Family Fun - Adventures, Sights and Days Out

Recent years have seen continued growth in the number of families attending Worldcon, and Reno is a great place for anyone bringing children. On this page we've collected together some of our favorite ideas, based on personal recommendations from our Reno-based staff and our friends at the Convention Bureau, along with links which will open up a whole world of possibilities.

America's Adventure Place

Reno is well known as America's Adventure Place, with particular emphasis on getting out and having active fun. There are things to do in Reno itself, or you can travel a little further to the major natural attractions of the region such as Lake Tahoe. Water adventures include the Truckee River Whitewater Park in the center of Reno, kayaking, rafting, sailing swimming and fishing. Land adventures include biking, hiking, rock climbing and horse riding. Most of the air adventures probably go a little too far for most fans (sky diving, anyone?) but Hot Air ballooning is a great feature of Reno and Tahoe, and a wonderful, liberating way to take in the landscape. If this sounds just a little too energetic, there are some great facilities offering a more relaxed mixture of family activities with an adventure park feel. We recommend all of the following: Wild Island is at the top of our list, and features waterslides, wave pool, go-karts and miniature golf, along with indoor bowling. Next comes the Great Basin Adventure and Wilbur May Museum in Rancho San Rafael Park. This includes a museum, arboretum and wildlife exhibits, alongside an adventure park featuring log flumes, pony rides and panning for gold. The Grand Sierra Resort has a variety of family activities including laser tag, go-karts, a movie theater along with thrills for older teens at the Ultimate Rush Park. Finally, the Sierra Safari Zoo is more of an exotic animal rescue center than a zoo per se but it is open to the public and worth the the drive (it's about 10 miles north of Reno).

Back in Time

Reno is of course surrounded by history, and many of the attractions we've highlighted for adults are equally good for younger fans.

• If your interests take you to Reno's pioneer past, check out our more detailed page on the Heart of the West. Take your children on a journey into American history in Virginia City, or walk them along the Kit Carson Trail.

• For the more mechanically inclined, our transport history page has more information. The National Automobile Museum is a great trip out for families, and there's always the most famous of all American short line steam railroads - the Virginia and Truckee.

• The Nevada Museum of Art also has a very high quality collection, great travelling exhibits regularly visit and they often have good children's activities.

Choices, Choices ...

Reno is nothing if not varied. Here are some more ideas, and some useful links.

The Midway at Circus Circus is great for carnival games. Of course, most of the casinos and resorts in Reno have some sort of video arcade for the kids, but nothing beats the interactivity of Circus Circus. And of course there are regular circus acts performing.

A different kind of experience can be had at the Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center. Information about the Planetarium can be found on our Sky & Stars page.

Links:

• www.visitrenotahoe.com is the official visitor site for Reno & Tahoe, and includes a specific section on family fun.
• There is also a family activities section in the associated blog.
• www.visitvirginiacitynv.com is the official visitor site for Virginia City.
• www.visitcarsoncity.com is the official visitor site for Carson City.
• 99 Things to Do list on Reno.com.