Carson City, NV Road Trips

From the beginning, Carson City was intended to be Nevada's capital. Its cause was advanced by local fraternal orders and businessmen, chief among them Abraham Curry, who bankrolled and oversaw many of Carson City's early developments. Carson City was once home to an outlet of the US Mint. The collectible "CC" Carson City coins were produced here from 1870-1893. With several hidden surprises for the history buff, Carson City is a pleasant daytrip from nearby Reno and Lake Tahoe. 1 Carson City Culture & Tourism Authority, 716 N Carson St, ☏ +1 775 687-7410. (updated Jan 2019)

1 Nevada State Capitol, 101 N Carson St. M-F 8AM-5PM. free. (updated Oct 2016) 2 Nevada State Museum, 600 N Carson St (Corner of Lincoln Hwy and Robinson St), ☏ +1 775-687-4810, toll-free: +1-800-NEVADA8 (6382328). T-Su 08:30-16:30. Housed in the old Carson City mint with exhibits about the mint, Nevada and its people. $10/adult, children free. (updated Apr 2023) 3 Brewery Arts Center, 449 W King St, ☏ +1 775-883-1976. (updated Oct 2016) 4 Nevada Governor Mansion, 606 N Mountain St, ☏ +1 775 882-2333. Only open for tours on Nevada day (last Sat of Oct). Built over a hundred years ago. (updated Nov 2019) 5 Nevada State Railroad Museum, 2180 S Carson St (U.S. Highway 395, at Fairview Dr, near the south end of Carson City), ☏ +1 775-687-6953. Th-M 09:00-16:30. $8/adult, children free. (updated Nov 2019) 6 Stewart Indian School, 5500 Snyder Ave, ☏ +1 775 687-8333 (main), +1 775 546-1460 (on-site audio tour). (updated Oct 2017) 7 Jack C. Davis Observatory, 2269 Vanpatten Ave (Northern end of Western Nevada College campus). (updated Jul 2025)

1 Casino Fandango, 3800 S. Carson St., ☏ +1 755-885-7000. 2 Carson Nugget Casino Hotel, ☏ +1 775 882-1626 (Casino), toll-free: +1-800-338-7760 (Hotel). (updated Nov 2017) 3 Gold Dust West Carson City, toll-free: +1-877-519-5567. Hotel Casino with RV park. Casino portion features slots and sports book, no tables. Also has a 32-lane bowling center and restaurants. (updated May 2023) 4 Bodines Casino, 5650 S Carson St, ☏ +1 775 885-7777. (updated Dec 2019) 5 Eagle Valley Golf Course, 3999 Centennial Park Dr, ☏ +1 651-714-3750. 6:30am-8:30pm. 6 Empire Ranch Golf Course, 1875 Fair Way, ☏ +1 775 885-2100. 7 Silver Oak Golf Club, 1251 Country Club Dr, ☏ +1 775-841-7000. Exciting golf course in the hills surrounding Lake Tahoe. 8 Mills Park, 1111 E William St (Highway 50 & Roop Street). Sunrise to sunset. Large centrally located park with Summer kiddie train, skate park and events pavilion. (updated May 2023) 9 Fuji Park, 601 Old Clear Creek Rd (South Carson Street and Clear Creek Road, near the Douglas County Line). Large park with playgrounds, a trail alongside Clear creek, and an off-leash dog area. Next to fairgrounds and a fishing pond. (updated Apr 2023) 10 Washoe Lake State Park, 4855 Eastlake Blvd, ☏ +1 775 687-4319, [email protected]. 24 hrs. Just north of Carson City, this state park is a very good spot to view wild horses year round, as well as migratory birds in season. Popular area for windsurfing and paragliding. Day use $5 for Nevada vehicles, $10 for out of state. (updated Apr 2023)

1 El Charro Avitia, 4389 S. Carson St, ☏ +1 775-883-6261. Very good Mexican food. 2 Cracker Box Diner, 402 E William St, ☏ +1 775-882-4556. 6AM-2PM. American breakfast open til 2PM. Does not accept debit or credit cards. 3 The Fox Brew Pub, 310 S Carson St (Southern end of town), ☏ +1 775-883-1369. Summer hours 9AM, Winter hours: Su-Th 11AM-9PM, F-Sa 11AM-10PM. Old English-style pub that makes their own microbrews. Mid level pricing. (updated Nov 2019) 4 Comma Coffee, 312 S Carson St, ☏ +1 775 883-2662. Coffee shop that has a unique atmosphere with knickknacks, books, and artwork everywhere in a historic building with courtyard. Live music, jam sessions, and a monthly open mic. They serve breakfast, soups, sandwiches, organic coffee, Italian and French sodas. (updated Mar 2016) 5 Tee Jay's Corner Cafe, 420 N Carson St (Inside Cactus Jack's casino), ☏ +1 775 434-7277, [email protected]. 10am - 2pm, 4pm - 8pm M-F, 4pm-8pm Sa. Counter only seating. Offers a split menu of both American-style diner food and a selection of Indonesian dishes. (updated Apr 2023)

1 Wyndham Garden Max Casino (formerly Best Western Carson Station Hotel/Casino), 900 S Carson St, ☏ +1 775 883-0900, toll-free: +1 877-999-3223 (reservations), fax: +1 775 882-7569. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. (updated Dec 2019) 2 Courtyard Carson City, 3870 S Carson St, ☏ +1 755-877-9900. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Courtyard by Marriott Carson City is next door to Casino Fandango and Galaxy Cineplex. (updated Dec 2016) 3 Days Inn, 3103 North Carson St., ☏ +1 775-883-3343. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 4 Hardman House Inn & Suites, 917 North Carson St (downtown, north of the State House), ☏ +1 775 882-7744, fax: +1 775-887-0321. Check-out: 11AM. Clean, friendly, and reasonably priced, this hotel in the downtown is a bit more expensive than its immediate neighbors, but is in excellent condition and offers amenities such as free wireless internet, continental breakfast, cookies and wine (!) at reception, and covered parking. (updated May 2023) 5 Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 4055 N. Carson St, ☏ +1 775 283-4055. 6 Motel 6, 2749 S Carson St, ☏ +1 775 885-7710, fax: +1 775 885-7671.

The nearest airport for commercial flights to Carson City is 1 Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO IATA), 30 miles north via Highway 395. Carson City has 2 Carson Airport (CSN IATA), a small regional airport for general aviation with no scheduled commercial services via major airlines. Carson City can be accessed via US Highway 50 from the east and west, and US Highway 395 from the north and south. Highway 395 from Reno comes into Carson City just south of Washoe Lake. The divided freeway ends at the junction with Highway 50. Highway 395 from Bishop comes into Carson City approximately 30 miles north of the Nevada/California border. Highway 50 from Sacramento and Lake Tahoe comes into Carson City via Spooner Summit. Highway 50 from Fallon, Austin, Eureka, and Ely comes into Carson City just west of Mound House. Carson City is served weekday mornings and afternoons via Washoe County RTC's commuter express bus service RTC Regional Connector from Reno. Buses go both directions in the early morning and late afternoon. Eastern Sierra Transit provides very limited service from Reno, Mammoth Lakes, Bishop, and Lone Pine, with connections to other places. The Tahoe Transportation District serves Carson City a few times a day from Minden, with connections to South Lake Tahoe and its vicinity.

Carson City's transit service is called JAC (for Jump Around Carson). Regular scheduled service operates 6 days a week hourly on 3 routes. RTC Intercity shares a few stops with JAC. JAC connects to Tahoe Transportation, offering stops in Minden, Gardnerville and South Lake Tahoe. The route setup and schedule frequency of the various bus transit services operating in and around Carson City makes using public transit as your primary means of getting around in the Carson City area a challenge. Interstate 580 Nevada, known until 2012 as US 395, connects Carson City with Reno and terminates at the junction with US-50. Carson Street, which is also US 395 business, runs north-south through the city. It is supplemented by Stewart Street, Roop Street, and Saliman Rd providing north-south connectivity through Carson City. Williams Street is also US-50 as it heads east through Carson City. Highway 50 (as it is mostly referred to locally) is joined by 5th Street to the south and College Parkway on the north carrying traffic eastward and westward to and from Carson Street. The west side of Carson Street is known as Carson City's "West Side" and is served mainly by small neighborhood streets. Downtown Carson City and the West Side are all easily explored on foot. The Kit Carson Trail, a route of blue lines and bronze medallions on the sidewalk, guides the visitor past a variety of historic and cultural attractions.