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VisitReno

One day in Reno

A full day downtown without a car — the Arch, the river, a casino floor and something on in the evening. This is the trip that works if you flew in, are here for one night, or are breaking a drive.

Who this suits

  • A layover, a single night, or a break in a longer drive
  • Anyone who flew into RNO and did not rent a car
  • First-time visitors who want to understand the city before deciding to come back

Who it does not

  • Anyone whose main reason for coming is Lake Tahoe — that needs its own day
  • Families who want more than the downtown museums and the river

One day

The compact version of the city, on foot.
  1. Morning

    Start under the Arch

    The 'Biggest Little City in the World' sign over Virginia Street is the one photograph everyone takes, and it is a two-minute walk from most downtown hotels. The current arch is not the original — the sign has been replaced several times since the first went up in 1926.

    15 minutes, or longer if you keep walking south · Free

    The Reno ArchDowntown Reno

  2. Late morning

    Walk the Truckee riverwalk

    The river runs east–west through the middle of downtown, and the walk along it is the most pleasant twenty minutes in the city. Wingfield Park sits on an island in the middle of it, with the free whitewater park beside it — an engineered set of drops that half of Reno is in on a hot afternoon.

    An hour, more if you get in the water · Free

    Wingfield ParkThe Riverwalk District

  3. Lunch

    Eat Basque, at least once

    Northern Nevada was settled in part by Basque sheepherding families and the boarding houses that fed them became restaurants. It is the one thing you can eat here and almost nowhere else in America. Dinner is the fuller experience, but if your evening is spoken for, this is the meal to move.

    Family-style and generous — do not eat beforehand

    Louis' Basque CornerDowntown Reno

  4. Afternoon

    Walk a casino floor, even if you do not gamble

    The Row — three connected casinos joined by enclosed skywalks — is the closest thing Reno has to a single indoor city block. The Silver Legacy's set piece is a 120-foot mining rig under a white dome, built to look like a Comstock-era operation. It is very silly and worth seeing once.

    As long as you like; the floors never close · Free to walk through. Gaming floors are strictly 21+.

    Silver Legacy Resort CasinoDowntown Reno

  5. Evening

    Find what is actually on

    Reno's evening starts early — casino showrooms, the ballpark in season, and the small independent rooms all run on their own clock. Rather than guess, check the calendar for the night you are here; it resolves against Reno's clock rather than your device's.

    From about 5pm

    Downtown Reno

On in Reno over the next 2 days

Pulled from the calendar as you read this. If your dates are different, browse the full calendar.