Genoa, the Silver State’s first town — older than Nevada itself — is a cozy relic steeped in history that may as well double as a Hallmark movie set this time of year.
Just 30 minutes from South Lake Tahoe, Genoa is a place where visitors can escape from the hustle and bustle, trading crowds for peaceful snow fall on the nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range as Main Street comes alive with a twinkle of sparkling lights and a slight winter chill.
Historic doesn’t mean dated here, however. The tiny town (population 786) has a robust dining scene, offering gourmet fare unexpected in a village made up mostly of restored Victorian buildings and cattle ranches.
On Main Street, a collection of mid-1800s storefronts house a collection of mom-and-pop establishments, including boutique shops and homey restaurants.
Here, you can start with breakfast at Flutter & Buzz Café. Open at 8 a.m. daily, it’s the perfect first stop off for an anti-inflammatory cardamom and cinnamon latte or a flavorful mimosa. The menu specializes in fresh breakfast and lunch fare and pastries baked in-house. There is an obvious affinity for local honey — hence the name — which appears as a main ingredient in several beverages and plates.
Once you’re fueled, you can begin Christmas shopping. The tree-lined streets boast adorable gift shops including Dancing Deer and Antiques Plus, which is so stuffed you’ll have to squeeze in and out of it.
When weather allows, consider getting into the great outdoors. The silent serenity of Genoa is inescapable as you walk the 2-mile path along River Fork Ranch Preserve, an 800-acre natural preserve and cattle ranch less than 2 miles from the center of town. The trail is dirt, so when it is wet, it can get fairly muddy, but on a dry day, the views of the snow-capped mountains can’t be beat.
Of course, snowshoeing is always an option (although the area isn’t exactly robust with tour operators, so you’ll need to pack your own snowshoes). When snow is falling in the Sierra Nevada foothills, both the Genoa Loop Trail and Sierra Canyon Trail make excellent destinations.
Nearby Mormon Station State Historic Park is an adorable place to stroll and let little kids get their wiggles out. There are restored covered wagons, lush lawns and an artifacts museum at the historic site that marks the town’s modest beginnings as a trading post founded by Mormon pioneers in 1851, before being renamed Genoa (after the Italian city) in 1855.
For lunch, the square offers several options, including the casual Foothill Market serving chili cheese dogs and turkey club sandwiches at the counter. There’s also beer and wine on the menu, and it’s a good stop for edible souvenirs — everything from local goods such as Tahoe Toffee to specialty items shipped in from around the world. During the holiday season, the market even offers curated gift baskets that take the guesswork out of your holiday shopping.
Another worthy lunch option is The Pink House, which enjoys a modern pop of neon lights in an 1855-built home painted in a delicate hue that inspired the name. A smattering of pink Christmas trees decorate the lawn, which hosts live-music events year-round.
For after-lunch drinks, take a stroll across the street to the Genoa Bar & Saloon — the oldest bar in Nevada — where the walls are covered with dusty old bras slung over antlers and other relics of the past, plus cocktails that allow you to catch a buzz for about $20 (drinks are $5-$12 each).
We’ve saved the best for last: dinner. Behind The Pink House, Daniel’s is a fine dining restaurant with a robust menu that pairs rustic French cuisine with Old Nevada hospitality. Its drool-worthy dishes include grilled duck breast topped with foie gras ($44) and scallops over a bed of wild rice risotto ($48).
Before or after your meal, stop into The Ice House, a standalone bar adjacent to the main dining room. Its name comes from its original purpose as a place to store ice before refrigeration. While much of the building has been redone, the large-stone walls are original. With less than 20 guests allowed in Daniel’s at any given time, it’s an intimate setting open only on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The menu boasts more than 20 craft cocktails, 10 tap handles and more than 100 bottles of wine.
On select evenings, Main Street businesses host specialty evening activities for locals and visitors, sometimes staying open late to do so.
When you’re ready to tuck in for the night, the White House Inn, a remodeled mid-1800s home featuring modern amenities in a historic setting, is a great pick. The property’s original carriage house is now the inn’s best room, outfitted with a king-size bed and walk-in shower.
Another option is David Walley’s Resort, offering both overnight accommodations and day passes to one of Nevada’s best outputs — natural hot springs. The rustic lodge houses five hot springs once enjoyed by the pioneers and set among the Sierra Nevada mountains, as well as a restaurant, the 1862 Restaurant & Saloon Bar.
Flutter & Buzz Café: Open 8 a.m.-2 p.m. daily, 2285 Main St., Genoa, (775) 215-0245; flutter-buzz-cafe.square.site
Dancing Deer: Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays, 2299 Main St., Genoa, (775) 782-5777; genoadancingdeer.com
Antiques Plus: Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, 2242 Main St., Genoa, (775) 782-4951
River Fork Ranch Preserve: Open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily, 381 Genoa Lane, Minden, (775) 322-4990
Mormon Station State Historic Park: Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, 2295 Main St., Genoa, (775) 782-2590; parks.nv.gov/parks/mormon-station
Foothill Market: Open 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays, 2299 Main St., Genoa, (775) 392-0527; foothillmarket.com
The Pink House: Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 193 Genoa Lane, Genoa, (775) 392-4279; thepinkhousegenoa.com
Genoa Bar & Saloon: Open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 10 a.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays, 2282 Main St., Genoa, (775) 782-3870; travelnevada.com/bars/genoa-bar-saloon
Daniel’s: Open 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2291 Main St., Genoa, (775) 392-1822; danielsgenoanv.com
White House Inn: 195 Genoa Lane, Genoa, (775) 870-7203; whitehouseinngenoanv.com
David Walley’s Resort: 2001 Foothill Road, Genoa, (775) 782-8155; holidayinnclub.com/explore-resorts/david-walleys-resort
How smartphone apps turn your night sky into a space map
Astronomy apps help you spot constellations, planets and satellites in real time using your smartphone.
Skywatchers across the U.S. are about to be treated to a dazzling weekend filled with not only two active meteor showers, but a celestial alignment starring the moon.
For two nights, Earth’s only natural satellite will host a cosmic party with three planets — Mars, Saturn and Uranus.
The phenomenon, often called a planet parade, presents spectators with a rare opportunity to see not only multiple planets, but also the moon, appear close together in the night sky — at least, from Earth’s vantage.
The best part of the show? Most of the striking spectacle — with the exception of Uranus — will be visible to the naked eye.
Here’s everything to know about the rare sight, as well as when, how and where you can see it across the United States.
The moon will appear in the night sky before sunrise on Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12, NASA said in a monthly skywatching guide.
While the term “planet parade” is not an official astronomy term, it is an unofficial way for astronomers and stargazers to refer to certain celestial events.
The planets in our solar system orbit the sun essentially along a line across the sky in a flat disc-shaped plane called the ecliptic.
Another term for a certain kind of planetary alignment, planet parades are what happens when planets line up along the ecliptic in a straight line and appear to us on Earth to be marching across the night sky, according to NASA. So, while planetary alignments themselves aren’t special, it is notable to have an opportunity to observe multiple planets at once.
During the celestial alignment, the moon will be entering a waning crescent phase before we have a new moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. That means Earth’s only natural satellite is getting less and less full and bright each night as its crescent gets thinner and thinner, NASA explains.
That’s good news for stargazers, as the moon will still be visible without outshining the planets nearby.
Look toward the eastern sky to catch the cosmic lineup in the early morning.
While the moon will of course be the easiest to locate, Mars will look like a small reddish point of light, while Saturn is also bright and easy to spot, NASA explained in a video.
For the clearest views, there are several places that are an easy drive from Reno where you can get a clear view of the stars, including:
Cloudy conditions may bring relief from the recent heat wave, but they could spoil the early-morning view of the planetary parade in much of northwestern Nevada.
Mars and Saturn are among the five planets in our solar system visible without optical aid — along with Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. Telescopes certainly will enhance the view but spectators don’t need any equipment to spot those planets joining the moon in the pre-dawn sky.
As for Uranus, the planet is typically not as bright — despite being the third largest in our solar system — and will require a telescope to see, NASA said.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com. The Reno Gazette Journal’s Carly Sauvageau and Brett McGinness contributed to this report.
A Nevada man is believed to have suffered a deadly fall while climbing in Oregon.
He’s been identified as 77-year-old Robert Pickering.
Search and rescue crews say they found his body along Mount Washington, northwest of Bend, according to a social media post from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.
A climbing guide reported hearing a rockslide near the summit after Pickering passed his group.
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office was one of several groups that assisted in the search.
RENO, Nev. – A homicide suspect from Montana took their own life on Thursday night after police surrounded their car in northwest Reno, reports KTVN 2 News Nevada.
The incident happened in the area of Sharlands Avenue around 9 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the Reno Police Department.
Officers located the suspect and surrounded their car, blocking them in. They then heard a single gunshot and backed away.
Reinforcements were called, and a drone was brought in by UNRPD. It was then confirmed the suspect was in their car, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the news agency reports.
The suspect has not been identified pending the notification of next of kin, and no additional information has been released at this time.
In addition to the Reno Police Department, the Regional Narcotics Unit and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
The investigation is ongoing.
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