Nevada State Museum, Carson City

Housed in the former Carson City Mint, where silver from the Comstock Lode was struck into coins, this museum interprets Nevada's natural and human history. The original coin press remains and is occasionally operated for demonstrations. Exhibits include a walk-through recreated underground mine, fossils of ancient sea creatures from when the region lay beneath water, and galleries on Native peoples and frontier life. The historic stone mint building is itself a major artifact.