Six Must-See Sites Named State Treasures in Discover Your Nevada Contest

Photo: Lori Drew (Nevada Northern Railway in Ely)

Online voters have identified six standout sites as the 2013 Nevada Treasures in the Discover Your Nevada contest, Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Director Claudia Vecchio announced today.

Three of the six Nevada Treasures defended their 2012 title through active social and viral marketing outreach. This year’s winners are:

• Cowboy Country: The Star Hotel and Basque Restaurant in Elko, which also won in 2012
• Indian Territory: The Lost City Museum in Overton
• Las Vegas Territory: The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas
• Nevada Silver Trails: Pahrump Valley Winery
• Pony Express Territory: Nevada Northern Railway in Ely, which also won in 2012
• Reno-Tahoe Territory: Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park in Minden, which also won in 2012

The contest, now in its second year, is administered by the Nevada Commission on Tourism and is designed to raise awareness of Nevada’s extraordinary assets among Silver State residents, ultimately driving travel within the state.

The 2013 contest comprised a four-week process whereby people nominated, then voted for their favorite Nevada Treasures in the state’s six tourism territories: Cowboy Country, Indian Territory, Las Vegas Territory, Nevada Silver Trails, Pony-Express Territory, and Reno-Tahoe Territory. Nominations began July 3, followed by two rounds of online voting. The final voting round closed at 5 p.m. on August 2.

Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas

“Nevada has so many interesting towns, historical sites, and natural wonders. It truly is a place for discovery,” Vecchio says. “The winners represent urban and rural areas, showcasing the incredible offerings found throughout the state.”

The 2013 contest was conducted via Facebook, providing an enhanced opportunity for sharing recommendations and viral marketing by nominees. This platform allowed residents, business owners, and Nevada fans to rally behind their favorites via critical social networking channels.

For more information about the 2013 “Treasures” and traveling in Nevada, visit TravelNevada.com. Read about the 2012 Discover Your Nevada winners in this Nevada Magazine story.

Nevada's Sesquicentennial Celebration

Brian Krolicki and Brian Sandoval in Carson City.

Earlier today, Governor Brian Sandoval and Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki held a press conference after arriving by steam locomotive at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City. The governors addressed the celebration of Nevada's sesquicentennial, the unveiling of the Nevada Commission on Tourism's 2013 Discover Your Nevada campaign, and some important news about Nevada's state museums.

Governor Sandoval announced that many of Nevada's museums are upgrading, and all will expand their hours and days of operation. In celebration of the expanded museum operations, all seven Nevada state museums are offering two free admission days.

The free admission days are scheduled for July 6 and 20 and feature special programs, new exhibits, and unique opportunities. The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City is offering half-price train fares. The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson city is celebrating Independence Day July 4-7 and offering special outdoor locomotive displays and a chance to ride on a train pulled by the Virginia & Truckee (V&T) locomotive No. 25.

As part of the Discover Your Nevada campaign, the Nevada Commission on Tourism announced that beginning today, July 3, people can vote for their favorite activity, experience, or event in the state. Whichever activity, experience, or event gets the most votes will receive a plaque, a mention in a future issue of Nevada Magazine, and much more. Details can be found at travelnevada.com/discover, and by clicking on the Discover Your Nevada graphic below.

With Nevada's quickly approaching sesquicentennial, the governors announced the launch of the Nevada 150 campaign. With 150 events planned during the sesquicentennial year, the Nevada 150 campaign plans to "promote the independent spirit of Nevada through education, tourism, and history."

In lieu of the sesquicentennial, Governor Sandoval signed a law which authorizes sale of a special Nevada 150 license plate, which will be available for purchase through the DMV starting late July. Revenues from the Nevada 150 license plates will support projects and events related to the year-long Nevada 150 celebration.

Nevada Magazine announces 2012 Best of Nevada winners

Nevada Magazine’s July/August 2012 edition, which reveals the winners of the publication’s 15th annual Best of Nevada readers’ survey, is on newsstands now. From Brewery to Wedding Venue, the annual listing includes 18 categories. In most cases, the categories are divided into North, South, and Rural Nevada, giving tourists plenty of statewide vacation ideas.

Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno is a five-category winner, voted Best Casino, Hotel, Nightclub, Spa, and Wedding Venue in Northern Nevada. David Walley’s Resort Hot Springs & Spa won two categories: Best Spa and Wedding Venue in Rural Nevada. The Best of Nevada food-and-drink categories (Brewery, Buffet, and Restaurant) are covered extensively in the magazine’s “Cravings” department, highlighted by Reno’s Cactus Creek Prime Steakhouse, which won Best Restaurant in Northern Nevada for the third year in a row.

Red Rock Casino Resort Spa is the only two-category winner in the Southern Nevada discipline, earning Best Casino and Spa honors. Tropicana Laughlin won Best Restaurant and Wedding Venue in Rural Nevada. The recently opened Mob Museum won Southern Nevada’s Best Museum category in its first year of eligibility, and Tonopah’s Central Nevada Museum won the Rural Museum category for the third consecutive year.

A complete list of winners can be found at nevadamagazine.com. To see past Best of Nevada winners, click here.

July/August 2012 issue

Best of Nevada winners Nevada Northern Railway in Ely (Best Place to Take the Kids; Rural) and Valley of Fire State Park (Best State Park; South) also were honored with the distinction of being named one of the state’s six treasures in a recent Nevada Commission on Tourism campaign called Discover Your Nevada. Like Best of Nevada, the treasures—one from each of the state’s six “territories”—were determined by public vote.

Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park (Minden), Goldwell Open Air Museum (near Rhyolite), Nevada Northern Railway (Ely), Pyramid Lake (Indian Reservation), The Star Bar & Dining Room (Elko), and Valley of Fire State Park are the six treasures and the subjects of the July/August issue’s cover story, which also discusses how Governor Brian Sandoval and Lieutenant Governor Brian K. Krolicki have taken active roles in promoting intrastate travel.

Also in the July/August issue are stories about renovations at Las Vegas’ original resort—Golden Gate Hotel & Casino—sister bed and breakfasts in Alamo, a cozy B&B in Kingston, and a history story about the July 18, 1912 flood that wiped the northwestern Nevada mining town of Mazuma off the map.

Nevada ‘treasures’ unveiled

Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, in Reno-Tahoe Territory, is one of Nevada's "six treasures," according to voting results in the Nevada Commission on Tourism's Discover Your Nevada campaign.

After several rounds of voting and months of friendly competition, six unique locations in Nevada have been identified as Nevada’s Treasures, Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki announced today.

“The Discover Your Nevada campaign has been incredibly well received, and the Nevadans who have visited the TravelNevada.com website have served to unleash a renewed interest in the wonderful tourism opportunities available throughout Nevada — ranging from the well-established venues to some of our state’s truly unknown treasures,” Krolicki, chair of the Nevada Commission on Tourism, said. "The governor and I are delighted to participate in this marvelous campaign, and are gearing up to hit the road shortly to revisit some of our favorite places as well as to discover treasures that have somehow eluded us during our many years of traveling this great state."

The Nevada Treasures competition was part of NCOT’s Discover Your Nevada campaign, a three-month endeavor to encourage in-state travel and to educate Nevadans about some lesser-known corners of their state.

Goldwell Open Air Museum.
Photo: Shane Kruitbosch

The nomination period kicked off on March 1, and NCOT received 587 nominations in the state’s six tourism territories: Reno-Tahoe, Cowboy Country, Pony Express, Nevada Silver Trails, Las Vegas, and Indian Territory. Several rounds of voting narrowed the competition until the final two in each category were announced April 30.

“It was so interesting to see the variety of nominations, from natural wonders like Cathedral Gorge State Park to world-famous sights like the Las Vegas Strip,” Claudia Vecchio, director of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, said. “Even more interesting and thrilling was to see the local residents and business owners reach out to their communities to rally support. The volley of marketing on the local level grew with each round of voting, and residents jumped on board to support their favorite venue.”

The final round of voting closed at 5 p.m. on May 4. The winning treasures are:

• Cowboy Country: The Star Bar & Restaurant in Elko
• Indian Territory: Pyramid Lake (Indian Reservation)
• Las Vegas Territory: Valley of Fire State Park near Overton
• Nevada Silver Trails: Goldwell Open Air Museum in Rhyolite
• Pony Express Territory: Nevada Northern Railway in Ely
• Reno-Tahoe Territory: Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park in Minden

For more information about the Discover Your Nevada campaign, visit DiscoverYourNevada.com.

Final round underway for Nevada Treasures contest

Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada is a finalist in the Las Vegas Territory. Photo: Matthew B. Brown

Historic sites, natural wonders still in the running; vote through May 4

A handful of Nevada attractions and businesses are vying to be named Nevada Treasures in an online social media contest that began in March as part of the Nevada Commission on Tourism’s Discover Your Nevada campaign. Finalists in six categories were announced today by the Nevada Commission on Tourism; the public has until 5 p.m. on Friday, May 4 to cast online votes at discoveryournevada.com.

“This contest was designed to be a fun way to get people talking about Nevada’s most unique treasures,” says Claudia Vecchio, director of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. “We’ve seen people really get behind their favorites, courting online votes and creating a buzz about these treasures. While we’re very interested to see which treasures eventually win, the real value of the contest has been in the remarkable conversations that have been generated. People are talking about what’s available throughout the state.”

People nominated all types of things as Nevada Treasures, from historic sites and natural wonders, but also a photography symposium, restaurants, wineries, and even people.

The contest is wrapping up, with two finalists in each of six categories (which happen to be the six tourism "territories" of Nevada):

• Cowboy Country: Shooting the West — an annual photography symposium in Winnemucca — and the Star Hotel and Restaurant in Elko;

• Indian Territory: The Lost City Museum in Overton and Pyramid Lake in Northern Nevada;

• Las Vegas Territory: The Colorado River and Valley of Fire State Park;

• Nevada Silver Trails: Goldwell Open Air Museum — an open air sculpture park near Beatty — and Sanders Family Winery in Pahrump;

Ely's Nevada Northern Railway is a finalist in the Pony Express Territory. Photo: Matthew B. Brown

• Pony Express Territory: Churchill Vineyards in Fallon and the Nevada Northern Railway in Ely; and

• Reno-Tahoe Territory: Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park in Minden and Thunderbird Lodge National Historic Site on the east shore of Lake Tahoe.

Discover Your Nevada Launches

Gov. Brian Sandoval and Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki. Photo by Bob Conrad

Governor Brian Sandoval, Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki, representatives of the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, and local media came together at the Wilbur D. May Museum in Reno today to officially launch the new Discover Your Nevada campaign.

Sandoval said the program's main purpose is to encourage visitation within the state. "We're excited about the prospect of Nevadans discovering their own state," he said, after he announced that Krolicki and himself will do some discovering of their own. The governors will make three separate journeys together this spring: one to Gerlach and the Black Rock Desert area, a second to Fort Churchill State Park and the Dixie Valley area, and a final excursion down U.S. Highway 95 and across the Extraterrestrial Highway with a stop in the town of Rachel.

The Governor quipped in making a reference to the "Road to.." movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Details of those itineraries will be announced on the official Discover Your Nevada website, where Sandoval will maintain a blog. He also promised plenty of Tweets and fun.

The governors' travels are just the beginning of Discover Your Nevada. The campaign also incorporates public participation, in which you can nominate your favorite Nevada treasures online now through March 18. Voting begins March 19, and the treasures will ultimately be dwindled down to six (the number of tourism-designated territories in the state) and announced in early May.

"This is our chance to fall in love again with the State of Nevada," Krolicki said. "Stay-cation is the theme. Nevadans can put the family in the back of the car and hit the open road."

Both Sandoval and Krolicki praised Claudia Vecchio, Director of the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, for spearheading the new program.

So what are you waiting for? Click here to nominate your favorite Nevada treasure.