. Conveniently located on Las Vegas Boulevard are Madame Tussaud's Las Vegas (The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino) and King Tut's Tomb and Museum (Luxor Hotel Casino). At Madame Tussaud's, discover the intensive process and artistry involved in creating the internationally acclaimed wax portraits by Madame Tussaud. Admission is $13.50 for adults; $9.50 for seniors; and students $8.75. The museum is opens daily at 11 a.m. For more information visit http://www.madame-tussauds.com/site/lasvegas/home.htm Luxor Las Vegas has recreated an authentic and meticulous reproduction of King Tut's tomb. The measurements of each room are exact; the treasures therein were reproduced by artisans using the same gold leaf and linens, precious pigments, tools and original 3,300-year-old methods, and each is positioned according to the records maintained by the Carter expedition. The exhibit houses hundreds of reproductions, including the world-famous guardian statues, King Tut's sarcophagus, and an array of statues, vases, beds, baskets and pottery. The museum is open Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to Midnight. The audio tour is available in English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese. Admission is $5 per person.. Call (702) 262-4555 for more information. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! From the notable to the notorious, the timeless to the atypical, more than 350 automobiles are housed in one of the largest and finest classic car display rooms, "The Auto Collections" at the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Admission is $6.95 for adults and $3 for seniors and children 4 to 12, and children 3 and under is free. Visit http://www.autocollections.com/ to print out passes for free admission to the collection. Call (702) 794-3174 for more information. For high-flying history, Las Vegas' aviation museums tell the story of commercial and military flight. The famous "Ambassadors In Blue" make Nellis Air Force Base in North Las Vegas their home when they are not on tour across the country, and this incredible group of United States Air Force pilots and their high flying aircraft can be seen at the Thunderbirds Museum (Nellis AFB, North Las Vegas). The museum must be accessed through the base-provided motor coach, which meets visitors Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m. at the far east entrance to Nellis Air Force Base. The museum store sells Thunderbird souvenirs and specialty items. For more information, call (702) 652-4018. NOTE: All public tours have been cancelled until further notice. The Senator Howard Cannon Aviation Museum at McCarran International Airport, is one of the Las Vegas valley's most unique museums. Recently renamed in honor of retired U.S. Sen. Howard W. Cannon, the open-air museum shows the history of aviation in Southern Nevada, from the first flight in 1920 through the introduction of the jet. The museum focuses on the history of commercial and general aviation, and is open 24 hours a day. The main exhibit is located above baggage claim on level two, with an additional display in the general and corporate aviation terminal operated by Signature Flight Support. Admission is free. For more information call (702) 455-7968. A departure from the typical museums and historical attractions, Las Vegas and neighboring Henderson will take you off the beaten path on educational journeys through some one-of-a-kind factories. Lovers of the cocoa bean, take note! At M&M's World™ (3785 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas), the exclusive "M&M's" Academy™ was established to educate about the rigorous process the chocolate-coated candies must endure before earning their "M's." M&M's World™ opens at 9 a.m. daily. For more information, call (702) 736-7611.
The Botanical Cactus Garden is situated on 2.5 acres. Here you will an arid landscape rich with over 350 species of cactus, succulents and desert plants from the Southwest and other deserts of the world. Visitors can also view the Living Machine as part of the self-guided Cactus Garden tour. The Living Machine is an acre of waste-consuming ecologies in tanks, marshes and reed beds transforming wastewater into water clean enough to be used for landscape irrigation. Admission is free for both the factory tour and the cactus garden self-guided tours. The facility is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call toll free1-888-627-0990. Special guided tours may be arranged for parties of 10 or more by calling (702) 435-2641. Ever wonder how those healthy vitamins, minerals and herbal products are made? Find out at the National Vitamin Company Factory Tour (7440 S. Industrial Rd.). This company offers free self-guided factory tours of their manufacturing plant. See the Cosmetics Room, the Encapsulating Room and watch the Soft Gel production process. Enjoy a delicious, healthy smoothie at the juice bar before you leave. Free samples are given out at the conclusion of each tour, which ends in the gift shop. The factory is open Mondays through Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Call 702-269-9600 888-346-6848 for more information. Ron Lee's World of Clowns (330 Carousel Parkway in Henderson; at Desert Passage 3663 Las Vegas Blvd.) is the home of "Hobo Joe" and a production facility for other popular Disney and Warner Brothers characters including Popeye, Betty Boop, E.T and Rocky and Bullwinkle. A free half-hour self-guided tour (with clown escort) takes you from design to casting to finishing process. There is also a museum of clown memorabilia and a beautiful 30-foot wide, jewel encrusted "Chance" musical carousel that costs $1 to ride. A cafe with a luncheon-style menu entices hungry visitors. Tours are available Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call (702) 434-1700 or (800) 829-3928 for more information or visit http://www.ronlee.com/. Just southeast of Las Vegas is a historic attraction of another sort. The quiet, shadowed community of Boulder City is the gateway to Hoover Dam, a 726-foot high concrete structure that creates Lake Mead. On Arizona Street, a collection of buildings, including the Boulder Dam Hotel and the Boulder Theatre, built during the construction of the Hoover Dam in the 1930s, are open for free, self-guided tours. Call (702) 293-2034 or visit http://www.bouldercitychamber.com/ for more information. The Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum (1305 Arizona St.) was established in 1988 to preserve the story of the courageous men and women who built the dam and the struggles faced by their families in the hostile desert environment. Call (702) 293-2034 or visit http://www.bouldercitychamber.com/ for more information. In Searchlight, just 60 miles south of Las Vegas on Highway 65, is the Searchlight Heritage Museum (200 Michael Wendell Way). The museum reports the history of the mining boomtown of Searchlight, which once surpassed Las Vegas in population. The story of Searchlight's mining and railroad heritage and its many colorful pioneer citizens is told through photos, artifacts, exhibits and an outdoor mining park. The museum is open Mondays through Fridays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call (702) 297-1055 for more information. Admission is free. The Central Nevada Museum (1900 Logan Field Road), 209 miles northwest of Las Vegas in Tonopah, is dedicated to the history of Nye and Esmeralda counties and houses fascinating articles from the area's early days as a mining boom town. The museum's hours are daily April – Sept. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Monday through Saturday Oct. – Mar. 1a.m.– 5 p.m. . Call (775) 482-9676 for more information. Mesquite, 79 miles north of Las Vegas, is home to the Desert Valley Museum. Displays depict the history of the Virgin Valley area from the 1800s through the early 1900s. Admission is by donation, and the museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Call (702) 346-5705 for more information. Just south of Mesquite is the city of Overton where The Lost City Museum (721 S. Moapa Valley Blvd.) displays artifacts from the Anasazi or "Ancient Ones," a prehistoric tribe that lived in the area from A.D. 1-1150. Actual dwelling reconstructions are on display as well as exhibits on Paiutes, other Native American tribes, history and geology. Festival Americana, celebrating Native American and pioneer crafts, music and food, is held the first Saturday in November. The museum's online store http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/museums/lost/store.htm offers hundreds of books on American Indian cooking, arts and crafts, desert plants and animals, prehistory publications and travel and historic guides. Admission is $2 for adults, and hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Call (702) 397-2193 for more information. North of Mesquite, about a 3 hour and 45-minute drive, is the city of Pioche, where the Lincoln County Historical Museum (69 Main St.) features Native American and Chinese displays, mining tools, furniture, musical instruments, guns and mineral specimens. Nearby stands the notorious "Million Dollar Courthouse," which in 1871 cost taxpayers almost $1 million although estimated at $16,400. The combination of broken contracts, inflated material costs, decline in mining and tax revenue, interest on bond payment over many years, and failure of elected officers to promptly resolve the problems resulted in the building finally costing the "million dollars." The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call (775) 962-5207, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Admission is free. Laughlin is 95 miles southeast of Las Vegas on the Colorado River near the southern tip of the Nevada-Arizona border, and just a few short hours from Southern California and Arizona's metro population centers. Here you'll find Don Laughlin's Classic Auto and Exhibition Hall (Riverside Resort Hotel, 1650 Casino Way), where more than 70 rare and historic automobiles take center stage. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is free. Call (702) 298-2535 for more information. No matter what corner of Nevada you are in, the Silver State's historic and cultural expressions may surprise you. Whether it is the month-long ARTown celebration in Reno, the Liberace collection, or a ride on an Old West locomotive, the other side of Nevada is a welcome change from the bright lights and loud sounds of the entertainment industry. Few people realize that Nevada, when it became a state in 1864, was only the second western state besides California. The long, rich history of our state is relatively unknown. So go ahead, explore, and discover both sides of Nevada. |
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