Feeling Lucky? Then Don't Miss AASL in Reno

It was not long ago that Reno was known solely for its casinos. It was the stepsister of bigger Las Vegas, even though Reno's history was older and its pedigree cleaner. It was neon and roulette wheels, 60-cent Keno tickets and 99-cent ham-and-egg breakfasts, Roy Clark and Loretta Lynn. Its namesake, Jesse Lee Reno, a Civil War general who was killed in the Battle of South Mountain, had long been forgotten. Far better known was the name of Bill Harrah, who parlayed a small bingo operation into one of the world's classiest gambling empires.

Now, Reno is an even smaller stepsister of Las Vegas, but it's a great deal less congested, offers entertainment just as broad if not as big, and boasts far better scenery. The Truckee River flows through downtown, where a world-class white-water park offers a challenging kayaking course in season. The Sierra Nevada Mountains offer a dramatic backdrop to the West. National forest is all around. And Lake Tahoe is just 30 minutes away.

Is Reno, as its nickname states, “The Biggest Little City in the World”? It's disputable, certainly. The city is certainly no longer small. With substantial business growth, the area has grown to over 400,000 inhabitants. Still, it's unlikely to drop the moniker. Renoites are proud of it. The hotel-casinos have gotten grander, but there's still a small-town feel, and those attending the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) national conference (October 25–28) would do well to take advantage of some local favorites while sampling the more standard fare.

The National Automobile Museum: The Harrah Collection. Gaming pioneer William Harrah was a car nut and managed to amass the world's largest collection of classic and unique automobiles, driving many of them through the streets of Reno and lending many more to his entertainer friends to drive while in town. When he died in 1978, much of the collection was sold, but its core remains, including such treasures as the 1907 Thomas Flyer that won the 1908 New York to Paris race; a 1921 Ford Kampkar, the auto industry's first recreational vehicle; and James Dean's 1949 Mercury featured in Rebel Without a Cause.

The Nevada Museum of Art. Its architect, Will Bruder, was inspired by Nevada's Black Rock Desert and celebrates the mystery of the dark on the outside of the building, opening to a display of light on the inside. In the short four years since its opening, the museum has managed to host impressive exhibits of Whistler, Warhol, and Parrish, among others. Currently, you can catch A Tribe of Artists, a display of culture and costumes from Reno's renowned Burning Man Festival, held at the Black Rock, and Yosemite: Art of an American Icon, along with the permanent collection.

Nevada State Museum. Located in the heart of Carson City, a half-hour drive to the south of Reno, this museum is in the historic U.S. Mint building and features a walk-through mine, a working stamp mill, Under One Sky: Nevada's Native American Heritage, and an extensive display of famed slot machines, including the “Liberty Bell,” the first spring-loaded three-wheeler. A short walk down Carson Street takes you to the Nevada State Capitol and Legislature.

Reno has a long history of live entertainment. Several of the casinos have renowned showrooms—the Celebrity Showroom at John Ascuaga's Nugget, which has featured the likes of Liberace and Shirley MacLaine and currently hosts entertainers like Brandi Carlile and Morrissey; Sammy's Showroom at Harrah's Reno, named after Sammy Davis, Jr. who thought it his favorite place to perform; and the huge showroom at the Grand Sierra, seating 2,500, boasting a stage a full acre in size, and built to match the glamour of the hotel's original name, the MGM Grand.

If you're a fan of the blues, B. B. King is scheduled at the Grand Sierra on Friday, October 26. And Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen are set for the downtown Reno Events Center on October 26.

Two long-running shows are popular—the revue Dancing Queen, an affectionate and lively tribute to ABBA and the disco era, at the Eldorado in the city's prettiest theater; and Greg London's Icons, a virtuoso display of impressions at Harrah's Reno in Sammy's Showroom.

If you feel like a late-night party, there are two clubs particularly hot right now—210 North and BuBinga in the Eldorado Hotel Casino.

Northern Nevada was originally settled primarily by two ethnic groups—the Basques, who found the region perfectly suited to sheep herding, and the Italians, who came in with the railroads.

Basque restaurants are special to the area and feature family-style dining, many people sharing bowls of beef stew and huge platters of chicken, lamb chops, scampi, and sweetbreads. Louis' Basque Corner and the Santa Fe may not be elegant looking, but they're immensely popular and you won't leave hungry.

Recommended Italian restaurants, featuring top-rated chefs and located near the convention center, are La Vecchia and Luciano's.

In the Eldorado Hotel Casino is La Strada, recognized by the International Restaurant and Hospitality Ratings Bureau as one of the best 25 restaurants in the country. At the top of the must list here are the ravioli con porcini made from a recipe held in such secrecy that the neighboring Silver Legacy Hotel-Casino (owned by the same family) can't serve the filled pasta without purchasing them from the Eldorado.

A bit pricier, but definitely worth it, is Beaujolais Bistro, an intimate restaurant located in downtown Reno near the river. Its roasted duck with wild blueberries is unsurpassed.

For the best big night out, visit the famed Steakhouse, a room of old-fashioned elegance at Harrah's Reno, and dine where every major nightclub star of the 1960s–1990s dined—everybody from Eddie Fisher to Tony Bennett and Edie Adams to Patti Page.

And what's a casino town without a buffet? Even though the days of the cheap buffet are long gone, every casino tries to outdo every other one when it comes to their spreads. The best are the Island Buffet at the Peppermill and Toucan Charlie's at the Atlantis, both convenient to the convention center.

There are plenty of Starbucks, of course, but local operations are popular as well, especially Java Jungle, close to the river downtown; Dreamers, next to the river in the heart of downtown and on the main floor of the former Riverside Hotel, now an artists' colony; and Walden, a little further out but very big for breakfast and lunch, as well as caffeine.

And let's not forget tea: Se7en, funky spelling aside, serves several hundred varieties, including bubble tea mixed with milk or cream and poured atop purple tapioca berries—sip and chew. There's also a full bar and sandwiches.

Every hotel-casino of any size has an in-house bakery, but two independents are well worth checking out: Josef's Vienna, known for scones and fruit tarts as well as for breakfast and lunch; and Franz's Backstube Austrian Cafe, known for its Danish and special fancy pastries.

For a combination of breakfast, lunch, and pastry, check out a new family operation called Daughters, located in an old home with walls adorned by old family photos. Try the beignets and the Dutch baby pancakes.

If you want to be a bit more mellow and upscale, head to the Chocolate Bar, where you can not only sip a chocolate martini but also nibble on the fabulous homemade desserts and truffles from 10 a.m. to midnight, later on weekends.

Reno has the chain stores, of course, but it also boasts independents, two of which stand out—Sundance Bookstore, which has an extensive local and Nevada history section, and Dharma Books, specializing in used and unique volumes at two locations.

October usually offers optimum weather in the area with cool, crisp nights and clear days, perfect for a stroll or a jog. A path exists along the length of the Truckee River. A recommended area of that path is from downtown west along Riverside Drive, past several historic buildings and signs on the history and fish of the river. Also, Reno is home to the University of Nevada and the tree-lined old campus is lovely, especially the main quadrangle area off North Virginia and 9th Streets. Many a Hollywood movie has been shot there.

Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake on the North American continent, 22 miles long and 12 miles wide with a surface of 193 square miles. It is a spectacular sight. Tahoe (which is Paiute Indian for “lake,” so essentially it is “Lake Lake”) straddles the Nevada California border, features hotel-casinos at both state lines, and offers views unparalleled anywhere. It is only a 30-minute drive from Reno.

Virginia City is where the Comstock Lode, discovered in 1859, opened the door of wealth for the Silver Barons. Many of its original buildings still stand and the town looks like a theme park, only an authentic one. Have a brew at the Bucket of Blood Saloon, tour one of the old mines (there are 750 miles of shafts underneath), or just walk the wooden-planked sidewalks. Mark Twain lived here and wrote for this town's Territorial Enterprise. He chronicled that time in Roughing It. Virginia City is located 20 miles southeast of Reno.

If you find yourself with an afternoon free, here's a perfect drive: Highway 395 South out of Reno, Highway 341 east through Virginia City to Carson City, Highway 50 to Lake Tahoe's Stateline casino area (Harrah's Tahoe, Harveys, MontBleu, and Horizon), back on 50 along the Nevada side of the lake to Highway 431, which takes you down historic Mount Rose to the exact intersection where you turned off to Virginia City. The route is called the Silver Circle. The Cartwrights of Bonanza used to make the trip by horseback from their fictional Ponderosa Ranch on Tahoe's shores in the time of a commercial break, but it does take longer.