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VisitReno

The University District

North of downtown, straight up Virginia Street — about a mile.

The University of Nevada, Reno campus and the blocks around it: Lawlor Events Center, Mackay Stadium, and the museums, galleries and lecture series that come with a research university.

The university is directly north of downtown up Virginia Street, and it is the reason a surprising amount of Reno's cultural calendar exists. Public lecture series, gallery shows, recitals and the Wolf Pack's home fixtures all happen here, and a large share of it is free.

It is the single biggest source on this site's events calendar for exactly that reason — the university publishes an open calendar, and most of what is on it is open to anyone.

The walk from downtown is about twenty minutes up Virginia Street and crosses I-80, which is not a pleasant stretch. Most people drive or take a rideshare.

Good for

  • Free public lectures and gallery shows
  • Wolf Pack football and basketball
  • The Knowledge Center and campus museums

Getting around

The campus itself is walkable. Getting to it from downtown means crossing the freeway, which is about twenty minutes on foot and not scenic.

Should you stay here?

Rarely worth basing yourself here as a visitor — the lodging is limited and it is a mile from downtown across a freeway. Come for a specific reason: a Wolf Pack fixture, a gallery show, or one of the free public lectures the university runs constantly.

What it costs you

  • Getting to downtown means crossing I-80, which is a twenty-minute walk and not a pleasant one. Most people drive.
  • It empties out between terms. A lot of what makes the district worth visiting is term-time programming.
  • Game days at Mackay Stadium and Lawlor put real pressure on parking across the whole area.

Do you need a car?

Useful. Campus is walkable once you are there, but getting to it and away from it is a drive or a rideshare, and event parking needs planning.

When it is at its best

Daytime and early evening, in term time. Lectures and gallery openings run on weekday evenings; the stadium and the arena are the exception and take over whole afternoons.

Venues here

What’s on here

Nearby