Things to do in Reno
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Reno
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Ski season and the cheapest city rooms; Feb to Mar is the connoisseur's window with longer days.
The value sweet spot: mild highs, high river, perfect in town hiking and shoulder season prices.
Hot, festive and busy, with the Rodeo, Artown and Hot August Nights; wildfire smoke risk builds from late July.
Fall is best, especially September: clear skies, thinner crowds, the Rib Cook-Off and the Balloon Race.
What's on
- Reno River Festival May
Whitewater competition and festival in Wingfield Park that kicks off the event season.
- Reno Rodeo June
A 10 day institution billed as the Wildest, Richest Rodeo in the West; book ahead.
- Artown all of July
A month long citywide arts festival with hundreds of mostly free events and Wingfield Park concerts.
- Barracuda Championship July
The region's PGA Tour stop and the Tour's only Modified Stableford event, a great spectator excursion.
- Hot August Nights late Jul-early Aug
5,000 plus pre 1976 cars cruising Reno, Sparks and Virginia City; hotels sell out, book 6 months ahead.
- Burning Man late Aug-early Sep
Not in Reno, but Reno is its airport and supply stop, so hotels and rental cars spike and sell out.
- Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off Labor Day week
Six blocks of championship barbecue in Sparks, free entry.
- Great Reno Balloon Race early Sep
The world's largest free hot air balloon event at Rancho San Rafael, with pre sunrise Dawn Patrol launches.
- Virginia City International Camel & Ostrich Races September
A beloved, genuinely weird Nevada tradition in Virginia City.
- Great Italian Festival October
Free festival at THE ROW with sauce competitions and grape stomping.
Best things to do in Reno
National Automobile Museum
Over 200 cars in period street scenes, from horseless carriages to celebrity and film cars.
Nevada Museum of Art
Nevada's only accredited art museum, with a Great Basin, Sierra and desert landscape focus.
Truckee Riverwalk
A free riverfront walk past cafes, public art and Burning Man sculptures in downtown Reno.
Wingfield Park
An island park in the Truckee River with an amphitheatre lawn, at its best in summer.
Truckee River Whitewater Park
A free access whitewater course of drop pools where kayakers play while you watch.
Midtown District
Murals, vintage shops, record stores and Reno's densest cluster of independent restaurants.
Brewery District
Craft breweries and distilleries along the old Lincoln Highway and rail corridor east of downtown.
THE ROW
Three linked downtown casino resorts you can walk between indoors without going outside.
Where to stay in Reno
Riverwalk / Downtown
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the Riverwalk, both museums, the ballpark, the Pioneer Center and THE ROW casinos.
Midtown
non-gamblers and repeat visitors
The restaurants and bars you will actually use, calm at night, with no casino smoke or noise.
South Virginia Street corridor
resort luxury and couples
Reno's best spas, pools and steakhouses in a car based strip; you give up walkability.
Grand Sierra / East Reno
families and value
A self contained resort by the airport that entertains kids on site, with nothing walkable nearby.
Old Southwest / University
quiet stays and light sleepers
Leafy residential streets and the UNR campus area, mostly rentals and inns rather than headline hotels.
Think twice about
- East 4th Street corridor, Record Street and the Wells Avenue underpass
Reno's shelter and services concentration, with encampments, rough sleepers and poorly lit blocks. Visit by day or rideshare, sleep elsewhere.
- Old weekly-rate motel rows on North Virginia, East 4th / Prater Way and Kietzke Lane
Long stay motels with parking lot loitering and police calls that appear as bargain Reno hotels. The saving is not worth the stay.
- Riverwalk east of Lake Street
The river path east of Lake Street becomes isolated and encampment lined at night. Enjoy the Riverwalk west of downtown instead.
Best restaurants in Reno
Kwok's Bistro
Modern chef driven Chinese locals call the best restaurant in Reno; go with a group and share.
Louis' Basque Corner
The essential Reno meal: family style Basque dinners at communal tables, plus a Picon Punch.
Casale's Halfway Club
Fourth generation Italian American spot hand pressing ravioli since 1937, tiny and beloved.
Liberty Food & Wine Exchange
A market, restaurant and bakery hybrid, the room locals pick for a downtown anniversary dinner.
Smith and River
Seasonal modern American on the river, the date night pick, with the Smoke on the River cocktail.
Wild River Grille
Longstanding river adjacent favourite with the nicest outdoor dinner seat downtown.
Atlantis Steakhouse
Old school tableside steakhouse inside a four-star, four-diamond resort.
Bistro Napa
The lighter Californian night at the Atlantis, listed among Reno's best restaurants.
Best bars in Reno
Death & Taxes
A Midtown speakeasy for rare whiskies, the one Reno bar to reserve on weekends.
Amari
Death and Taxes' sister bar next door, for spritzes and amaro in Midtown.
Chapel Tavern
A Midtown tavern where resident guides say to ask the bartender to make their favourite.
The Depot Craft Brewery & Distillery
House gin and beer served inside the handsome old railway depot, also a solid restaurant.
Lead Dog Brewing
A taproom heart of the East 4th Street Brewery District, best visited in daylight.
Revision Brewing
Famous nationally among hop heads for hazy IPAs, based across the line in Sparks.
Best coffee in Reno
Hub Coffee Roasters
Coffee on the river, the calm morning start to a Riverwalk day.
Outdoor things to do in Reno
Sand Harbor State Park
The postcard cove of boulders and clear turquoise water on Tahoe's Nevada East Shore.
Tahoe East Shore Trail
A stunning paved lakeside path from Incline Village to Sand Harbor, for walking or e-bikes.
Incline Village
The Nevada North Shore base for a Hyatt beach day, an upscale lunch and Diamond Peak in winter.
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe
Reno's closest ski resort, with the highest base in Tahoe and strong intermediate cruising.
Mt. Rose Summit Trail
An 11 mile round trip to 10,778 feet past Galena Falls and wildflower meadows.
Tahoe Meadows
Boardwalks over alpine meadows at about 8,700 feet, suitable for almost anyone.
Galena Creek Regional Park
Pine forest trails and a visitor centre at the base of Mt. Rose, with fall colour.
Virginia City
A preserved Comstock silver boomtown on wooden sidewalks, with saloons, mine tours and big views.
Best hotels in Reno
Whitney Peak Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
Downtown's first non gaming, non smoking hotel, with climbing, a concert hall and Sierra views.
Renaissance Reno Downtown Hotel & Spa
An upscale riverfront hotel in the old Siena tower, with a terrace over the Truckee.
Silver Legacy Resort Casino
The tallest and newest feeling of THE ROW trio, and the best downtown casino stay.
Eldorado Resort Casino
THE ROW casino to stay at for the food, with the trio's best restaurants and buffet.
Plaza Resort Club
Quiet, spacious non gaming suites with a warm indoor pool and rooftop deck by the Riverwalk.
J Resort
The heavily redeveloped former Sands Regency, promising but with mixed early reviews.
Circus Circus Reno
Reno's cheapest big casino beds, with free circus acts but dated rooms and midway chaos.
Best Bet Motor Lodge
A reimagined, stylish motor lodge in Midtown, small and walkable to dinner.
Is Reno expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $110 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $205 a person |
| Splurge | $400 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts: weeks ahead
- Eldorado Showroom: a few days ahead
- Grand Theatre: a few days ahead
- Cargo Concert Hall: a few days ahead
- Spa Toscana: a few days ahead
- Spa Atlantis: a few days ahead
- Sand Harbor State Park: weeks ahead
- Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: a few days ahead
- Sand Harbor needs day use reservations in peak summer; book as soon as your Tahoe day is fixed.
- Book hotels 3 to 6 months ahead for Hot August Nights and the Balloon Race; event rates run 2 to 3 times normal.
- Reserve Casale's, Kwok's, Louis' on weekends, Liberty, Smith and River and the resort steakhouses.
- Buy Mt. Rose lift tickets online ahead on powder weekends and leave Reno by 7.30am on a Saturday powder day.
Is Reno safe?
- Car break-ins are the realistic risk; leave nothing visible, especially at trailheads and Sand Harbor.
- At night stay on lit Virginia Street, the Riverwalk and inside THE ROW, and rideshare from 4th Street spots.
- Reno is at 4,500 feet and Tahoe trailheads far higher; carry water, sunscreen and a layer every day.
- Never tube the Truckee at flood stage; spring runoff is fast, cold and dangerous.
Reno travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Reno Arch is a five minute photo, not an activity; anyone selling an Arch tour is selling air.
- Staying at Circus Circus to save 20 dollars over Silver Legacy or Eldorado is a false economy.
- Generic casino buffets are a shadow of the legend; spend the money at Kwok's, AYCE sushi and Peg's.
- Do not make South Lake Tahoe your Tahoe day from Reno; the quiet Nevada shore is closer.
Getting around Reno: public transport and more
- Reno Tahoe International is 10 minutes from downtown, one of America's easiest airport transfers.
- You need a car for Tahoe, Virginia City, Pyramid Lake, golf and trailheads; rent at the airport, AWD in winter.
- Parking is a Reno superpower: free self parking at most casino resorts and free valet widely available.
- RTC Washoe buses cover Virginia Street, but do not plan trailheads or Virginia City by bus.
Who Reno suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Reno your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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