I love this little gem in Carson City that most of us forget about. Myself included. There is a lot of Nevada History here that I never knew! The old mint, wonderful. I actually got a piece of silver minted when I was there, what a treat. The employees are very friendly (especially the mint guys) and helpful as well as very informative. The museum is incredibly clean and well maintained. Interactive pieces everywhere. The old mine is a fun walk. The steel shutters are a preppers dream come true! This is a lovely place that holds a ton of valuable Nevada history. I will say get out there and support our museums! You will not be disappointed. read more

Nevada State Museum - Minting coins at Nevada State Museum. Pretty cool actually. - Museums Near Me - Carson City, Nevada

I first paid a visit to this museum as a young boy way back in the late 60s or early 70s. I've visited it a few times since then. Most recently in May of 2018. It had had a remodel on my last visit. At least my favorite part of the museum was still intact..the replica of an old west town. If you're interested at all in Nevada's history this place is worth the visit. Also if you're a coin collector the building that houses the museum use to by one of our country's coin mints. The old west town and the old mine that you can walk through I fondly remember from my childhood. I'm glad they're both still there for other children to see. read more

A really wonderful museum. Our favorites were the mine exhibit, the mammoth and all the beautifully preserved animals. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend this experience. read more

Nevada State Museum - Museums Near Me - Carson City, Nevada

I took my daughters here and it was really awesome! Staff are really nice! And my girls had a great time. Mining tunnel was a cool experience. read more

Not much to say except that this museum is absolutely fantastic. It is literally the official state museum that shows the entire history of Nevada from the ecosystem, the geography, past developments, contributions to art, music, etc, EVERYTHING. I think I paid $12 for entry. The bottom section showing the mine was a really cool experience. The museum does not look large from the outside but it is actually jampacked with stuff to see and read. I would allot around 2-3 hours to go through on your own leisure and to really appreciate the collection that is the museum. read more

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What a great little museum! It's only $8 for adults, kids under 17 years are free. I loved the Natural History Geology exhibit. There's a fine collection of birds and animals, too. Don't miss the China Camp exhibit. read more

I've been told about the museum since I moved to Nevada, but never went until the end of winter (2018). It was an outing that both my dad and I could enjoy. Located on north end of Carson Street in Carson City in Carson City County, it's fairly easy to find. The place is big. Much bigger than you'd think from looking at it from the outside. Enter from the rear of the building. Parking is located in the back. The grounds and interior are clean, new looking and well kept. All kinds of exhibits! Ghost town, numismatic display of Carson City coinage, firearms, taxidermy of a lot of native Nevadan animals! We were there for several hours and ran out of time when they were closing. It was a great time well spent. ---------------- Bottom Line I would highly recommend this museum as a stop if you appreciate the desert and/or the history of Nevada. Yes, I will be coming back again. read more

Only $8 per adult - an excellent deal. You can easily spend close to 3 hours at this great museum; however, parking around the area is limited to 2 hours. We liked: - Mine Shaft - Ghost Town - John C. Fremont - temporary exhibit - Natural History - Nevada History - Gun Collection read more

I have been here before and enjoyed it which is why I give it any stars at all but on this trip the place was closed (a Monday). A website (not sure if it was official) said they were open so I went there with my mother and my nephew who was visiting from France only to find out closed. Oddly enough the sign on the door also said they were open on Mondays. Very disappointing! read more

Nevada State Museum - Nah humbug! - Museums Near Me - Carson City, Nevada

Obviously if you collect coins,particularly Carson City coinage it's awesome! The sheets of gold by year and denomination between glass is the treat for your numismatic show n tell.The city is cool and you can sense a little of the history walking downtown as well. I'm sure people drive here just for the mint-the history of it is fascinating as well! The press and photos are cool too! read more

Excellent museum with wonderful, creative exhibits! $10 entry fee for adults - we spent about 2 hours and saw most rooms. This is definitely worth visiting for those who enjoy history including prehistoric mammoth and horse bones. We loved the mining exhibit in the basement and the ghost town exhibit. Followed it up with an ice cream just a bit further away! read more

This museum is a little small, but I was not sure what to expect anyway. We just happen to be in Carson city and decided to explore the town, when we came upon this museum. It was actually quite impressive. They had a section explaining in detail about the miners of Nevada, what they mined for, how they mined for it, and their hardships. There was also a section on the native Americans, their history, their culture, and videos of natives talking about their personal family histories. There were animals that were stuffed sand on display, spewing the different creatures that are native to these lands, and some part extinct animals as well. There was also a section describing in detail the different metals and whatnot that were mined, along with large samples of each for you to view. Also, there was a section solely based on Nevada history, and the people that helped to make Nevada the great state that it is today. There is a super cool little ghost town set up in there as well, which was really cool and interesting to see and walk through. I am sure I am missing some sections, but it was overall a fun and great experience that everyone should partake in. read more

Really nice smallish museum, some of it feels a little cheesy (the anamatronic "Old Prospector") but the collection in the Natural History section was impressive. My daughter loved the coins & mint display. Well worth an afternoon's visit. There's a good sized gift shop, too, if you're shopping for souvenirs. Parking in the lot is very limited, but there's plenty of street parking behind the museum. read more

Whether you're from Nevada or visiting, you'll appreciate all of the historical treasures to see here. I'm particularly impressed with the fossil and minerals exhibit! The kids will love the adventure through the underground mine. read more

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I had wanted to go to this outstanding museum for a long time, and this weekend I finally had the opportunity to check it out. My husband and I were so happy with our experience, we could not wait to talk about it here!! Every aspect of Nevada culture is offered up to visitors here, from the Native Americans in the area-Washoe, Shoshone, and Paiute, the mint, which is part of the museum, a replica of a mine,and a ghost town. Additionally, there are sections which feature the geology, the guns of the Old West, the natural history of the state, the pioneers and gold miners, the gambling/casino memorabilia, and much, much more. For $8.00 per adult, it is well worth the price. In fact, I actually enjoyed this museum as much as the Heard Museum in Phoenix. It is a must for anyone passing through Nevada's capitol. There gift shop has a great selection on books related to Nevada lore and culture. I can't quite raving about how impressive this historical spot is. Plan on spending at least two hours here. My favorite parts of the museum were: the Native American exhibit and the mine. Even if you are not typically a museum person, you will not be bored. read more

Great time to learn more about our state! Everyone needs to explore this place!! The coin stamp machine was impressive to see in action!!

We visited on July 19 and were amazed at the quality and variety of the exhibitions. Not only do you learn about local history but also are exposed to art. The First World War exhibition was outstanding especially as we are approaching the 100th anniversary of the end of WW 1. We highly recommend this museum. read more

What a great find. In town for the Carson City off-road bike race with time to kill. Took the 12 & 14 year old here with low expectations and we all really enjoyed it. Large enough to hold our interest for over an hour, great mining exhibition, that was our favorite, closely followed by the ghost town. Informative and current exhibits. $8 for adults and free for under 17's. Bargain. Highly recommend. read more

Reasonable and manageable size, nice variety of exhibits that are well-designed and easy to navigate, and clean bathrooms. What's not to love? My Carson City friend spent a couple hours here before Christmas and did not manage to see everything, but we made a solid effort. We got distracted by a couple videos about the history of mining. Yes, we are history nerds, especially me. There are two rooms devoted to Fremont the Pathfinder, the first time I've seen such a large exhibit devoted to him. It was very interesting. The Ghost Town was good, too, although the robot supposed to be a prospector was pretty creepy. I guess he was supposed to be. Finding the entrance to the mine exhibit was confusing, even for my friend who'd been there before. The mine does give you a good idea of the conditions miners had to endure and the methods used for mining. We must have learned something, because we saw examples of "timbering" somewhere else and actually remembered seeing the description here. I particularly enjoyed the geology and natural history exhibits, I am much more interested in physical science than natural science, so this was made for me. I think my friend was amused by how excited I got by the discussion of geological uplift! We ran out of time and did not get to the Native American Heritage section, which was a disappointment. We were on the 3rd floor and heard the announcement that the museum was closing, so we hustled out of there. I was particularly grateful for the size of the museum. I live in a city where the museums are humongous; you almost have to have an annual membership, because you have to make several visits before you see everything. You can do this museum in an afternoon. We didn't, but it's certainly doable, and I like that. read more

One star off for not having good flow, but they did have to incorparate an existing building (The Mint). Exhibits: Mining Indian Tribes Mint Pioneer life Carson city history Wildlife read more

I took family to the museum to see what the old mint looked like, but the mint part was just to one small room of the museum. The kids still had a good time looking at the many displays. I really wanted to see more of the mint side, how they made the coins, the process and such. I really recommend making the stop while in Carson City, its a must. read more

I don't know what website or pamphlet I was looking at but it certainly did not mention that the museum was closed on Monday. So, during my grandson's very brief visit from France, I took the time to drive us all the way to Carson City from Reno to see this museum. Then I was shocked to find it closed, locked up tight. Fortunately, there was a very friendly security guard at the state capital that directed us to the railroad museum south of town. That place is a winner. They have very friendly and knowledgeable docents and they were just about to close up but instead gave us a very good tour of the trains and even a ride on a handcar ‼ read more

Nevada State Museum - Museums Near Me - Carson City, Nevada

Great displays. We learned about Nevada's history as well as took a below ground tour of a replicated mine from the 19th century. Displays of geologic history and native people were very interesting and informative. Nevada became so much more fascinating after discovering the museum. A place that was once covered by water is now uncovering ancient fossils. I recommend visiting the museum. read more

Everyone should visit Nevada State Museum, for every age. Excellent historical information, very informative. Each display is unique with lots of details. Great location and so nice to have free parking. Employees are very customers service friendly as well as in the store. read more

Bf and I strolled in at around 2:50pm on a Saturday afternoon, and they closed at 4:30pm so I don't think we had enough time to really enjoy everything to its fullest. There were some ho-hum collections that I was not very impressed by (native-American section in particular) because I don't think things were very well explained or fleshed out, a lot of their signage and displays weren't marked well, and the flow didn't seem well-thought out. The choice of text/font/color made it difficult to read in some cases, and in some others, you couldn't tell which description was in reference to which item because they weren't labelled well. I especially noticed this in their rock/geological collection. The awesome parts: -Really nice replication of a ghost town and mine underneath it at the basement level. You could see that they put a lot of work into recreating all the details. They might want to be careful of the cart rails and other details in the path though, because some parts did seem like they could be tripping hazards for visitors, especially with the dim lighting. -I also really enjoyed the historic slot machine collection, which was a collection of some of the early slot machines created by inventor Charles Fey in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Awesome to see the original version (the Liberty Bell machine) for which most slot machines are still based on today. It's worth a visit if you're in town. We had an enjoyable afternoon wandering through. $8 admission, though unfortunately no student discounts. read more

Kids under 18 get in free, what a neat perk!!!! But wait there's soooo much more!!! The museum has both a contemporary feel and old west feel to it. It has soooo much to see, there is three floors of eye candy, and its a great way to spend 2 hours with kids. Its a must see if you are an out of towner, visiting Lake Tahoe or any nearby Nevada city. Stop in to see Nevada's great history. read more

Amazing insights into Nevada's history. The displays were beautiful and unique to Nevada. Every item has a connection to the state and nothing seems forced. The firearms exhibit is the best I have ever seen! It spans many hundreds of years and includes dueling pistols, intricate old heirloom shotguns, and a few special oddities (e.g. a pistol that fired rockets and a massive antique target rifle). The museum takes great care to present the early history of the area from many points of view, including those of both native people and modern archaeologists. If you can, try to visit on the last Friday of the month to see the old press mint some new silver! read more

This is a museum with a little bit of everything. The outside is deceiving, it is huge inside with a ton of things to look at.

We made it through in about an hour, it's three levels but not that much to see. It was $8/adult, kids free. The air either wasn't on or doesn't work because it was way too hot in there. read more

Wonderful museum. Clean and very informative of the state. Spent about two hours. Great exhibits.

Really good handicap access. Super friendly staff. Unique displays. Fun gift shop offerings. Easy parking. Cheap admission.

Ho hum little museum. Not sure how some of the exhibits related to Nevada (generic dolls, bottles and world war 2) Not sure if it's worth the $8 admission as we pretty much saw everything in about 30 min read more

Yesterday was National Museum Day, and although I've lived in the Reno-Sparks area 8 years I've somehow never taken my kids to the Nevada State Museum. Decided to give it a go and was SO glad we made the drive! This is an excellent museum with thoughtful exhibits varied enough to engage a variety of age ranges. Tons of cool Nevada science and history here. I came in with two teens and an 8 year old and everyone found something interesting. There's an underground mine replica, exhibits on geology and wildlife as well as Nevada history. Between the mammoth, the icthyosaur and the No. 1 coin press (which we got to see in action!) my 8 year old has not stopped talking about how cool museums are. We're already planning a trip back when the kids get a school break next month. Well worth the time and as a side note - this is well within walking distance of several restaurants. It'd be easy to make a day of it and have lunch nearby. read more

Lots of old stuff and history here! The kids loved the underground mine exhibit underneath the old mansion. My favorite part was seeing how the kids took an interest in historical items from Nevada's past. A cool museum that you should definitely check out if you're a history buff or want to add a bit of an educational aspect to your Nevada vacation. We checked this place out on our way back to the Reno airport after staying at Lake Tahoe. It's on the main thoroughfare as you drive through the state capitol city. read more

My kid's loved the Mammoth Bones and Ghost Town! Great spot to spend a few hours, and way better than I was expecting based on the facade.

Interesting, went with a Cub Scout troop a couple of years ago.. Was disappointed to learn some of the fossil remains were actually resin reproductions.. Some of the exhibits were not from the same time period but were grouped together... Kids had fun. read more

This is a fun museum to visit, especially if you are into mining, coin minting, old guns, or the old west. The general exhibits were okay, but the exhibits on the mint, history of Nevada, old weapons and slot machines were great. The Mining exhibit which is in the basement is very good (5 stars for that part). read more

This museum is a fun little place! I love the rock exhibit, the Native American room and the coins. Some of the exhibits are a little dated. But still fun. For being a small museum, it's got some cool stuff! Don't expect the national history museum, and you will have a good time! read more

Great place to learn about Nevada history and a great price as well. My 8 year old daughter was a bit scared of the mine but ended up loving it once we were inside. Loved the ghost town too! read more

Cool place to learn about minting coins and Nevada wildlife and geology. When we were there, the natural sciences section was being worked on, but still was able to see some cool stuff like beavers and birds. Other than the natural sciences, there are cool exhibits on the process of making currency, even how the building used to look. There was a vault in the guys' bathroom. In addition, if you're into firearms, there are a lot of cool artifacts for that as well. Some of the signage was dated, but that's reflected in the price. Docents are nice and you can easily spend a couple of hours here walking around checking out all the interesting things. Good for a date since you can check stuff out and chat as you go. read more