A Day in Virginia City
Virginia City’s Main Street
7 AM: -smacks alarm clock-
8 AM: …
9 AM: …
10 AM: …
-incoming text-
“So…. what are we doing today?”
That’s how 99% of our weekend adventures start. We make tentative plans to be up early, but one of us ends up sleeping through the alarms. After checking the traffic down to the bay/coast, we decided to head up to the mountains and Tahoe area instead.
Living in Sacramento, we’ve all been to Tahoe and wanted to do something a little different this time. So, off to Virginia City we went.
Hillside view of Virginia City w/old mining buildings.
Driving up to Virginia City is fun; when you’re in anything but my little Hyundai Elantra haha. After a few turns between the mountain outcroppings, you suddenly see the church steeple and the town spread out around it. While not the standard “one-horse" town, the main street funnels you right through the old area, and parking was easily enough to find.
Not being quite sure where to start, we started walking down the street when someone popped their head out from a house and asked if we were there for the tour.. and that’s how we found ourselves at the Mackay Mansion. Spanning a history of 160+ years, and boasting a history featuring one of the largest silver strikes in world history, the Hearst family, Thomas Edison, a President, and even Johnny Depp… a lot has happened (and still happens) in its walls.
Built in 1859 by George Hearst, it was the on-site mine that helped start his family fortune (and eventually lead to the likes of Hearst Castle being built by his son, William Randolph Hearst). In 1871, he sold the property to Irish immigrant John Mackay who not long after hit the Bonanza Strike. Mackay and his three partners: James fair, James Flood, and William O’Brien became known as “The Silver Kings” of Virginia City.
A view of the Mackay Mansion from the front.
Only after stepping in for the tour did we find out that the Mansion is more infamous for it’s paranormal activity. Such events that even Johnny Depp was only able to sleep in the house for 2 nights before waking up to find a little girl in white bouncing on his bed and giggling. The brief tour packs in a punch of history, with the guide pointing out the lights that were hand-wired by Thomas Edison; the spot where two would-be robbers were shot to death by a guard in the walk in safe; the cabinet of mineral curiosities in the former mining office on the ground floor; and even a President who visited the town during the heyday of the Bonanza strike. Then, the guide surprised us and showed some paranormal “proof” that had been caught by various visitors and security footage, and then we were released on our own to explore the house.
Jokingly, I had said, “Watch, later we’ll look over our pictures and might find something…” and we did. Kind of. More on that below.
After visiting the Mackay mansion, we walked down the historic main street and checked out a few of the shops and restaurants. Virginia City is full of lovely establishments like the “Bucket of Blood Saloon”, and the “Delta Saloon ft. the Suicide Table”. The city boasts another infamous haunted location called the Hellfire Club, and while we were a little too late to take part in it’s tour, we’re definitely planning on going back to spend a night and experience more of what makes Virginia City so unique.
So, back to the Mackay Mansion… it’s said to be haunted by the spirits of two little girls who like to play on the staircases (and jump on beds), a maid named Harriet who tends to bustle around in the parlor, and the “Shadow Man” (who only makes appearances when guests are misbehaving). David got a little spooked while walking around the house when my hat brushed against him at one point, but apart from that, the house felt fairly serene.
Downstairs, on the lower floor, there is a massive mirror next to the staircase, and it’s here where you can just make out the top of someone’s head starting to peek in towards the mirror. Someone with fair blonde hair, and what could even be a glimpse of a dress just out of sight. We were the last ones to leave the mansion from the ground floor, and there was no one outside when we stepped out a few seconds after this. Whether it’s a fluke caught on camera, or an actual spirit sighting, I’ll let you be the judge.
Wanting to visit? Here’s my tips:
Virginia City can be visited any time of the year, but in the winter the road up can be a bit of a harrowing drive. Make sure to check traffic conditions before attempting the journey up.
Between museums, restaurants, ghost tours, mines, and more, Virginia City is easily a half-day to full-day experience and is about 35 minutes from downtown Reno, or about an hour from the south shore of Lake Tahoe.
The Mackay Mansion is open in the Summer on weekends from 10AM-6PM, Monday thru Friday from 10AM - 5PM, and in the Winter on weekends from 12PM-5PM weather permitting. You can check actual hours by visiting their website. They also offer a variety of other events including Paranormal Investigations, Guided Investigations, Haunted Halloween experiences, and more!
Virginia City’s official website goes into much more detail on how you can plan your visit.