Sacramento Road Trip: August 3–7, 2026

Las Vegas → Reno → Virginia City → Sacramento → Lee Vining → Las Vegas

August 3: Las Vegas to Reno

We woke up and got on the road around 4:45 AM. Along the way, we made a detour to the Goldwell Open Air Museum. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, located in Beatty near the Rhyolite Ghost Town.

The ghost town has a bunch of dilapidated ruins from an old gold rush town that you can walk around and explore. It also has a bottle house. The open-air museum features outdoor art sculptures, and honestly, it’s just a cool little stop if you have a few minutes to spare.

We also stopped at EddieWorld, which has a huge selection of candy. It also has a good number of bathrooms, and it’s one of the last stops before you hit a long stretch of desolate highway.

Walker Lake

We continued heading north and stopped to see Walker Lake, a striking natural lake tucked into the rugged desert landscape of western Nevada, just north of Hawthorne. Fed primarily by the Walker River, the lake is a remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan—an enormous Ice Age lake that once covered much of northwestern Nevada.

For thousands of years, Walker Lake and the surrounding region have been culturally significant to the Northern Paiute people, including the Walker River Paiute Tribe. The lake historically supported an abundant ecosystem and was especially known for its native Lahontan cutthroat trout.

Beginning in the late 1800s, however, the increasing agricultural use of water from the Walker River dramatically reduced the amount of freshwater reaching the lake. With no natural outlet, Walker Lake gradually shrank and became increasingly salty. Over the following century, declining water levels transformed both the shoreline and its ecosystem, eventually making the water too saline for many of the fish that once thrived here.

Today, Walker Lake offers a fascinating glimpse into Nevada’s prehistoric past while also telling a much more modern story about water use in the arid West. Its vast blue water, exposed shoreline, desert mountains, and remnants of a much larger ancient lake make it one of Nevada’s more unusual roadside landscapes.

Carson City Thrifting and Lunch

From there, we continued north until we made it to Carson City. Our first stop was a Goodwill, and I was in luck because they were having a special sale with all tags 50% off. I had some good success, and afterward, we decided to stop for lunch at Schussboom Brewing Co.

This place was pretty cute and had a ski-lodge theme inside. My boyfriend enjoyed the beers, and the food was pretty good. We tried a buffalo chicken wrap and a giant sourdough pretzel served with a special cheese sauce.

Reno and Sparks

After we filled our tanks, we headed to Reno and hit a Goodwill Bins located in the same building as a regular Goodwill store, which was also having the 50%-off tag sale. I had good success in both locations. However, the bins were a bit scarce and definitely not something I would travel out of my way to visit.

Our next stop was our hotel, the Western Village Inn, which is owned by the Peppermill. It was right on the marina, but the hotel was mostly outdated, with carpeting throughout. Of course, we also had to go into the casino to check in, even though the rooms were located in a building across the street. The property had a large parking lot, though, and the bed was actually pretty comfortable.

After we got all our stuff into the room, we headed to Great Basin Brewing Co. for dinner. We weren’t all that hungry, so all we ordered was Wisconsin cheese soup and some beer and/or cider. Great Basin has a few locations, but we opted for the original one in Sparks.

The service here was actually fantastic, although the beers were a bit generic. I did decide to try one of their desserts, which was similar to a caramel mousse, and it was amazing.

Afterward, we went back to the hotel. We were exhausted from getting up so early, driving, and thrifting all day.

August 4: Reno to Sacramento

I wanted to check out a few thrift stores before we left, so we had a leisurely morning since the earliest one didn’t open until 9:00 AM. I’ve been to Reno and have already seen the sights, but my boyfriend hasn’t. He opted to sleep in a little instead of checking out downtown.

Once it was 9:00 AM, we headed to the St. Vincent thrift store. The store was quite large inside; however, its prices were not very competitive. They were actually higher than the Goodwill stores we had visited the day before—and that’s without factoring in Goodwill’s 50%-off discount. I found two dresses, checked out, and then we headed to the Salvation Army just down the street.

This was a big score. They had a lot of items with the tags still attached, and everything in the store was 25% off because the location was going to close.

Virginia City

From there, we headed to Virginia City, found parking, and walked up and down the main street. We decided to eat at the Cider House at Canvas Café. It’s a tiny café, but the staff was very friendly and welcoming, and the food was delicious. I opted for the French dip, while my boyfriend had a pesto sandwich.

We enjoyed the historic character of Virginia City. The town sprang to life almost overnight following the discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1859—one of the richest silver deposits ever found in the United States. The discovery transformed this patch of Nevada desert into a booming mining town packed with miners, merchants, saloons, hotels, theaters, and enough Wild West drama to fill a few history books.

At its peak in the 1870s, Virginia City was home to roughly 25,000 people. The immense wealth pulled from the surrounding mines helped finance the growth of San Francisco and made fortunes for several of the era’s most powerful businessmen.

Virginia City also played a small role in literary history. Samuel Clemens worked for the Territorial Enterprise newspaper here in the early 1860s, and it was during his time in Nevada that he began using the pen name Mark Twain.

Mining eventually declined and Virginia City’s population dwindled, but much of its 19th-century character survived. Today, the town is part of the Virginia City Historic District, with wooden sidewalks, Victorian buildings, historic saloons, old mine sites, and plenty of tales about resident ghosts. 👻 It’s one of the best places in Nevada to wander straight into the state’s silver-mining past.

We wandered into a few shops and saw the Death Table, but overall, our stop was quick. We soon continued toward Sacramento.

Arriving in Sacramento

I have a friend who lives in Sacramento, so we had been coordinating with her. She already had plans when we arrived, so we headed to one of the Goodwill Bins locations. The bins had a very interesting urine-like smell, but I did manage to find a few items.

We then headed to our hotel, the Midtown, to check in. The process was a little slow because someone was in training, but I eventually acquired the key to our room—and then immediately discovered that I couldn’t open the door providing access to the building. I had to return to the office to get my card activated.

Once we reached the room and unloaded all our stuff, including the entire thrift haul from the previous two days, I noticed that the door didn’t seem to make a closing noise. We realized that it looked as though it had been kicked in at some point. The security bolt wouldn’t latch, and the door wouldn’t lock.

I went back down to the office and was initially told that I just needed to pull up on the handle. I showed the employee my photos of the door, and she agreed to move us to another room. However, the new room was one floor above us, so we had to haul all our stuff upstairs.

The room itself was fine. This was a really cheap hotel at about $60 per night. It wasn’t the cleanest inside, but the bed was actually pretty comfortable, and the room had a mini fridge.

An Evening Out with Friends

By that time, my friend was ready to meet up, so we went over to her house. She had recently started dating someone, and he came along too.

We went to Urban Roots Brewery & Smokehouse, where I ordered the smoked turkey with potato salad and cornbread. All of it was delicious. We had a beer and/or cider and just enjoyed each other’s company. The service was okay, the interior was clean, and the booth we selected gave us a good amount of privacy.

We decided to keep things going and headed to SacYard Community Tap House. It has a very small interior but a huge outdoor area. We ordered another round and enjoyed Sacramento’s much cooler weather while sitting outside.

We continued to Bonn Lair, which is kind of a British-themed bar, and had another round. It had a moderately sized interior and a large outdoor patio. Once again, we decided to sit outside because the weather was significantly better than in Las Vegas.

At that point, we decided to wrap up the evening, and we all returned to our respective residences. Unfortunately, because I rarely drink anymore, I had a hard time falling asleep. I felt a little queasy, which resulted in me staying awake until 1:30 AM.

August 5: Locke and Sacramento

The morning was a bit rough because I had only gotten about five hours of sleep. I coordinated with my friend, and we met up for breakfast at Pancake Circus.

This is kind of one of those hole-in-the-wall places with a really bad aroma from some very old carpeting. However, it’s also an old-school diner with a circus theme. If you don’t like clowns, this is probably not the place for you because that’s what greets you as soon as you walk through the door.

The service was mediocre, and it took us a while to get a waiter to take our order. The food was also mediocre, but overall, I liked the charm of the place.

The Historic Town of Locke

From there, we decided to head to Locke. Founded in 1915 after a fire destroyed nearby Walnut Grove’s Chinatown, Locke is considered the only surviving rural Chinese town in the United States built by Chinese immigrants for Chinese immigrants. Because California’s discriminatory Alien Land Law prevented many Chinese immigrants from owning property, residents initially built their homes and businesses on leased land.

By the 1920s and 1930s, Locke had grown into a lively Delta community filled with restaurants, boarding houses, shops, gambling halls, saloons, and a Chinese school. Today, its narrow streets and wonderfully weathered wooden buildings preserve much of that history. Visitors can explore the historic district and small museums, including the former Dai Loy gambling house, for a glimpse into the lives of the Chinese immigrants who helped shape California’s Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta.

The drive itself was actually very pretty, taking us through farmland and along the Sacramento River. The town was essentially closed because it was a weekday, but even with nothing open, it was still pretty cool to see all that history. We walked the loop and looked through a few windows, but we didn’t stay very long.

More Sacramento Thrifting

On the drive back, we stopped at Eco Thrift, which is a massive store. Honestly, if you’re thrifting for yourself, it’s probably a good stop. Everything within each category has a set price, and they have weekly color tags offering discounts of 25%, 50%, and 75%.

However, the prices were just too high for sourcing purposes, so we didn’t spend much time there.

Our next stop was another Goodwill. It had its weekly 50%-off color tag, and I was able to pick up a few different finds.

Breweries and Lunch

We decided to stop at Alaro Craft Brewery for lunch/dinner. The food was incredible, the service was amazing, and according to my boyfriend and friend, the beers were fantastic. I was still feeling pretty crappy, so I decided to stick with water.

We visited another Goodwill, where I had some success. Right across the street was another brewery called Mattie Groves Brewery, so we stopped for them to try a few flights.

Of all the breweries we visited, this one had the best vibe inside. It had slightly gothic, eccentric décor, which I really enjoyed, and the service was good. My friend and boyfriend enjoyed the beer, but we were under a bit of a time constraint because my friend needed to pick up her car from the shop, so we couldn’t stay very long.

Gunther’s Ice Cream

After we picked up her car, my friend took us on a tour of some of Sacramento’s famous haunts. The first was Gunther’s Ice Cream.

A Sacramento institution since 1940, Gunther’s is an old-school neighborhood ice cream shop known for its handmade ice cream, towering cones, sundaes, and signature fruit freezes. The shop still has plenty of vintage charm, including its iconic neon Jugglin’ Joe sign. It’s a fun Sacramento classic and an easy sweet stop while exploring the city.

We actually arrived at a decent time, and the line was moderate. The ice cream was delicious, and there were several picnic tables outside where we could sit and eat. By the time we finished our ice cream, the line was out the door.

The Dragon House and Diagon Alley

We returned to the car and headed toward the Dragon House. This is a privately owned residence that the owner has decorated very elaborately. It was actually quite impressive to see, especially since she has apparently done all the work herself. The property features multiple mosaics shaped like dragons and other creatures, along with beautiful landscaping.

Because it’s a private residence, this was strictly an exterior visit and a quick stop.

Our next stop was Diagon Alley, a Harry Potter-themed street. They hold different events on some occasions, but it was very quiet on this particular day, and we were the only people there. Although it wasn’t anything over the top, it was still a fun little stop, and we enjoyed walking around and looking at all the decorations.

We then headed back to the hotel and watched a movie before my friend went home.

August 6: Skydiving, Thrifting, and Sacramento Nightlife

We picked up my friend and headed to Tower Café, which is known for its outdoor garden and elaborate décor. It definitely has a funky vibe, with decorative items from all over the world.

The service was pretty good, except for the fact that our waitress kept trying to upsell us. The prices were a bit steep, but the food was pretty good.

An 18,000-Foot Jump

From there, we headed to the Skydance drop zone so my boyfriend could jump. He got to jump from 18,000 feet and needed supplemental oxygen, so it was a pretty big highlight for him.

The jump didn’t happen until around 10:00 AM, and the jumps were more expensive, so he decided to do just one.

We headed back toward the hotel and had my boyfriend drop us off at the Goodwill three blocks away so he could return to the room and shower. I had moderate success at this Goodwill, and he came back to pick us up.

My friend needed to head home to finish some paperwork for a new job she was about to start, so my boyfriend and I headed to Uptown Thrift. It wasn’t the most successful stop.

Afterward, we went to the Goodwill Bins, where I had a lot of success. At this point, my boyfriend cut me off from shopping because he was becoming concerned about fitting everything into the car for the ride home.

Oak Park Brewing Co.

By this point, we were hungry, so my boyfriend and I stopped at Oak Park Brewing Co. for some snacks and cider and/or beer. The brewery had a large interior and an even bigger outdoor area with misters. Once again, we decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and sit outside.

The service was pretty good, and the food came out very quickly.

My friend was getting close to being ready to meet up again, so we headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the evening. She came by to pick us up, and we headed to Shipwrecked Paradise Island, which has a fun tiki-bar theme.

Shipwrecked Paradise Island

The interior bar was a bit small, and most of the seats and booths were reserved, so we sat outside and ordered a few appetizers and drinks. They had a pretty extensive and fun drink menu filled with unique concoctions.

The service was really good, and as we were leaving, we were able to catch some of the animatronics in action, including snakes and Venus flytraps. Overall, the experience was pretty fun.

Underground Mini Golf in Old Sacramento

From there, we headed to Old Sacramento and played some underground mini golf. The course is located in the basement of an old hotel and has an old-timey theme, with a story that continues through each hole.

It wasn’t the most amazing miniature golf course I’ve ever experienced, but it was still kind of fun—even though I didn’t win. It was a little pricey, but it gave us something different to do.

We then tried to find a speakeasy called the 1920s Bookstore and followed some of the clues required to gain entry. Unfortunately, it was sold out. The bar is very small, and you need to have a reservation. They did allow us to walk through and see the interior, though.

There was a beer bar right in the same area, so we went inside and had a drink. We then continued walking around Old Sacramento and went into Fanny Ann’s Saloon, but the vibe inside was a little weird, and there was nowhere to sit, so we decided to leave.

Darling Aviary

My friend mentioned a rooftop bar, so we added Darling Aviary to the evening. This bar was actually really cool. It stuck very closely to its bird theme, and the lower interior bar had really pretty decorations.

The rooftop was a little less decorated, although they did have a TV playing actual footage of birds. We ordered a few food items, and all of them were delicious. The service was okay. It was busy, so we understood why things took some time, but we still had to stand in line for about five minutes just to place an order.

We headed back to the hotel, said goodbye to my friend, and went to bed.

August 7: Lee Vining, Mono Lake, and Home

We woke up early and got on the road. We decided to take a slight detour so we could stop in Lee Vining and eat at the Mobil gas station containing the Whoa Nellie Deli.

Whoa Nellie Deli

The Tioga Gas Mart and Whoa Nellie Deli have been a Lee Vining landmark since 1996. Located just off Highway 395 near the eastern entrance to Yosemite, the business became famous for serving unexpectedly ambitious food inside a Mobil gas station overlooking Mono Lake. Instead of the usual gas-station hot dogs and packaged sandwiches, travelers found dishes such as fish tacos, ahi sashimi, steaks, and other surprisingly gourmet meals. That strange combination of fuel pumps, incredible scenery, and genuinely good food helped turn it into a destination in its own right.

We ordered the world-famous fish tacos and the tuna sashimi, and both were delicious. I’ve been here quite a few times—both when I lived in the area and while passing through—and it never fails to impress me.

We sat in a booth and ate our food before heading to the South Tufa area of Mono Lake.

Mono Lake and the South Tufa Area

Mono Lake is an ancient saline lake on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada. The Mono Basin began forming approximately 2.5 million years ago, and the lake is part of a closed basin with no outlet to the ocean. Water can leave only through evaporation, causing salts and minerals to accumulate over thousands of years and creating the lake’s unusually salty, alkaline water.

Despite having no fish, Mono Lake supports a surprisingly productive ecosystem filled with brine shrimp and alkali flies. These tiny creatures provide food for millions of migratory birds that stop at the lake each year.

Mono Lake is especially famous for its tufa towers. These strange limestone formations develop underwater when calcium-rich freshwater springs interact with the carbonate-rich lake water. The reaction creates calcium carbonate, which gradually builds up around the springs to form the towers.

Many of the formations now visible along the shoreline were once underwater. Beginning in 1941, freshwater streams feeding Mono Lake were diverted south to Los Angeles. The lake’s water level dropped dramatically, its salinity increased, and previously submerged tufa towers became exposed. Concerns about the damage to the lake’s ecosystem eventually led to decades of conservation work and legal protections intended to restore the lake and its tributary streams.

The South Tufa area contains one of the lake’s largest and most accessible collections of these formations. A short interpretive trail leads down to the shoreline, where you can walk among the towers and get a much closer look at the unusual landscape.

We spent a little time wandering around and looking at the tufa formations before getting back on the road. From there, we drove through the middle of nowhere toward home.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. Once we reached Las Vegas, we stopped at Zaba’s, headed home, unpacked the car, and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Sacramento Road Trip: August 3–7, 2026

Las Vegas → Reno → Virginia City → Sacramento → Lee Vining → Las Vegas

August 3: Las Vegas to Reno

We woke up and got on the road around 4:45 AM. Along the way, we made a detour to the Goldwell Open Air Museum. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, located in Beatty near the Rhyolite Ghost Town.

The ghost town has a bunch of dilapidated ruins from an old gold rush town that you can walk around and explore. It also has a bottle house. The open-air museum features outdoor art sculptures, and honestly, it’s just a cool little stop if you have a few minutes to spare.

We also stopped at EddieWorld, which has a huge selection of candy. It also has a good number of bathrooms, and it’s one of the last stops before you hit a long stretch of desolate highway.

Walker Lake

We continued heading north and stopped to see Walker Lake, a striking natural lake tucked into the rugged desert landscape of western Nevada, just north of Hawthorne. Fed primarily by the Walker River, the lake is a remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan—an enormous Ice Age lake that once covered much of northwestern Nevada.

For thousands of years, Walker Lake and the surrounding region have been culturally significant to the Northern Paiute people, including the Walker River Paiute Tribe. The lake historically supported an abundant ecosystem and was especially known for its native Lahontan cutthroat trout.

Beginning in the late 1800s, however, the increasing agricultural use of water from the Walker River dramatically reduced the amount of freshwater reaching the lake. With no natural outlet, Walker Lake gradually shrank and became increasingly salty. Over the following century, declining water levels transformed both the shoreline and its ecosystem, eventually making the water too saline for many of the fish that once thrived here.

Today, Walker Lake offers a fascinating glimpse into Nevada’s prehistoric past while also telling a much more modern story about water use in the arid West. Its vast blue water, exposed shoreline, desert mountains, and remnants of a much larger ancient lake make it one of Nevada’s more unusual roadside landscapes.

Carson City Thrifting and Lunch

From there, we continued north until we made it to Carson City. Our first stop was a Goodwill, and I was in luck because they were having a special sale with all tags 50% off. I had some good success, and afterward, we decided to stop for lunch at Schussboom Brewing Co.

This place was pretty cute and had a ski-lodge theme inside. My boyfriend enjoyed the beers, and the food was pretty good. We tried a buffalo chicken wrap and a giant sourdough pretzel served with a special cheese sauce.

Reno and Sparks

After we filled our tanks, we headed to Reno and hit a Goodwill Bins located in the same building as a regular Goodwill store, which was also having the 50%-off tag sale. I had good success in both locations. However, the bins were a bit scarce and definitely not something I would travel out of my way to visit.

Our next stop was our hotel, the Western Village Inn, which is owned by the Peppermill. It was right on the marina, but the hotel was mostly outdated, with carpeting throughout. Of course, we also had to go into the casino to check in, even though the rooms were located in a building across the street. The property had a large parking lot, though, and the bed was actually pretty comfortable.

After we got all our stuff into the room, we headed to Great Basin Brewing Co. for dinner. We weren’t all that hungry, so all we ordered was Wisconsin cheese soup and some beer and/or cider. Great Basin has a few locations, but we opted for the original one in Sparks.

The service here was actually fantastic, although the beers were a bit generic. I did decide to try one of their desserts, which was similar to a caramel mousse, and it was amazing.

Afterward, we went back to the hotel. We were exhausted from getting up so early, driving, and thrifting all day.

August 4: Reno to Sacramento

I wanted to check out a few thrift stores before we left, so we had a leisurely morning since the earliest one didn’t open until 9:00 AM. I’ve been to Reno and have already seen the sights, but my boyfriend hasn’t. He opted to sleep in a little instead of checking out downtown.

Once it was 9:00 AM, we headed to the St. Vincent thrift store. The store was quite large inside; however, its prices were not very competitive. They were actually higher than the Goodwill stores we had visited the day before—and that’s without factoring in Goodwill’s 50%-off discount. I found two dresses, checked out, and then we headed to the Salvation Army just down the street.

This was a big score. They had a lot of items with the tags still attached, and everything in the store was 25% off because the location was going to close.

Virginia City

From there, we headed to Virginia City, found parking, and walked up and down the main street. We decided to eat at the Cider House at Canvas Café. It’s a tiny café, but the staff was very friendly and welcoming, and the food was delicious. I opted for the French dip, while my boyfriend had a pesto sandwich.

We enjoyed the historic character of Virginia City. The town sprang to life almost overnight following the discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1859—one of the richest silver deposits ever found in the United States. The discovery transformed this patch of Nevada desert into a booming mining town packed with miners, merchants, saloons, hotels, theaters, and enough Wild West drama to fill a few history books.

At its peak in the 1870s, Virginia City was home to roughly 25,000 people. The immense wealth pulled from the surrounding mines helped finance the growth of San Francisco and made fortunes for several of the era’s most powerful businessmen.

Virginia City also played a small role in literary history. Samuel Clemens worked for the Territorial Enterprise newspaper here in the early 1860s, and it was during his time in Nevada that he began using the pen name Mark Twain.

Mining eventually declined and Virginia City’s population dwindled, but much of its 19th-century character survived. Today, the town is part of the Virginia City Historic District, with wooden sidewalks, Victorian buildings, historic saloons, old mine sites, and plenty of tales about resident ghosts. 👻 It’s one of the best places in Nevada to wander straight into the state’s silver-mining past.

We wandered into a few shops and saw the Death Table, but overall, our stop was quick. We soon continued toward Sacramento.

Arriving in Sacramento

I have a friend who lives in Sacramento, so we had been coordinating with her. She already had plans when we arrived, so we headed to one of the Goodwill Bins locations. The bins had a very interesting urine-like smell, but I did manage to find a few items.

We then headed to our hotel, the Midtown, to check in. The process was a little slow because someone was in training, but I eventually acquired the key to our room—and then immediately discovered that I couldn’t open the door providing access to the building. I had to return to the office to get my card activated.

Once we reached the room and unloaded all our stuff, including the entire thrift haul from the previous two days, I noticed that the door didn’t seem to make a closing noise. We realized that it looked as though it had been kicked in at some point. The security bolt wouldn’t latch, and the door wouldn’t lock.

I went back down to the office and was initially told that I just needed to pull up on the handle. I showed the employee my photos of the door, and she agreed to move us to another room. However, the new room was one floor above us, so we had to haul all our stuff upstairs.

The room itself was fine. This was a really cheap hotel at about $60 per night. It wasn’t the cleanest inside, but the bed was actually pretty comfortable, and the room had a mini fridge.

An Evening Out with Friends

By that time, my friend was ready to meet up, so we went over to her house. She had recently started dating someone, and he came along too.

We went to Urban Roots Brewery & Smokehouse, where I ordered the smoked turkey with potato salad and cornbread. All of it was delicious. We had a beer and/or cider and just enjoyed each other’s company. The service was okay, the interior was clean, and the booth we selected gave us a good amount of privacy.

We decided to keep things going and headed to SacYard Community Tap House. It has a very small interior but a huge outdoor area. We ordered another round and enjoyed Sacramento’s much cooler weather while sitting outside.

We continued to Bonn Lair, which is kind of a British-themed bar, and had another round. It had a moderately sized interior and a large outdoor patio. Once again, we decided to sit outside because the weather was significantly better than in Las Vegas.

At that point, we decided to wrap up the evening, and we all returned to our respective residences. Unfortunately, because I rarely drink anymore, I had a hard time falling asleep. I felt a little queasy, which resulted in me staying awake until 1:30 AM.

August 5: Locke and Sacramento

The morning was a bit rough because I had only gotten about five hours of sleep. I coordinated with my friend, and we met up for breakfast at Pancake Circus.

This is kind of one of those hole-in-the-wall places with a really bad aroma from some very old carpeting. However, it’s also an old-school diner with a circus theme. If you don’t like clowns, this is probably not the place for you because that’s what greets you as soon as you walk through the door.

The service was mediocre, and it took us a while to get a waiter to take our order. The food was also mediocre, but overall, I liked the charm of the place.

The Historic Town of Locke

From there, we decided to head to Locke. Founded in 1915 after a fire destroyed nearby Walnut Grove’s Chinatown, Locke is considered the only surviving rural Chinese town in the United States built by Chinese immigrants for Chinese immigrants. Because California’s discriminatory Alien Land Law prevented many Chinese immigrants from owning property, residents initially built their homes and businesses on leased land.

By the 1920s and 1930s, Locke had grown into a lively Delta community filled with restaurants, boarding houses, shops, gambling halls, saloons, and a Chinese school. Today, its narrow streets and wonderfully weathered wooden buildings preserve much of that history. Visitors can explore the historic district and small museums, including the former Dai Loy gambling house, for a glimpse into the lives of the Chinese immigrants who helped shape California’s Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta.

The drive itself was actually very pretty, taking us through farmland and along the Sacramento River. The town was essentially closed because it was a weekday, but even with nothing open, it was still pretty cool to see all that history. We walked the loop and looked through a few windows, but we didn’t stay very long.

More Sacramento Thrifting

On the drive back, we stopped at Eco Thrift, which is a massive store. Honestly, if you’re thrifting for yourself, it’s probably a good stop. Everything within each category has a set price, and they have weekly color tags offering discounts of 25%, 50%, and 75%.

However, the prices were just too high for sourcing purposes, so we didn’t spend much time there.

Our next stop was another Goodwill. It had its weekly 50%-off color tag, and I was able to pick up a few different finds.

Breweries and Lunch

We decided to stop at Alaro Craft Brewery for lunch/dinner. The food was incredible, the service was amazing, and according to my boyfriend and friend, the beers were fantastic. I was still feeling pretty crappy, so I decided to stick with water.

We visited another Goodwill, where I had some success. Right across the street was another brewery called Mattie Groves Brewery, so we stopped for them to try a few flights.

Of all the breweries we visited, this one had the best vibe inside. It had slightly gothic, eccentric décor, which I really enjoyed, and the service was good. My friend and boyfriend enjoyed the beer, but we were under a bit of a time constraint because my friend needed to pick up her car from the shop, so we couldn’t stay very long.

Gunther’s Ice Cream

After we picked up her car, my friend took us on a tour of some of Sacramento’s famous haunts. The first was Gunther’s Ice Cream.

A Sacramento institution since 1940, Gunther’s is an old-school neighborhood ice cream shop known for its handmade ice cream, towering cones, sundaes, and signature fruit freezes. The shop still has plenty of vintage charm, including its iconic neon Jugglin’ Joe sign. It’s a fun Sacramento classic and an easy sweet stop while exploring the city.

We actually arrived at a decent time, and the line was moderate. The ice cream was delicious, and there were several picnic tables outside where we could sit and eat. By the time we finished our ice cream, the line was out the door.

The Dragon House and Diagon Alley

We returned to the car and headed toward the Dragon House. This is a privately owned residence that the owner has decorated very elaborately. It was actually quite impressive to see, especially since she has apparently done all the work herself. The property features multiple mosaics shaped like dragons and other creatures, along with beautiful landscaping.

Because it’s a private residence, this was strictly an exterior visit and a quick stop.

Our next stop was Diagon Alley, a Harry Potter-themed street. They hold different events on some occasions, but it was very quiet on this particular day, and we were the only people there. Although it wasn’t anything over the top, it was still a fun little stop, and we enjoyed walking around and looking at all the decorations.

We then headed back to the hotel and watched a movie before my friend went home.

August 6: Skydiving, Thrifting, and Sacramento Nightlife

We picked up my friend and headed to Tower Café, which is known for its outdoor garden and elaborate décor. It definitely has a funky vibe, with decorative items from all over the world.

The service was pretty good, except for the fact that our waitress kept trying to upsell us. The prices were a bit steep, but the food was pretty good.

An 18,000-Foot Jump

From there, we headed to the Skydance drop zone so my boyfriend could jump. He got to jump from 18,000 feet and needed supplemental oxygen, so it was a pretty big highlight for him.

The jump didn’t happen until around 10:00 AM, and the jumps were more expensive, so he decided to do just one.

We headed back toward the hotel and had my boyfriend drop us off at the Goodwill three blocks away so he could return to the room and shower. I had moderate success at this Goodwill, and he came back to pick us up.

My friend needed to head home to finish some paperwork for a new job she was about to start, so my boyfriend and I headed to Uptown Thrift. It wasn’t the most successful stop.

Afterward, we went to the Goodwill Bins, where I had a lot of success. At this point, my boyfriend cut me off from shopping because he was becoming concerned about fitting everything into the car for the ride home.

Oak Park Brewing Co.

By this point, we were hungry, so my boyfriend and I stopped at Oak Park Brewing Co. for some snacks and cider and/or beer. The brewery had a large interior and an even bigger outdoor area with misters. Once again, we decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and sit outside.

The service was pretty good, and the food came out very quickly.

My friend was getting close to being ready to meet up again, so we headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the evening. She came by to pick us up, and we headed to Shipwrecked Paradise Island, which has a fun tiki-bar theme.

Shipwrecked Paradise Island

The interior bar was a bit small, and most of the seats and booths were reserved, so we sat outside and ordered a few appetizers and drinks. They had a pretty extensive and fun drink menu filled with unique concoctions.

The service was really good, and as we were leaving, we were able to catch some of the animatronics in action, including snakes and Venus flytraps. Overall, the experience was pretty fun.

Underground Mini Golf in Old Sacramento

From there, we headed to Old Sacramento and played some underground mini golf. The course is located in the basement of an old hotel and has an old-timey theme, with a story that continues through each hole.

It wasn’t the most amazing miniature golf course I’ve ever experienced, but it was still kind of fun—even though I didn’t win. It was a little pricey, but it gave us something different to do.

We then tried to find a speakeasy called the 1920s Bookstore and followed some of the clues required to gain entry. Unfortunately, it was sold out. The bar is very small, and you need to have a reservation. They did allow us to walk through and see the interior, though.

There was a beer bar right in the same area, so we went inside and had a drink. We then continued walking around Old Sacramento and went into Fanny Ann’s Saloon, but the vibe inside was a little weird, and there was nowhere to sit, so we decided to leave.

Darling Aviary

My friend mentioned a rooftop bar, so we added Darling Aviary to the evening. This bar was actually really cool. It stuck very closely to its bird theme, and the lower interior bar had really pretty decorations.

The rooftop was a little less decorated, although they did have a TV playing actual footage of birds. We ordered a few food items, and all of them were delicious. The service was okay. It was busy, so we understood why things took some time, but we still had to stand in line for about five minutes just to place an order.

We headed back to the hotel, said goodbye to my friend, and went to bed.

August 7: Lee Vining, Mono Lake, and Home

We woke up early and got on the road. We decided to take a slight detour so we could stop in Lee Vining and eat at the Mobil gas station containing the Whoa Nellie Deli.

Whoa Nellie Deli

The Tioga Gas Mart and Whoa Nellie Deli have been a Lee Vining landmark since 1996. Located just off Highway 395 near the eastern entrance to Yosemite, the business became famous for serving unexpectedly ambitious food inside a Mobil gas station overlooking Mono Lake. Instead of the usual gas-station hot dogs and packaged sandwiches, travelers found dishes such as fish tacos, ahi sashimi, steaks, and other surprisingly gourmet meals. That strange combination of fuel pumps, incredible scenery, and genuinely good food helped turn it into a destination in its own right.

We ordered the world-famous fish tacos and the tuna sashimi, and both were delicious. I’ve been here quite a few times—both when I lived in the area and while passing through—and it never fails to impress me.

We sat in a booth and ate our food before heading to the South Tufa area of Mono Lake.

Mono Lake and the South Tufa Area

Mono Lake is an ancient saline lake on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada. The Mono Basin began forming approximately 2.5 million years ago, and the lake is part of a closed basin with no outlet to the ocean. Water can leave only through evaporation, causing salts and minerals to accumulate over thousands of years and creating the lake’s unusually salty, alkaline water.

Despite having no fish, Mono Lake supports a surprisingly productive ecosystem filled with brine shrimp and alkali flies. These tiny creatures provide food for millions of migratory birds that stop at the lake each year.

Mono Lake is especially famous for its tufa towers. These strange limestone formations develop underwater when calcium-rich freshwater springs interact with the carbonate-rich lake water. The reaction creates calcium carbonate, which gradually builds up around the springs to form the towers.

Many of the formations now visible along the shoreline were once underwater. Beginning in 1941, freshwater streams feeding Mono Lake were diverted south to Los Angeles. The lake’s water level dropped dramatically, its salinity increased, and previously submerged tufa towers became exposed. Concerns about the damage to the lake’s ecosystem eventually led to decades of conservation work and legal protections intended to restore the lake and its tributary streams.

The South Tufa area contains one of the lake’s largest and most accessible collections of these formations. A short interpretive trail leads down to the shoreline, where you can walk among the towers and get a much closer look at the unusual landscape.

We spent a little time wandering around and looking at the tufa formations before getting back on the road. From there, we drove through the middle of nowhere toward home.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. Once we reached Las Vegas, we stopped at Zaba’s, headed home, unpacked the car, and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Sacramento Road Trip: August 3–7, 2026

Las Vegas → Reno → Virginia City → Sacramento → Lee Vining → Las Vegas

August 3: Las Vegas to Reno

We woke up and got on the road around 4:45 AM. Along the way, we made a detour to the Goldwell Open Air Museum. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, located in Beatty near the Rhyolite Ghost Town.

The ghost town has a bunch of dilapidated ruins from an old gold rush town that you can walk around and explore. It also has a bottle house. The open-air museum features outdoor art sculptures, and honestly, it’s just a cool little stop if you have a few minutes to spare.

We also stopped at EddieWorld, which has a huge selection of candy. It also has a good number of bathrooms, and it’s one of the last stops before you hit a long stretch of desolate highway.

Walker Lake

We continued heading north and stopped to see Walker Lake, a striking natural lake tucked into the rugged desert landscape of western Nevada, just north of Hawthorne. Fed primarily by the Walker River, the lake is a remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan—an enormous Ice Age lake that once covered much of northwestern Nevada.

For thousands of years, Walker Lake and the surrounding region have been culturally significant to the Northern Paiute people, including the Walker River Paiute Tribe. The lake historically supported an abundant ecosystem and was especially known for its native Lahontan cutthroat trout.

Beginning in the late 1800s, however, the increasing agricultural use of water from the Walker River dramatically reduced the amount of freshwater reaching the lake. With no natural outlet, Walker Lake gradually shrank and became increasingly salty. Over the following century, declining water levels transformed both the shoreline and its ecosystem, eventually making the water too saline for many of the fish that once thrived here.

Today, Walker Lake offers a fascinating glimpse into Nevada’s prehistoric past while also telling a much more modern story about water use in the arid West. Its vast blue water, exposed shoreline, desert mountains, and remnants of a much larger ancient lake make it one of Nevada’s more unusual roadside landscapes.

Carson City Thrifting and Lunch

From there, we continued north until we made it to Carson City. Our first stop was a Goodwill, and I was in luck because they were having a special sale with all tags 50% off. I had some good success, and afterward, we decided to stop for lunch at Schussboom Brewing Co.

This place was pretty cute and had a ski-lodge theme inside. My boyfriend enjoyed the beers, and the food was pretty good. We tried a buffalo chicken wrap and a giant sourdough pretzel served with a special cheese sauce.

Reno and Sparks

After we filled our tanks, we headed to Reno and hit a Goodwill Bins located in the same building as a regular Goodwill store, which was also having the 50%-off tag sale. I had good success in both locations. However, the bins were a bit scarce and definitely not something I would travel out of my way to visit.

Our next stop was our hotel, the Western Village Inn, which is owned by the Peppermill. It was right on the marina, but the hotel was mostly outdated, with carpeting throughout. Of course, we also had to go into the casino to check in, even though the rooms were located in a building across the street. The property had a large parking lot, though, and the bed was actually pretty comfortable.

After we got all our stuff into the room, we headed to Great Basin Brewing Co. for dinner. We weren’t all that hungry, so all we ordered was Wisconsin cheese soup and some beer and/or cider. Great Basin has a few locations, but we opted for the original one in Sparks.

The service here was actually fantastic, although the beers were a bit generic. I did decide to try one of their desserts, which was similar to a caramel mousse, and it was amazing.

Afterward, we went back to the hotel. We were exhausted from getting up so early, driving, and thrifting all day.

August 4: Reno to Sacramento

I wanted to check out a few thrift stores before we left, so we had a leisurely morning since the earliest one didn’t open until 9:00 AM. I’ve been to Reno and have already seen the sights, but my boyfriend hasn’t. He opted to sleep in a little instead of checking out downtown.

Once it was 9:00 AM, we headed to the St. Vincent thrift store. The store was quite large inside; however, its prices were not very competitive. They were actually higher than the Goodwill stores we had visited the day before—and that’s without factoring in Goodwill’s 50%-off discount. I found two dresses, checked out, and then we headed to the Salvation Army just down the street.

This was a big score. They had a lot of items with the tags still attached, and everything in the store was 25% off because the location was going to close.

Virginia City

From there, we headed to Virginia City, found parking, and walked up and down the main street. We decided to eat at the Cider House at Canvas Café. It’s a tiny café, but the staff was very friendly and welcoming, and the food was delicious. I opted for the French dip, while my boyfriend had a pesto sandwich.

We enjoyed the historic character of Virginia City. The town sprang to life almost overnight following the discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1859—one of the richest silver deposits ever found in the United States. The discovery transformed this patch of Nevada desert into a booming mining town packed with miners, merchants, saloons, hotels, theaters, and enough Wild West drama to fill a few history books.

At its peak in the 1870s, Virginia City was home to roughly 25,000 people. The immense wealth pulled from the surrounding mines helped finance the growth of San Francisco and made fortunes for several of the era’s most powerful businessmen.

Virginia City also played a small role in literary history. Samuel Clemens worked for the Territorial Enterprise newspaper here in the early 1860s, and it was during his time in Nevada that he began using the pen name Mark Twain.

Mining eventually declined and Virginia City’s population dwindled, but much of its 19th-century character survived. Today, the town is part of the Virginia City Historic District, with wooden sidewalks, Victorian buildings, historic saloons, old mine sites, and plenty of tales about resident ghosts. 👻 It’s one of the best places in Nevada to wander straight into the state’s silver-mining past.

We wandered into a few shops and saw the Death Table, but overall, our stop was quick. We soon continued toward Sacramento.

Arriving in Sacramento

I have a friend who lives in Sacramento, so we had been coordinating with her. She already had plans when we arrived, so we headed to one of the Goodwill Bins locations. The bins had a very interesting urine-like smell, but I did manage to find a few items.

We then headed to our hotel, the Midtown, to check in. The process was a little slow because someone was in training, but I eventually acquired the key to our room—and then immediately discovered that I couldn’t open the door providing access to the building. I had to return to the office to get my card activated.

Once we reached the room and unloaded all our stuff, including the entire thrift haul from the previous two days, I noticed that the door didn’t seem to make a closing noise. We realized that it looked as though it had been kicked in at some point. The security bolt wouldn’t latch, and the door wouldn’t lock.

I went back down to the office and was initially told that I just needed to pull up on the handle. I showed the employee my photos of the door, and she agreed to move us to another room. However, the new room was one floor above us, so we had to haul all our stuff upstairs.

The room itself was fine. This was a really cheap hotel at about $60 per night. It wasn’t the cleanest inside, but the bed was actually pretty comfortable, and the room had a mini fridge.

An Evening Out with Friends

By that time, my friend was ready to meet up, so we went over to her house. She had recently started dating someone, and he came along too.

We went to Urban Roots Brewery & Smokehouse, where I ordered the smoked turkey with potato salad and cornbread. All of it was delicious. We had a beer and/or cider and just enjoyed each other’s company. The service was okay, the interior was clean, and the booth we selected gave us a good amount of privacy.

We decided to keep things going and headed to SacYard Community Tap House. It has a very small interior but a huge outdoor area. We ordered another round and enjoyed Sacramento’s much cooler weather while sitting outside.

We continued to Bonn Lair, which is kind of a British-themed bar, and had another round. It had a moderately sized interior and a large outdoor patio. Once again, we decided to sit outside because the weather was significantly better than in Las Vegas.

At that point, we decided to wrap up the evening, and we all returned to our respective residences. Unfortunately, because I rarely drink anymore, I had a hard time falling asleep. I felt a little queasy, which resulted in me staying awake until 1:30 AM.

August 5: Locke and Sacramento

The morning was a bit rough because I had only gotten about five hours of sleep. I coordinated with my friend, and we met up for breakfast at Pancake Circus.

This is kind of one of those hole-in-the-wall places with a really bad aroma from some very old carpeting. However, it’s also an old-school diner with a circus theme. If you don’t like clowns, this is probably not the place for you because that’s what greets you as soon as you walk through the door.

The service was mediocre, and it took us a while to get a waiter to take our order. The food was also mediocre, but overall, I liked the charm of the place.

The Historic Town of Locke

From there, we decided to head to Locke. Founded in 1915 after a fire destroyed nearby Walnut Grove’s Chinatown, Locke is considered the only surviving rural Chinese town in the United States built by Chinese immigrants for Chinese immigrants. Because California’s discriminatory Alien Land Law prevented many Chinese immigrants from owning property, residents initially built their homes and businesses on leased land.

By the 1920s and 1930s, Locke had grown into a lively Delta community filled with restaurants, boarding houses, shops, gambling halls, saloons, and a Chinese school. Today, its narrow streets and wonderfully weathered wooden buildings preserve much of that history. Visitors can explore the historic district and small museums, including the former Dai Loy gambling house, for a glimpse into the lives of the Chinese immigrants who helped shape California’s Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta.

The drive itself was actually very pretty, taking us through farmland and along the Sacramento River. The town was essentially closed because it was a weekday, but even with nothing open, it was still pretty cool to see all that history. We walked the loop and looked through a few windows, but we didn’t stay very long.

More Sacramento Thrifting

On the drive back, we stopped at Eco Thrift, which is a massive store. Honestly, if you’re thrifting for yourself, it’s probably a good stop. Everything within each category has a set price, and they have weekly color tags offering discounts of 25%, 50%, and 75%.

However, the prices were just too high for sourcing purposes, so we didn’t spend much time there.

Our next stop was another Goodwill. It had its weekly 50%-off color tag, and I was able to pick up a few different finds.

Breweries and Lunch

We decided to stop at Alaro Craft Brewery for lunch/dinner. The food was incredible, the service was amazing, and according to my boyfriend and friend, the beers were fantastic. I was still feeling pretty crappy, so I decided to stick with water.

We visited another Goodwill, where I had some success. Right across the street was another brewery called Mattie Groves Brewery, so we stopped for them to try a few flights.

Of all the breweries we visited, this one had the best vibe inside. It had slightly gothic, eccentric décor, which I really enjoyed, and the service was good. My friend and boyfriend enjoyed the beer, but we were under a bit of a time constraint because my friend needed to pick up her car from the shop, so we couldn’t stay very long.

Gunther’s Ice Cream

After we picked up her car, my friend took us on a tour of some of Sacramento’s famous haunts. The first was Gunther’s Ice Cream.

A Sacramento institution since 1940, Gunther’s is an old-school neighborhood ice cream shop known for its handmade ice cream, towering cones, sundaes, and signature fruit freezes. The shop still has plenty of vintage charm, including its iconic neon Jugglin’ Joe sign. It’s a fun Sacramento classic and an easy sweet stop while exploring the city.

We actually arrived at a decent time, and the line was moderate. The ice cream was delicious, and there were several picnic tables outside where we could sit and eat. By the time we finished our ice cream, the line was out the door.

The Dragon House and Diagon Alley

We returned to the car and headed toward the Dragon House. This is a privately owned residence that the owner has decorated very elaborately. It was actually quite impressive to see, especially since she has apparently done all the work herself. The property features multiple mosaics shaped like dragons and other creatures, along with beautiful landscaping.

Because it’s a private residence, this was strictly an exterior visit and a quick stop.

Our next stop was Diagon Alley, a Harry Potter-themed street. They hold different events on some occasions, but it was very quiet on this particular day, and we were the only people there. Although it wasn’t anything over the top, it was still a fun little stop, and we enjoyed walking around and looking at all the decorations.

We then headed back to the hotel and watched a movie before my friend went home.

August 6: Skydiving, Thrifting, and Sacramento Nightlife

We picked up my friend and headed to Tower Café, which is known for its outdoor garden and elaborate décor. It definitely has a funky vibe, with decorative items from all over the world.

The service was pretty good, except for the fact that our waitress kept trying to upsell us. The prices were a bit steep, but the food was pretty good.

An 18,000-Foot Jump

From there, we headed to the Skydance drop zone so my boyfriend could jump. He got to jump from 18,000 feet and needed supplemental oxygen, so it was a pretty big highlight for him.

The jump didn’t happen until around 10:00 AM, and the jumps were more expensive, so he decided to do just one.

We headed back toward the hotel and had my boyfriend drop us off at the Goodwill three blocks away so he could return to the room and shower. I had moderate success at this Goodwill, and he came back to pick us up.

My friend needed to head home to finish some paperwork for a new job she was about to start, so my boyfriend and I headed to Uptown Thrift. It wasn’t the most successful stop.

Afterward, we went to the Goodwill Bins, where I had a lot of success. At this point, my boyfriend cut me off from shopping because he was becoming concerned about fitting everything into the car for the ride home.

Oak Park Brewing Co.

By this point, we were hungry, so my boyfriend and I stopped at Oak Park Brewing Co. for some snacks and cider and/or beer. The brewery had a large interior and an even bigger outdoor area with misters. Once again, we decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and sit outside.

The service was pretty good, and the food came out very quickly.

My friend was getting close to being ready to meet up again, so we headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the evening. She came by to pick us up, and we headed to Shipwrecked Paradise Island, which has a fun tiki-bar theme.

Shipwrecked Paradise Island

The interior bar was a bit small, and most of the seats and booths were reserved, so we sat outside and ordered a few appetizers and drinks. They had a pretty extensive and fun drink menu filled with unique concoctions.

The service was really good, and as we were leaving, we were able to catch some of the animatronics in action, including snakes and Venus flytraps. Overall, the experience was pretty fun.

Underground Mini Golf in Old Sacramento

From there, we headed to Old Sacramento and played some underground mini golf. The course is located in the basement of an old hotel and has an old-timey theme, with a story that continues through each hole.

It wasn’t the most amazing miniature golf course I’ve ever experienced, but it was still kind of fun—even though I didn’t win. It was a little pricey, but it gave us something different to do.

We then tried to find a speakeasy called the 1920s Bookstore and followed some of the clues required to gain entry. Unfortunately, it was sold out. The bar is very small, and you need to have a reservation. They did allow us to walk through and see the interior, though.

There was a beer bar right in the same area, so we went inside and had a drink. We then continued walking around Old Sacramento and went into Fanny Ann’s Saloon, but the vibe inside was a little weird, and there was nowhere to sit, so we decided to leave.

Darling Aviary

My friend mentioned a rooftop bar, so we added Darling Aviary to the evening. This bar was actually really cool. It stuck very closely to its bird theme, and the lower interior bar had really pretty decorations.

The rooftop was a little less decorated, although they did have a TV playing actual footage of birds. We ordered a few food items, and all of them were delicious. The service was okay. It was busy, so we understood why things took some time, but we still had to stand in line for about five minutes just to place an order.

We headed back to the hotel, said goodbye to my friend, and went to bed.

August 7: Lee Vining, Mono Lake, and Home

We woke up early and got on the road. We decided to take a slight detour so we could stop in Lee Vining and eat at the Mobil gas station containing the Whoa Nellie Deli.

Whoa Nellie Deli

The Tioga Gas Mart and Whoa Nellie Deli have been a Lee Vining landmark since 1996. Located just off Highway 395 near the eastern entrance to Yosemite, the business became famous for serving unexpectedly ambitious food inside a Mobil gas station overlooking Mono Lake. Instead of the usual gas-station hot dogs and packaged sandwiches, travelers found dishes such as fish tacos, ahi sashimi, steaks, and other surprisingly gourmet meals. That strange combination of fuel pumps, incredible scenery, and genuinely good food helped turn it into a destination in its own right.

We ordered the world-famous fish tacos and the tuna sashimi, and both were delicious. I’ve been here quite a few times—both when I lived in the area and while passing through—and it never fails to impress me.

We sat in a booth and ate our food before heading to the South Tufa area of Mono Lake.

Mono Lake and the South Tufa Area

Mono Lake is an ancient saline lake on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada. The Mono Basin began forming approximately 2.5 million years ago, and the lake is part of a closed basin with no outlet to the ocean. Water can leave only through evaporation, causing salts and minerals to accumulate over thousands of years and creating the lake’s unusually salty, alkaline water.

Despite having no fish, Mono Lake supports a surprisingly productive ecosystem filled with brine shrimp and alkali flies. These tiny creatures provide food for millions of migratory birds that stop at the lake each year.

Mono Lake is especially famous for its tufa towers. These strange limestone formations develop underwater when calcium-rich freshwater springs interact with the carbonate-rich lake water. The reaction creates calcium carbonate, which gradually builds up around the springs to form the towers.

Many of the formations now visible along the shoreline were once underwater. Beginning in 1941, freshwater streams feeding Mono Lake were diverted south to Los Angeles. The lake’s water level dropped dramatically, its salinity increased, and previously submerged tufa towers became exposed. Concerns about the damage to the lake’s ecosystem eventually led to decades of conservation work and legal protections intended to restore the lake and its tributary streams.

The South Tufa area contains one of the lake’s largest and most accessible collections of these formations. A short interpretive trail leads down to the shoreline, where you can walk among the towers and get a much closer look at the unusual landscape.

We spent a little time wandering around and looking at the tufa formations before getting back on the road. From there, we drove through the middle of nowhere toward home.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. Once we reached Las Vegas, we stopped at Zaba’s, headed home, unpacked the car, and relaxed for the rest of the evening.# Sacramento Road Trip: August 3–7, 2026

Las Vegas → Reno → Virginia City → Sacramento → Lee Vining → Las Vegas

August 3: Las Vegas to Reno

We woke up and got on the road around 4:45 AM. Along the way, we made a detour to the Goldwell Open Air Museum. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, located in Beatty near the Rhyolite Ghost Town.

The ghost town has a bunch of dilapidated ruins from an old gold rush town that you can walk around and explore. It also has a bottle house. The open-air museum features outdoor art sculptures, and honestly, it’s just a cool little stop if you have a few minutes to spare.

We also stopped at EddieWorld, which has a huge selection of candy. It also has a good number of bathrooms, and it’s one of the last stops before you hit a long stretch of desolate highway.

Walker Lake

We continued heading north and stopped to see Walker Lake, a striking natural lake tucked into the rugged desert landscape of western Nevada, just north of Hawthorne. Fed primarily by the Walker River, the lake is a remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan—an enormous Ice Age lake that once covered much of northwestern Nevada.

For thousands of years, Walker Lake and the surrounding region have been culturally significant to the Northern Paiute people, including the Walker River Paiute Tribe. The lake historically supported an abundant ecosystem and was especially known for its native Lahontan cutthroat trout.

Beginning in the late 1800s, however, the increasing agricultural use of water from the Walker River dramatically reduced the amount of freshwater reaching the lake. With no natural outlet, Walker Lake gradually shrank and became increasingly salty. Over the following century, declining water levels transformed both the shoreline and its ecosystem, eventually making the water too saline for many of the fish that once thrived here.

Today, Walker Lake offers a fascinating glimpse into Nevada’s prehistoric past while also telling a much more modern story about water use in the arid West. Its vast blue water, exposed shoreline, desert mountains, and remnants of a much larger ancient lake make it one of Nevada’s more unusual roadside landscapes.

Carson City Thrifting and Lunch

From there, we continued north until we made it to Carson City. Our first stop was a Goodwill, and I was in luck because they were having a special sale with all tags 50% off. I had some good success, and afterward, we decided to stop for lunch at Schussboom Brewing Co.

This place was pretty cute and had a ski-lodge theme inside. My boyfriend enjoyed the beers, and the food was pretty good. We tried a buffalo chicken wrap and a giant sourdough pretzel served with a special cheese sauce.

Reno and Sparks

After we filled our tanks, we headed to Reno and hit a Goodwill Bins located in the same building as a regular Goodwill store, which was also having the 50%-off tag sale. I had good success in both locations. However, the bins were a bit scarce and definitely not something I would travel out of my way to visit.

Our next stop was our hotel, the Western Village Inn, which is owned by the Peppermill. It was right on the marina, but the hotel was mostly outdated, with carpeting throughout. Of course, we also had to go into the casino to check in, even though the rooms were located in a building across the street. The property had a large parking lot, though, and the bed was actually pretty comfortable.

After we got all our stuff into the room, we headed to Great Basin Brewing Co. for dinner. We weren’t all that hungry, so all we ordered was Wisconsin cheese soup and some beer and/or cider. Great Basin has a few locations, but we opted for the original one in Sparks.

The service here was actually fantastic, although the beers were a bit generic. I did decide to try one of their desserts, which was similar to a caramel mousse, and it was amazing.

Afterward, we went back to the hotel. We were exhausted from getting up so early, driving, and thrifting all day.

August 4: Reno to Sacramento

I wanted to check out a few thrift stores before we left, so we had a leisurely morning since the earliest one didn’t open until 9:00 AM. I’ve been to Reno and have already seen the sights, but my boyfriend hasn’t. He opted to sleep in a little instead of checking out downtown.

Once it was 9:00 AM, we headed to the St. Vincent thrift store. The store was quite large inside; however, its prices were not very competitive. They were actually higher than the Goodwill stores we had visited the day before—and that’s without factoring in Goodwill’s 50%-off discount. I found two dresses, checked out, and then we headed to the Salvation Army just down the street.

This was a big score. They had a lot of items with the tags still attached, and everything in the store was 25% off because the location was going to close.

Virginia City

From there, we headed to Virginia City, found parking, and walked up and down the main street. We decided to eat at the Cider House at Canvas Café. It’s a tiny café, but the staff was very friendly and welcoming, and the food was delicious. I opted for the French dip, while my boyfriend had a pesto sandwich.

We enjoyed the historic character of Virginia City. The town sprang to life almost overnight following the discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1859—one of the richest silver deposits ever found in the United States. The discovery transformed this patch of Nevada desert into a booming mining town packed with miners, merchants, saloons, hotels, theaters, and enough Wild West drama to fill a few history books.

At its peak in the 1870s, Virginia City was home to roughly 25,000 people. The immense wealth pulled from the surrounding mines helped finance the growth of San Francisco and made fortunes for several of the era’s most powerful businessmen.

Virginia City also played a small role in literary history. Samuel Clemens worked for the Territorial Enterprise newspaper here in the early 1860s, and it was during his time in Nevada that he began using the pen name Mark Twain.

Mining eventually declined and Virginia City’s population dwindled, but much of its 19th-century character survived. Today, the town is part of the Virginia City Historic District, with wooden sidewalks, Victorian buildings, historic saloons, old mine sites, and plenty of tales about resident ghosts. 👻 It’s one of the best places in Nevada to wander straight into the state’s silver-mining past.

We wandered into a few shops and saw the Death Table, but overall, our stop was quick. We soon continued toward Sacramento.

Arriving in Sacramento

I have a friend who lives in Sacramento, so we had been coordinating with her. She already had plans when we arrived, so we headed to one of the Goodwill Bins locations. The bins had a very interesting urine-like smell, but I did manage to find a few items.

We then headed to our hotel, the Midtown, to check in. The process was a little slow because someone was in training, but I eventually acquired the key to our room—and then immediately discovered that I couldn’t open the door providing access to the building. I had to return to the office to get my card activated.

Once we reached the room and unloaded all our stuff, including the entire thrift haul from the previous two days, I noticed that the door didn’t seem to make a closing noise. We realized that it looked as though it had been kicked in at some point. The security bolt wouldn’t latch, and the door wouldn’t lock.

I went back down to the office and was initially told that I just needed to pull up on the handle. I showed the employee my photos of the door, and she agreed to move us to another room. However, the new room was one floor above us, so we had to haul all our stuff upstairs.

The room itself was fine. This was a really cheap hotel at about $60 per night. It wasn’t the cleanest inside, but the bed was actually pretty comfortable, and the room had a mini fridge.

An Evening Out with Friends

By that time, my friend was ready to meet up, so we went over to her house. She had recently started dating someone, and he came along too.

We went to Urban Roots Brewery & Smokehouse, where I ordered the smoked turkey with potato salad and cornbread. All of it was delicious. We had a beer and/or cider and just enjoyed each other’s company. The service was okay, the interior was clean, and the booth we selected gave us a good amount of privacy.

We decided to keep things going and headed to SacYard Community Tap House. It has a very small interior but a huge outdoor area. We ordered another round and enjoyed Sacramento’s much cooler weather while sitting outside.

We continued to Bonn Lair, which is kind of a British-themed bar, and had another round. It had a moderately sized interior and a large outdoor patio. Once again, we decided to sit outside because the weather was significantly better than in Las Vegas.

At that point, we decided to wrap up the evening, and we all returned to our respective residences. Unfortunately, because I rarely drink anymore, I had a hard time falling asleep. I felt a little queasy, which resulted in me staying awake until 1:30 AM.

August 5: Locke and Sacramento

The morning was a bit rough because I had only gotten about five hours of sleep. I coordinated with my friend, and we met up for breakfast at Pancake Circus.

This is kind of one of those hole-in-the-wall places with a really bad aroma from some very old carpeting. However, it’s also an old-school diner with a circus theme. If you don’t like clowns, this is probably not the place for you because that’s what greets you as soon as you walk through the door.

The service was mediocre, and it took us a while to get a waiter to take our order. The food was also mediocre, but overall, I liked the charm of the place.

The Historic Town of Locke

From there, we decided to head to Locke. Founded in 1915 after a fire destroyed nearby Walnut Grove’s Chinatown, Locke is considered the only surviving rural Chinese town in the United States built by Chinese immigrants for Chinese immigrants. Because California’s discriminatory Alien Land Law prevented many Chinese immigrants from owning property, residents initially built their homes and businesses on leased land.

By the 1920s and 1930s, Locke had grown into a lively Delta community filled with restaurants, boarding houses, shops, gambling halls, saloons, and a Chinese school. Today, its narrow streets and wonderfully weathered wooden buildings preserve much of that history. Visitors can explore the historic district and small museums, including the former Dai Loy gambling house, for a glimpse into the lives of the Chinese immigrants who helped shape California’s Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta.

The drive itself was actually very pretty, taking us through farmland and along the Sacramento River. The town was essentially closed because it was a weekday, but even with nothing open, it was still pretty cool to see all that history. We walked the loop and looked through a few windows, but we didn’t stay very long.

More Sacramento Thrifting

On the drive back, we stopped at Eco Thrift, which is a massive store. Honestly, if you’re thrifting for yourself, it’s probably a good stop. Everything within each category has a set price, and they have weekly color tags offering discounts of 25%, 50%, and 75%.

However, the prices were just too high for sourcing purposes, so we didn’t spend much time there.

Our next stop was another Goodwill. It had its weekly 50%-off color tag, and I was able to pick up a few different finds.

Breweries and Lunch

We decided to stop at Alaro Craft Brewery for lunch/dinner. The food was incredible, the service was amazing, and according to my boyfriend and friend, the beers were fantastic. I was still feeling pretty crappy, so I decided to stick with water.

We visited another Goodwill, where I had some success. Right across the street was another brewery called Mattie Groves Brewery, so we stopped for them to try a few flights.

Of all the breweries we visited, this one had the best vibe inside. It had slightly gothic, eccentric décor, which I really enjoyed, and the service was good. My friend and boyfriend enjoyed the beer, but we were under a bit of a time constraint because my friend needed to pick up her car from the shop, so we couldn’t stay very long.

Gunther’s Ice Cream

After we picked up her car, my friend took us on a tour of some of Sacramento’s famous haunts. The first was Gunther’s Ice Cream.

A Sacramento institution since 1940, Gunther’s is an old-school neighborhood ice cream shop known for its handmade ice cream, towering cones, sundaes, and signature fruit freezes. The shop still has plenty of vintage charm, including its iconic neon Jugglin’ Joe sign. It’s a fun Sacramento classic and an easy sweet stop while exploring the city.

We actually arrived at a decent time, and the line was moderate. The ice cream was delicious, and there were several picnic tables outside where we could sit and eat. By the time we finished our ice cream, the line was out the door.

The Dragon House and Diagon Alley

We returned to the car and headed toward the Dragon House. This is a privately owned residence that the owner has decorated very elaborately. It was actually quite impressive to see, especially since she has apparently done all the work herself. The property features multiple mosaics shaped like dragons and other creatures, along with beautiful landscaping.

Because it’s a private residence, this was strictly an exterior visit and a quick stop.

Our next stop was Diagon Alley, a Harry Potter-themed street. They hold different events on some occasions, but it was very quiet on this particular day, and we were the only people there. Although it wasn’t anything over the top, it was still a fun little stop, and we enjoyed walking around and looking at all the decorations.

We then headed back to the hotel and watched a movie before my friend went home.

August 6: Skydiving, Thrifting, and Sacramento Nightlife

We picked up my friend and headed to Tower Café, which is known for its outdoor garden and elaborate décor. It definitely has a funky vibe, with decorative items from all over the world.

The service was pretty good, except for the fact that our waitress kept trying to upsell us. The prices were a bit steep, but the food was pretty good.

An 18,000-Foot Jump

From there, we headed to the Skydance drop zone so my boyfriend could jump. He got to jump from 18,000 feet and needed supplemental oxygen, so it was a pretty big highlight for him.

The jump didn’t happen until around 10:00 AM, and the jumps were more expensive, so he decided to do just one.

We headed back toward the hotel and had my boyfriend drop us off at the Goodwill three blocks away so he could return to the room and shower. I had moderate success at this Goodwill, and he came back to pick us up.

My friend needed to head home to finish some paperwork for a new job she was about to start, so my boyfriend and I headed to Uptown Thrift. It wasn’t the most successful stop.

Afterward, we went to the Goodwill Bins, where I had a lot of success. At this point, my boyfriend cut me off from shopping because he was becoming concerned about fitting everything into the car for the ride home.

Oak Park Brewing Co.

By this point, we were hungry, so my boyfriend and I stopped at Oak Park Brewing Co. for some snacks and cider and/or beer. The brewery had a large interior and an even bigger outdoor area with misters. Once again, we decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and sit outside.

The service was pretty good, and the food came out very quickly.

My friend was getting close to being ready to meet up again, so we headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the evening. She came by to pick us up, and we headed to Shipwrecked Paradise Island, which has a fun tiki-bar theme.

Shipwrecked Paradise Island

The interior bar was a bit small, and most of the seats and booths were reserved, so we sat outside and ordered a few appetizers and drinks. They had a pretty extensive and fun drink menu filled with unique concoctions.

The service was really good, and as we were leaving, we were able to catch some of the animatronics in action, including snakes and Venus flytraps. Overall, the experience was pretty fun.

Underground Mini Golf in Old Sacramento

From there, we headed to Old Sacramento and played some underground mini golf. The course is located in the basement of an old hotel and has an old-timey theme, with a story that continues through each hole.

It wasn’t the most amazing miniature golf course I’ve ever experienced, but it was still kind of fun—even though I didn’t win. It was a little pricey, but it gave us something different to do.

We then tried to find a speakeasy called the 1920s Bookstore and followed some of the clues required to gain entry. Unfortunately, it was sold out. The bar is very small, and you need to have a reservation. They did allow us to walk through and see the interior, though.

There was a beer bar right in the same area, so we went inside and had a drink. We then continued walking around Old Sacramento and went into Fanny Ann’s Saloon, but the vibe inside was a little weird, and there was nowhere to sit, so we decided to leave.

Darling Aviary

My friend mentioned a rooftop bar, so we added Darling Aviary to the evening. This bar was actually really cool. It stuck very closely to its bird theme, and the lower interior bar had really pretty decorations.

The rooftop was a little less decorated, although they did have a TV playing actual footage of birds. We ordered a few food items, and all of them were delicious. The service was okay. It was busy, so we understood why things took some time, but we still had to stand in line for about five minutes just to place an order.

We headed back to the hotel, said goodbye to my friend, and went to bed.

August 7: Lee Vining, Mono Lake, and Home

We woke up early and got on the road. We decided to take a slight detour so we could stop in Lee Vining and eat at the Mobil gas station containing the Whoa Nellie Deli.

Whoa Nellie Deli

The Tioga Gas Mart and Whoa Nellie Deli have been a Lee Vining landmark since 1996. Located just off Highway 395 near the eastern entrance to Yosemite, the business became famous for serving unexpectedly ambitious food inside a Mobil gas station overlooking Mono Lake. Instead of the usual gas-station hot dogs and packaged sandwiches, travelers found dishes such as fish tacos, ahi sashimi, steaks, and other surprisingly gourmet meals. That strange combination of fuel pumps, incredible scenery, and genuinely good food helped turn it into a destination in its own right.

We ordered the world-famous fish tacos and the tuna sashimi, and both were delicious. I’ve been here quite a few times—both when I lived in the area and while passing through—and it never fails to impress me.

We sat in a booth and ate our food before heading to the South Tufa area of Mono Lake.

Mono Lake and the South Tufa Area

Mono Lake is an ancient saline lake on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada. The Mono Basin began forming approximately 2.5 million years ago, and the lake is part of a closed basin with no outlet to the ocean. Water can leave only through evaporation, causing salts and minerals to accumulate over thousands of years and creating the lake’s unusually salty, alkaline water.

Despite having no fish, Mono Lake supports a surprisingly productive ecosystem filled with brine shrimp and alkali flies. These tiny creatures provide food for millions of migratory birds that stop at the lake each year.

Mono Lake is especially famous for its tufa towers. These strange limestone formations develop underwater when calcium-rich freshwater springs interact with the carbonate-rich lake water. The reaction creates calcium carbonate, which gradually builds up around the springs to form the towers.

Many of the formations now visible along the shoreline were once underwater. Beginning in 1941, freshwater streams feeding Mono Lake were diverted south to Los Angeles. The lake’s water level dropped dramatically, its salinity increased, and previously submerged tufa towers became exposed. Concerns about the damage to the lake’s ecosystem eventually led to decades of conservation work and legal protections intended to restore the lake and its tributary streams.

The South Tufa area contains one of the lake’s largest and most accessible collections of these formations. A short interpretive trail leads down to the shoreline, where you can walk among the towers and get a much closer look at the unusual landscape.

We spent a little time wandering around and looking at the tufa formations before getting back on the road. From there, we drove through the middle of nowhere toward home.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. Once we reached Las Vegas, we stopped at Zaba’s, headed home, unpacked the car, and relaxed for the rest of the evening.