Headed to Reno for first time, leave in 7 days

Hey all --- I'm leaving for Reno in a week. Never been before. Looking for any current tips/suggestions...

Arriving Thursday night -- leaving Monday night. Flying Southworst -- stopping in LV on the way, Phx on the way back.

Staying at Harrahs.

Going for USBC National Bowling Tournament. But the trip will include lots of gambling as well.

I'm a Vegas regular....I have Reno envisioned as Freemont Street, minus the characters.

Am I close?

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

Not exactly. A much smaller, less active Fremont street. There isn't much foot traffic outside. There will be some people walking around to other Casinos, but there won't be a lot of people out. There may be more, depending on the weather and the event. I haven't been there during that time.

The Casinos should be pretty busy, and there are plenty of things to do there. Do you have any specific plans other than the bowling thing and gambling?

 

The auto museum has an awesome collection. Not remotely as well presented as at the Petersen, but a must-see for buffs. And for a town of its size, Reno needs to be commended for its art museum.

Depending on the schedule, you might be able to catch an Aces game. Great stadium.

 

My tip is to go to the dumpy Nugget, across the street from Harrah's on Virginia Street and order the Awful Awful. It's a half pound burger and a POUND of fries-a Reno institution. If you don't like burgers you can get a foot long hot dog with the pound of fries.
Please do me a favor and if you walk through the Silver Legacy see if they still have those 98% slots on the first floor.
Good luck-if you like machines Reno has I believe the best paying slots in the world. Play the quarter or dollar Nevadan machines at the Cal-Neva, right next to Harrah's.

 

I second the Awful Awful burger... the fries are tough to finish, but its a hell of a deal.

 

Go to Visitreno.com and that will answer probably any question (s) you may have. Good luck

 

Take the bus (or drive or taxi) to Peppermill and Atlantis. IMHO, much more fun than all the downtown casinos put together. I would not compare it to Fremont at all. If I had to compare it to something, it would be Wendover. Let us know what you think when you get back.

 

Oh and make sure to take a quick and easy bus south on Virginia Street to the Peppermill. Some are appalled by it, some of us think its the best casino decor on the planet.
Either way, it's a place you will never forget.

 

No specific plans....going to be bowling about 27 games over 4 days, and then gambling. Just have no idea what to expect when stepping off the plane. So used to setting down in Vegas -- that I imagine it will be a shock to the system.

 

Great ideas Ken -- will look into them, time permitting.

 

Will definitely do this....love seeing new joints!

 

Will do on the Burger. From Nebraska...love beef.

 

Here's a question I just thought of --- can you take alcohol on the street, from casino to casino, like in Vegas??

 

You could the last time I was there, but there are only 3 casinos basically, and not much of a walk, with nothing to look at on the way.


****Oops, forgot to take Sands and Siena into account. They are like walking from Fremont St Casinos, to El Cortez or Western. I personally would not take liquor with me, because I would finish it before I got there with no where to put the glass. Also, I agree with Melbedewy. Peppermill is my favorite casino in the world, from décor, to gambling odds, to customer service.

 

This is a pretty decent map of Downtown Reno. The Eldorado, Silver Legacy, and Circus Circus are really like 1 big Strip casino (think MGM), and you can go from one to another without going outside.

 

Yea there isn't much reason to walk around with your drink. The 3 main casinos are connected downtown and the rest are a short walk. I was there at the end of february and there was hardly anybody outside walking around at night.

 

For fans of Reno, here is some Reno-y goodness.

I am leaving in 30 days for my annual trip to the National tournament. As Bernie said, go to VisitReno.com and it has lots of good advice. Go to the Forums, and search for my login name (same as here on the VMB) and look for some of my trip reports on previous trips for Nationals. I do a LOT of non-gambling in my down time from bowling, and within the trip reports are lots of ideas for things to do.

Reno gets a bad rap from bowlers because this is the 10th trip to Reno since 1990 and part of what had made Nationals special is the opportunity to travel to other parts of the country. But although Reno is not Fremont Street, the city certainly has some charm. The mountains almost always still have some snow on them when we bowl in May, and if you drive just a few miles out of town, you can easily picture things as they were 150 years ago during the Silver Rush.

If you're renting a car, consider a drive to Virginia City... its only about a half hour south of Reno. You can practically see Little Joe and Hoss hitching their horses before going into the bank.

 

Just be careful and look out for drunk drivers in the mornings. I was following someone down the last part of the out ramp of Harrah's Reno this morning around 9:30 when all of a sudden the driver stopped and began to reverse. There was a car following me and I had nowhere to go! Hit the horn hard, but he still hit me. He got out, looked, said no harm done, and went to get back in his truck. Not a good start to our day.

Other than that, Reno was very nice in a quiet way.

 

Awful Awful, Reno Aces, Pawn Shopping, Rooms at Harrah's that overlook Virginia street have some great views, Enjoy the glow from the neon at Cal Neva, make a wish in the fountains at Eldorado, Circus Circus is clean

 

If you are not renting a car Harrahs has a free shuttle from the airport. The bowling center is just a short walk from Harrahs. The El Dorado & Silver Legacy are more like Vegas hotels & have more dining options on the second floor. By all means check out Atlantis & Peppermill, I went by cab about $13 each way. We thought the gambling at Atlantis was excellent.