Vegas is my first love, and I'll always go back to her even though she's changed a lot with the advent of the strip; it's a different experience now but still one not to be missed by any gambler in their lifetime. You simply have to be able to say, "I've been to Las Vegas".
But after a few years a bit of the novelty wears off for most people; the 'mookfest' of the strip just becomes a blur, the quaintness of downtown becomes cliche and the focus goes to and stays in the casino action. Airfare and accommodations can be expensive some times of the year and once you are in a casino, you are just 'in a casino' and it wouldn't matter if it was Atlantic City, Foxwoods or Reno.
Reno just tries harder. The comps are superior, the accommodations for the money are superior, and the service is, in most establishments, on par or far superior to Las Vegas for the money spent.
I always fly SouthWest Airlines and book through SouthWest Air Vacations. With the announced acquisition of AirTran by SWA, people from as far away as Atlanta, GA. can avail themselves of these great packages. The action inside the casinos is just as hot and the service is, as mentioned, as good or better than Vegas.
Not that gambling is the only thing to do when you are in Reno. This is the wild wild west and Historic Virginia City is less than 30 minutes away by car. Many historical buildings from the Comstock Lode era are still standing in this working ghost town.
Reno is also home to the The Annual National Championship Air Races and Air Show featuring five full days of REAL air racing by six classes of aircraft from Sport Class (Cessna-150) to an unlimited class including jet engines. It is the premier air racing event.
Car buffs won't want to miss visiting the National Automobile Museum, The Harrah Collection just south of the Truckee River in town. The museum holds over 200 cars spread over four eras from the 1800's to the 1950's onward. Here you can see Elvis's 1973 Cadillac Eldorado, Frank Sinatra's 1961 Ghia L6.4, J.F.K.'s 1962 Lincoln Continental and John Wayne's 1953 Chevrolet Corvette among others.
While by the river why not stop by the Truckee River Whitewater Park and watch kayaks splash through waves or rent an inner tube and float a milder section yourself. There is excellent fly-fishing right in town and of course Lake Tahoe is very near for fisher-folk who love the lunkers or just a day on the lake.
There is a lot more to do in Reno than gambling, but gambling is why we go, so over the next two articles we'll explore some premiere and budget properties in the area. First we'll look at the Harrah's properties; Harrah's Lake Tahoe Hotel & Casino and Harrah's Reno Hotel & Casino. Then we'll review a couple of downtown and outlying properties that have given good game and entertainment over the years.
This is the time of year to book your vacation package to Reno (I've usually found the travel dates between Thanksgiving and Christmas to offer the best value historically) so make yourself a little personal time over the next week and explore some possibilities with us. You will be glad you did!
Insiders' Guide to Reno and Lake Tahoe, 6th (Insiders' Guide Series)
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