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When you visit a new city or town, sometimes it can be a little difficult to find the absolute best, can't-miss-at-any-cost things to do. You can look at all the glossy brochures in the lobby, ask the bored looking concierge over there in the corner or flip through the dog-eared guidebook in your suitcase. But why do that when you can go straight to the top and ask the men and women in charge of cities and towns across Reno-Tahoe what there is to do.
Honestly, who knows a community better than its leaders? These are the folks who wrestle with budgets, give inspiring speeches and wave to crowds in parades. They live and work for the betterment of the place they call home. And home is where the heart is for each and every one of the public servants we spoke with. So lace up your boots and follow their lead – up paths only locals dare tread, to the places you may never find if you just loiter around in the lobby.
Carson City, the Nevada State Capital, is a small town of quaint shop fronts, wild mountains and the iconic silver-domed Legislative capitol building. Mayor Crowell, a Nevada native born in Tonopah and raised in Carson City, is not what you'd expect from a Mayor – if you lived anywhere but northern Nevada. He's got a titanium lower left leg thanks to a break he earned skiing at Mt. Rose, a wonky shoulder thanks to Kirkwood, a tanned face from hiking and the kind of open mind that comes from living in an area struggling to keep its roots while expanding its branches.
The Prison Hill half-marathon is one of Mayor Crowell's favorite events. He's finished the race a few times, but the most important was the year he made it going up and down Prison Hill twice – just two weeks after being treated for prostate cancer.
Robert's Carson City musts:
This is a man who spends his days in a suit presiding over city business, but he'd much rather be trekking up one of the hills in the open space surrounding Carson City. His favorite? Prison Hill, which offers miles of loop trails for hiking, biking and horses. It also has some off-road trails and has become a local rock-climbing hotspot. If you're a runner, the Escape From Prison Hill half-marathon will test your endurance.
There really isn't a better place to explore the Silver State's fascinating history than Carson City. The Nevada State Museum, just a stone's throw from the mayor's office, boasts a priceless collection of American Indian basketry and a remarkable collection of historic slot machines. At the railroad museum, just down the road, you can get up close to the giant steam engines that helped build the West.
Mayor Crowell touts Carson City's theater and art venues, but his eyes sparkle when he talks about Jazz!, Carson City's two-day jazz festival that takes over the town every year in August.
Maybe it comes from catering to politicians, or maybe it's just that people in Carson City like good food, but either way there does seem to be an unusually high
number of quality restaurants in town. Pick one of the many restaurants lining Carson Street across from the capitol. You won't be disappointed.
Across the street from the Mayor's modest office, the gleaming center
of state government bustles with purpose. The Capitol Building with its silver dome, the
Legislative Building and the Supreme Court all make up the Capitol Complex – an inspiring view from Crowell's desk and even better up close.
Mayor Cashell likes to tell the story of how he got married on a Sunday and moved to Reno on Monday; and while you can still hear the Texas in his voice, it's hard to imagine his home ever being outside the Truckee Meadows. This is a man comfortable with where his life has brought him, but not one ready to rest on his laurels.
The Reno Aces Ballpark is home to the Triple-A Reno Aces in the Pacific Coast League. Mayor Cashell jokes that some people call it glad-handing, but he is just glad to get out to the ballpark and meet with the people he serves. And if you spend any time with him at all, you'll swear he knows them all by name.
Bob's Reno musts:
It wasn't easy getting a baseball park in downtown Reno, but Mayor Cashell has never shied away from tough projects. The ballpark, which has become everything the mayor hoped for, is one of Cashell's favorite places to talk with people from the community.
Check out the Aces (Triple-A affiliate of the Diamondbacks) at one of their home games. Here in the off-season? Chow down at one of the restaurants in the Freight House District, right by the ballpark.
By land or by air, summer in Reno is all about events. The Mayor loves checking out the hot air balloons at the annual Great Reno Balloon Race held each fall at Rancho San Rafael Park. But he also lists Hot August Nights and the Reno Air Races as events you've just got to see.
For decades, Reno turned its back on the Truckee River, preferring to only keep visitors in the casinos. But the River Walk and the whitewater course that now runs right through Wingfield Park in the middle of downtown have changed all that. Now visitors and locals alike flock to the river. Check out the kayakers practicing their rolls, tubers braving rapids, dogs and kids splashing in the shallows – the Truckee River has become a hotspot for summer crowds to cool off.
You may not know it, but Reno boasts a great Philharmonic, a top-notch museum of art, a world-class class auto museum and has broken ground on the Children's Discovery Museum – and they're all within walking distance of one another. Chances are good that you'll find a show, concert or exhibit in town that you won't want to miss.
Modeled after the University of Virginia campus designed by Thomas Jefferson, the University of Nevada, Reno, is known locally for its great education and groundbreaking research. But it's also just a beautiful place to be. The basketball and football teams often show up in the national-rankings, but if sports aren't your thing, take a stroll through the quiet, leafy campus and you may seriously think of heading back to class.
Geno Martini is a rare breed – a Sparks native. He was born in a Reno hospital because Sparks didn't have one back then, but he's been a Sparks guy ever since. He grew up on a ranch his grandfather bought in the 1920s. He attended elementary school in Sparks, graduated from Sparks High School and went to the University of Nevada, Reno (while living in Sparks). He worked at banks, held a seat on the City Council from 1995 to 2005, at which point he became Mayor. He never wants to live anywhere else. The man has deep roots.
Mayor Martini likes hanging out at the Sparks Marina. It's easy to see why. But looking at this beautiful park, it's also easy to forget that the area used to be a Super Fund Site, after an oil tank-farm leak leached oil into a gravel pit (where the lake now sits). Talk about turning lemons into lemonade.
Geno's Sparks musts:
Sparks has three golf courses: D'Andrea, Red Hawk and the Links at Kiley Ranch. It's the latter he likes best. It's flat, easy to walk, it's only nine holes, all par threes and only costs $10. For a busy guy like Martini, it's perfect. And not coincidentally, it's great for kids. In fact, he started the Junior Mayor's Cup, which runs two days in May and Martini presents the trophies himself.
Martini likes to hang out at the Sparks Marina Park on his lunch hour and just watch all the goings on. With a two-mile walking/bike path, a dog park on the shoreline, volleyball courts, a playground and a 77-acre lake, there's always something to see.
Also at the Sparks Marina, the Legends mall is more than just shopping. With Scheels (and its Ferris wheel, aquarium and shooting gallery), walking paths, restaurants and community events, the Marina is very popular.
With 1.4 million square feet of artificial turf, the Golden Eagle Regional Park draws millions of people each year for soccer, bocce, baseball, football and volleyball tournaments – if it can be played on turf, it's played here. All summer long and into October, every weekend is a sports nut's heaven. There's even a restaurant. Martini, who lives just a few miles away, likes to just pop on over and check out whatever game happens to be going on. You may even end up in the field.
In northern Nevada, it can take a while for summer to really show up. But once it does, it comes with a vengeance, and there's no better place to be than in the water. If you want to cool off for free and get a little extreme at the same time, take to the rapids in the Sparks Kayak Park at Rock Park, developed under Mayor Martini's watchful eye. If you don't know an Eskimo roll from an Eskimo pie, then Martini recommends Wild Island Water Park. It has the usual slides, pools and fountains, as well as 40 lanes of bowling, go-cart racing and mini golf. "They've been a great partner with the City," Martini says.
Tom Dallaire is most at home in the hills, where dirt roads can take him to historic mining areas, great fishing holes and amazing views.
Tom's Carson Valley musts:
Dallaire's pride and joy is his family – his wife of 16 years and his three kids – but his '66 Bronco follows close behind. When he's not attending to county business, you'll find him in "The Beast," exploring the hundreds of miles of old trails and roads (most left over from the area's mining days) that make Carson Valley an off-roader's paradise.
At the end of Johnson Lane in Minden, Dallaire can drive up into the Pine Nut Mountains, watch a sunrise, spot bald eagles during the day, marvel at a spectacular Sierra sunset and then get lost in a sea of stars at night – if his dual jobs allowed him that kind of time. You're on vacation, so there's no excuse for missing out.
When the snow's flying, you can bet you'll find Dallaire and his family heading down some of the sweetest slopes in the West, which are right in their backyard. Just a few minutes away from home they can be neck deep in powder that would make any ski bum drool.
Most outsiders don't think there's a whole lot of water in the desert. But Carson Valley is close to two good-sized bodies of water: Topaz Lake and Lake Lahontan, where he takes his boat out for family fun. He also likes darting over to Walker River or Carson River for fly-fishing.
For a community of only around 40,000 people, Carson Valley throws some great events. Dallaire says don't miss the annual Candy Dance in Genoa or the Rhymers Rodeer Cowboy Poetry Festival. These events have a real small-town feel where even visitors feel like they're coming home.
Placer County Supervisor, Jennifer Montgomery, visited Lake Tahoe in 1987, planning to stay for a season before going back home to the Bay Area. Instead, she fell in love, got married and never left.
"I feel sorry for the other supervisors," says Montgomery, one of five Placer County, California, Supervisors. "I'm the only one who gets the Lake." Looking out over Lake Tahoe (from either the California or Nevada side) is like no other view in the world. Montgomery drives approximately 25,000 miles a year representing the fifth district and she loves it. From the foothills of Auburn up to the 10,000-foot peaks of the Sierra, her district is beautiful and ecologically diverse.
Jennifer says there is much around Tahoe that is either overlooked or overbooked. There's more to the area than what's written up in guidebooks. Want to know the real skinny on what to do? Ask a business owner, or a local, and then try to avoid the crowds.
Jennifer's North Lake Tahoe musts:
Because of the high altitudes, there are stunning wildflower blooms up at the lake well into August. One of Montgomery's favorites is the Castle Peak hike. Parking is available right at the trailhead and picnic areas and recently renovated restrooms are all perks for hikers who are ready for a challenging trek.
Montgomery is a music junkie and her summer schedule proves it. She starts at Squaw Valley for the Blues Festival, then heads over to Truckee for the music in the regional park (its price – free – is really family-friendly). Then on Friday's there's music on the beach at King's Beach. Sunday is time to come back home to Commons Beach for more free music and
spectacular lakeside views.
Hiking from the bottom of Ward Creek onto Eagle Rock is perfect for a day when you don't feel like a particularly challenging hike, but still want to get outside and up into the fresh mountain air.
The restored historic building at the University of California, Davis, Tahoe City Field Station, is stunning but it's the opportunities to learn that really makes the experience worthwhile – for researchers and visitors alike. A great trail takes visitors to a demonstration garden, where wetlands, stream restoration projects and native plants are all on display. Montgomery touts it as a great place to teach kids about the environment and adults will enjoy it as well.
You'll find plenty of world-class golf courses at Tahoe, but that's not where you'll find Montgomery. She's crazy about mini golf. Whether she's playing the course at Carnelian Bay or the one at King's Beach, she says mini golf is far superior to its older sibling and way easier.
Mayor Hal Cole, the cowboy mayor, has lived in the area since 1959, but he'd been visiting his whole life. His grandfather bought a cabin at the lake in 1922, and Cole's memories of visiting are fond ones. He raised his two children here (now away at college), built his home and ranch here, played in a band and continues to serve his community. Cole traveled extensively when his children were younger, showing them Africa, New Zealand, Peru, the Galapagos Islands – but he says he's never found anywhere as beautiful as Lake Tahoe.
The Cole ranch nestles among pines and meadows as if it were always meant to be there. Green grass, shallow streams, towering pines – the horses don't know how good they have it.
Cole says skiing is the family passion and The Face at Heavenly Ski Resort is his favorite run. "You can go so fast, wind in your face, and you're in complete control." Being up 10,000 feet overlooking Lake Tahoe? That's not bad either.
Skiing may be the family's passion, but music is Cole's. As a kid at the lake, he saw Red Skelton and Nat King Cole, now it's Stevie Nicks and Bob Dylan. Cole recommends checking out the shows at the lake's number of outdoor venues, especially Harvey's, whose summer concert series features everyone from classic rock legends to alt-rock upstarts.
Cole's wife, Francie, is all about the horseback riding and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better way to explore the trails that wind up and down the mountains around the lake than on the back of a horse.
You could go to Edgewood Golf Club to play chase around a little white ball, but it's a lot more relaxing to just kick back at the bar at sunset and soak in what could be the best view in Tahoe. "Even the parking lot is
beautiful," he says.
There is nothing like seeing the lake from a boat. Out on the water, you can see the changing colors, feel the 1600-foot depth (the second deepest lake in the U.S., behind Crater Lake) and really soak in the immensity and wildness of the water and surrounding wilderness.
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