Virginia City is the quintessential mining boomtown, steeped in gold and silver rush lore and dripping with the history of explorers and pioneers. Fueled by the discovery of the Comstock Load Mine just outside town in the late 1850s, Virginia City exploded with over 10,000 prospectors arriving in its first summer alone. By the time the silver had dried up, the tourists were already tricking in, and today Virginia City mines the wallets of visitors curious about its storied past.
Museums, historic homes, traditional western saloons and mine tours can all be found in Virginia City, offering a taste of the West to visitors from nearby big cities or across the country. Outside of town are mountains that overlook this rugged area at the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada, and world-famous Lake Tahoe is a stone's throw away. Virginia City is off the beaten path but close enough for comfort, making it a great alternative to urban lodging in Reno, Sparks, or Carson City.
Virginia City is best accessed via car from Reno, southbound on US Route 395 to eastbound State Route 341. For more information on Virginia City, please select a topic of interest from the links on the left.
