Virginia City Historic District

Virginia City sits at 6,200 feet on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, the accidental capital of the greatest silver strike in American history. The Comstock Lode was discovered here in 1859, and by 1876 the town held 25,000 people, four newspapers, and the wealth that literally built San Francisco. Mark Twain got his pen name here as a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise in 1863. When the ore ran out the town emptied — but unlike most ghost towns, Virginia City never quite died, and today it survives as the largest National Historic Landmark in the United States, one long spine of 1870s brick and wood along C Street.

Walk C Street from the Sixth Street stairs at the north end to the Delta Saloon at the south — a 15-minute stroll past the Silver Queen Hotel (with its famous silver-dollar-studded painting), the Bucket of Blood Saloon (open since 1876), Mackay Mansion (1859), and the Territorial Enterprise building where Twain worked. Turn off C Street to see Piper's Opera House (1885, still hosts shows), St Mary in the Mountains Catholic Church (1876), and the Fourth Ward School Museum (1876 four-storey wooden schoolhouse). The V&T Railroad steam-train runs 35-minute rides from F Street depot down to Gold Hill.

The best time is October — cool weather, autumn light on the brick, and the Camel & Ostrich Races weekend if you time it. Summer weekends are packed with day-trippers from Reno; Tuesday-Thursday is far quieter. Parking is $2 at meters or free in the Sixth Street lot. Combine with Chollar Mine tours (an authentic 1861 mine, $12), then dinner at the Café del Rio. The Silverland Inn or Silver Queen Hotel are the historic stays. Skip in deep winter unless you love empty streets and snow.

Hours & entry

Free to walk the district · Some saloons and museums always free

Boardwalks open 24 hours · Most museums Mon-Sun 10:00-17:00 · Bucket of Blood and Delta saloons open late

What to see

• Silver-dollar painting in the Silver Queen Hotel bar — Silver Queen Hotel, 28 North C Street
• Territorial Enterprise printing press and Mark Twain desk — Basement of 53 South C Street
• Fourth Ward School Museum (four-storey 1876 wooden school) — 537 South C Street at the south end of the district

Tips from the ground

• Ride the V&T steam train downhill to Gold Hill and walk back up — a proper Comstock afternoon for $12.
• The Bucket of Blood claims to be Nevada's oldest continuously operating saloon; the drinks are cheap and the piano player is real.
• Skip Sunday afternoons in summer when the tour buses arrive.