PARANORMAL VERACITY
Pursuit of the Truth in the Paranormal
Places to check out during your trip
Fourth Ward Schoolhouse
Located at the end of town. This amazing building is a self-tour for a fee of $6 a person. Open 10am to 5pm.
Washoe Club
Washoe Club offers tours about every hour. Go there early in the day 11a-12noon to get a tour while light shines in the building and for smaller group sizes. I think the cost is $8 per person. Washoe Club does sell Merchandise. Tours last about 40 minutes. You can sign up for a tour and return to the Washoe Club when the tour starts. Feel free to take photos and videos during the tour.
Mine Tours
There are two places to do mine tours in Virginia City. The Ponderosa Saloon (located next door to the Washoe Club) has a mine tour. You enter the mine from the back of the building. It's the cheaper of the tours but I can't recall the cost. You don't go very far in or down but they provide some history and information about Virginia City and the importance it played. The Chollar Mine tour is a drive away and more expensive. I have never done the Chollar Mine tour as the Ponderosa one is easier as it's right there on the main street. If you wish to save a few dollars and time this kinda thing can be skipped.
Silver Queen Hotel
The Ghost Adventures have investigated this building 3 times. Many investigators will book rooms here to investigate this very haunted hotel. You can wander into the Wedding Chapel and wander upstairs into the hallways freely. Access to the hallways is open 24/7 via the C Street door and on B street behind the building. The rooms however are not comfy nor do they provide any normal hotel comforts like A/C, refrigerators, coffee pots, etc.
Pipers Opera House
The Pipers Opera house does offer self-guided tours for like $3 per person. Not sure if this is offered on the weekdays. This building is located on B street (one block up from the main street) and is easy to spot when you walk thru town. This isn't always open and even some Reno locals have not been in here.
Saint Mary's of the Mountains
You can freely walk into this amazing church to look around, take photos, etc. I have been in there on multiple occasions and they even have a short of gift shop. A very beautiful and picturesque place to see. There is a museum in the basement that has some old stuff and remnants of the burned-down versions of this church. We have done some EVP sessions downstairs in the museum with some success.
Silver Terrace Cemetery
This cemetery is huge. Being that your visit is in August I would recommend hitting this in the early morning hours between 8am-10am while it's cool outside. There is absolutely no being allowed in the cemetery at night time so there is no chance to investigate at night here.
Gold Hill Cemetery
This cemetery is extremely well hidden and there are no signs to guide you to it. There is a dirt road that branches off from the main street in Gold Hill (just minutes from Virginia City) that will take you up the hill to this hidden gem. You can investigate here at night if you wish. I find this particular cemetery to be somewhat emotional on me.
39.284958, -119.660274
Silver City Cemetery
Another cool and somewhat hidden cemetery. Just minutes away from Virginia City in Silver City on 4th street (there are only a few streets in town). You can investigate here at night if you wish. I have never had issues doing so.
39.263466, -119.637958
Donner Tunnels
Some say these tunnels are haunted. You can easily walk 8 miles exploring the tunnels (to the end and back). These were old train tunnels through Donner Pass. And if you guessed it the name Donner is for the Donner party which met their doom nearby in a bad snowstorm.
Lots of people walk thru these tunnels for exercise and exploring. Wear comfy shoes as it's a long walk and you will be on rock/gravel most of the time.
This is located in California just west of Reno. It's marked as Historic Summit Tunnel on Google but the entrance can be found here 39.316449, -120.330687
off of Sugar Bowl Rd.
About 1.5 hours from Downtown Reno.
Donner Memorial State Park
Near the Donner Tunnels is the Donner Memorial State Museum. This is where the Donner Party got stuck in a really bad snowstorm and started to eat their dead. There is a museum on site but you can also walk down the paths nearby to this marker in the rocks. They camped in this area to wait out the storm. The plaque list those that survived and those that didn't. This is located off of Donner Pass Rd. Under google it's called the Donner Memorial State Museum. The museum is open 10-5
Bodie Ghost Town
Bodie State Park is a MUST SEE. This is a have to do on the to-do list for sure. This is a state park and there is a fee per person to get in. I think $8. It is about 2.5 hours south of Reno. So this is a day trip. Opens at 9am so leaving Reno around 7am would get you there nice and early. It is 8000 feet above Sea level. So temperatures are much cooler than in Reno. Check the weather prior to going to see if a hoodie or long sleeves are needed. There isn't much protection from the sun so wear sunblock and bring a backpack with some cold water. There is a gift store and bathrooms but Bodie provides little else. The cemetery photo is of the famous Angel of Bodie. Look up her story. So sad. This place is believed to be cursed so bring nothing home other than what you purchase from the gift store. No rocks or anything you find on the ground. The buildings are pretty much all shut so you have to look thru the windows to see all that was left behind. Putting a camera or phone against the windows takes a pretty cool picture. Between the 2.5 hour drive there, the 2 or so hours to check the place out, and the drive back you will spend the day easy. Bridgeport is the nearest town and you can stop for a bite to eat there before the drive back. Or there are other small towns on the way back with little burger places to do that. There is also a restaurant off the Topaz lake where you can eat and see the view of the lake. If you do this on a weekend day I can take you out there. And show you Genoa on the way back.
Overall
There is a lot to see in Virginia City. A ton of shops up and down C Street with many unique items, art, antiques, and the like. Not to mention the homemade ice cream places, candy shops, and eateries in town. Red Dog Pizza is a must to stop and eat at. However there are other good lunch spots like the Palace. And if you want Mexican food there is always Cafe Del Rio which also serves Gospel Chicken. It is very easy to spend a day or two wandering about Virginia City to see what it has in store. There are gunfight shows (which I find corny), trolly tours, the Bats in the Bellfry tour (which my friend runs but I never tried) and you can even hop on the train down to Gold Hill. Not to mention the many bars in town. Most of which are haunted. You can visit the Bonanza (if the doors are open) and see the Suicide Table. You can stop in the Union Brewery where I investigated back in 2016 for the documentary Shadows of Silver City. Also recently on Ghost Adventures. If you need a 24-hour bar there is the Mark Twain which just happens to have an image on the floor of a prostitute that was murdered in town. The art was said to be done by her killer...which Mark Twain watched his hanging in town and wrote about it. You can stop in the Vistors Center to get info or take a taste of Cemetery Gin if you are brave enough. They do sell the bottles if you like it or you can buy an empty bottle for a souvenir. Most things to do in town have a time limit. Pretty much the shops will start opening around 10:30 and most start closing before 5pm. Bars of course stay open later. Once things start to close that is a good time to hit the Red dog for a pizza. There are other places to eat in town like the Gold Hill Hotel (Crown Pointe Restaurant) or the Cedar Factory. Both are spendy tho. The Palace usually isn't open for dinner and most of the candy/ice cream shops close before dinner as well. Cafe Del Rio does stay open for dinner but often requires reservations. Grandma's Fudge makes fudge right there in-store and very yummy. Reds Candy also makes candy right there in town. A lot of the locals that dress up in period clothing can be found in the evenings hanging out at the Union Brewery or the Washoe Club. You will often see people in period clothing walking thru town. For a cool little haunted house type walk thru you can visit a shop called Ghost Town. They have a walk thru that is themed like an amusement park kinda thing but it's short. As of right now Virginia City does not have a mask mandate and things are pretty much normal up there. Maybe have a mask on you in case it's needed.