This was my second museum in one day so I didn't look super close at everything. The staff was…read morefriendly and helpful and there are 2 floors of exhibits. The first floor had displays about the wild mustangs, early ranches and the Washoe Tribe. The Chamber of Commerce is also located inside and has an assortment of brochures and a friendly, helpful staff member. There is also a small bookstore on the first floor with all sorts of fun and interesting books about Nevada and western history. The downstairs is divided into exhibits about various businesses. For example: The telephone company, a dress shop, mens fashion, and a saloon. Outside there are agriculture exhibits featuring machinery, a carriage and other ranching implements. There are bathrooms located on the lower floor. It is not open on the weekends.

This is a fantastic museum that my husband and I found while staying at the Carson Valley Inn. The…read moremurals and displays are beautiful. I especially loved the room dedicated to the local Washoe and Paiute people. There are gorgeous baskets, arrowheads, and beadwork on display along with historical pictures, bows and arrows, and other unique pieces. This room was put together by the Native American people themselves. The people who work there are friendly and informative. It costs just five dollars to check this place out and it is well worth it. Besides the Washoe room, there are displays related to the wild mustangs of Nevada including local legend, "Wild Horse Annie," wagon trails, mining, pioneer life with recreations of a mercantile, a barber shop, a beauty parlor, and typical early domestic items. You will learn about the first female doctor in Nevada, an early veterinarian, and another local legend, Snowshoe Thompson. He delivered mail from Placerville, Ca to Carson City, Nv. On wooden skis!! I recommend this awesome place to anyone passing through the area.

I love small local history museums, and this one is definitely the top notch. It's larger than I…read morehad imagined, and how the exhibits are organized and curated is excellent. I can tell right away that so much effort has gone into everything. In my short visit this time, I've learned so much about the county. The gift shop is also very well stocked and organized. The staff is wonderful. I can tell that this is a gem of the community. What not to love? If you are in the area, make sure to stop by!

This place is great way to spend some time! Lots of things to look at, only spent about 2 hours…read morebut could have done a lot more! My two girls had a great time!

It's really interesting being at a place like this. My friend brought me here as he's a huge…read morehistory nut. I'm not, haha! So it's funny to come to a place like this, but, even if history doesn't interest me. It's still important, so I came along eagerly with him! The first part we walked through was all about the Indians and their history in Nevada. It talked about the different tribes there were, their locations and some of the artifacts they had and ways of life they had. Next we went to a "Basketry Gallery" which, as the name implies, shows a ton of baskets weaved a long time ago! A very small room, with only three display cases. But they had quite a few baskets each and little descriptions for them too. It was pretty cool. We also went to an area that was just a collection of different art pieces, small displays, and other things that were displayed all around. It seemed to be the "random stuff" part of the museum, which gives a lot to look at! We went upstairs and saw a bunch of rocks and minerals that are/have been found in our state. There was also a big skeleton of a mammoth up here as well. I'm not too sure why it's with all the rocks and minerals, but it looked cool nonetheless! We then went to another place where it showed some big displays of historic things! Stuff like a map of an old town, an old house interior, stuff you'd see inside a railroad, things like that. It was all pretty neat! There was even a small exhibit of old casino stuff. There was also a small bit about the history of the Mint Building. Which apparently is what this museum used to be! It was stuff that kinda went over my head, especially since it was a Lot of text and reading. But it was Very in depth! We went into a room full of a Lot of old guns, ammo, crossbows, and other things! It was pretty cool to see so many ancient type firearms! Then we went underground into the mine exhibit! It was really cool as it actually went underground and had lots of cool displays! Walking around on a minecart track too! It was really cool to see! It also looks like the mine exhibit has been expanded recently as my friend told me that some of the stuff here wasn't here the last time he was here like two years ago! So it's cool to hear that this is still being expanded! Then finally, we checked out the gift shop. Always a nice final stop to any trip like this one! I ended up picking up a little coin thing that says the museum on it as a little memorabilia! Overall, it was a Very pleasant and fun experience! 100% recommend for anyone who really loves history as it was insanely in depth with how much it has, and with the continued expansions it seems to have! Even if I'm not much of a history person myself, it was still very fun to see and explore!

My daughter's elementary school went for a field trip so I went as a chaperone. I had never been…read morebefore and was pleasantly surprised. There are different areas to see with different exhibits. They have one of the original minted coin presses and the man that was giving the information was dressed the part, entertaining, and knowledgeable. All the staff was engaging in each area and you could tell that they genuinely were interested in the history and teaching others about it. The kids favorite area was the "ghost town" since there is a mine that you go through. I definitely learned things I didn't know about Nevada (not originally from the area though).

Military Museum [Hawthorne NV]…read more First, thank you to the thousands of Military, Civil Service and Civilian Corporate Personnel that have made significant, and even the ultimate sacrifice serving our country. During one of our road trips we took a little detour in the small town of Hawthorne to stretch our legs. We stopped at the museum on a Friday morning with no intention of staying long but ended up staying for about an hour. There was so much to see! Outside alone we spent 15 mins visiting the outdoor display. Inside, the museum featured many vintage and classic military uniforms, photographs, memorabilia, newspaper clippings from significant dates in history... and, of course, displays and exhibits of a range of ammunition dating back to the early part of the 20th century. Volunteer veterans were happy to answer questions from guests. We had a Marine Vet give us a little history about the world's largest ammunition depot. What a rare opportunity for us to get up close and personal and see the ammunition displays. Btw, Yelp didn't allow me to post some of the inert missiles, bombs, rockets and nuclear weapons collections. FREE Admission but accepts donation. The museum is a dream come true for fans of military history and veterans. They have a souvenir gift shop - Cash only. Review #3520

The Hawthorne museum is the most thorough ordnance museum we've ever been to! It's literally packed…read morefull of every single type of ordnance you can imagine. Both my husband and I are Navy Veterans that worked in the ordnance field so seeing it all in one place was definitely right up our alley! The staff was very friendly and welcoming and the displays are well thought out and easy to follow. The local history displayed was perhaps the greatest history lesson of all! We never knew Hawthorne held the secrets it holds!

The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about things. This place has a lot of deep history items,…read moreit's so cool to see items from decades ago... a definite must see if you're in town..!!!

KidZone is located in a medium/large sized yurt with an outdoor area for sand play. Place is…read moresuitable for kids up to 4 but not much more than that. Also, it is a little pricey for what it is. 3.5 stars (would be 4+ for smaller kids).

Kid's spring break in So Cal. We did a road trip. The weather wasn't the best, so we tried finding…read moreindoor things to do for the kid. Kid likes all things science and Legos so we took him here. Great experience. They have this climbing thing that's explaining the water cycle. It was really cool! The price wasn't bad, it's cheaper if you're members. There were employees everywhere happy to ask questions if you had any. It's a neat place. Lots of rooms to explore. Very interactive. We enjoyed ourselves.

The people here love what they do. They were excited to explain any object you had a question about…read morein the museum, true local historical enthusiasts. You can't get much for free entertainment nowadays, and this spot delivered an hour of educational entertainment. Make sure to purchase something at the front desk to help support their efforts.

We came by last Saturday to check out the  Western Days event at the History Museum Complex. It was…read morea cute mini festival with a few merchandise and food vendors, activities for kids, live music, and access to the Lake Tahoe History Museum and 1930's Log Cabin... all free of charge. It was cool seeing the horse drawn carriage rides happening throughout. And we purchased some sage, and bird whistles for the nieces and nephews back home. We even checked out the Tahoe Art League Gallery, which was right next to the History Museum, and they had some pretty impressive pieces. Event parking was unclear/nonexistent, even for such a small festival. Nothing too exciting, but if interested in seeing old artifacts (slot machine, S.S. Tahoe miniature, weapons, etc.) and learning about the history of Lake Tahoe, they cover it pretty well in the history museum, especially for such a small space.

Small museum (3 rooms), charming and quaint history of the region 1800-1900s + Native American…read moreartifacts.

Bridgeport has a really interesting history and as you spend time here you get the sense that this…read moretown hasn't really grown much or changed all THAT much in its history. A lot of the land was bought up by other counties or is BLM/NF land and or rangeland. What is there, the people here want to conserve and talk about. This museum had more than I thought it would and if you like history, especially CA history than it's worth a stop in this sleepy little town. The curators are super kind and lovely to talk with. We played tennis at the park, and walked around town too. A fun and laid back stop on our vacation. I recommend!

REVIEW #1700! One…read moreof the things I enjoy about traveling is the sometimes random discovery of local and historical points of interest. And since part of Gayle's family is from Genoa, and that someday we might actually move here, it's fun to look around and see what I might find. This morning, I started out trying to find a newspaper, but instead just started driving around. And as I drove down Genoa Lane, I came upon the Hanging Tree. One of the worst chapters in the history of Genoa took place in 1897 when a drifter, Adam Uber, accused of murdering a popular teamster, Hans Anderson, was lynched. Uber was dragged from his jail cell in the night and hanged from this tree (along what was then called Boyd's Lane). According to the local legend, all of the perpetrators of the lynching later suffered injuries, great tragedies in their families, or terrible calamities. The story has been immortalized by the Carson Valley Historical Society in their annual progressive play, "The Curse of the Hanging Tree". There is a plaque on the tree east of Genoa on Genoa Lane.

Awesome history found here and since we visited Fort Churchill on a previous visit and wondered…read morewhere the rest of the houses went this completed the story for us. They have a short video and it was only a $1 to take a look through the house. The Park Ranger was very knowledgable and gave us all the history and very sweet and showed us around and answered all our questions. The history of the place really is amazing. come check it out for sure if your in the area!

This is one of those spots that you zip by that is really worth the stop…read more Buckland Station is a large white house right next to Highway 95A between Silver Springs and Yerington next to the Carson River. It is now a part of the Nevada State Parks. The house was built in 1870 as a boarding house and served as a stop along the Pony Express Route. As a 21st century traveler it serves as a great rest stop when making the interminable drive from Reno to Las Vegas. There are bathrooms and a small picnic area available behind the house. The house itself is only open on weekends, sometimes, but there are informational signs and lots of open space for dog and kid walking. All of this is free. It is not far off the road, clean and unpopulated. Great place to get out and stretch.