Elko

Northeastern Nevada Museum – Before you go inside the museum, check out the Pony Express cabin out front, with a bed, small table, fireplace with cooking pot. (Outside the cabin would have been a corral for the horses.)

Inside there's a beautiful stagecoach (actually it's a "mudwagon" which is much lighter), the bones of a Mastodon that lived in the Great Basin 2 million years ago, full size dioramas of northeastern Nevada wildlife (black bear, mule deer, antelope, pronghorn, desert Bighorn sheep, cougar), 19th century gun collection (Winchester rifles, Colt revolvers), rocks and minerals.

Sherman Station – Down the block from the museum, check out frontier-era buildings – a one room schoolhouse, livery stable, blacksmith's shop, and old wagons with big wooden wheels.

Main City Park – This large park is also located behind the museum and has a playground, with toddler swings and slides, shaded picnic tables, trees and grass.

National Basque Festival – In the 1880's Elko was settled by Basque sheepherders from Europe, bringing distinctive food and culture. Each summer the first weekend in July is the National Basque Festival with parades, dancing and a big barbeque where kids can taste lamb and Basque beans (which are delicious).

Silver State Stampede – At the oldest rodeo in Nevada, held at the Elko County Fairgrounds, kids can watch cowboys and cowgirls bareback riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling, bull riding, team roping, plus music, western dance, and food. Wear your cowboy hats. Click here for more information.

California Trail Interpretive Center – 8 miles west of Elko on Interstate 80 is the California Trail Interpretive Center. The California Trail is the route taken by pioneers across northern Nevada, following the Humboldt River, and continuing on through the Sierra Nevada mountains into California, and journey's end.

In the Interpretive Center are life size dioramas of a pioneer wagon encampment, maps of the trail west and first hand accounts of the journey, videos for kids about life on the trail, and play a game "Pack Your Wagon." Outside the center is one mile of hiking trails with views of the Humboldt Valley (kids can imagine what it was life traveling across this landscape in a covered wagon).