Casinos are still drawing crowds to Reno, Nev., but the city’s expanding non-gaming offerings and entertainment are adding to the destination’s variety and diversity.
“We know Reno has been known as a gaming community, but we are so much more than that now,” said Mike Larragueta, vice president, sales for Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority. “Yes, we have gaming resorts, but we now have a range of product, from non-gaming, non-smoking properties to fully integrated resorts, and it’s nice to offer a variety.”
Newer non-gaming properties downtown and in outlying neighborhoods are growing in popularity and setting a new tone for city.
Engaged in Art
The city’s Midtown neighborhood is undergoing a revitalization that is showcasing public art and bringing independent businesses to the area.
“We have seen a complete resurrection of our Midtown area,” Larragueta said. “Off the downtown corridor, there has been a massive emergence of breweries, restaurants and businesses, bringing investors to the market. It has become a desirable place to patronize for both locals and visitors.”
Reno’s art scene is even merging with its food scene via Reno Food Tours. Founded and led by Melissa Smith, the Midtown and Murals Tour incorporates the cultural highlights of the neighborhood. Between stops at Midtown eateries, groups learn about the murals, the artists and their inspiration. While the Downtown Tour focuses more on the history of Reno itself, included is a stop at the Nevada Museum of Art.
“Our partners are independent, usually husband and wife teams, and we tour a variety of types of food in each neighborhood,” Smith explained. “As we are walking to the tasting destinations, it’s an opportunity to explore historical, architectural or cultural points of interest. So in the Midtown neighborhood, the cultural relevance are the murals.”
Private tours can include groups of 16, or for larger parties, the group begins and ends together, but is divided into smaller groups during the 2.5-hour tour.
Art Spot Reno, a company that supports local arts and businesses, helps integrate all types of art into the community. The team coordinates a monthly art walk, workshops and special events, such as the first Reno Mural Expo this fall. Art Spot Reno is partnering with Whitney Peak Hotel, Orchard House Foundation and the City of Reno to bring 20 artists, including international, national and local artists, to the city to create new murals. Across 20,000 square feet of wall space, the artists will incorporate different mural styles, including abstract, photo realistic, graffiti, paintbrush, airbrush and stencil.
“Reno is a city full of hidden gems, but still has large pockets of abandoned buildings and blight,” said Eric Brooks, festival organizer. “The inaugural Reno Mural Expo will brighten and revitalize areas of downtown washing walls with color and positive messaging.”
The festival will also include artist lectures, a film screening, workshops, mural tours and entertainment in local art, music and theater venues.
Another public art program is the Rotary Club of Reno Sculpture Park, featuring a rotating outdoor exhibition run by the Reno Arts & Culture Commission and Public Art Committee. Six sculptures were selected to be on display for a year at Bicentennial Park, along the Truckee River, and can be purchased directly from the artists.
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Art-Focused Venues
The McKinley Arts & Culture Center is a historic venue originally built in 1909 as McKinley Park School. Renovated in 1999, the Center houses two gallery spaces, the City of Reno Cultural Affairs Division, office space for local nonprofit art organizations, as well as an auditorium and boardroom available for private events of up to 200 guests.
The Nevada Museum of Art is the only accredited art museum in the state. Exhibits include permanent collections of work from the 19th through 20th centuries as well as traveling exhibits from renowned and emerging artists. In 2016, the museum unveiled a $6.2 million renovation of its rooftop space: the Nightingale Sky Room and the Stacie Mathewson Sky Plaza.
“It is a beautiful facility and was very well done,” Larragueta said. “There are views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and downtown from its new rooftop venue.”
The 4,800-square-foot Nightingale Sky Room features floor-to-ceiling glass walls giving the space an indoor-outdoor feel, and sits adjacent to the 5,000-square-foot Stacie Mathewson Sky Plaza. The space also has a full-service banquet kitchen.
The museum offers additional venues for private events, such as the atrium, which can accommodate 200 people; an executive meeting space ideal for meetings and luncheons for up to 75 people; and the Wayne and Miriam Prim Theater and theater lobby, with 180 seats, stage and advanced audiovisual technology. Groups can also arrange for decent-led tours of the exhibits.
Entertainment 2.0
Both gaming and non-gaming hotels and resorts in the city are going beyond the casino floor with entertainment and activity options.
The Renaissance Reno Downtown Hotel opened this past spring after a rebranding and renovation, making the former Siena Hotel a non-gaming property.
Bundox Bocce is the hotel’s indoor-outdoor entertainment venue with seven indoor bocce courts, other games such as Skee-Ball and ping pong, as well as two 50-foot projection screens, a restaurant and bar. Outside sits a 10,000-square-foot patio with its own bar, dining area, fire pits and two additional bocce courts. Groups can use the outdoor area for private events and there are also two private rooms inside Bundox Bocce.
“We can accommodate private parties from 50 to 750 people,” said Alicia Cavallo, director of sales and marketing, Renaissance Reno Downtown Hotel. “The huge screens are great for showcasing sporting events, and also for branding.”
The hotel commissioned Joe C. Rock, a local fine-art muralist who specializes in using street art graffiti, cartooning and realism together in his works, to create a mural on an exterior wall of the property. His work can also be found inside the hotel on the walkway and staircase down to the wine cellar of The Shore Room restaurant.
The Atlantis Casino Resort Spa houses the region’s only Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Spa—Spa Atlantis—and eight restaurants, including the No. 1 and 2 Reno restaurants on TripAdvisor: Atlantis Steakhouse and Bistro Napa, respectively.
“We are the only Reno property connected via Sky Bridge to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, which offers 500,000 square feet of additional space,” said Tracie Barnthouse, communications manager, Atlantis Casino Resort Spa.
The hotel transforms the 14,200-square-foot Grand Ballroom into a concert venue for big-name acts, while the cabaret stage, which overlooks the casino floor, features regular entertainment.
