Tour The Historic Chollar Mine in Virginia City

Established in 1859, Chollar Mine was one of Virginia City’s highest producing mines. Eventually producing 17 million in silver and gold ore over the course of its 80-year operation.

These days, there isn’t any mining going on in VC, but Chollar Mine has stood the test of time and has been preserved to offer daily tours. Visitors will get a rare glimpse at mining life in the 1800’s during this 30-minute adventure.

We recently paid a visit here and took part in a tour. Being a local historian and former miner himself, our tour guide provided tons of interesting information throughout and made it a fun, memorable experience.

While we won’t spoil the tour, we will provide you with all the information you’ll need to plan a visit. We’ll also give you some examples of topics covered during the tour.

Let’s get into it!

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Location

The Chollar Mine is located in the historic Nevada town of Virginia City and right off the main strip. The exact address for GPS purposes is:

• 615 South F Street. Virginia City, NV 89440

If you’re one of the few that doesn’t own a smartphone with GPS capability, here’s a some visual help. Regardless of which direction you’re coming into town from, look out for the Fourth Ward School (pictured above).

Directions

As you’re approaching the school:

• If you’re coming from Silver City, you’ll turn right on Occidental Grade (just before the school)

• If you’re coming from the opposite direction, turn left just after the school.

• You’ll drive a couple hundred yards before seeing a sign for Chollar Mine. Turn left here.

• After another 100 yards you’ll see another sign (pictured above). Turn right here and go down the driveway to the parking lot.

Fees

As with most tourist attractions, there are fees to be paid in order to take part in the tour. You can feel good about it, though, as this money goes towards supporting local and preserving the mine itself.

The tour prices are as follows:

• $15.00 - Per Adult

• $10.00 - Per Child (age 5 - 12)

• Free - Children under 5 years old

You should note that tour fees are cash only at this time. There is no ticket booth or window, rather, you’ll be greeted by the operator as you drive up and he will collect the fees.

Special rates are available for large groups from schools, churches, etc. It is also possible to arrange a private tour. You can contact them directly to inquire.

The Tour

Tours are held daily during the months of May through October between the hours of 10:00am - 4:00pm and are roughly 30-minutes in length. Depending on when you arrive, there may be a bit of a wait for the current tour to end.

After paying, your tour will begin at an old barn where you’ll all gather to listen to the tour guide describe the history of Chollar Mine. You’ll also be given a chance to look at the many artifacts that surround you.

You’ll then be taken to the entrance of the mine and hear more descriptive history of it, the miners themselves, and what life was like back then. Your tour guide will also go over some safety information with you during this time.

You will then be guided through the entrance of the mine. You’ll need to watch your head and your step as you go through the mine tunnel. For clarity, I’m 5’9 and I needed to duck to go through.

Going Inside

The tunnel is 400-feet in length and throughout the majority of it, dark. There is a rope light that runs the length of the tunnel but provides only just enough light for you to get through it. It’s as close to authentic as you can get.

The original mine cart track still runs along the floor so you’ll need to watch your footing around that. There’s also portions of the tunnel where that infamous blue/gray mud that stuck to the miners’ tools and boots is still ever present. Wear shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty.

Near the end of the tunnel is where it’ll start getting cramped. When the tunnel was constructed, it was much larger. Over the years with normal wear and damage from earthquakes, the tunnel has gotten smaller. Don’t worry, though. It is safe.

If you’re claustrophobic, have a hard time bending, or have back problems this is not the tour for you. It does get uncomfortable at times and it caused my anxiety to kick in towards the end. Just something to keep in mind.

The Stope (Mining Room)

At the end of the tunnel, you’ll reach a room known as a “stope”. This is the very room where miners worked day in and day out mining for silver ore.

(As stated at the beginning of this article, we’re not going to spoil the tour. We want you to experience it for yourself. So we’re just going to give you a few examples of what to expect):

• You’ll be shown examples of tools used by the miners.

• You’ll see how the miners communicated with the outside world.

• You’ll find out how rats were essential to miners and how they used them.

• The lights will be turned off so you can get a sense for what it was like for them if a gust of wind came through and blew out the candles.

• You’ll hear stories of local superstitious.

• And much, much more.

Once your tour guide is finished, you’ll be given the opportunity to ask your own questions, move around parts of the room you couldn’t see, and take photographs.

The room is small and tight so depending on the amount of people in your group, you won’t be able to move around much until the end. You’ll also have a hard time standing up straight. So be prepared to sit or crouch down.

After spending 15-minutes or so in the room, your tour guide will take you back the same way you came through the tunnel.

As you’re going out be sure to keep your head down. Your eyes have adjusted to the darkness so the sudden rush of light at the end could prevent you from seeing the wooden frames above.

After you exit the tunnel, your tour guide will take any questions you may have and offer to take pictures of you and your group in front of the entrance. This is where you can give a tip if you feel inclined.

At this point, you can continue on with your vacation to other great attractions in the area. If you need suggestions, here’s a list of seven things we think you would love in Virginia City

Conclusion

We highly recommend going on a tour of Chollar Mine (provided you’re ok with tight spaces). It’s an intimate and interesting look at Virginia City’s history. This is something the whole family could take part in.

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Thanks for reading and safe travels!