Welcome to Virginia City...
...site of the Comstock lode, which brought riches to the nation and figured prominently in the development of the Old West.
Virginia City was established in 1859 as a mining boomtown and became "The Richest Place on Earth after the richest vein of silver the world has ever known, called the "Big Bonanza" was discovered here.
Many of the buildings you will see as you walk along the boardwalks are the original buildings that housed businesses in the town's heyday. Though the great fire of 1875 destroyed two-thirds of the town, you can still find some that date to the 1860s.
Take a guided tour...
...around town in with Virginia City Tours or Happy Hoofer's Carriage Rides and get a look at all the great places to shop, visit and relax in.
You'll find lots of things to do in Virginia City, from riding the train to visiting museums; from browsing through unique gift shops to sipping a cold one at one of our historic saloons, many of which offer live music on the weekends.
Virginia City...
...boasts a number of museums dedicated to preserving the rich history of the area. The Way It Was museum will teach of the Old West's mining operations. The Historic Fourth Ward School Museum will tell of education in the 1800s. The Territorial Enterprise Museum teaches about Mark Twain, who began his journalistic career on the Comstock in the 1860s. The Comstock Fireman's Museum will show you classic, antique firefighting apparatus and the Nevada Gambling Museum houses old-time gambling items. We also have the Comstock Wild Horse and Mining Museum.
Other places of interest...
...are the Silver Terrace Cemeteries, St. Mary's Art Center, Piper's Opera House, St. Mary in the Mountains Catholic Church.
Virginia City is a place to have a great time while learning about the history of the West.
We hope you enjoy yourself during your visit, learn a little, and come back to see us again!
The Virginia City Chamber of Commerce