All Nevada state museums will celebrate Nevada Day with free admission on Friday, Oct. 31, the observed holiday. Admission to the Nevada State Museum and the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City also is free on Saturday, Nov. 1, the day of the parade in the capital city.
The state museums offer plenty of history, with special exhibits and events created for Nevada’s 150th birthday. At the railroad museum, the historic McKeen motor car will operate from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.On Nov. 1, the Nevada Day parade begins at the museum’s doorstep at the corner of Fairview Drive and U.S. 395, and the museum will be open all day. Rides cost $8 for adults, $4 for those ages 4-11 and museum members, and are free for those ages 3 and younger.
Just down the street at 600 N. Carson St., the Nevada State Museum is brimming with exhibits and artifacts that tell how Nevada became a state, who shaped its past and how it grew. Specially created for the Sesquicentennial, “Finding Fremont: Pathfinder of the West” looks at how the famed explorer traveled and named much of the West, and the things he lost and found along the way. The museum’s famous mine draws children of all ages, offering memories of a lifetime. Coins, fossils, guns, toys, wildlife, prehistoric baskets and clothing are among the displays. A 100-year-old pair of Levis and a handmade quilt from the state’s 125th birthday are featured in “Our Nevada Stories: Objects Found in Time.”
A Nevada Day tradition, the famous original U.S. Carson City Mint Coin Press No. 1 will operate on Oct. 31. On Nov. 1, the press will make and sell commemorative Nevada Day medallions from 10:30 to noon and 1 to 3 p.m.
For more information, contact the Railroad Museum at 687-6953 or the State Museum at 687-4810.
