The museums in Reno offer three different ways to spend time with history, art and collections: the National Automobile Museum, the Nevada Museum of Art and the Wilbur D. May Museum. Their locations and visit styles can help you choose one stop or plan a museum-focused outing from the SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western Reno Airport.
- The National Automobile Museum presents more than 240 cars in galleries with recreated street scenes.
- The Nevada Museum of Art is downtown at 160 West Liberty Street.
- The Wilbur D. May Museum is inside Rancho San Rafael Regional Park.
- Admission prices and opening hours differ at all three museums.
What does the National Automobile Museum offer?
The National Automobile Museum traces transport history through a collection of more than 240 cars and recreated street scenes. It opened in 1989 and is at 1 Museum Drive, Reno, Nevada 89501.
The museum’s collection and visiting details are covered in a guide to what to know before visiting the National Automobile Museum. Guided tours are offered daily at 1:30 p.m. when a volunteer guide is available. They take about 90 minutes, and the museum asks visitors to contact it to confirm a docent is available.
Personal photography with handheld cameras is allowed. Tripods and lights, as well as reproducing or selling photographs, require permission. The museum does not allow pets; working service animals are accepted.
What can you see at the Nevada Museum of Art?
The Nevada Museum of Art combines galleries and a shop at 160 West Liberty Street, Reno, Nevada 89501. Its exhibitions change, so the museum’s regular schedule and admission details are useful starting points when you plan a visit.
All public areas are wheelchair accessible, and the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno also offers courtesy wheelchairs free on a first-come, first-served basis. Elevators are located throughout, and assistive listening devices are available for programs in the Wayne and Miriam Prim Theater.
Parking is in the lot on the east side of the museum. During peak attendance, additional free and metered street parking may be available nearby.
What is distinctive about the Wilbur D. May Museum?
The Wilbur D. May Museum pairs a collection of objects gathered during more than 40 trips by Wilbur D. May with a location inside Rancho San Rafael Regional Park. It is at 1595 N. Sierra Street, Reno, Nevada 89503.
The collection includes antique firearms, European glasswork, African tribal masks, Polynesian carvings, Chinese pottery, taxidermy and Western ranching artifacts. A one-hour collection tour is available by appointment during most normal business hours. It begins with an introduction and film, followed by a guided walk through the museum.
The museum sits within a larger park setting, so you can combine an indoor visit with time on the arboretum paths. Details on the collection and visit planning appear in a guide to visiting the Wilbur D. May Museum in Reno.
How do the three Reno museums compare?
The main difference is the focus: automobiles at the National Automobile Museum, art at the Nevada Museum of Art, and a varied collection within a regional park at the Wilbur D. May Museum.
The National Automobile Museum and Nevada Museum of Art are both at downtown Reno addresses. The Wilbur D. May Museum is farther north, inside Rancho San Rafael Regional Park. From the SureStay Plus, a Reno airport hotel, the National Automobile Museum is about a 7-minute drive.
If you want to fit a museum into a wider city visit, the museums’ different locations can help shape the order of your stops.
What should you know about admission, hours and access?
Admission prices, weekly schedules and parking arrangements vary by museum, so check the official site before you go. The details below provide a comparison; hours and prices can change.
National Automobile Museum
The museum is open Monday–Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is $16; seniors 65 and older pay $15; active military, veterans and first responders with ID pay $14; youth ages 6–17 pay $13; children 5 and younger pay $3; and members enter free. Parking is free.
Nevada Museum of Art
The galleries and shop are open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. They are closed Monday and national holidays.
General admission is $15; students and seniors pay $13; children ages 6–14 pay $3; children 5 and under and members enter free. Nevada high-school students with student ID, and students from TMCC, WNC and UNR with student ID, also enter free.
Wilbur D. May Museum
The museum is closed Monday and Tuesday. It is open Wednesday–Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. From June through December, May Collection admission is $7 for adults and $5 for youth ages 3–17 and seniors 62 and older; children under 3 enter free.
From January through May, special-exhibition admission is $13 for adults and $11 for children and seniors, with free admission for children under 3. That admission includes the special exhibit, May Collection and Gallery.
Free parking is available outside the Wilbur D. May Museum, subject to special events. Rancho San Rafael Regional Park hours vary by season: posted hours are 8 a.m.–7 p.m. in spring and fall, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. in summer and generally 8 a.m.–5 p.m. in winter, with winter hours extending as days grow longer.
The Wilbur D. May Arboretum is open year-round during regular park hours and is free except for certain special events. Its paths include paved and packed-gravel surfaces; gravel may become muddy after wet weather.
FAQs
Which Reno museum focuses on cars?
The National Automobile Museum presents more than 240 cars in galleries that include recreated street scenes.
Which museum is inside Rancho San Rafael Regional Park?
The Wilbur D. May Museum is inside the park, where the arboretum also offers paths with paved and packed-gravel surfaces.
Are the museums open on the same days?
No. The Nevada Museum of Art is closed Monday and national holidays, while the Wilbur D. May Museum is closed Monday and Tuesday. The National Automobile Museum is open daily, with different weekday and weekend hours.