You might know that New York is The Big Apple and Denver is The Mile-High City, but did you know that Reno is the Biggest Little City in the World? The nickname goes back to the early 1900’s when many smaller towns across the US were trying to promote their businesses and attract new residents away from the major metropolitan centers. Reno first became popular due to its legalized gambling and easy divorce laws. Today this city of 250,000 offers much to see and do, while still being easy to navigate and keeping a feeling of community.
On September 13th we drove north from Las Vegas to Reno along US 95. It wasn’t a bad drive but is along mostly 2 lane roads through sparsely populated desert areas. We were headed up to J.C.Penney in Reno for our first workamping experience (read about that here). While there we were able to enjoy some of the sights and meet some great people.
The first weekend we were in town we attended the Reno Air Races. Officially known as the National Championship Air Races, it is a multi-day event which includes airplane races, demonstrations, vendor areas, and static aircraft displays. It was interesting to see aircraft of many types racing around a course in the sky, but for me the highlight was a demonstration by the elite Air Force Thunderbirds. Their impressive formation flying and daring solo routines are amazing to watch!
The timing of our arrival in Reno was fortuitous as we were able to meet up with our friend Nick before he left his National Guard posting to move back to Indiana. We first met in San Angelo, Texas, last year when we were campground neighbors for a few weeks. Nick introduced us to one of his favorite Reno bars: Ceol, a quaint little Irish pub with a great atmosphere and authentic Irish music by local musicians (thanks Holly!)
The National Automobile Museum is in downtown Reno and is a cool place to visit. The museum houses over 200 automobiles from the late 19th and 20th centuries and is divided into four galleries based on year. The collection includes celebrity owned cars, cars that were featured in movies, and many one-of-a-kind cars. I liked the scavenger hunt booklet—it is probably meant for younger visitors but made my tour more interesting since I am not as much of a car enthusiast as my husband Mike.
We enjoyed our visit to the Animal Ark, a wildlife sanctuary nestled in the hills north of Reno not too far from our campground. The facility exists to provide permanent care in captivity to animals who cannot be returned to the wild. They have regular visiting hours for the public, but also provide in-depth educational programs and special events throughout the year. We saw many cool animals, but the black bear feeding time was my favorite—we watched him find all the treats set out around his habitat area.
Our friends Steve and Joan came up to Reno for about 6 weeks and worked at J.C. Penney with us. One day we drove up into the Sierra Valley in nearby California and saw beautiful scenery, some wildlife, and even a crystal mine. The Crystal Mine gets its name from the crystals that were mined there in World War II for use in two-way radios. They used dynamite to blast the hillside and bring the crystals to the surface. We didn’t spend much time there, but we heard that people still find crystals in the remnants if they look hard enough.
While the guys golfed one day, Joan and I drove to Pyramid Lake. One of the largest natural lakes in Nevada, it covers over 125,000 acres. The name of the lake comes from the cone or pyramid shaped tufa formations that are found in the lake. Made of limestone, Tufa forms as a byproduct of the precipitation of carbonate minerals from the surrounding water. When calcium-rich water from underwater hot springs meets with carbonates in the lake water, the result is calcium carbonate, also known as limestone. The mysterious tufa towers are so unique and look like giant sand castles peeking above the lake.
Games were a fun pastime on many of our weekend evenings while in Reno. Steve and Joan taught us some really fun card games like Shanghai Rummy, Hand and Foot, and Fruit Salad. We also enjoyed game time with new campground friends Mike and Marjorie, as well as a wonderful Thanksgiving feast.
Sampling some of the local restaurants in Reno was another enjoyable pastime (and a break from cooking!). BJ’s BBQ , Peg’s Eggs, and Ruby River were just a few of the places we dined. The best experience was a special dinner at Anthony’s Chophouse inside the Nugget Casino. Our group of 8 had a private room, our own dedicated waitstaff, and amazing food. The highlight, though, was the wonderful friends that we shared it with: Bill and Heidi stopped on their way south, new workamper friends Harry and Vicki, and Steve and Joan who found this great spot.
Our dog Sammie began having back issues and we were referred to a holistic vet who did several treatments of acupuncture. We aren’t sure how much it helped, but she was a good patient. Both dogs are 15.5 years old and, unfortunately, are now feeling and showing their age.
Being in Reno for 3 months, I had to find a hair stylist—one of the my most difficult things to do in a new place. I was fortunate to find Phil at Villagio Salon Suites. If you are ever in Reno and need a good stylist, I can highly recommend Phil as someone who listens and does a great job. Villagio is a nice boutique salon that can help with your hair and nail needs.
Winter storm Ezekiel came into Reno around Thanksgiving and it snowed off and on for several weeks. With the road conditions in California and Nevada changing each day, we didn’t get to Lake Tahoe but will plan to do that on a future trip. By early December our time in Reno was coming to an end and we were anxious to get to warmer weather. On Dec 5th we happily headed south on our way home to Texas for the holidays!
I had no idea Reno was so pretty and had so many great things to see and do. I agree that cake looked delicious and big!
Reno was a very pretty place right in the valley and surrounded by mountains. We didn’t get to do everything since we were working full time, but did enjoy the sights we saw. Several of us shared that wonderful cake–it was so big!
I am considering JCP for this winter season. How was the weather? (cold obviously) I am concerned about snow, especially when the seasonal job is completed. Did you encounter any problems leaving due to snow? What route did you take leaving? We also travel in a Class A with our tow and would prefer to avoid slippery roads at all costs.
Hi Rosi,
I too was concerned about the weather in Reno. All was very nice from Sept through most of November. Around Thanksgiving we had several snows–the most about 4-6 inches. It didn’t stop us from going to work–major roads in Reno were good. We waited for things to melt a few days before heading out around Dec 6th that year. We took I-80 east to 95 south all the way to Las Vegas area, then 93 to Phoenix, and I-10 back to Texas. The only area with snow was a pass area on 95, but the snow was not on the roads just the fields on the side. JC Penney was pretty flexible. You could watch the weather and if you felt an issue, just tell them when you need to leave.