The museums in Elko, Nevada, offer a look into Native American, Basque, pioneer, and cowboy history and culture. The Elko Convention Visitors Authority offers tourist information about the available activities around our city, including museums. Here are the top museums in Elko:

Western Folklife Center

Based in the Pioneer Hotel, the Western Folklife Center hosts year-round activities centered on cowboys and the history of the American West. This includes concerts, children’s educational programs, and readings. The center holds the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, a week-long festival at the end of January.

For a more visual experience, you can stroll through the Folklife Center’s Wiegand Gallery. At the gallery, you can see featured Western artwork. Pick up cowboy music and books from the gift shop during your visit.

Northeastern Nevada Museum

You can explore northern Nevada’s natural and human history at the Northeastern Nevada Museum. At the Wanamaker Wildlife Wing, see over 300 animal mounts displayed in natural settings. In this wing, there is a display of ancient mastodon bones that were discovered near Spring Creek.

The Northeastern Nevada Museum carries an extensive collection of historical documents, including newspapers that go back to 1872. The museum’s collection also has:

  • Manuscripts
  • Records
  • Maps
  • Photos

Visitors can see artifacts from the early settlers and visit informative displays about the region’s ranching and railroad history. For a more immersive experience, you and your family can walk into a 1900s-era kitchen, schoolroom, or commercial printing room. In the museum’s Basque exhibit, you can learn more about the Basque people who immigrated to the West in the 1800s.

The museum’s permanent exhibits include collections of Paiute beadwork, Shoshone baskets, and a western saddle exhibit. The Northeastern Nevada Museum hosts permanent art collections and rotating art galleries featuring the work of local and natural artists and photographers. This includes a Will James art collection with artwork valued at almost a million dollars.

California Trail Interpretive Center

The California Trail Interpretive Center educates visitors about the stories of the pioneers who traveled along the California Trail. Bring your family to interact with the hands-on exhibits and life-sized dioramas about the pioneer experience. To discover more about the history of the Shoshone tribe, walk around a Shoshone summer camp. You can learn more about the Donner Party Disaster while spending time in a Donner-era wagon encampment. Other museum attractions include the bronze elephant statue and the museum plaza that pays homage to Nevada’s landscape and the pioneers who traveled it.

Cowboy Arts and Gear Museum

G. S. Garcia was a saddle craftsman who operated from 1894 to 1935. This artist utilized gemstones and silverwork in his saddles and became a craftsman highly sought after by cowboys. The Cowboy Arts and Gear Museum in downtown Elko is hosted in Garcia’s original shop, the Garcia Bit and Spur. At the museum, you can see displays of the artist’s leatherwork and silver engraving demonstrations. For a hands-on experience, take one of the leather stamping or rawhide branding workshops.

Find Tourist Information for Elko, Nevada

Other historic museums and attractions include the Sherman Station Visitor’s Center and the local ghost towns. The Elko Convention Visitors Authority offers a downloadable visitor’s guide on our website with additional tourist information about local attractions and events. If you have questions about tourist activities and museums in Elko, we invite you to fill out our online contact form.