City: Reno, NV

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (775) 329-4777, (800) 687-8733

Address: 407 North Virginia Street

Description: When Silver Legacy Resort Casino opened in 1995, it redefined the Reno skyline. Its 38 floors of gleaming glass and concrete make it a vivid landmark, but it’s the massive sphere alongside it that really catches your attention. Initially criticized by local residents as being ugly, tasteless, and ordinary, the big globe is the world’s largest composite dome and measures 180 feet in diameter. To find out what happens inside the dome, see the description of the Mining Machine at Silver Legacy in the Attractions chapter. As part of the tri-property complex that also includes Circus Circus Hotel/Casino—Reno and the Eldorado Hotel/Casino Reno, Silver Legacy’s street-level exterior takes you back to the 1800s with turn-of-the-20th-century storefront facades. This same theme is carried out inside the resort, where you’ll find rich, dark woods and vibrant furnishings reminiscent of Nevada’s silver-mining days. If you take the time to really look around the public areas of the property, you’ll be surprised at the number and quality of antiques and collectibles that are casually displayed everywhere. You’ll see an authentic Wells Fargo stagecoach, complete with leather baggage holders and straps; a colorful carousel that was handmade in 1910; and countless smaller items, such as bronze streetlights, old-time model planes, and antique cash registers. But you really can’t miss the 43 pieces of the Mackay Silver Collection that are beautifully displayed in the grand hotel lobby. The entire 1,300-piece collection was commissioned in 1876 by the late John W. Mackay, a silver baron, for his wife, Marie Louise. Mackay sent a half ton of silver from a Comstock mine in Virginia City, Nevada, to Tiffany & Company in New York, where it took 200 men two years to craft the service. The dies were later destroyed so the pattern would truly be one of a kind. Sprawling over 2 blocks of downtown Reno, Silver Legacy has 1,720 guest rooms and suites. Amenities include an outdoor swimming pool and sundeck, a health spa, and a beauty salon. The upscale shops, which feature elegant clothing and jewelry along with fine wines and one-of-a-kind souvenirs, are especially appealing to discriminating shoppers. The resort’s six restaurants offer a tempting variety of cuisine, such as the fresh shellfish served at Fairchild’s Oyster Bar and the melt-in-your-mouth steaks at Sterling’s Seafood Steakhouse. Silver Legacy also has several lounges and a large exhibition hall where headliners perform, plus the Catch a Rising Star comedy club (see the Nightlife chapter). Remember, when you stay at any of the three resorts in this tri-property complex, you can easily wander from one to the other because they’re all interconnected with skywalks.