Mapes Hotel, Reno, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Mapes Hotel was a twelve-storey hotel and casino on Virginia Street in downtown Reno, Nevada, and a landmark of the city's postwar gambling era. The building is gone, but its site sits at the centre of the old gaming district, a short walk from the Truckee River, where Reno began.

The story behind it

The Mapes opened in 1947 and was among the tallest buildings in Nevada at the time. It had a rooftop Sky Room for dining and entertainment and became one of the best-known addresses in town. The hotel closed in the early 1980s, stood empty for years despite debate over its future, and was demolished in 2000.

The streets around it hold the longer story. Reno started in 1859 beside a river crossing, first as a log building serving gold-seekers during the Rush to Washoe, then as Myron Lake's House, later renamed the Riverside. In 1927 the banker and businessman George Wingfield opened the red brick and cream terra-cotta Riverside Hotel, designed by Frederic DeLongchamps. When Nevada eased its divorce laws in 1931, the Riverside filled with people waiting out their residency. The casino closed in 1986, and artists now live and work in the building.

What to look for

• Stand on the site of the Mapes and picture a twelve-storey tower rising over the low buildings of Virginia Street.
• Look at the Riverside Hotel's red brick and cream terra-cotta tower beside the Truckee River, a building that has outlasted several earlier hotels on the same spot.
• Find the gold geodesic dome of the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts at 100 South Virginia Street, nicknamed the Golden Turtle by locals.
• Notice how the Pioneer Center's dome sweeps down almost to the pavement, because the orchestra level of the theatre sits underground.

Tips for your visit

• There is nothing to enter at the Mapes site, so plan a short stop and spend your time on the surrounding blocks.
• Daylight is best for the architecture, while the casino signs along Virginia Street are most striking after dark.
• The Riverside is now a place where artists live and work, so enjoy it from the outside and check current access before planning to go in.
• The Truckee River walk is right beside you, and the Pioneer Center is close by. Check current listings if you want to see a show there.

See it on a quest

Ghost Hunt in Reno is a good fit if you like the eerie side of a city. You reach this part of Virginia Street on foot as one stop of a longer route, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Reno turns the downtown streets into a mystery to work through. You walk from place to place, hear about each one as you get there and solve a puzzle in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Christmas Operation: Sleigh Down in Reno gives the area a festive, seasonal twist. As with the other quests, you walk the route at your own pace, learn about each stop in the app and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.