A Visit to the Renaissance Village in Ely, Nevada

From late May to the third weekend in September, the Renaissance Village in Ely, Nevada, is a hidden gem that gives a peek into Ely's fascinating past. The Renaissance Village is a collection of old mining houses, each decorated in a different nationality to showcase how many different ethnic backgrounds made up Ely's history.

Tucked up onto the hillside, you suddenly come upon the Village General Store, which is the starting point for visiting the Renaissance Village.


You step into the past as you step inside.

We also met up with our guide, Glen Terry, who is so knowledgeable about the village and the whole area.

First he took us into the English House. I wasn't sure how much the kids would like this trip back in history, but they were fascinated.

We had fun looking at the furnishings and decorations.

Then, after a visit in the French House and with a few more instructions, Glenn let us roam through the other houses on our own.

Here's a map of the village.

We went into the Spanish house next.

Many of the houses had old stoves like this.

The Spanish house had some nice chiles.

Next was the Italian house.

Plaques in the houses give more info about the history of that heritage in the area.

The kids noted we have a radio of similar vintage in our house. We tend to have a lot of older things still hanging around!

It was great fun to see how each house, although similar, had quite a few differences.

Here are the kids trying to choose which house to go into next.

They chose the Greek house.

Desert Girl enjoyed looking at these fancy shoes.


The Greek living room.

 Back to the courtyard.

 

And then we went into the Irish house.

This house also had information on Pat Nixon, who was from Ely.

 

 Next up was the Asian house.

The china was beautiful.

Another plaque with fascinating info.

And some clothes.

The Renaissance village includes a covered patio that is used for special events.

We weren't quite finished--we still had the Miners Cabin.

It was very small.

And included a miner, ha!

Steps up from the Miner's Cabin lead to the train tracks for the Nevada Northern Railway. The Polar Express tops here in winter so Santa can get on and visit with everyone.

The kids surprised me with how much they enjoyed this visit to the Renaissance Village. I thought they'd be dragging their feet, but they were eager to explore and find cool things in each house. I believe the Renaissance Village will be open two more weekends in 2019. We look forward to revisiting again next year and finding more cool things to discover!