City: Carson City, NV

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Telephone: (775) 883-7736, (775) 887-1221

Description: The Eagle Valley Muzzleloaders are a group of Nevadans trying to preserve America’s heritage by reenacting the lives of the rugged mountain men who were among the first white men in the region. In late April these mountain men gather for a weekend at an encampment along Canyon Road in Carson City to participate in a survival hike, black-powder shoot, strongest-man contests, and other antics associated with these rough-and-tumble pioneers. This is a great, free event for the entire family. From Reno take U.S. Highway 395 south for 30 miles to Carson City.

City: Carson City, NV

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Telephone: (775) 882-2600, (866) 683-2948

Description: Nevada joined the Union on October 31—yes, Halloween—in 1864. Nevadans celebrate their heritage the last weekend in October with a parade, live music, an art show, a best beard contest, and a 1860s period fancy ball at the Governor’s Mansion (by invitation only). It’s definitely an Insiders’ event, but visitors also find the day entertaining. All of downtown Carson City is closed off for this celebration.

City: Carson City, NV

Category: Golf

Telephone: (775) 887-2380

Address: 3999 Centennial Park Drive

Description: This golf facility has two regulation 18-hole courses—The West and The East—which offer two distinctively different modes of play. The West Course has lots of water, trees, sand bunkers, and sagebrush. The East Course is wide open. The West Course—This links-style course is hilly and requires you to hit the ball straight, since almost every hole is lined with water or sagebrush. It was designed by Jack Snyder in 1977 to challenge you on every hole, and it does that and more. Playing well requires correct club selection and good course management. This course has great views of Carson City as it winds its way up, down, and around the foothills on the northeastern side of town. The 14th tee offers spectacular views of the eastern side of the Sierra. Changes in course elevation and strategically located water and bunkers add to its challenging layout. A round here isn’t for the fainthearted golfer. If your game isn’t top drawer, you’ll no doubt be frustrated. Yardage: 5,819 Par: 72 USGA rating: 67.3 Slope: 127 Greens fees: $25 to $45 Reservations: 10 days in advance The East Course—This 18 is wide open and offers a good game for all styles of play. A great course for couples, seniors, juniors, and beginning to intermediate golfers, it features manicured fairways and quick greens. Rambling throughout the flat valley beneath the foothills, it was made for the big hitters who like to go for broke. A wayward shot will usually find another fairway, so trouble is at a minimum here. The East Course is great for walking a quick 9 or riding a leisurely 18. Yardage: 6,314 Par: 72 USGA rating: 68 Slope: 117 Greens fees: $25 to $35 Reservations: 10 days in advance

City: Carson City, NV

Category: Golf

Telephone: (775) 885-2100, (888) 227-1335

Address: 1875 Fair Way Drive

Description: This course opened in 1997 and is set among the wetlands overlooking the Carson River. Its 27 holes are squeezed between high bluffs and include 46 acres of wetlands and six lakes. You can see that water hazards are plentiful, so bring a lot of golf balls. You can start on any nine holes, so you really have a choice of playing three courses here. Once again, several shots must carry the wetlands, but course designer Cary Beckler was thoughtful of the high handicappers. He designed a bailout option on almost every hole for those who need the help. Yardage: 6,207 Par: 72 USGA rating: 69 Slope: 124 Greens fees: $20 to $40 Reservations: 7 days in advance

City: Carson City, NV

Category: Golf

Telephone: (775) 841-7000

Address: 1251 Country Club Drive

Description: Silver Oak is the newest golf course in Carson City. It opened in the summer of 1999 and provides middle- to high-handicappers a great course that is quite forgiving. It’s located behind the Kmart store in northwest Carson City and winds its way through the Silver Oak development and the Sierra foothills. The course is relatively short, even from the tournament tees (6,564 yards long), and it offers five tee boxes on every hole (tournament, championship, regular, silver, and oaks). Designed by Tom Duncan and Sid Salomon, Silver Oak is a fun but challenging golf experience. The golf pro here won’t say what the signature hole is because, according to him, all of them are unique and wonderfully laid out. But most golfers who have tested the course say they like the middle-length par 5s, especially No. 12, except when the wind picks up. The 18-hole course stretches over 150 acres, and it has a beautiful practice facility with a driving range, a bunker, and a putting green. Annika Sorenstam of the LPGA and Scott McCarron, Kirk Triplett, and Dan Forsman have maintained homes in the Reno/Tahoe area. Yardage: 5,716 Par: 71 USGA rating: 66.6 Slope: 118 Greens fees: $25 to $50 Reservations: 2 weeks in advance

City: Carson City, NV

Category: Golf

Telephone: (775)884-2110 (toll-free from

Address: 1000 Long Drive

Description: Sunridge was carved from the steep hills on the southern edge of Carson City. Its entrance is through a development just off US 395, and after rounding the last corner of the development, you can see the course cut from the hills and nestled on the valley floor. The front nine opens with a tough par 5 that is almost impossible to reach in two. The rest of the holes require good club selection and course management. The uphill No. 7 is a par 3 that will scare the daylights out of you. You have to hit a 150-yard shot over a gully to an elevated green surrounded by sand traps. Once there, you have to contend with a big swale that cuts through the huge green. Sunridge could become one of the most challenging courses in the area. Yardage: 5,947 Par: 72 USGA rating: 68.1 Slope: 128 Greens fees: $35 to $60 Reservations: 14 days in advance    

City: Carson City, NV

Category: Media

Telephone: (800) 495-3281 (subscriptions)

Address: 401 North Carson Street

Description: Nevada Magazine is published by the Nevada Department of Tourism and reaches about 80,000 readers every other month. Even though the magazine is not published in Reno or Lake Tahoe, it devotes many articles and stories to the region. The publication is the state’s official guide to recreation, travel, people, history, and events in the Silver State. The best magazine for learning about the state’s history, it has been published since 1936 and is available by subscription; it can also be found at magazine racks around the area. You can buy Nevada memorabilia, such as slot machines and clothing, from the magazines’s online stores.

City: Carson City, NV

Category: Media

Telephone: (775) 884-2200

Address: 106 East Adams

Description: Celebrating the cowboy spirit, Range magazine is an award-winning forum for issues that affect the American West. If you want to know about the people, lifestyles, lands, and wildlife of the “outback,” you’ll find plenty to pique your interest in this well-written publication. It’s controversial, it’s passionate, but it’s never boring.

City: Carson City, NV

Category: Media

Telephone: (775) 882-2111

Address: 580 Mallory Way

Description: Launched in 2008, Sierra Nevada Glow dishes out stories on such subjects as self-improvement, managing finances, fashion trends, fun getaways, and cooking. Written for women from 20 to 45 years old, it’s a classy resource sure to please. You can find it in racks in Carson City as well as in the Reno/Sparks and Tahoe area.

City: Carson City, NV

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (775) 687-6680

Address: 716 North Carson Street

Description: Since its creation as a state agency in 1967, the Nevada Arts Council has instituted a number of programs to enrich the cultural life of the people of Nevada. It supports the work of local artists through the Artists’ Services Program, promotes art in the schools with its Arts in Education Program, and preserves the traditional arts of Nevada’s many cultural groups in the Folklife Program. You can also learn about Nevada’s arts scene by reading Nevada Arts News, apublication put out by the Nevada Arts Council.

City: Carson City, NV

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (775) 687-1814, (800) 336-1600

Address: 108 East Proctor Street

Description: The history of Nevada and the movies goes back to 1897, when the state’s first film, The Corbett–Fitzsimmons World Champion Fight, was filmed in Carson City. From then on, hundreds of movies have been shot in the state, using the picturesque desert/mountain landscapes and the miles of open road as realistic backdrops. The Nevada Film Office, a division of the State Commission on Economic Development, boasts a library of 45,000 photos of location sites in the state. And if producers don’t find what they want from that inventory, the film office will customize a search for “locations less known.” Favorite locations in Reno include the famous Reno Arch, proclaiming “The Biggest Little City in the World,” and the campus at the University of Nevada, Reno, with its wooded Ivy League look. The gorgeous scenery anywhere around Lake Tahoe is a sure winner for any film needing an authentic mountain location. In addition to providing location assistance, the film office also offers production coordination for every aspect of a film project. The list of movies filmed in the Reno/Tahoe area parallels the history of film, and the roster of stars reads almost like a who’s who in the industry. In 1983 the state of Nevada acknowledged what moviemakers had known for years: Nevada is an extremely attractive location for shooting and casting films. To facilitate and attract more film ventures in the state, the Motion Picture Division of the Economic Development Commission was established. With the financial impact from films generating in excess of $100 million each year, movies continue to be big business in the Reno/Tahoe area.

City: Carson City, NV

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (775) 883-1976

Address: 449 West King Street

Description: Even though Carson City is covered as a day trip in this book (see the Day Trips chapter), I’d be remiss by not telling you about the Brewery Arts Center in this chapter. Since its founding more than 20 years ago, it’s been a veritable hotbed of artistic activity. The 140-seat black box theater hosts more than 50 dramatic and musical performances every year. Resident companies include the BAC Stage Kids and the Proscenium Players, the second-oldest local theater group in northern Nevada. The visual arts are equally well represented in the center, with a full-service pottery studio, a full array of classes and workshops, receptions, exhibits, and the Artisans’ Store, which features works from more than 70 local artisans. Just as interesting as the events that take place here is the physical structure itself. Built originally as part of the Carson Brewery in 1864, the building is one of the most historic landmarks in downtown Carson City. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and is easily identifiable by the mural of 11 pioneers on its front facade. Because Carson City is within an hour’s drive of most parts of the Reno/Tahoe area, it’s easy to attend events at the Brewery Arts Center.