Have you ever had the opportunity to take a trip to a destination that wasn’t on your radar? I did! We recently just took a wonderful trip to Reno, Nevada. Nestled east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range with the beautiful Trukee River rapidly running through it, Reno is the ‘biggest little city in the world’.
Pete and I just got back a few weeks ago from Reno and Tahoe. Since the destinations are so different, I’m breaking this travel post into two parts. You’ll hear about Tahoe later. What makes this trip so easy is that Southwest Airlines has a non-stop flight from Dallas – Reno. It’s such an easy trip! This beautiful city has a population of about 200,000 and is home to the University of Nevada. We’ve never been to Reno so we were ready to explore.
We arrived and headed straight to the beautiful riverwalk area of Reno surrounding the Trukee River. Be sure to grab some cute t-shirts at Reno eNVy. They have something for everyone including the signature t-shirts with the vintage trailer logo. There are so many great places to see and shop in the riverwalk area including The Basement which is the old post office reborn as a retail center. It’s an incubator for retailers and has such a cool vibe. We had dinner that night at Wild River Grille. When I posted the picture of the cheese plate on social media during out visit, people went crazy! The food is delicious and the location is top notch. If you are there during the summer be sure to sit outside and enjoy the river. Executive Chef Rene Ramos has whipped up a mouth watering menu. Bonus: If you catch a show at the Pioneer Center, you will be right across the street for dinner. After dinner, we strolled over to West Street Wine Bar. Owner Rick Martinez was behind the bar and poured us some of his favorite reds. He knows his stuff and it was a delight to chat with him about his favorites wines.
The Atlantis Casino Resort was our home for this trip. Oh, I didn’t mention that gambling is legal in Nevada? You probably knew that due to Las Vegas! Reno is like Las Vegas’ little sister. Smaller city with much more to do, especially outdoors. So the Atlantis Casino Resort was perfect for us. We checked into a beautiful room on the concierge level and management left me a bottle of champaign and a beautiful cheese plate. It was the perfect welcome. I highly recommend the concierge level because it includes breakfast and happy hour in the 25th floor lounge. I made sure to take time and enjoy the spectacular spa and indulged in a 90-minute Swedish massage. If you indulge in Reno’s first Forbes four-star luxury spa, be sure to relax in the Brine Inhalation-Light Therapy Lounge. I felt like a new women when I walked out of there. And of course, there’s the fantastic casino. Our game of choice is blackjack but we just play and gamble for fun. Be sure to take time and explore this huge property as it has an indoor pool, convention center, numerous dining opportunities and much more.
The next day we had Sunday brunch at The Depot Craft Brewery Distillery. Be sure to order the Chicken & Waffles or the Depot Burger and get the sweet potato fries to start. So good! Of course, try one of their many craft beers. This restaurant used to be the headquarters for the Nevada-California-Oregon railway. I love how Reno repurposes their buildings. It’s charming! From there we walked a few blocks and tried a few more craft beers at Lead Dog Brewing Co. I’m not a huge beer drinker but I really thought exploring the craft beer district of Reno was fun. They have over 22 craft breweries.
Reno is known for its ‘arch’ sign which is at the top of this blog post. It’s in the center of town and you will pass through it often. However, the old Reno ‘arch’ is over on Lake Street near the National Automobile Museum.That is the last picture in the post (I’m standing underneath the arch). Be sure to pop in to Chez Louise for lunch and try one of their colorful salads. It’s inside the Nevada Museum of Art so be sure to explore this museum as well.
There’s so much to do in Reno and the possibilities are endless. We would love to go back in the summer and explore the outdoors. Hiking, biking, water adventures – Nevada is so pretty and its the perfect destination for couples or families. If you decide to go, be sure to start planning your trip here. The Visit Reno Tahoe site is so helpful.
Have you been to Reno? Did I miss anything? Leave me a comment about your adventure. xoxo – Tanya
P.S. Be sure to look at this blog post to see what I wore in Tahoe. The blog post with our itinerary is coming soon.
shop the post
Photo: Pete Foster