Reno's big action is in the casinos, and the major resorts have enough showrooms, cabaret lounges, and intimate bars to keep you entertained all night long. If you're staying in one of the big ones, you can usually find all the entertainment you want without leaving the premises. Since its completion in December 2005, the Reno Events Center has brought in such A-list entertainers as the Black Eyed Peas, Brooks & Dunn, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. The Reno Events Center is located 1 block north of National Bowling Stadium, bounded by Fourth and Fifth streets, and Center and Lake streets in downtown Reno. Check the RSCVA website at www.visitrenotahoe.com for up-to-date information about what's playing at the casino hotels and at the Reno Events Center.
Performing Arts
The Theater Coalition (tel. 775/786-2278; www.theatercoalition.org) gathers information about area theater, ballet, opera, and musical performances and lists them on its website.
The Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, 925 Riverside Dr. (tel. 775/323-6393; www.renophilharmonic.com), presents a fall and winter concert season plus summer concerts in the park. On a smaller scale but no less talented is the Reno Chamber Orchestra, 925 Riverside Dr. (tel. 775/348-9413; www.renochamberorchestra.org), which presents concerts at various times during the year. The Pioneer Center, 100 S. Virginia St. (tel. 775/686-6610; www.pioneercenter.com), is the home for traveling Broadway companies as well as the ballet and opera. The Nevada Shakespeare Company, 1 Booth St. (tel. 775/324-4198; www.nevada-shakespeare.org), presents modern renditions of the Bard's famous plays, as well as original works.
Club & Music Scene
The 24-hour Alturas Bar & Nightclub, 1044 E. 4th St. (tel. 775/324-5050), is the place for the blues, and also features top R&B entertainment and pool tables. The hottest club on the local scene is the always-packed BuBinga Lounge, inside the Eldorado Hotel (tel. 775/786-5700), where DJs spin everything from electronica to rap and where the young and stylish congregate. Also burning up the late-night scene is Tonic, 231 W. 2nd St. (tel. 775/337-6868). A down-tempo lounge with an urban/chic decor, Tonic has overstuffed lounge chairs and banquettes, local artists' work adorning the walls, and a large dance floor. It's a popular late-night spot with live jazz and DJs Thursday through Saturday, so expect the crowds on the weekends, particularly after 11pm.
Scruples Bar & Grill, 91 W. Plumb Lane (tel. 775/322-7171), features a huge menu with the best bar food in town, indoor/outdoor dining, live music on the patio in the summer (and a jukebox the rest of the week), and the requisite big-screen TV for watching sports.
Tronix, 303 Kietzke Lane (tel. 775/333-9696), caters mainly to the gay/lesbian community, while the 1099 Club, 1099 S. Virginia St. (tel. 775/329-1099), caters to Reno's drag set.
