Making a road trip to Reno from western Canada soon and have never been there before so looking for some helpful hints as to where to go? Best deals? and of course where to stay away from. Any and all info would be a great help.
Thanks in Advance
I love Reno, been going there for almost 25 years now (started going when I had friends that went to school there - too young to gamble, but we could pig out at the Circus Circus buffet for like $1.99!). Right now is the second-best time to go, first-best is before Christmas for deals.
I view Reno (Reno/Sparks) as three seperate areas. Downtown, Sparks, and the South Strip. Downtown has the typicals (Eldorado, Silver Legacy, Circus Circus, Harrahs, Cal Neva, etc., etc.). Sparks has the Nugget and a couple other smaller ones. South Strip has the Peppermill and Atlantis. There's a few others, kind of by themselves. By the airport is the Grand Sierra, and then West of Reno is Boomtown. This isn't all-inclusive, this is just basic information.
I could fill up a book with various things to do, tips, tricks, etc., etc. But I've got stuff scheduled this weekend, so I'll have to keep this brief.
You say road trip, so I assume you're driving. This will be based upon you driving down.
1) Room specials; -If you're not real picky about where you stay, and don't mind a short drive to places, the best bang for your buck is the Grand Sierra. Promos going on right now will let you get a basic room for $39, and up to two additional nights free. Not only that, but they'll give you a $20 dining credt, $10 bowling credit, $10 spa credit, $10 arcade credit, and when we went a couple weeks ago, they threw in another $10 per person meal credit towards the Charlie Palmer Steakhouse. As a first-time player, you'll also get some 'free' slot money when you sign up as a slot player. All in all, it's like a free 4-day, 3-night vacation. And yes, there are some weekends included. NOTE: outdoor pool closed in the winter.
-Next best special is the Peppermill. This has been recently revamped and a huge expansion with a Tuscan theme. This was built with the "boom" money from a few years ago, so it's really nice. There's a special right now where you can get two nights in a Tuscan Tower suite for free. And believe me when I say they're nice. Also included is a coupon book with meal discounts and more. There are a few limited weekend openings, otherwise midweek availability. Outdoor pools are open year round, and in the winter they're very warm. Almost all these specials mentioned are now through March.
-Many other properties are also running specials, although not quite as good. Do a little research. I won't go into what each property offers, you can do that yourself.
2) Dining:-I like variety. And while many people put down buffets, I think they're great. It's another reason I like to go to Reno. Breakfast is pretty much breakfast wherever you go. Most will have made-to-order omelettes and such, smaller places won't. Lunch is about the same. The newer, nicer casinos will have food a step above the places like Circus Circus. Dinner is a new ballgame, again, the better/newer places will be a little better. Most places will have specials. Right now the Eldorado has a 'late night Friday seafood special' for like $12. It's their standard Friday night seafood buffet, but they drop the price by more than half when you come after 8pm. Definitely a good value for Friday night. On Saturday night, I can be found at the Peppermill buffet, for their seafood buffet (they also have it on Friday night). Except on Saturday night they feature King Crab legs, Snow Crab, and Dungeness Crab. Shrimp are pre-peeled, just dip-n-eat. It's spendy, but with your coupon book discount, it's worth it. If you want crab on Sunday night, go to the Nugget in Sparks. Obviously an older property, I only eat there when I want crab on a Sunday.
-Outside of the buffets, there's your typical fare. Because I don't have an In-N-Out in my state, I drive to one to eat at least once, typically for lunch. There's a couple in the Reno area. I used to also like getting a snack at the Cal Neva. Used to be able to get a dog and a beer for like $2, or two tacos and a beer. I believe it's up to $3.25 now. They used to have a cheeseburger and fries for a few bucks as well, and now that's gone. Still have the ham-n-eggs (with hashbrowns and toast) for like $3.99. That's really hard to beat, and I think it's available anytime.
3) Drinking:Eat, drink, and be merry! To me, that's the whole purpose of going to Reno. With the increase in alcohol (and other sin taxes) a few years ago, coupled with the current economy, getting a drink can be a bit of a chore at times. My favorite drink is a Long Island Iced Tea. The Peppermill and Atlantis casinos will not comp Long Islands, unless you're a gold or higher player. Most every other casino will. Your best bet is to find a seat at a casino bar. Wait until the bartender comes around, buy-in to the machine in the bar with a $20 bill, insert your player card, and request what you want. Stay closer to the waitress station. Tip the bartender a buck when he brings your drink, be friendly, offer some chit-chat if he's kind of lonely. Jacks and Better with minimum bet (some casino bartenders are now requiring 5-coin bets for comp'd drinks). With proper play, and a hard-to-find 9/6 machine, you should at least break even on your $20 investment. And getting all the drinks you can down. While getting tracked. It's not unusual for me to get 5-6 long islands in a hour, and cash out with what I put in. And once I'm in a "happy" state, I'll roam the floor, without worrying about where my next drink or the waitress is. This also applies to your morning coffee or tea - don't pay a few buck for one, sit down, order a coffee with some irish cream in it, play a few hands of video poker (or nickel keno), and relax!
4) Gambling:Gambling is subjective, so I won't get into it in detail. What some find fun others may not. And with the current economy, the games are getting tighter. My wife and I personally don't gamble a lot. We can go a day without dropping a dime, or we might toss a $100 bill in a machine for kicks and grins. I know how the payouts works, the percentages, and although I used to play a lot of table games, I don't hardly do that anymore. It would appear that the better odds are at the outlying casinos, such as the Peppermill and Atlantis - to a degree.
5) Other Activities:-Take a drive up to historic Virginia City. It's quite fun the first few times you go. Eat a good breakfast, and head up to check it out. Stop in at the Delta Saloon. They've got an old EM that pays out morgan silver dollars. Yes, the machine is tight, but I was able to walk out with two of them for a $5 investment. The Cal Neva used to have a few machines that paid out old and brand-new silver dollars, but they're gone now, with precious metal prices. When you're done in Virginia City, and if you want to extend your day, drive the back road from Virginia City into Carson City, stopping to take some souvenir pictures of some of the "ranches" on the outskirts of Carson. Tour the casinos and the Capitol building, check out some junk stores, be a tourist. Head back to Reno
-Visit Tahoe. The Bonanza ranch is now gone, I had the privilege of doing that once. Tour some of Tahoe, check out the sights, see the lake.
-Donner Pass memorial/park. Interesting. Brings back thoughts of Soylent Green. Bit of a drive, nice scenery along the way. You'll pass by the Boomtown casino/resort, and a fairly new Cabelas outlet store.
- Free Acrobatics show in Circus Circus, in the Midway. It's always fun to walk through, and catch a high-wire act. And it's free.
6) Stay away from:- The side streets and areas off the strip after dark. Downtown used to have a really bad vagrant problem. There's still a few addicts panhandling, but it's getting better. Just like the outskirts of old town Vegas, you need to be careful when you're a couple blocks away from anything major, unless you can hold your own.
- Smaller casino buffets. Also remember that the classy places in the casino to eat usually get their food from the same kitchen as the buffet does. Don't get me wrong, if you're wanting some lamb, or a medium cut of steak or something, that's different. But otherwise, go to a larger buffet and pick-n-choose. With minor exceptions, it will be about the same cost as the coffee shops, but you can choose. Again, remember that most everything is done in the same kitchen.
- Pawn shops. There are no deals to be had. I have yet to find an item that was a good buy. The pricing, at best, is usually $.80 to the dollar for what you can buy it new for. If not more than new. They're banking on the fact that because they're a pawn shop, you'll automatically think their prices are good. They're not. You might be able to barter, it just depends. Know the value of whatever you plan on buying before buying. Reno is a gambling town. It's all about $$$ (for the most part).
- Motor lodges. You want a tower room. The Peppermill and the Atlantis have cheap, but slightly inconvenient "motor lodges". This will most likely be what you get if you Priceline or Hotwire. Don't stay at the Cal Neva or Circus Circus, either, if you can help it.
- California cops. They LOVE out of state drivers, especially with California's current economy. Going 4mph over the speed limit? They'll get you. And they seem to be everywhere. Even if you're traveling in a pack of other cars, they just might pick you out of the crowd.
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