Located near Nevada’s western border is Reno, the self-proclaimed “Biggest Little City in the World.” Long before Las Vegas became the state’s dominant gambling destination, Reno was one of America’s best-known casino cities. Las Vegas eventually stole most of the attention, but Reno never disappeared. The city still has plenty of casinos, nightlife, restaurants, entertainment, and its famous arch proudly announcing its nickname above the street.
I expected Reno’s casinos to feel much smaller and older than those in Las Vegas, but some of them were surprisingly impressive. The Eldorado complex above could easily compete with plenty of larger casino resorts. Downtown Reno has several major casino properties grouped together, giving the center of the city a much bigger feel than I expected.
The photo above shows the interior of the large dome at the Silver Legacy. Reno’s casinos may not match the scale or variety of Las Vegas, but the experience is still very similar, with restaurants, bars, gambling floors, entertainment, and plenty of distractions packed into the same buildings.
Inside one of the casinos I came across a free gymnastics performance. The woman above was showing off some seriously impressive acrobatic abilities at Circus Circus. Free shows like this help make the casinos entertaining even if you’re not particularly interested in gambling.
Smoking, gambling, and drinking have long been part of Reno’s casino culture. One thing that really surprised me was finding this cigarette machine inside one of the casinos. I’ve never smoked, but I hadn’t seen one of these since I was a kid, when they seemed almost as common as soda machines. Most disappeared as laws became stricter about preventing minors from buying cigarettes, so seeing one again felt like finding something from another era.
I also received this collection of casino coupons just for staying at a chain hotel. They included free drinks, discounts, and $10 worth of gambling. I had hoped to turn my $10 into about $100,000 so I could fund climbs of Vinson Massif and Mt. Everest, but unfortunately my gambling career didn’t go according to plan. I left with nothing. My girlfriend used her $10 on slot machines and wisely cashed out after doubling it.
I also visited the Peppermill, which had a huge variety of bars, restaurants, and entertainment. I stopped at one of the pubs and ordered some not-so-awesome nachos, but the live band made up for the food.
The casino also had a massive arcade. Reno still revolves heavily around gambling, but places like this make it obvious that the casino resorts are designed to keep entire families entertained, not just the people sitting at slot machines or card tables.
Truckee River Walk
Reno also has a very nice river walk that’s worth exploring during the day or evening. I tend to picture Nevada as almost entirely dry desert, so a landscaped river running directly through downtown wasn’t what I expected to find here. A waitress at one of the casinos recommended the area and told me that it had recently been improved.
The river walk ended up being one of my favorite parts of Reno. I had some great drinks there and probably the best bruschetta I’ve ever eaten. Unfortunately, I somehow got home and realized I barely photographed any of it. At least I captured some of the public art built into the sidewalks and fountains along the river.
The Truckee River flows directly through downtown Reno, creating a completely different atmosphere from the casinos only a few blocks away. The photo above shows one of the city bridges crossing the river.
One of the more memorable things I found along the river walk was this large “Before I Die” wall where people could use chalk to write down something they wanted to accomplish in their lives. There was still plenty of empty space available, but I didn’t add anything myself.
I suppose I didn’t really need to write anything anyway because several other people had already written exactly what I would have chosen: “Travel the World.”
Reno doesn’t have the international fame of Las Vegas anymore, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth visiting. The casinos still provide plenty of entertainment, while the Truckee River, surrounding mountains, and nearby Lake Tahoe give the city a much more outdoors-oriented setting than I expected. Reno ended up feeling like a smaller and more relaxed alternative to Las Vegas, while still keeping plenty of Nevada’s old gambling-city character.
