Skip to ContentWe list 44 historic sites you can visit in Reno and Lake Tahoe: 0 National Park Service units, state parks, museums, house museums and historic districts. 5 are free. Hours and admission were read from each operator’s own page.
- 44historic sites
- 5free to visit
- 0National Park Service units
- 5areas covered
- Reno and Sparks
- Carson City and Carson Valley
- Virginia City and the Comstock
- Lake Tahoe
- Truckee and Donner
- Free sites
Historic Sites in Reno and Lake Tahoe by Area
Reno and Sparks (3)
| Site | Type | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowers Mansion Museum | House museum | 2027 season: Sat and Sun May 29 to Sept 6; Fridays June 18 to Aug 6; Saturdays only Sept 11 to Oct 23; Nevada Day Fri Oct 29; also holidays; tours at 11, 12, 1, 2, 3; no reservations | Adults (18-61) $10; seniors 62+ $7; ages 6-17 $7; 5 and under free; tickets 10 minutes before each tour | 30 to 45 minute guided tours Official page |
| W.M. Keck Museum (Mackay School of Earth Sciences) Free | Museum | Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; first Saturday of the month noon to 4 p.m. | Free (page: free since it opened in 1908) | Minerals, ores, fossils, photographs and mining relics; part of the Mackay Silver Collection created by Tiffany and Co. for John Mackay, completed 1878 |
| Wilbur D. May Museum | Museum | Closed Mon and Tue; Wed to Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sun noon to 4 p.m. | June to December: adults $7; youth 3-17 and seniors 62+ $5. January to May (special exhibition): adults $13; kids and seniors $11. Under 3 free. | The Wilbur May Collection; special exhibition January through May |
Carson City and Carson Valley (8)
| Site | Type | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center | Museum | Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Adults $5; youth $2; ages 0-6 free | Edwin L. Wiegand Ranching and Agricultural Heritage outdoor exhibit Official page |
| Dayton State Park | State historic site | Open seven days a week, 365 days a year | Day use $5 per vehicle ($10 non-Nevada vehicles); camping $15 per vehicle per night ($20 non-Nevada); bike-in $2 | Stone walls of Rock Point Mill (one of the first mills to process Comstock ore), Carson River bank, two short hikes, catch-and-release fishing |
| Fort Churchill State Historic Park | Fort | Open seven days a week, 365 days a year; Buckland Station Museum Sat and Sun 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., plus Thu and Fri 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day | Day use $5 per vehicle ($10 non-Nevada); camping $15 ($20 non-Nevada); bike-in $2; Buckland Station Museum $1 per person | Adobe fort ruins on designated trails, Buckland Station ground-floor tour, visitor center exhibits, 2.2-mile Nature Trail on the Carson River; National Historic Landmark (NPS) |
| Genoa Courthouse Museum | Museum | Seasonal April to October; Monday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Adults $5; youth $2; ages 0-6 free | Operator page lists only the name and a photo; exhibits not described |
| Mormon Station State Historic Park | State historic site | Grounds always open; museum May to Sept daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct to April 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. closed Tue and Wed | Park free; museum $1 (12 and under free) | Reconstructed trading post museum, grounds; Kinsey House is being converted into a walkable part of the park Official page |
| Nevada State Museum, Carson City | Museum | Open daily 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Coin Press Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day | Adults $10; children 17 and under and members free | Operator page does not describe exhibits; Coin Press operates Saturdays Official page |
| Nevada State Railroad Museum, Carson City | Museum | Thu to Mon 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed Tue and Wed, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day | Adults $10; children 17 and under and members free; train ride prices: See official site | Museum of historic rail equipment; train rides on select weekends, holidays and special events (not included in admission); Harvest Train and Santa Train named on the page Official page |
| Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum Free | Museum | Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Free | Administration Building, Auditorium, Band Room, Dining Hall, Quad, steam tunnels, walking trail; Great Basin Native Artists Gallery, historic photo and video library, student publications and yearbooks; free digital guide through the Bloomberg Connects app |
Virginia City and The Comstock (16)
| Site | Type | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chollar Mine Tour | Other | Summer: opens about 11 a.m. daily, last tour 4 p.m., tours about a quarter past each hour, weather dependent; winter hours not listed (call) | Price varies, call; cash only; groups of at least 4 book a two-hour minimum | Guided underground tour, about 45 minutes or more on a 400-foot level walk; operator says about $17 million in gold and silver removed over roughly 80 years Official page |
| Comstock Gold Mill | Other | See official site | See official site | Last fully operational stamp mill, narrated tour (Tourism Commission wording) |
| Comstock History Center | Museum | See official site | See official site | Virginia & Truckee Railroad Engine 27 (Tourism Commission) |
| Fourth Ward School Museum | Museum | May 1 to Oct 31 daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; winter (about Nov 1 to Apr 28) Fri to Mon 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Tue to Thu, weather dependent | Adults 13+ $9; ages 6-12 $6; 5 and under free; members free; family pass $25 (2 adults, 2 children 6-12); active military with ID and immediate family free; online tickets save $1 per person | Operator page links to exhibits, audio tour, virtual museum tour and an archival research center; Tourism Commission lists a four-story wooden school with original desks and books Official page |
| Gold Hill Cemetery | Memorial | See official site | See official site | Historic cemetery in Gold Hill |
| LEC #1 Comstock Firemen’s Museum | Museum | See official site | See official site | 19th-century firefighting equipment |
| Mackay Mansion | House museum | See official site | See official site | Mining artifacts, original furnishings and Tiffany silver (Tourism Commission) |
| Piper’s Opera House | House museum | See official site | See official site | Tourism Commission lists it as built in the 1880s and says it is said to have ghosts at performances Official page |
| Ponderosa Mine Tour | Other | See official site | See official site | Underground mine tour about 25 minutes |
| Silver Terrace Cemeteries | Memorial | See official site | See official site | Burial yards of fraternal, civic and religious groups |
| St. Mary in the Mountains Catholic Church Free | Other | See official site | Free tour (Tourism Commission) | Church, artifacts and photographs, free tour of the museum and wine cellar (Tourism Commission); described there as Nevada’s oldest Catholic church |
| St. Mary’s Art Center | Museum | See official site | See official site | 1876 hospital building, now an art center with exhibitions and classes |
| Storey County Courthouse and Courthouse Slammer and County Museum | Museum | See official site | Donation (Tourism Commission) | Lady of Justice statue without a blindfold; two-tier jail; county history told through its people (work in progress) (Tourism Commission) |
| The Way It Was Museum | Museum | See official site | See official site | Tourism Commission: most complete collection of Comstock mining artifacts (its wording) |
| Virginia & Truckee Railroad (Virginia City depot) | Other | Departure times: See official site (Daily Train Times page) | Fares: See official site (Schedule & Fares page) | Comstock diesel train Virginia City to Gold Hill and back, narrated, 35 minutes; RailZephyr railbike tour about one hour (launches spring 2027); line once carried passengers, dignitaries and Comstock ore Official page |
| Virginia City National Historic Landmark District | Historic district | See official site | See official site | Over 400 buildings, mostly 19th century, abandoned mine shafts and adits, historic roads and streets; NPS lists museums, festivals, railroad rides, mine tours, walking tours, stagecoach and carriage tours, trolley rides |
Lake Tahoe (7)
| Site | Type | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gatekeeper’s Museum (Tahoe City) | Museum | April 1 to Oct 31 Wed to Sun 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Nov 1 to Mar 31 by appointment only | $10 general; $9 senior and military; free for 12 and under and members | One of the largest Native American basket collections in the U.S. plus exhibits on Lake Tahoe maritime and resort history, pop culture and art; Watson Cabin nearby |
| Hellman-Ehrman Mansion (Pine Lodge), Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park | House museum | Park sunrise to sunset; guided house tours run in summer (the 2026 season has ended; 2027 dates not yet announced); grounds open year-round | Vehicle day use $10; house tour has a separate fee (See official site) | Guided house tours, grounds and Nature Center |
| Lake Tahoe History Museum (Lake Tahoe Historical Society) | Museum | See official site | See official site | Artifacts and movies, Osgood Toll House, historic log cabin, Pioneer Cemetery, Tahoe Tree Ring Project, Al Tahoe History walking tour |
| Olympic Museum at Palisades Tahoe (High Camp) | Museum | Open when the Aerial Tram is running; no fixed hours listed | Free with an Aerial Tram ride (tram price: See official site) | 1960 Winter Games memorabilia, authentic Team USA uniforms, 5-minute archival film, hockey stick and puck from 1960 matches |
| Tallac Historic Site (Pope and Baldwin Estates) | Historic district | Museum and cabin exhibits about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wed to Sun, Memorial Day through Sept/Oct; Blacksmith Shop Thu to Sun 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day | Museum free self-guided, $5 donation encouraged; Pope House Tour adults $17, children 4-12 $8; Grand Estates Tour adults $25, children 4-12 $10; Tallac After Dark adults $30, ages 12-18 $15 | Pope House, gardens, arboretum and servants’ cabins; Tallac Museum in the former Baldwin home; Pacheco and Honeymoon Cabins on the Grand Estates Tour; Blacksmith Shop |
| Thunderbird Lodge | House museum | See official site | See official site | Lodge and estate tours by reservation |
| Vikingsholm and Emerald Bay State Park | House museum | Park and lot sunrise to sunset; Vikingsholm tours first come first served 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Visitor Center May 23 to Sept 30, 2026 and tours ended Sept 30 | Parking $10 per vehicle per day or $3 for one hour; tour price: See official site | Vikingsholm replica Scandinavian castle, Tea House on Fannette Island (watercraft only), Rubicon Trail, Lower Eagle Falls Official page |
Truckee and Donner (10)
| Site | Type | Hours | Admission | What to see |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Mile Museum (Donner Summit interpretive signs) Free | Other | Outdoor signs | Free | Two-foot-square interpretive signs mostly along Old Highway 40 and nearby, Auburn to Truckee; map and GPX file |
| China Wall (Donner Summit) | Other | See official site | Not stated | 150-foot dry-fill stone retaining wall built without mortar from rubble from Summit Tunnel 6; more than 8,000 workers on the wall and railroad path (page) |
| Donner Camp Sites (National Historic Landmark) | Archaeological site | See official site | See official site | NPS list shows Nevada County, designated 01/20/61; NPGallery record: 2.6 mi W of Truckee on U.S. 40 |
| Donner Memorial State Park and Visitor Center | State historic site | Park sunrise to sunset; Visitor Center daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25, Jan 1 | Vehicle day use $10; bus $100; special rates may apply | Visitor Center exhibits on the emigrant experience, the Donner Party, the Washoe homeland, Chinese railroad construction and early motoring over Donner Pass Official page |
| Downtown Truckee historic area Free | Historic district | Open streets | Free | Historic walking tour map and guided walk; Chamber history page covers 1844 to 1993 Official page |
| Joseph Research Library Cabin | Other | Open most Thursdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Not listed | Local history research library |
| Museum of Truckee History | Museum | Mon and Thu noon to 3 p.m.; Fri to Sun 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., depending on docent availability | Not listed | Truckee history museum at the east end of the Truckee Train Depot; private tours by appointment |
| Old Truckee Jail Museum | Museum | Open only by appointment; contact (530) 582-0893 | Not listed | Historic jail museum |
| Pioneer Monument (Donner Memorial State Park) | Memorial | Park sunrise to sunset | Included with park day use $10 | Monument inside Donner Memorial State Park |
| Summit Camp (Tahoe National Forest) | Archaeological site | See official site | See official site | Archaeological remains of a Chinese railroad construction camp |
Free Historic Sites in Reno and Lake Tahoe
These list no admission charge on their own pages (parking, tours or special programs may still cost money):
- 20 Mile Museum (Donner Summit interpretive signs), Donner Summit
- Downtown Truckee historic area, Truckee
- St. Mary in the Mountains Catholic Church, Virginia City
- Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum, Carson City
- W.M. Keck Museum (Mackay School of Earth Sciences), Reno
Types of Sites on This List
| Type | Sites |
|---|---|
| Museum | 18 |
| Other | 8 |
| House museum | 6 |
| Historic district | 3 |
| Memorial | 3 |
| State historic site | 3 |
| Archaeological site | 2 |
| Fort | 1 |
What We Could Not Verify
- Nevada State Museum (former Carson City Mint) and Nevada Historical Society (Reno): official pages unreachable on 2026-11-03, so no hours, admission or exhibits are stated.
- Comstock Foundation for History and Culture: comstockfoundation.org returned HTTP 525 (SSL handshake failure) on 2026-11-03. Not confirmed as parked or hacked; do not link until it loads.
We re-check these when the source pages change. Spot something we missed? Use the corrections page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is at Mormon Station in Genoa?
It marks the site of a trading post founded in 1851 on the Carson Route of the California Trail; a reconstructed trading post opened as a museum in 1947. Hours: see official site. Source: https://parks.nv.gov/learn/park-histories/mormon-station-history
Can I visit Vikingsholm at Emerald Bay?
Vikingsholm is a Scandinavian-style summer home begun in late 1928 for Lora Knight; the Sierra State Park Foundation runs tours (the page read listed Memorial Day weekend through September 30, 2025, so check the current season). Source: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1158
Where was the original Reno Arch and where is it now?
The first arch was dedicated October 23, 1926 over Virginia Street at Commercial Row; the original was reconstructed in 1995 on Lake Street next to the National Automobile Museum. Source: https://www.renohistorical.org/items/show/106
When did the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum open?
January 13, 2020, after state funding began in 2015; the federal school it covers ran 1890-1980. Source: https://stewartindianschool.com/museum/
Last checked November 3, 2026 by the It’s Reno editors against each operator’s, agency’s or organizer’s own page.
Sources
- Virginia City National Historic Landmark District
- Fourth Ward School Museum
- Chollar Mine Tour
- Virginia & Truckee Railroad (Virginia City depot)
- Piper’s Opera House
- Ponderosa Mine Tour
- Silver Terrace Cemeteries
- Dayton State Park
- Fort Churchill State Historic Park
- Nevada State Museum, Carson City
- Nevada State Railroad Museum, Carson City
- Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum
- Mormon Station State Historic Park
- Genoa Courthouse Museum
- Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center
- Bowers Mansion Museum
- Wilbur D. May Museum
- W.M. Keck Museum (Mackay School of Earth Sciences)
- Donner Memorial State Park and Visitor Center
- Donner Camp Sites (National Historic Landmark)
- Old Truckee Jail Museum
- Downtown Truckee historic area
- China Wall (Donner Summit)
- 20 Mile Museum (Donner Summit interpretive signs)
- Summit Camp (Tahoe National Forest)
- Tallac Historic Site (Pope and Baldwin Estates)
- Hellman-Ehrman Mansion (Pine Lodge), Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park
- Vikingsholm and Emerald Bay State Park
- Thunderbird Lodge
- Gatekeeper’s Museum (Tahoe City)
- Lake Tahoe History Museum (Lake Tahoe Historical Society)
- Olympic Museum at Palisades Tahoe (High Camp)
On The Map
Cite this page: It's Reno, “Historic Sites in Reno and Lake Tahoe: Hours, Admission and What to See”, itsreno.com/history/historic-sites/ (updated ). By the It's Reno editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.