Virginia City was born with the discovery of gold in Alder Gulch in 1863. Largely restored and preserved as they once stood, Virginia City and neighboring Nevada City are living examples of the real Old West. Original buildings, dating from the Territorial days, are filled with merchandise and implements used when gold camps flourished in the West. Boardwalks, mechanical music machines, a penny arcade, antique automobiles and even a two-story outhouse add to the Old West atmosphere. Virginia City offers many opportunities to relive the adventure of gold rush days, rich with history and lore. Visit the surrounding towns to get a well-rounded vision of early pioneer life, and be sure to take in all of the local attractions.

At the Festival of Times, a celebration of the Victorian era held in July, enjoy afternoon teas and a Grand Ball where guests attend in period costume. Visit the Opera House and catch the Virginia City Players’ variety productions in the style of 19th-century entertainment or relax with at Montana’s first brewery, the H. S. Gilbert Brewery, and enjoy a performance of the Brewery Follies Players.

In Virginia City, you can shop, dine and sleep without leaving the atmosphere of the 1890s. Dine in the Wells Fargo Coffee House or the Star Bakery and bend an elbow in the Bale of Hay Saloon or Gilbert’s Brewery. Modern, overnight accommodations in a charming, 19th-century atmosphere are available. You will find fascinating nuggets of history and memories to treasure.

Take the train to Nevada City on an authentic narrow-gauge railroad, the Alder Gulch Short Line. Travel between the two mining camps on the Alder Gulch Short Line Railroad. At the Nevada City end of the line, visit the Alder Gulch Short Line Steam Railroad Museum with its collection of equipment and stock from railroading’s gold rush era.

The majestic Madison River Valley, just west of Virginia City, features some of the world’s finest trout streams, as well as a beautiful mountain backdrop.