Reno.. what's it like?

What's Reno like for gambling, night-clubbing and hooking? It's the biggest little city in the world but is it worth visiting?

 

No.
If you want "happening" DON'T go to Reno.
The best Reno can do is Peppermill...and its about a mid\low level strip property.
Reno is more for the 50+ crowd.

 

Google Dennis Hof.

 

The Casinos are nice, the city sucks donkey balls. Circus Circus, Silver Legacy and Eldorado are all connected in a line on one side of the street. That's to keep you safe from all the bums and ********* that call Reno home. We're comped rooms at Harrahs, which is right across the street from those 3. A couple miles down the road is the Peppermill and Atlantis, both on par with Vegas style casinos.

The city has nothing to offer. But if you just want to gamble, it's not too bad.

 

Reno still has a ton of "flop houses" (old motel style apartments).
Its really got urban blight...
Like Pete said though, if you just want to GAMBLE, it'll do.

 

Curious as to why you say the city has nothing to offer. My view is exactly the opposite. There are lots of activities in the Reno/Tahoe area. Great Balloon Races, Reno River Festival, Reno/Tahoe open, Hot August nights, etc. There is also a very cool train that takes you from Carson City to Virginia City to look at the old mining town. And Lake Tahoe has to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the US.

Now, if you say the city has nothing to offer in the way of night clubs or clubbing, then I'm good with that. But, IMHO, there are lots of things to do there and the people are incredibly friendly and nice.

You can also play 9/6 DDB with a progressive.....and actually get a bonus on those video slots. My money lasts a LOT longer in Reno than in Las Vegas.

 

Reno is a great place if you want to strictly gamble: better rules, lower limits, looser slots, more generous comps than the strip. You would have to be there on the weekend of a major event for the clubs to be decent (not great). There are basically no resident shows.

I used to live in Sacramento, and would go to Vegas about every two months, and always enjoyed it, usually stayed at the Peppermill, but maybe once a year the Silver Legacy, both decent hotels.

The last time I went there, they had built like a 180 foot rock climbing wall up the side of the old Fitzgerald's downtown, wanted to try it, but it was too windy.

Reno is great, just don't expect it to be Vegas.

 

Reno also gets a surprising number (surprising to me anyway) of big name entertainers. Lady Antebellum is going to be there in a couple of weeks, Jeff Dunham, etc.

 

Reno has a few major weekends a year, yes...but aside from those four weekends...nothing
And Lake Tahoe and Carson City can all be done in one visit.
I'm not defending nor promoting Reno...just stating the facts.
(Coming from a guy who lived in hotels 3 days a week for the past 6 years there)
HAN, Balloon Races, Street Vibrations, Rib CookOff; Those are all from August - October; between November - July, its stone dead.
But like I said earlier, if you just wanna gamble, its great. (10/6 DDB with progressive too)

 

Tahoe is NOT Reno. I love Tahoe and go there a few times a year.

To me Reno is Virginia street and Virginia street has nothing to offer except Pawn shops, bums and kids strung out on drugs.

Every town is going to have a couple of nice weekends and I guess Hot August nights is Reno's high point.

A Train ride from Carson City to Virginia City is NOT Reno either.

 

Spot on!
And actually, I think Rib CookOff draws the same crowd as HAN...

 

ABSOLUTELY!!! But again, it's NOT Las Vegas. The "greater Reno area", for you nitpickers, has tons of things to do. Much of it includes the outdoors, which isn't very attractive to those who like to hold-up in a casino 24 hours a day for sure.

In addition to the above, lotta golfers enjoy this area in the day and gaming in the evening. I can get from southern Reno to Virginia City, Carson City and parts of Lake Tahoe faster than I can get from one side of Las Vegas to the other, so I don't think it's not unreasonable at all to consider the "greater Reno area" as a package deal (if you have transportation).

I wasn't aware that Las Vegas was free of "pawn-shops, bums and kids strung out on drugs." I see 'em all the time! Downtown Reno is dumpy, no doubt, but to judge Reno solely on it's downtown area is a great disservice. The northern area craps all over the south in scenic beauty, but ya gotta get out to enjoy it. If your idea of scenic beauty is a fake volcano that erupts on cue every so often, than yes... Las Vegas is the place to be.

But the OP asked about how Reno compares in gambling, clubbing and hooking (whatever that is)? To that... there is NO comparison... Las Vegas is "KING of the World" in that regard.

PS: please forgive my obvious "defensiveness"... though I love the state as a whole and do LOVE me some Las Vegas... the north is home!

 

Good golf. Great minor league ballpark. One of the best smaller-town art museums around, and the car museum, of course. Improving food scene. Better weather than Vegas and better outdoor aesthetic/scenery. Truckee and the lake and the mountain resorts are close and all certainly are far from a one-and-done.

It's not Vegas. Nothing in this world is Vegas. But everything doesn't need to be Vegas to make it worth visiting.

 

Yep...Lots of stuff to do...but "tourist" stuff? Nope.

 

If museums and ball games and sightseeing and eating and playing outdoors isn't "'tourist' stuff" -- and the obvious and unstated bit about gambling -- then we use different dictionaries.

 

It is definitely not a real party destination, but Reno has a lot of redeeming qualities. I have a fondness for the place because I went up quite a bit with my parents when I was younger. Really, for me, Reno is about the trip. The drive up, the arrival, then the actual time in Reno.

I was there for 1 night with a bunch of family and had a blast. Visually, it looks pretty run down, but it didnt feel dumpy, it just looked like it. Overall, inside the casinos it was pretty busy (I stayed downtown at Circus Circus). I think the place could use some more activity outside on virginia street, it seemed so dead. Once you go inside a casino, it was alive again.

I dont think its a destination to party and hook up. You can find a party for sure, and bars are open til 4 AM, but really I think its about gambling and exploring.

 

Downtown Reno today is a lot like Fremont Street pre canopy. Hotels and gaming are a bit worn/run down, you get decent odds in the casinos and several casinos are within walking distance.

The downtown baseball stadium is very nice, I liked the Peppermill casino which is a few minutes from the downtown area. It's a shame they can't do anything with shuttered businesses downtown. I enjoyed Hot August nights my first visit. I stayed at Harrah's Reno and the rooms were older, but clean and fine.

I returned to the Reno area a second time but only stayed in town a few hours before driving down to Lake Tahoe. Northern Nevada is really nice, has a much better climate than Vegas (well unless you hate winter/snow - I've had my fill this year) and the Lake Tahoe area is a perfect mix of outdoor activities and decent gaming ($1 9/6 JOB & live poker). I wish Harrah's had lake access for their guests, but you can drive down a bit to spend time on the lake in a few free public CA parks w/ lake access.

My next trip to the area will include a 3-4 night stay at Yosemite, a few nights in Tahoe and a fly-in/out day in Reno.

 

My feelings are somewhat biased on Reno as I'm a volunteer with HAN and have been for a number of years. Love the small airport and that casino shuttles go to the airport. The scenery is good, CAL NEVA is a good cheap place to eat and gamble.They have a good bus system. Does HAN put it in a different lights as I love the vehicles, music and comraderie. The busiest week of the year as far as crowds. If, you want a train ride Amtrak stops in downtown Reno.