Looking for a deal? Who isn’t?! Visitors to Carson City who can act fast can eat, stay and play for less by purchasing gift certificates to area attractions for half the price online. Nevada’s capital recently partnered with KGO-TV, the Bay Area’s ABC network affiliate, to promote lodging, dining and activity packages that are 100 percent fun and only 50 percent of the retail price.
Gift certificates are available online at http://www.WatchHalfOff.com, with video clips showing and describing each offer. Bargain hunters can purchase individual items or a package to save on upcoming trips or vacations to Carson City.
The true local flavor of Carson City is available with a variety of activities, including rides on the V&T Railroad - 16 miles of newly restored historic track between Carson City and Virginia City on vintage steam and diesel trains; the Nevada State Museum, celebrating the state’s natural and cultural history, featuring the historic Carson City Mint and a local wooly mammoth skeleton; and the Nevada State Railroad Museum, exhibiting the railroad heritage of Nevada with locomotives and cars of the famous Virginia & Truckee Railroad and other railroads of the Silver State.
Also on in the activity line-up is the Brewery Arts Center with fine art exhibits and live performances; Empire Ranch Golf Course, featuring three nine-hole courses; and a “Ticket to Paradise” - a round of golf at each of the area’s acclaimed Divine Nine Golf Courses.
Jenna Palacio is a publicist for the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau, trying to leave the “spin” at her morning cycling class and simply deliver a fun and informative perspective on Nevada’s capital.
The V&T Railroad which originally ran between Virginia City and Carson City in 1869 has been reconstructed and it opened for passengers this last August. The steam engine and passenger cars that travel today from Virginia City to Carson City are original 1800 stock.
During the Thanksgiving weekend there were volunteers that rode the train dressed in period costume. This gave the riders a definite feeling that they had stepped back in time to the 1800’s. And evidently it was so convincing that spirits from the 1800’s took the opportunity to ride their beloved train once again.
Upon reviewing photographs taken on the train that day it was discovered that there were passengers riding that were not on the manifest. Do you see the large orbs in this photo? I know there is much controversy regarding what orbs are, but I have been working in the paranormal field for many years and truly believe that most orbs are NOT dust. This photo is an example of true spirits riding the train. Also, look closely (enlarge the photo on your computer) and look at the window on the left side of the train next to the large white orb. Look at the volunteers reflection of her sleeve, can you see the Victorian woman in winter clothes and hat reflecting off her sleeve? Often spirits can be seen in windows and mirrors such as this one.
spirits riding the V and T Railroad
Virginia City and Carson City are rich with spirits of the past and finding them riding the train is not a surprising occurrence. Spirits are often drawn to situations that are similar to life when they were alive. So, for the V&T running again with its 1800 period cars, engine and people dressed in clothing from that era I am sure the spirits were drawn to riding the train once again! I can just imagine them hoping on the train in Virginia City just as they did 100 years ago. I wonder what they thought of men and women wearing baseball caps! Today’s passengers were certainly not dressed in their finest “going to town” clothes by these Victorian passengers’ standards. Can’t you just hear them “tsk, tsk, tsk!”?
I myself can’t wait to ride a night train next year and see what new friends I will meet on the train! And what pictures and possible EVP recordings I might get! I will be sure to share them here with you!
If you are interested in riding the V&T next year and hopefully experiencing the spirits, the train will begin running again on May 28, 2010 through October 31, 2010, Thursday through Sunday. And be sure to send me your experiences and photos to post here! By the way train tickets can be purchased online at www.visitcarsoncity.com later this winter.
Carson City in the fall is a treat for the eyes - golden aspens, festooned Victorian buildings, ghosts walking around…
The old Ferris (yes, the guy who invented the Ferris Wheel) house and it’s ghost.
Yes, ghosts! After attending the Carson City Ghost Walk last weekend, I’m a believer. Admittedly I already believed in ghosts, but I am now tried and true believer in downtown Carson City. Strolling along the historic Kit Carson Trail to view the charming houses dating back to the 1870s fit right into my budget (as in, so tight my ATM card squeaks). What a great way to some fresh air, enjoy the fall colors and go back in time to an era of petticoats, roaring steam trains and the Wild West.
I also grabbed a hearty bite at the Firkin and Fox Pub, set inside a glorious Victorian building and former brothel in the city’s bygone Red Light District. The ambiance is perfect for me - well appointed but not too stuffy - and my meal was awesome; brought to the table by the chef himself.
A fellow Ghost Walker about Firk it up at the Firkin and Fox Pub in Carson City.
Coming up this weekend: Nevada Day. As a native Californian, I am truly in awe of this holiday. First, many offices are closed - except mine! - to revel in the 36th state’s admittance to the Union on Oct. 31, 1864. Second, the state’s capital rolls out a four-day celebration to commemorate this event with offbeat historical homage. And let me tell you, Nevada knows how to party! It takes four days, Oct. 29 - Nov. 1 to pack in all the festivities for the state’s birthday. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend that is 1.) affordable and 2.) interesting, fun and maybe even quirky; I’d recommend adding Nevada Day to your list of things to do.
Sure, it’s Halloween and it’s going to be a long day, but an early arrival to catch the colorful Remax Hot Air Balloon Launch at 7:30 a.m. would be well worth it. You can even take a ride and support the Children’s Miracle Network, two passengers for $300. And for those early risers out there, two pancake breakfasts are going on that morning. The Nevada Day Parade pays tribute to President Abe Lincoln’s 200th birthday and embarks down Carson Street at 10 a.m.
Nevada Day’s Beard Contest awards eight plaques for longest, fullest, reddest, whitest, blackest, best salt and pepper, best groomed, scruffiest, and most bearded community.
Other events on my personal hit list: the Beard Contest; Nevada Day Pow Wow; annual Chili Feed hosted by Lieutenant Governor Krolicki; the RSVP Carnival Oct. 29 - Nov. 1 and a vintage train steam up at the Railroad Museum that’s also offering free admission all day on Oct. 31.
There are so many events and activities associated with Nevada Day, a trip to their website is a good place to start: http://www.NevadaDay.com if you’re planning on attending. I’d love to hear back on your experiences! Feel free to leave a comment below and tell me what you enjoyed throughout Nevada’s birthday.
Have fun!
Jenna
Jenna Palacio is a publicist for the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau, trying to leave the “spin” at her morning cycling class and simply deliver a fun and informative perspective on Nevada’s capital.
Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould Married In Carson City
Everybody seems to know that actor/Academy Award nominee Elliott Gould and award-winning singer/actress Barbra Streisand once were married. Yet, virtually nobody knows – except Streisand’s biographers – where the wedding was performed. While both Gould and Streisand hailed from Brooklyn and their careers took them to Las Vegas, the nuptials actually occurred in Nevada’s state capital, Carson City in 1963. Four days prior to the wedding, Monday, September 9, 1963, Streisand appeared as the opening act for piano virtuoso Liberace at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe South Shore Room. She was touted as “the nation’s newest singing sensation.”
Tempting luck in Nevada, the couple appeared on Friday, September 13, before Pete Supera, Carson City Justice of the Peace. He presided over the secret wedding of Elliott Gould, 25, and the 21-year-old Barbra Joan Streisand in his office. The Certificate of Marriage was filed on Monday, September 16, at 9:58am in the Recorder’s office. The media failed to uncover the story.
John Wayne’s Final Movie, TheShootist, Filmed in Carson City
The Duke’s final movie was filmed here in 1976. The Krebs-Peterson home, where most of the action was shot, still stands. Wayne starred with Jimmy Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Ronnie Howard and Harry Morgan in a classic of a gunfighter dying from cancer in his final days. It was turn of the century Carson City, moving from mule train to electric trolley, from Wild West to Mild West.
Inventor of Ferris Wheel A Carson City Native
George W. G. Ferris, Jr. was five years old (born February 14, 1859) when his family moved from Galesburg, Illinois to Carson Valley, Nevada Territory. One story goes that his inspiration for the Ferris Wheel came from his fascination with the operation of the large undershot water wheel near the Cradlebaugh Bridge on the Carson River – and what it would be like to ride around on one of its buckets.
His professional work in New York City included bridge design, tunnels, and trestles throughout the industrial northeast and midwest. He headed a civil engineering firm in Pittsburgh when he came up with the idea of the Ferris Wheel for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
When the 264-foot-high Ferris Wheel finally opened on June 21, it was an overwhelming success and the fair’s primary attraction. During the 19 weeks it operated, the Ferris Wheel carried 1,453,611 paying customers. Its gross take was $726,805.50. The wheel was duplicated for the 1900 Paris Exposition and, in 1904, the original wheel was moved to St. Louis for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. On May 11, 1906, the wheel was dynamited and scrapped, a Chicago newspaper referring to it as “America’s rival to the Eiffel Tower”.
Multi-Million Dollar Project Connects Virginia City and Carson City
Public Rides Saturdays Through October
Railfest Weekend Kicks-Off Celebration
July 30, 2009 (Carson City, Nev.) – For the first time in more than 70 years, a magnificent steam train will make its way between Carson City and Virginia City on the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad (www.VTRailway.org), Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15-16, 2009. The rumble of wheels – steel on steel, the melodic tempo of a train highballing down the track, the steam whistle cutting through the air – all signal the near completion of a project 17 years in the making.
An inaugural run features a ceremonial ride for VIPs, dignitaries and politicians along a 12.8-mile reconstructed portion of the 16.7-mile original route between Nevada’s sister cities, Friday, Aug. 14.
Beginning Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16 and every consecutive Saturday through Oct. 31, the public can ride the rails. Trains leave Carson City from Eastgate Siding on Flint Drive at 10 a.m. arriving in Virginia City at 11:30 a.m. Then depart the F Street station in Virginia City at 3:30 p.m. to return to Carson City at 4:30 p.m. Roundtrip tickets are $48 per adult, $36 for children 12 and under and $40 for seniors over 65. One way tickets will be available for $29 adults, $23 for children and $25 for seniors. To reserve tickets, call 800-NEVADA-1 or visit https://www.dynamicticketsolutions.com/cccvb/.
The 60-90-minute train rides will include scenic vistas of the “old west” countryside, views of the Carson River, two tunnels and occasional sightings of wild stallions. Commemorative plaques with slices of historic track will be available to riders for $20 during the opening weekend with proceeds benefitting the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway.
The V&T Railway, the richest short-line in American history, originally operated during the raucous silver strike era of the infamous Comstock Lode from 1869 to 1938. When completed in 2011, the reconstructed track traces all 16.7 miles of the 19th century route between Carson City and Virginia City and is expected to serve as a major tourism attraction to the area. Train rides will be packaged with lodging stays and award-winning restaurants to link the area’s fabled past to the present and shape its promising future as a prominent vacation destination. The Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau and Carson City have pledged $21 million and Storey County has contributed $2 million to the $54.9 million project.
The 1860’s V&T was privately funded and featured the finest appointments with the most luxurious interiors money could buy, including gold-leaf and brass-adorned locomotives to wooden coaches. The line brought entrepreneurs, gamblers and aristocrats to the Comstock. Along with these characters, the train carried the Mother Lode’s gold and silver to Carson City and lumber from Lake Tahoe to build the mines in Virginia City.
The timing of the V&T route re-opening appropriately coincides with Railfest, an annual celebration of the V& T Railway observed that weekend in both cities with a plethora of railroad activities.
In addition to the V&T’s newly re-opened route, steam engines in both towns will also offer shorter rides along existing track. In Virginia City where the V&T has run for more than 30 years under the ownership of the Gray family, the popular 5-mile route to Gold Hill will also be in full operation. In Carson City, “steam-ups” will take visitors along the 1-mile route that surrounds the Nevada State Railroad Museum, adjacent to Highway 50 downtown.
The Gray family began to reconstruct the tracks between Virginia City and Gold Hill in 1972. Since then, they have run trains daily between the two cities, keeping the V&T alive. Without their help, the reconstruction project between Virginia City and Carson City would not have been possible, http://VirginiaTruckee.com/.
Silver Line Express tickets, a city pass for savings on train and trolley rides, merchant discounts and local attractions around Virginia City and Gold Hill, are available at visitors center, 86 South C St. Various options are available, including trolley tours, admission to the Ponderosa Mine, Historic Radio Museum, the Mark Twain Museum at the Territorial Enterprise, The Way It Was Museum, the Fourth Ward School, Chollar Mine and Comstock Gold Mill. A 1914 Pullman car and a Railway President’s 1907 gentlemen’s car will be on display. Other activities include historic railroad memorabilia displays, free face painting, a balloon magician, bounce house, and children’s games. Call 775-847-4386 or visit www.VisitVirginiaCityNV.com.
As part of Railfest weekend in Carson City, the Nevada State Railroad Museum will feature live music at the Depot. In conjunction with KNPB-TV and the Carson City Arts & Culture Coalition, the museum will screen The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, a film by award-winning director Ken Burns, outdoors on the side of the Jacobsen Interpretive Center at the museum at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night. Call 775-687-6953 or visit www.VisitCarsonCity.com. Allllll aboard!
Carson City’s Ghost Walking Tours provide visitors with stories, lore and possible sighting in its historic Kit Carson Trail district on Aug. 15 and 22, 2009.
There is a family-friendly tour beginning at 4 p.m. and a tour for adults, visiting historic properties and taverns at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the walk. Space is limited. Advance reservations are recommended by calling 1-800-NEVADA-1.
The guided walking tour along the historic Kit Carson Trail features 1800s Victorian-style homes and costumed actors who weave ghostly tales of Carson City’s colorful characters and homes. Each tour will feature one inside tour of featured historical home. Featured homes in August include the Bliss Mansion, the Krebs-Peterson Home (location of John Wayne’s last movie, “The Shootist”) and the Rinckel Mansion.
Tour guides tell colorful truths, tales and legends about the buildings and owners of yesteryear as you are guided through an entertaining tour of Carson City’s beautiful west side. Tours will commence on the corner of Curry and W 3rd street, adjacent to the Firkin & Fox Restaurant, located across the street from the Nevada State Legislative Building. Parking is available
The 2.5-mile Kit Carson Trail, follows a sidewalk route marked by a blue line and inlaid bronze medallions signifying historical points of interest. Annual themed walks along the Trail include the Ghost Walk in late October and the Victorian Home Christmas Tour in early December. Carson City offers self-guided tours with stories of featured houses and points of interest via podcast, MP3or refundable $5 CD at the Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1900 S. Carson Street Suite #100. Complimentary route maps are also available at the CCCVB and online. To learn more about Carson City’s accommodations and other activities, visit www.VisitCarsonCity.com.
Shine your shoes and rev up those engines for one of Carson City’s hottest events, the 15th annual Silver Dollar Car Classic returns, July 31-Aug. 2. Classic cars, cool rides, rockin’ live music, hand jive dancing, BBQ fixins’, slot tournaments and a poker run will hit the streets of Carson City. Organizers hope to fill Mills Park with 400 cars this year.
The automobile celebration starts with a party on Thursday, July 30 at 6 p.m. at the Plaza Hotel and Conference Center. The public can get a sneak peek and entrants can size up the competition during the Show ‘n Shine. The party includes 1950s-priced food, drinks and rock ‘n’ roll music. Those feeling lucky can test their odds with the Slot Tournament at the Nugget Casino beginning at 11 a.m., the top 10 scores will be awarded cash and free play. Cool off in the afternoon with the Model Dairy Ice Cream Social from 2- 5 p.m. at the Plaza Hotel. Friday night heats up as The Ragtops perform 50’s and 60’s old time favorites during Silver Dollar Street Dance and Show ‘n Shine in the Carson Nugget’s west parking lot from 7-11 p.m.
On Saturday, the official Show ‘n Shine contest runs from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. with the Kiwanis pancake breakfast from 8-10:30 a.m., food vendors, craft shows and music throughout the day at Mills Park. Learn about the area’s historic mansions and colorful people of the past during the Kit Carson Guided Walking Tour at 6:30 p.m.The “Wild West Million Dollar Poker Run” kicks off Sunday’s activities. The best poker hand winner gets the chance to win $1 million by hitting a hole-in-one at Empire Ranch Golf Course. The Poker Run is from 8 a.m.-noon and is open to the general public. Entry fee per vehicle is $5.
Following the Million Dollar Poker Run, the Dayton Kiwanis will host the Great Fixins’ BBQ from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in Mills Park. The Show ‘n Shine awards ceremony, including categories like “Most Likely to get Busted”, “Fat Cat” and “Flamin’ Freeway” begins at 1 p.m.
A full package entry fee is $65; rates go to $75 after July 18. The package includes the kick-off party at the Nugget Casino, street dance, Show ‘n Shine competitions, an official t-shirt and dash plaque, two pancake breakfast tickets for Saturday, two barbecue dinners, admission for one to the Poker Run and a welcome packet from Silver Dollar sponsors. For more information or to register, visit www.SilverDollarCar.com or call 775-687-7410. To learn more about Carson City’s accommodations and other activities, visit www.VisitCarsonCity.com .
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