Carson Valley Rider Goes Golfing

Carson Valley’s four courses provide golfers a daily dose of iron. The Carson Valley Rider brings a whole new meaning to the phrase -- playing through. Like, Watch, Follow, Share. #CarsonValleyRider #TravelNevada
#VisitCarsonValley

Carson Valley Rider Visits Minden-Tahoe Airport

It’s a bird, a plane – no it’s a Flying Pumpkin! The Carson Valley rider get the low down on this weekend’s Aviation Roundup at the Minden Tahoe Airport. Get a sneak peak of the WWII Bombardiers and Like, Watch, Follow #CarsonValleyRider.

On October 11th, the Aviation Roundup will host the first Minden-Tahoe Airport Pumpkin Drop! Pumpkins will be provided by the airport. An outhouse will be the target. Do you have what it takes to bomb an outhouse with a pumpkin? Contact the airport administration office for details and a sign-up form. Registration and the pumpkin drop are free.

You can contact the office at (775) 782-9871, or stop by.

Gates open at 10:00 am. Admission is $10 per carload...put the family in a car and bring them out for just $10 for the entire family!

Carson Valley Fall Celebrations!

 

Carson Valley is beautiful no matter what time of year you are here.  Fall is no exception.  With the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountain Range as the backdrop, you can experience the leaves changing from green to rich red, orange, and yellows throughout the entire valley; Gardnerville, Genoa, Minden and Topaz Lake.  In addition to the beauty of the outdoors, Carson Valley has many fall celebrations you can enjoy.  The Corley Ranch Harvest Festival begins September 27th through October 31st, where you can enjoy Pig Races, Farm Animals,Bouncy House, Hay Wagon Rides, Kiddie Land - Straw Maze, Entertainment, Train Rides, Pony Rides, Pumpkins, Giant Sling Shot, Miniature Golf including food crafters and vendors on site.  Tahoe Ridge Winery has their Pumpkin Festival October, up to Thanksgiving where you can enjoy an assortment of delicious pumpkin entrees and dessert including homemade pumpkin pie and ice cream.  East Fork Gallery has a Family Friendly Scarecrow Festival, October 4th, where you can decorate a one-of-a-kind scarecrow.  Minden-Tahoe Airport will be having a Pumpkin Bomber Command, October 11th, at their Aviation Roundup, where pumpkins will be provided by the airport. An outhouse will be the target. Do you have what it takes to bomb an outhouse with a pumpkin?  Haunted Ghost Walks, October 17th & 18th, in Gardnerville, Genoa and Minden. The Carson Valley Arts Council will be featuring California Honeydrops in their concert series on October 24th. Safe Street Trick or Treat will be happening October 31st, in the Town of Minden.  Come and enjoy fall in the Carson Valley!

For more details on above events, visit our event calendar.

Check out the NEW Visitors Guide!!

It's Here, the 2014 Carson Valley Visitors Guide! 

 Your resource for:

 Sports & Recreation

Events

Map

Arts & Leisure

Dining & Entertainment

Shopping

Groups & Special Events

Services

Lodging and

Getting Here

Complete with beautiful photos of the Carson Valley and the Carson Valley Rider with Meha.  Get your copy today.  Go to VisitCarsonValley.org to request a FREE guide to be mailed, or download a PDF version, or you can stop by the Visitors Center: 1477 US Hwy 395 N. Ste. C, Gardnerville, NV 89410

Carson Valley welcomes you!

As you travel though Carson Valley you will be greeted with a fresh new look, thanks to a $13,100.00 grant the Carson Valley Visitors Authority received from the Nevada Commission on Tourism for Gateway Signage.  The grant was specifically dedicated to updating the gateway signs to reflect the comprehensive branding that the Carson Valley Visitors Authority rolled out almost two years ago.  According to A.J. Frels, Executive Director of the Carson Valley Visitors Authority, “Signage is a critical branding component for destinations because many visitors are unfamiliar with our area.  It is particularly important for a regional destination with a name comprised of multiple locations.  The signs are an announcement to people traveling on highway 395 that they have arrived in the Carson Valley.” The first of the two signs (to the south) located next to The Corley Ranch will be installed on September 12^th. The second (to the north on highway 395) is scheduled to be completed the week of September 22^nd.

Frels went on to state that “Carson Valley offers great diversity of activity, expansive geography, and an enviable location.  Residents as well as visitors are offered all the natural, un-processed, wide-open adventure within and around the valley.  Our new gateway signage exemplifies this.” The logo directly reflects Carson Valley’s superior openness through an eagle icon. Set with the mountains as the backdrop, the eagle’s outstretched wings are a reference to the activity available in any direction.  At the same time, the bold typeface used on the logo, sets a solid, rugged tone, which the Carson Valley most certainly embodies.

Background on the strap line:  

The signs proudly boast the strap line: Rugged Relaxed Reachable.

Rugged: This is part of our heritage, it’s who we are. Carson Valley is known for authentic adventure.  You can hike, bike, off road, or ride a horse on any number of our easily accessible trails. We have the kind of thrills any outdoor enthusiasts would dream of loading their gear and enjoying, the type of adventure that comes with no restrictions and no boundaries.  Relaxed: Within the Carson Valley you can find beautiful, natural geothermal hot springs, where you can soak in the health benefits from the natural minerals while taking in the majestic mountain views topped off by simply some of the most beautiful sunsets the world has to offer. You can meander through any number of quaint and unique shops. You can enjoy the nearby streams for fishing, view the abundant wildlife, or take in a game of golf at any of our exceptional courses.  And let’s not forget the outstanding accommodations and dining the valley has to offer. Reachable: Carson Valley makes it easy for residents and visitors to experience authentic Nevada adventures. Our proximity to Reno and Lake Tahoe enhances the experience, while simultaneously setting Carson Valley apart as the unique and amazing area it is.”

Genoa Candy Dance

September 27th & 28th

9am-5pm

The Genoa "Candy Dance" originated in 1919 as an effort to raise money to purchase street lights for the small, but enterprising community of Genoa, Nevada's first settlement. Lillian Virgin Finnegan, daughter of then prominent Judge Daniel Webster Virgin, suggested the idea of a dance and making candy to pass around during the dance as an incentive for a good "turn-out" of couples.
With the help of her aunt, Jane Raycraft Campbell, and the female populous of Genoa, delicious samples of candy really made the evening special. Of course, the midnight supper served at the Raycraft Hotel was, as always, a culinary delight. So, if the candy did not entice people to join in the fun, the midnight supper was surely an incentive.

The Genoa community did raise the needed funds for streetlights, but realized the monthly electric bill had to be paid. The candy makers were then called upon each year to help promote the "Candy Dance" and pay a year's worth of electricity for the streetlights throughout the town. This annual event became the "Big Event of the Season." Couples came from Reno, Carson City, Minden, Gardnerville and surrounding areas to join in the evening's fun.

The Arts & Crafts Faire was added in the 1970s, and later became a two-day event. The first Faire was held on the front lawn of a private residence in Sierra Shadows on Genoa Lane with twelve vendors. A few years later the popular Faire was moved to the Mormon Station Historic State Monument grounds. Expanding proved necessary and now Faire exhibitors are also found along Nixon Street, and along the sides of Genoa Lane and Main Street. With all the people visiting the Faire these days, the streets in and out of Genoa are temporarily closed during the day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Shuttles bring people from the main parking lots on Genoa Lane and Foothill Road, as well as the limited parking lot at the Genoa Cemetery. There is also a shuttle that runs from the Carson Valley Inn and Douglas High School to the Genoa Lane parking lot.

The "Candy Dance" is still held each year with music from a live band playing everything from rock-n-roll, country-western, swing and hop to waltzes for all ages. Everyone is invited to the Saturday night dinner and dance. A limited number of tickets are sold to the event. 2009's dinner-dance in Genoa Park was a huge success with over 700 tickets sold. However, cold weather does reduce attendance at the outdoor dinner-dance.

Generation after generation has continued the candy making and Faire tradition. The funds raised by the Town of Genoa during the Candy Dance weekend provide a substantial portion of the town's annual budget. We will be celebrating the "Candy Dance" as long as we have volunteers to keep it going, and we thank all our volunteers for their hard work.

The 94th Annual Candy Dance will offer over 300 craft and food vendors.  For tickets and more information, including dinner menu and musical performers, visit: genoanevada.org

Carson Tahoe Moto

                                                                                    photo credit:  Brad Coman
A great motorcycle ride in the Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe area might be all pavement, or mostly dirt, or a combination of both.  The Carson Valley is fortunate to be very close to hundreds of miles-thousands, really-of-scenic, twisty, uncongested roads.  If you are a street rider and new to the area, head out for some of the High Sierra passes.  Carson Pass, Ebbetts Pass, and Monitor Pass are all within about an hour's ride of the Carson Valley.  Sonora Pass, Tioga Pass, and Donner Pass are all within two hours.  And the roads to any of those passes are beautiful in their own right.  A ride over five of these great mountain passes in a single day is completely feasible.  To do it, you'll ride hard, return tired, and won't have a lot of time to stop and see the sights.  But you will have on of the best days of your life.

If you're looking for rides on dirt and gravel roads, some of the best dirt riding you'll find anywhere is in the Pine Nut Mountains, on the eastern edge of the Carson Valley.  Wide, maintained main roads with firm dirt and loose gravel surfaces can get you into and across the mountains at surprisingly fast speeds.

Our area offers a huge variety of great adventure motorcycle rides, whatever type of bike you like to ride, and however you define adventure.  Grab your gear, decide whether you want to ride pavement or dirt, and then ask yourself, "How hard to I want to ride today?"                                        By: J.Brandon

August 21-24

Carson Tahoe Moto Event

Carson Valley / Lake Tahoe Adventure Motorcycle Ride is your invitation to a blowout of motorcycle enthusiasts who love discovery and the adventure of riding in remote and exceptional natural environments. The camaraderie and fellowship shared among passionate motorcyclists celebrating the freedom of riding.
The Adventure Moto is a unique adventure motorcycle gathering located in the beautiful Carson Valley. Supported financially by the Carson Valley tourism business community, our objective is to become the premier on/off-road gathering for adventure motorcycle enthusiasts in the West. The natural beauty and riding terrain around the Carson Valley / Lake Tahoe area, combined with the existing resort tourism hotels, restaurants and activities, make the Carson Valley the best place anywhere to attend an adventure motorcycling event. On or off the bike and on or off the road.

To learn more or register for this event:  carsontahoemoto.com