A historic city near Reno and Tahoe

While in Reno, some locals told me about the perfect place to satisfy my craving for old cities, ruins and ghost towns. Just a half hour’s drive from Reno, Virginia City is a historic town that welcomes tourists all year long.

Things to Do in Virginia City

Walk down the historic main street, which is full of plenty of shops, restaurants and museums to keep you busy for an afternoon. You’ll learn about the history of mining towns like Virginia City that were built up to mine for silver. In addition to plentiful tourist souvenir shops, there are fine art galleries, jewelers and shops selling locally made goods. As noted in my dog-friendly post, dogs are allowed everywhere, except maybe the churches. Pet-friendly includes more than dogs-I saw someone enjoying Virginia City with their pet pig.

To visit Virginia City, I wore a wool cape that I’d just found at the Goodwill Outlet in Reno for $9! I hadn’t been to a Goodwill since I got this skirt for Tech Fashion Week, but the store provided for me once again-this time to keep me warm in the chilly mountain air.

The Historic Nevada City Cemetery

If you think cemeteries are creepy and scary, maybe the rest of this post isn’t for you…but no trip to Virginia City is complete without stopping by the vast cemetery on the edge of town. It’s totally worth it just for the amazing view.

The walk through the cemetery itself is worthwhile, too. This was once considered the most picturesque cemetery in America, full of carefully tended flower gardens. It’s more ruined now, but still beautiful in a wild west way. You can even rent it for a wedding, if you’d like to be able to tell people you got married in a cemetery!

Some of the old plots are so old they are marked with carved wood, not stone. The interesting thing about this place is that there are grave markers from the 1800s intermixed with recent headstones. History weaves itself into the very fabric of this town. If you’re in Reno/Tahoe, consider a little side trip to Virginia City!