Sparks
The primary meeting place for visitors in Sparks is John Ascuaga’s Nugget Hotel, which is currently undergoing upgrades. It has 110,000 square feet of meeting space, 1,500 guest rooms and eight restaurants.
Attractions include the Outlets at Sparks, a large upscale outlet mall where visitors can browse a selection of goods. A popular attraction in the area is the off-road racing, about 15 minutes east of the town; it’s special because it is the closest off-road racing park to any metropolitan area in the region. The desert terrain makes the area an ideal place to hold races, such as the Lucas Oil Off Road Races at Wild West Motor Sports Park.
Baum said many visitors who stay in Sparks have the added benefit of having the Reno/Tahoe area right in their backyard as a source of dining and entertainment.
www.visitrenotahoe.com/destination/sparks/
Carson City
Linda Macauley, administrative assistant at the Carson City Visitors Bureau, said Nevada’s capital is special not only because of its “Wild West history,” which includes prospectors who struck silver there, but also due to today’s modern amenities. The Eastern Sierra and Sierra Nevada mountains make for great sightseeing. Other attractions are Carson City’s Historic District, the former U.S. Mint and modern events like the Blinky Man Tour for bicyclists.
Several meeting and conference facilities are available, among them the Silver Oak Golf Course and Event Center, which has a conference room with 3,800 square feet with views of the course and the Sierra Nevada. The center also has two breakout rooms, each with 750 square feet of meeting space.
The Carson City Community Center can accommodate 738 people in seating, with other available rooms for groups of up to 40 people. The Carson Nugget has 7,700 square feet of flexible meeting space as well.
The Plaza Hotel includes a conference center with 4,000 square feet of room, and the Holiday Inn and the Hampton Inn can each accommodate 30 to 40 visitors.
“Sassafras Eclectic Food Joint has great dining and music on the weekends. The Westside Pour House has music on the weekends with a bar, pool and food,” Macauley said of the Carson City dining scene.
She also noted that Carson City has events all year long in the downtown area and that the Brewery Arts Center and Community Center host musical and theatrical events.
