Nevada City and Virginia City

   The former gold mining towns of Nevada City and Virginia City, which are less than 2 miles apart, are both state parks established to preserve a piece of the 1860s. Both towns were saved  by Charles and Sue Bovey who began buying old buildings in the 1940s. The similarity ends there, however, because Nevada City is comprised of buildings relocated from other sites and placed on the empty streets of Nevada City to form a town. Only 12 of the more than 40 buildings are original to the town. On the other hand, the buildings in Virginia City are almost all original to the town.

  The buildings in Nevada City are part of a museum that has an admission fee.  We visited too late in the season and the museum was closed so the most we could do was peek in through the fence.
    
The parking lot is large enough for any RV.

  Virginia City is considered an open air museum. The buildings have interpretive signs and many, which are owned by the state, are filled with artifacts. They’re not opened completely but visitors can view the interior displays from the entry ways.



  The town is semi-accessible. The boardwalks are elevated above the street but there are spots where they can be accessed. Some of the building entrances are level with the boardwalk. Others have a step or two.


  RV parking is located at the west end of town. It’s a bit of an uphill trek to the main part of town.
Nevada City  45.30718, -111.96807   Virginia City   45.29333, -111.95047