The Way It Was Museum
Discover some of Nevada’s most fascinating stories at the aptly-named The Way It Was Museum in historic Virginia City. Visitors get a window into the region’s rich Western heritage thanks to an abundance of rare Comstock Lode mining and mineral artifacts, maps, photographs, and more.
Inside The Way It Was Museum, original relics tell the story of the richest mining city in the American West.
The Way It Was Museum proudly claims to have the most complete collection of Comstock memorabilia in the world. This history center can be found in the heart of C Street, which is continually rated as one of the Top 10 Historic Main Streets in America.
The historic photography and vintage costumes displayed at The Way It Was Museum tell the story of how real Comstock miners lived and worked. An intricate scale model offers a one-of-a-kind view of the hundreds of miles of underground mine shafts and adits that still exist below Virginia City today. Another popular exhibit is the working model and cutaway of an actual silver and gold mine.
Visitors can also expect to learn more about Mark Twain’s role in the Territorial Enterprise newspaper, famous gunslingers, ladies of the night, the Millionaires Club, and the thousands of ordinary people who worked hard and endured unlikely odds on the Comstock. Catch a captivating video about life on the early American frontier, too.
The staff at The Way It Was Museum are exceptionally well-informed about the museum’s mighty collection, and they are more than happy to elaborate on the many special items that are housed here.
Hours:
The Way It Was Museum is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Admission:
Admission into The Way It Was Museum is $7 for adults and free for children ages 11 and under.
This Location:
City
Virginia CityRegion
Northwestern
