Nevada Magazine

Explore ghost towns, hike through bristlecone pine forests, enjoy world-class nightlife and entertainment, and relax in a hot spring while viewing the expansive desert landscape — there’s so much to do on a Nevada adventure. The free 2016 Nevada Travel & Leisure Guide offers ideas and insights into planning a Nevada visit and is now available online and at area visitors centers.

CARSON CITY, Nev. – In a January press release to members of The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, Claudia Vecchio, director of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, was named one of the organization’s Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing and Revenue Optimization. HSMAI is an international, professional organization for more than 7,000 members working in hospitality and tourism, and serves as the industry’s leading advocate for sustainable hotel revenue growth.

Constance Aguilar, digital director of the Abbi Agency in Reno, will be the featured speaker at the first meeting of the Business Alliance Network at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Brewery Arts Center, 449 W. King St. in Carson City.
She will give tips and guidance on effective uses of social media.

Nevada’s New Year’s resolution is to ensure that travelers go home with more stories than souvenirs. With the lineup of events scheduled in early 2016, that is sure to ring true. As always, Nevada will offer fun, unique events for visitors of all interests and ages that will guarantee unforgettable experiences. Kick off the New Year at one of these Nevada-only events:

LAS VEGAS — Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison presented the Nevada Commission on Tourism Legacy Award to Lorraine Hunt-Bono, former lieutenant governor and former chair of the Nevada Commission on Tourism at the Nevada Governor’s Global Tourism Summit Monday.

The Nevada Northern Railway Museum transforms into Chris Van Allsburg’s classic children’s book, The Polar Express, this Christmas season.

Children of all ages are welcome on a special ride from Ely, Nev. to the North Pole. Hot chocolate and cookies are served while listening to the Polar Express story and music from the Polar Express soundtrack.

Santa’s helpers are on board, and Santa Claus awaits the train’s arrival at the North Pole, where he presents children with the special gift of a silver bell.

Carson City — particularly the shopping available in Carson City — is the feature of Nevada Travel’s NevadaGram this month.

“In my mind the true mark of a city is whether or not you can do all your Christmas shopping there,” David Toll wrote in the NevadaGram.

Carrying on its trailblazing tradition, Nevada Magazine could not be fenced in last Friday at the Nevada Press Association awards banquet as it claimed five first-place awards including the coveted General Excellence award, the top prize in the magazine category.

Following approval by the Nevada Commission on Tourism and TravelNevada, officials Wednesday released plans for the Silver State's fall and winter integrated marketing campaign.

Through a variety of enhanced public relations, social and paid media channels, Nevada is again focusing the campaign to Millennials and Young Gen X travelers who have an adventure mindset.

Since 2013, TravelNevada has been using a “Don’t Fence Me In” campaign, featuring a custom rendition of the famous cowboy song recorded by The Killers, to market tourism — Nevada’s No. 1 industry.

Restoration of the historic 1875 steam locomotive “The Glenbrook” has been recognized with an international award from the Association of Tourist Railroads and Railway Museums.
The narrow gauge engine at the Nevada State Museum, Carson City debuted in May following 30 years of painstaking care to bring it back to authentic and historic condition, thanks to a generous grant from the E.L. Wiegand Foundation.

Creating solid business development opportunities within the lucrative international travel market is the focus of the Governor’s Global Tourism Summit, Nov. 16-17 at Hilton Lake Las Vegas.

The conference, presented by the Nevada Division of Tourism, includes the Nevada Marketplace, where Nevada tourism professionals meet one-on-one with more than 40 international travel agents, wholesale partners and airline representatives.

Nevada Magazine’s 2015 Great Nevada Picture Hunt is now complete. The Grand Prize winner of this year’s hunt is Scott William Warner of Carson City, who astounded judges with his shot “Inside Barn.” His shot, along with all winners in the 2015 hunt, can be viewed in the September/October issue of Nevada Magazine and at nevadamagazine.com.

Fred bought his first camera at age s

Dealers, collectors, admirers and amateurs will find fun at the 2015 Carson City Mint Coin Show and Fair. Professionals will buy, sell and trade money and offer expertise in a lecture series during the two-day event Aug. 21-22.

Are you a Nevada expert? Put your Silver State savviness to the test in TravelNevada’s “Test Your Nevada Clout” online promotion, and you could get a Garmin Geko 201 and other goodies in a Nevada swag bag.

Nevada Magazine’s 2015 Great Nevada Picture Hunt is now open for submissions. For 38 years, Nevada Magazine has highlighted the most beautiful images from around the Silver State, captured by local photographers. Amateur and professional photographers are encouraged to submit photos of Nevada’s wonderful scenery and people.

Train buffs and dignitaries gathered at the Nevada Rail Road Museum under rainy skies, Saturday for the unveiling of the Glenbrook, a historic locomotive that once hauled lumber from Lake Tahoe sawmills to Spooner Summit.

“Nowhere else can you see an event like this,” said Peter Barton, Administrator of the Division of Museums and History. “We’ve done research before we started restoring, we spent months with historians and researchers. The locomotive has been painstakingly restored, no where else can you find a locomotive that has had so much time spent working on it.”

By 1943, it was saved from scrap and donated by the Bliss Family to the Nevada State Museum, where it pleased countless youngsters who crawled all over it outside the museum’s doors on Carson Street for four decades. Restored by the Nevada State Railroad Museum, it is under steam again.

Let the exploring begin! Nevada Magazine’s inaugural Silver State Scavenger Hunt begins Friday, May 1, giving adventurers a chance to discover some of the most exciting destinations in Nevada. Nevada Magazine has split the state into two zones — Northern and Southern — and chose 14 notable places in each.

The Nevada Division of Tourism, also known as TravelNevada, recognized outstanding members of the state’s rural tourism industry Thursday, April 16 at the VolunTourism Awards dinner at the Carson Valley Inn. The annual event was part of the state’s 25th Rural Roundup tourism conference.

Nevada Magazine’s 18th annual Best of Nevada readers’ poll is underway, and votes are continuing to pour in. The survey allows Nevada lovers to vote for their favorite restaurant, hotel, museum, bar, and more. This year, family-friendly categories have been added.

Nevada businesses and destinations attending the Governor’s Conference on Tourism, Oct. 27-29, will have the opportunity to meet with nearly 40 tour operators, receptive operators, wholesalers, and airlines from around the world at the conference’s ever-popular sales marketplace.

UPDATE: Yogi Berra may have said, “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore,” but at the 2014 Carson City Mint Coin Show and Fair, the value is in the eye of the beholder. Sharp skilled dealers will buy, sell, trade and offer their expertise with free appraisals during the two-day event today, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 23. Held this year at both the Nevada State Museum and the Carson Nugget, the fair includes activities for children, prize drawings, lectures, coin sales and free appraisals with admission.

This week's episode of Women to Women features Janet Geary, publisher of Nevada Magazine.

In January 1936, Nevada Highways and Parks, known today as Nevada Magazine, was introduced by the state highway department. Always an information source for Nevada residents and tourists, what started as a digest-sized bulletin has grown into a colorful magazine.

Tickets are selling fast but there are still some left on Nevada Northern Railway's award-winning Polar Express in Ely. This magical ride, licensed by Warner Bros., follows both the book and movie; and features a vintage diesel locomotive pulling heated passenger train cars to the North Pole.

Including Friday, there are there are 13 remaining Polar Express rides through Dec. 28; except Dec. 24 and 25 when the railroad is closed. Polar Express holiday trains in Carson City have been sold out for several weeks.

Enjoy a wondrous evening under the stars with our friends from Great Basin National Park as they host the Star Train at Nevada Northern Railway, Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.

There will be a trivia contest on board with prizes for those with their thinking caps on. Passengers will be let off the train in order to gaze through telescopes at the night sky, guided by the Dark Rangers of Great Basin National Park. This is a great train ride that the whole family can enjoy.

Who doesn't like to collect money? Whether it is a rare Double Eagle $20 piece from the 1800s, an Indian Head Penny or a Nevada Day special medallion, the Carson City Mint Coin Show and Fair will help fill the hole in any coin collection.

Dozens of dealers will buy, sell, trade and offer their expertise with free appraisals during the two-day event Aug. 23 and 24, held this year at both the Nevada State Museum and the Carson Nugget.

CARSON CITY — For the second year, online voters picked the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park in Minden as one of six standout sites in the 2013 Nevada Treasures in the Discover Your Nevada contest, officials announced Monday.

The Nevada Northern Railway in Ely, the Star Hotel and Basque Restaurant in Elko, the Lost City Museum in Overton, the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas and the Pahrump Valley winery were also picked, said Claudia Vecchio, Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs director.

ELY, Nev. — The community-owned Nevada Northern Railway Museum in Ely, Nevada remains open and unaffected by Nevada state budget actions. The museum operates the famous Ghost Train of Old Ely and manages the Nevada Northern Railway complex, except for the state-owned, East Ely Railroad Depot Museum.

In January 1936, the state highway department introduced Nevada Highways and Parks — known today as Nevada Magazine. In 2011, the state’s official tourism publication celebrates its 75th anniversary. To honor the milestone, the magazine has produced a 192-page special edition, now available for purchase.

Subscribers, history buffs, and general Nevada enthusiasts can order the 75th-Anniversary Edition now at www.nevadamagazine.com, or, for faster response, by calling (775) 687-0603.