From the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range over 10,000 feet high to 470 foot lows in high desert valleys, nature has endowed Nevada with diverse, unique and beautiful ecosystems.

We are the “Battle Born” state hosting the first inhabitants 13,000 years ago and remembered in many petroglyphs and archaeological sites still visible today.

Lake Tahoe, the largest, most beautiful Alpine lake in the world, with 65 percent clarity, is only 35 minutes from Reno as are famous ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada range. To the west, it’s four hours to San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean. To the east, it’s desert ghost towns and the Great Basin National Park in the fascinating high desert. Going south it’s the capitol, Carson City, 5,000 -year -old Bristlecone Pines and the glorious colors of Death Valley mountains.


Here are some reasons to consider the Reno / Sparks area:

The University of Nevada at Reno, (UNR) is located walking distance from downtown Reno and was founded in 1874. It is a public university that offers 75 bachelor’s degree programs on a beautiful campus. Two hundred and 90 acres. 180 buildings. 60 research facilities. 12 museums and galleries. 13 schools and colleges. $850 million invested in advanced labs, residence halls and facilities. 



One of the highlights is the Truckee River walk is a leisurely path that leads to downtown riverside restaurants, movie theatres, hotels, casinos, the National Bowling Stadium, art and Bill Harrah’s automobile museum, preforming art theatres and outdoor concerts. Reno has an incredible amount of activities including hiking trails, kayaking, river rafting, Santa and pub crawls, casino headliner shows, wine walks and farmer’s markets offering local produce. 




Artown offers a month of free concerts June 30-July 30 in Wingfield Park on the river. 
Artown has been a past recipient of 5 consecutive National Endowment for the Arts grant awards, while bringing the arts to life in Reno each July with a packed calendar of events. 
Artown captures the imagination and brings with it a celebration of distinguished artists from around the world, across the country and those that live in our community all for the sake of cultural diversity and artistic innovation. Visit Artown.org




"The Wildest and Richest Rodeo in the West!"
The Reno Rodeo, a 10-day event which began in 1919 and is a PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) sanctioned sporting event that brings 140,000 fans and $42 million to the  Reno/Sparks hotels, casinos, restaurants, and retail outlets. 
The Reno Rodeo has been nationally televised on CBS Sports, Fox Sports Net, Versus, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic.




The Great Reno Balloon Race is the world’s largest free hot-air ballooning event. During four days in early September, you can look up into the Reno skies and see a rainbow of hot air balloons soaring about. From its humble beginnings in 1981 with just 20 balloons, The Great Reno Balloon Race has taken flight with up to 100 balloons each year. The idea was to create an event that would keep visitors in town the weekend between the State Fair and the Reno Air Races and 40 years later, it is known as a world-renowned, and locally, a beloved community tradition.



The Super Bowl of rib competitions on the national BBQ competition circuit, the annual Best in the West Nuggett Rib Cookoff spans more than 6 city blocks in the heart of downtown Sparks, Nevada. Two dozen of the country’s best BBQ teams compete for nearly $20,000 in prize money plus prestigious bragging rights!  It is estimated that 350,000-400,000 BBQ enthusiasts take part of the festivities each year consuming more than 250,000 pounds of mouthwatering ribs during the 6-day festival.




Who hasn't heard of Burning Man? 
Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the Black Rock desert, about 100 mile northeast of Reno.
The name of the event comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred to as the Man, that occurs on the penultimate night of Burning Man, which is the Saturday evening before Labor Day. The event has been located since 1991 at Black Rock City in northwestern Nevada. 
Once considered an underground gathering for bohemians and free spirits of all stripes, Burning Man has since evolved into a destination for social media influencers, celebrities and the Silicon Valley elite bringing an estimated $60 million to Reno.



We have wild mustangs roaming the nearby hills and towns, beautiful sunsets and snow-capped mountains surrounding the desert wild flowers on the desert floor. 

The list goes on and on for activities in and around Reno, please go to www.visitrenotahoe.com for more information, maps, etc.