Reno Getaway and Hotel Guide

The famous arch, first erected in 1926 over downtown Virginia Street, proclaims Reno as the "Biggest Little City in the World." Reno is small-town friendliness mixed with big city excitement.

The hotel rates are very reasonable for a resort area and you will find a wide choice of accommodations from which to choose. The city has three distinct hotel areas: downtown, South Virginia Street, and outlying hotels in Sparks and Verdi.

The Reno skyline continues to change as old hotels come under the Wrecking ball and exciting changes transform the downtown area. The downtown Hotels on Virginia Street are clustered within a few blocks of each other, allowing you to walk to several hotels and casinos without needing a rental car or taxi.

Downtown

Four of Reno's luxurious hotel resorts are located on North Virginia Street in the heart of the downtown action. Skywalks connect the Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy Resort Casino, and Circus Circus Hotel & Casino-Reno creating a complex that encompasses six city blocks.

Harrah's Reno, located a couple of blocks further south on Virginia Street, has just opened their new downtown Plaza. The Plaza, the size of a football field, is a beautifully landscaped multi-use area for summer and winter activities like the outdoor concerts, nightly high-tech laser shows, boxing matches, and jazz or blues festivals under the stars.

If you are visiting the University of Nevada, Reno, the hotels in the downtown area are a good choice since the University is about eight blocks north of the downtown area. The 200-acre campus has top-name entertainment in the Lawlor Events Center, the Planetarium, and the Mackey School of Mines features a mineral display.

There are modest hotels located on Virginia Street for the prudent visitor, including Fitzgeralds Casino Hotel and the Club CalNeva*Virginian. The Club Cal Neva*Virginian has recently opened the Riverboat Hotel for accommodations, trade shows, and conventions. The best bet for a complete breakfast is at the Club Cal Neva for $1.49 served 24 hours a day.

Modestly priced hotels like the Sands Regency Casino & Hotel, Sundowner Hotel & Casino, and the Comstock Hotel & Casino, located four or five blocks off Virginia Street, offer good food and friendly service. Budget hotels like the Holiday Inn and Quality Inn are located a few miles from downtown and you would need a rental car or taxi to get around.

There are modest hotels located on Virginia Street for the prudent visitor, including Fitzgeralds Casino Hotel and the Club CalNeva*Virginian. The Club Cal Neva*Virginian has recently opened the Riverboat Hotel for accommodations, trade shows, and conventions. The best bet for a complete breakfast is at the Club Cal Neva for $1.49 served 24 hours a day.

South Virginia Street

If you are attending a convention at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, the closest hotels are the Atlantis Resort and the Peppermill Hotel Casino. An enormous expansion and renovation is in the works for the Convention Center, and the project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2002. It currently remains open for business throughout the construction process.

The luxurious Peppermill Hotel Casino has recently expanded the number of guest rooms and the casino floor. The resort has brought a little bit of Hollywood to Northern Nevada with dramatic Hollywood special effects in two of their new restaurants.

Outlying Areas

Victorian Square in Sparks, five miles east of Reno, is home to the lavish John Ascuagua's Nugget, the Silver Club, and a couple of small casinos within walking distance. The Nugget, the largest resort in Sparks, offers nine restaurants all with different cuisines.

Boomtown Hotel Casino is located in Verdi, five miles west of Reno. Boomtown, a western themed hotel casino, has recently completed a new hotel room complex and opened a new buffet featuring steak, lobster, and pizza.

Even with more than 24,000 rooms in the Reno-Sparks area, the hotels are full on certain holidays and during some special events like Street Vibrations and Hot August Nights, so you may want to make advance reservations. The hotels offer discounted rates with a Sunday-Thursday arrival excluding some holidays and special events and if you enjoy outdoor sports, be sure and check out the golf and ski packages. The hotels provide free shuttle service from the airport for hotel guests visiting the "Biggest Little City in the World."

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