Beyond the fantastic Vegas superstar entertainment, you’ll find the distinctive arts of Nevada in galleries, at Native American crafts shows, and at Cowboy poetry readings.
Performances of flamenco dancing, grand opera, Broadway shows, ballets, and symphonies also take place around the state.
Every July, Reno is transformed into , and events draw people downtown. Modern dance, movies in the park, historic tours, and multi-cultural music all enliven this annual affair.
Just 45 minutes from Reno, picturesque Virginia City — once the wealthiest town in America — has preserved its Old West heritage. Original saloons, Victorian mansions, and intriguing museums provide a window into its heyday, when miners struck gold and silver in these hills. Piper’s Opera House, built in the 1880s, has been renovated and mounts live theatrical and music performances.
Nevada’s capital, Carson City, attracts appreciative audiences, too. It’s home to the Brewery Arts Center, which includes a pottery studio, art galleries, exhibitions, live performances, and a children’s theater.
Way up north in Elko, the nation’s oldest cowboy poetry festival is held each January. An entire week’s festival of story-telling, singing, dancing, Western wear, and handicrafts, it’s a jolly reminder of the way things were.
On the Waterfront
If you think of Nevada as a dry, land-locked place, you haven’t met its wet and wild side. Massive Hoover Dam, just east of Las Vegas, controls the mighty Colorado River and forms Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the Western hemisphere and a national recreation area. Further south, on the banks of the Colorado, Laughlin features water taxis that travel to Arizona and back.
Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada mountain range attracts boaters, waterskiers, and swimmers to its deep, crystal-clear waters. Sand Harbor and Zephyr Cove are among its popular beaches. The latter is home to m.s. Dixie, a paddlewheeler that cruises Lake Tahoe year-round.
