July 19-24, 2026
5 Nights/6 Days – 10 Meals

Tour Inclusions & Highlights

Georgia Airport Transfers, Roundtrip Airfare on Delta, Local Nevada Transportation, 10 Meals: 5 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch & 4 Dinners including a Basque Dinner, Professional step-on guides, Hotel Luggage handling (based on 1 main piece of luggage per person), All Related Taxes and Gratuities for Included Meals, Lake Tahoe Guided Tour, MS Dixie II Emerald Lake Cruise, Virginia City Guided Tour, Piper’s Opera House Tour, Virginia City Outlaws Show, That’s Magic! Show, Carson City Guided Tour, Battle Born Hall at Nevada’s State Capitol Building, Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum, Truckee, CA Guided Tour, Old Jail Museum, 20-Mile Museum-Old Highway 40, Rainbow Bridge, Donner Memorial State Park Visitor Center & Park, and Traveling with host Cathy Stokes!

Itinerary at a Glance

Day 1: Sunday, July 19
Depart early in the morning for the Atlanta Airport for your Delta flight to Reno (layover in Salt Lake City). Arrive in Reno, Nevada, and transfer to the luxurious Peppermill Resort Spa & Casino for five nights. This Tuscan-themed resort offers a spa, casino, 10 award-winning restaurants, 15 bars, 2 pools, and 3 jetted spas. Spend the day enjoying the resort and relaxing.

Day 2: Monday, July 20
After breakfast, we head for Lake Tahoe with a local guide. See the sights like the Truckee River Bridge, the Village at Squaw Valley (site of the 1960 Olympics), and Tahoe City. Grab a bite on your own before heading to Emerald Bay. Climb aboard the MS Dixie II paddle-wheeler for a cruise on world-famous Emerald Lake. Discover how the lake was formed and more. We’ll return to Reno and gather together for a traditional Basque family-style dinner.

Day 3: Tuesday July 21
Step back in time to the Old West days in Virginia City. Learn all about this city known as “the richest place on Earth,” as mining produced enormous amounts of silver and gold. Hear captivating stories about the town and Piper’s Opera House. After time for exploring and an independent lunch, enjoy a rowdy, wild west good time packed with laughter, shootouts, and cowboy excitement at the Virginia City Outlaws Show! Top off the day with an included dinner and a magic show at White Rabbit Theater. That’s Magic! will leave you dazzled and amazed with mind-blowing magic, stunning dancers, and surprises.

Day 4: Wednesday July 22
Today we explore Carson City and will out all day through dinner. A local guide will meet us in Carson City and engage us in the history of Kit Carson and Samuel Clemens “Mark Twain”. At Nevada’s Capitol, explore Battle Born Hall for insights into the mining boom, statehood and the people and events that defined Nevada and it history. Enjoy lunch before heading to Minden. Experience the spirit of the Old West at Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park. Back in Carson City, learn the story of school, and reslilence of students and their families after leaving the school at the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum. Dinner at a local eatery completes the day before returning to Reno.

Day 5: Thursday July 23
Hit the trail for California this morning. During a guided tour, visit one of the very few surviving 19th-century jailhouses that once held infamous figures like “Baby Face” Nelson and “Machine Gun” Kelly, travel along Old Highway 40 known as the 20-Mile Museum, and see Rainbow Bridge, a marvel of engineering in the 1920s when it was built. Explore downtown and grab some grub for lunch on your own. Take a walk through history at the Donner Memorial State Park Visitor Center. It features artifacts and stories of the Emigrant Experience–including that of the Donner Party, the Land of the Washoe, Chinese construction of the railroad, and early motoring adventures over Donner Pass. · Outside the museum, a self-guided tour goes past the Donner Party’s Murphy family cabin site, and a new paved path to the Pioneer Memorial, topped by a forward-looking pioneer family. Back in Reno, we will dine together at another local eatery.

Day 6: Friday July 24
From the Biggest Little City to the wild Cowboy Corridor, we’ve unraveled the silver-streaked heart of the Old West. Now it’s time to blaze the trail home and hang our hats back in Georgia.