Nevada Vacation Destination
Nevada Vacation Spots #1:Nevada vacation spots for you NASCAR racing fans must include a stop at the Neon Garage. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway has built the Neon Garage as a new way for fans to enjoy the sport. In the center of the LVMS infield are four buildings where the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams come to prep their cars.
The Winner’s Circle is also located here. In the center of it all is an area that is open to all you race fans so you can get a view of racing that you could never get before. You can also watch the on-track action, on the big screen TVs at the sports bar. Sounds like a great way to rev up your next vacation.
Nevada Vacation Spots #2:Enjoy a first-class air show at The National Championship Air Races and Air Show just outside Reno, Nevada. Besides the air show, this annual event features multiple classes of air races such as Unlimited, Sport, T-6, Formula One, Biplane, and Jet. You can also see a variety of other civil and military aircraft on display.
Nevada Vacation Ideas #3:A must see if you are in Nevada is the Hoover Dam the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. You can drive across the dam. Take a guided tour or a self-guided tour. This National Historic Landmark is one of the greatest engineering feats ever. Just below the dam is a site where you can launch your personal paddle craft for a trip down the river.
Nevada Vacation Ideas#4:Death Valley National Park is the hottest place in North America. You can also find spectacular wildflower displays, snow covered peaks, beautiful sand dunes, abandoned mines and a number of ghost towns. Despite the extreme environment there is ample opportunity for hiking, biking, backpacking, and camping. As long as you are properly prepared the park can be a wonderful experience.
Nevada Vacation Spots #5:Go back to 1849 Virginia City, Nevada. Share the rush of excitement that drove tens of thousands of people to Comstock Lode’s $400 million cache of gold and silver. There are lots of historical sites like the underground mines at the Chollar Mine, the Bucket of Blood Saloon, The Fourth Ward School Museum or the Virginia & Truckee Railroad.
Nevada Vacation Spots #6:The Truckee River, in Nevada, is a great place to enjoy white water rafting on your next vacation. It is located near Reno and North Lake Tahoe. White Water Tours will guide you on an exhilarating rafting trip down 7 miles of river white water. There are many Class 2-3 rapids and one exciting Class 3+ rapids. With their expert guides and some instruction this makes an excellent vacation activity for the whole family.
Nevada Vacation Spots #7:Take the family for a ranch vacation at Cottonwood Ranch in Elko County, Nevada. This is a working ranch where you can signup to help out and have fun. How much you do is up to you but there are cattle to round up and horses to drive along the trail to pasture. The big push comes in June with the six day horse drive. But its a fun experience and kids as young as 8 can participate. Along with the work there is the beautiful Nevada countryside and fresh air. And don’t forget about the hayrides, cookouts and sing-alongs.
Queen City of the Northern Hills
Nevada City was originally called Deer Creek Dry Diggins when it was just a mining camp. In the fall of 1849 Dr. A.B. Caldwell opened a general store and the mining camp started resembling a town. The town became Caldwell’s Upper Store. In 1850, the town was looking more like a city, with a cities’ problems. The citizens, under Mexican law, elected a mayor, or “Alcalde,” to establish and keep order.
The new city needed an official name, so, in a canvas hotel at Main and Commercial streets, ballots were taken. The choice of “Nevada” which is Spanish for “Snow Covered” seemed appropriate to the crowd. On September 9, 1850 California was the 31st state to join the Union. In 1851, Nevada City became the County Seat when Nevada County was formed from a section of Yuba County. By 1856, 2081 votes were cast in the City of Nevada, only Sacramento and San Francisco polled more. In 1859, Silver was discovered in the Utah Territory. The first samples were assayed (weighed and assessed for value) at Ott’s Assay Office in Nevada (City). Many of Nevada’s residents headed over the Sierra to search for silver in what became known as the Comstock Silver Rush. Later, in 1864, that part of the Utah Territory was formed into the State of Nevada. In that year, the word “City” was added to Nevada, to distinguish the two for the benifit of all (particularly the Postal Service.)
After the initial gold rush, merchants, bankers and the like came to Nevada City and built homes in the style of the day. This was during the reign of Queen Victoria, and that style of architecture became known as “Victorian”. Colonial, Greek Revival, and “California Gothic” styles of architecture are well represented here as well.
Most of Nevada City burned to the ground on several occasions. Two of the most interesting buildings in the downtown area are fire houses that were built with more than utilitarian style. This also accounts for the prevalance of brick buildings featuring iron shutters.
What accounts for the preservation of Nevada City is the economic downturn it faced when the gold started petering out. By World War II, when the mines in Grass Valley closed, there was not much reason for building or refurbishing of old buildings, and the architecture of the period was spared urban renewal.
WPA projects in the post-war period gave Nevada City the art deco facades of the city hall and court house. In the late 1960s the residents and visitors of the area started recognizing the remarkable charm of the town. City ordinances were revised to disallow the historically inaccurate and downright tacky new storefronts and signage, and the city buried all the power lines littering the downtown area. Gas lights made from original 1800s molds were placed along Broad Street, and the Nevada Theatre was restored. Private restorations followed, and the result is the beautiful little city of Nevada City.
Nevada City is not a museum, it is a hub of activity. Business, arts, sports, and entertainment of every variety occur on and around the streets of the town. There are lots of places to stay, first rate restaurants, and events that draw visitors from far and near. Whether it is for a weekend getaway or a two week vacation, Nevada City is a destination of choice.
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