Kiwis considering a US road trip are being urged to look to Northern Nevada’s Cowboy Corridor, from Reno to West Wendover, which offers a wide-open highway experience and an insight into the region’s Basque culture.
The cultural offerings start in Reno, where clients can dine at Louis’ Basque Corner, one of Nevada’s best-loved Basque restaurants. They can also visit the National Monument to the Basque Sheepherder, located at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, which honours the Basque people and their long-standing tradition of sheep herding.
Clients can then drive to Winnemucca via Lovelock, ensuring to stop at Martin Hotel which Travel Nevada says offers a traditional Basque experience. Its bread pudding is said to be famous.
Winnemucca is home to one of America’s strongest Basque communities. This is most evident in Jun, when the city hosts the Winnemucca Basque Festival, which features traditional Basque games and music, jota dancing, a parade, and traditional foods.
For those travelling outside of Jun, The Humboldt Museum, is home to an exhibit showcasing the Basque people who have lived in northern Nevada for more than a century. From Winnemucca, the road trip travels to Battle Mountain and on to Elko, where clients can stay at the Star Hotel (pictured). It’s an establishment so rooted in Basque history that Travel Nevada says you might even hear the language still spoken here.
Elko is also home to The National Basque Festival, which is held annually over the Fourth of July weekend, featuring traditional dance performances, wood-chopping competitions and a taste of Basque cuisine.
Year-round, there’s the North-eastern Nevada Museum, with exhibits exploring the significant impact of Basque immigrants in the region. From Elko, the road trip travels to Wells before wrapping up in West Wendover.
For more on Nevada’s Basque heritage and how to experience it, see details HERE.
