Nevada State Museum

Address:600 North Carson St.
Reno, Nevada
Tel: (775) 687-4810

From indigenous desert wildlife to life in Nevada during nuclear testing, the Nevada State Museum is a complete history of this rich and fascinating western state.

The Nevada State Museum is a perfect stop-in for the history buff, who will appreciate the fascinating cast of Native Americans, pioneers, gangsters and rebels who are all part of Nevada's past. Spanning the long history of the 41st state, exhibits at the Nevada State Museum range from the ice age to present day, with a life-size model of a 48-foot-long ichthyosaur and the bones from its front flipper, as well as fossils and the skeletons of a horse and a sloth.

Visitors can explore a gallery which traces the presence of man in Nevada, and which contains hand-woven baskets left behind by Native Americans, or use a map in the museum to follow the interwoven paths of some of the most famous explorers as they made their way across the desert. There's a large exhibit dedicated to nuclear testing in Nevada, including a variety of posters, cartoons, photos, newspaper clippings and a photo sequence following the 2.3-second collapse of a typical wood-frame house during a nuclear blast. The infamous city of Las Vegas is not left out at the Nevada State Museum. There's a great photography exhibit which highlights some of the most notable neon signs in the city.

To get to the Nevada State Museum from Reno, drive south on U.S Highway 395 until it becomes Carson Street. Look for the museum on your right.