We miss traveling. Its one of the things everyone in our family enjoys doing. We love visiting new places, trying new food and drinks, and learning about the people that live (or lived) in the places we are going. So COVID-19 quarantining sucks. Infrequent trips to the supermarket and walks around the neighborhood are not enough to satisfy our wanderlust.
Luckily, one perk about having a travel blog is that you still get to learn about exciting places to visit. A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to go on a virtual tour of Virginia City, Nevada. Never heard of it? Then you obviously didn’t pay a lot of attention in history class! Virginia City is located just northeast of Lake Tahoe, about halfway between Reno and Carson City. Around the time of the Civil War, Virginia City was the wealthiest city in the American West. This was thanks to the Comstock Lode, a giant silver deposit that made the miners and people of the town richer than Mr. Monopoly. Virginia City combines a bit of everything we love: a unique history, great looking restaurants and bars, as well as a new and cool place to visit.
During our call, some of the people from Visit Virginia City gave us a virtual walking tour of downtown – along C Street, the main drag. Like the Old West towns in the movies, the sidewalks are all wooden planks covered by the awnings from the stores. The streets are all paved now, but if you use your imagination, you can conjure a dusty road, filled with horses and carriages. Looking around at the architecture, you would still think you are in the Old West – the buildings look like they are straight out of Back to the Future III. But this isn’t a set – most of the buildings date to the mid-19th Century.
Downtown there are a bunch of cool shops to check out selling things like candy, jewelry, and, because it’s the Old West – guns. But the real thing to check out are the saloons. At one point, there were over 100 saloons in the city – and the population peaked at around 30,000! There are not that many saloons there anymore, but you can still visit one or more of over a dozen saloons in town. They all still have that Old West look, as well as the cool names: Silver Dollar, Ponderosa, and my favorite, the Bucket of Blood.
Back in the day, you could get a stiff drink, fight, gamble, and probably meet a lady of the night. Today, you can still get the drink, but would probably have to settle for listening to the stories, checking out the décor, and listening to some live music. That doesn’t sound too bad to me! I can’t wait for the chance to pull up a stool, drink a local beer or a Cemetery Gin cocktail, and listen to one of the local bands play while I check out the stuff on the walls.
Like any good town, Virginia City also has its fair share of restaurants with some delicious looking food. We have been checking out the websites and menus for some of them, and we don’t think a weekend in town would be enough. We would probably start each day at the Roasting House for some coffee and breakfast. For lunch, barbecue is in order: The Virginia City Beef Jerky Company or the Firehouse Grill would be our choices. At dinner, we would be looking for something a little fancier, like the Cider Factory, Crown Point, or the Canvas Café, where you can dine on delicious food while checking out some of the best work by local artists.
If you decide to visit, you could probably find a nice chain hotel somewhere near the airport or Reno. But why would you want to deprive yourself of the nightlife and a part of the historical experience? Virginia City has some great looking and authentic hotels right there in downtown, such as the Comstock Lodge or Gold Hill Hotel. Looking to get hitched while there? The Silver Queen has its own wedding chapel. These, and several of the other hotels in Virginia City, do their best to maintain the look and feel of the city’s heyday.
I know you are reading things about Bucket of Blood Saloon, drinking establishments, guns, and ladies of the night and thinking to yourself: would I really want to take my kids here? The answer is a resounding YES! One thing that might be of interest – mine tours! During these popular tours, kids and adults can go underground and see what it was like to mine in the olden days (but, no, you can’t leave them there). Downtown has the Virginia City Outlaws show, which combines gun fights, comedy and stunts. You can also take your kids for a ride on the V&T Railroad or take them downtown to sugar up at either Grandma’s Fudge Factory or Barrels O’Candy.
Are you more into the culture of the Wild West? Check out the Fourth Ward School & Museum, The Way It Was Museum, or the Mackay Mansion to learn more about the history of the West and Virginia City. Think the city was just full of sinners? Check out the beautiful St. Mary in the Mountains Church and learn about some of the good people that lived in town as well.
One thing I found personally cool about Virginia City is how similar it is to my family history. Part of my family came from the Irish mining towns of Pennsylvania. I found it pretty cool to learn how big of a part the Irish played in building the city, and that they were among the wealthiest residents when the town was at its peak.
Was our virtual excursion enough to pique your interest in Virginia City? If so, check out Visit Virginia City’s website and take some of their cool virtual tours to learn more about the town. And then, once this quarantine is over and done with, git your keister to Virginia City!
