LIFE

This roadside motel was voted the best in Nevada by USA TODAY readers: See where it is

Portrait of Carly Sauvageau Carly Sauvageau
Reno Gazette Journal

The Sugarloaf Mountain Motel in Virginia City was named the best roadside motel in Nevada and the seventh best in the country by USA TODAY's 2025 10 Best list.

USA TODAY noted Sugarloaf Mountain Motel's 12 rooms furnished with wooden amenities and comfortable beds that are just minutes away from Virginia City's attractions such as the Mackay Mansion Museum, the Washoe Club Museum & Saloon, and the Way It Was Museum as reasons readers may have voted the motel as one of the best in the country.

Here's a closer look at the Sugarloaf Mountain Motel and what other roadside motels ranked in USA TODAY's Best 10 list for 2025.

Where is the Sugarloaf Mountain Motel?

The Sugarloaf Mountain Motel is located at 430 S. C St. in Virginia City, about half an hour from Reno. Not only is Sugarloaf Mountain Motel walking distance from the historic city's most popular attractions, it is also part of the Historic C Street, which was named the best downtown in the state by USA TODAY.

How much does it cost to stay at the Sugarloaf Mountain Motel?

Rooms at the Sugarloaf Mountain Motel are typically a little more than $100 a night, but could cost as much as $125 a night depending on the room size and time you book. Typically the room rates are:

  • Single queen room or historic queen room costs $105 a night for a maximum occupancy of two people. Historic queen rooms make up a fourth of the motel's total room inventory and have "a storied history of being haunted" according to the motel's website.
  • Double room costs $115 a night for a maximum occupancy for four people.
  • Junior suite costs $125 a night for a maximum occupancy for two people.

If guests are celebrating a special occasion during their stay at the Sugarloaf Mountain Motel they can also add champagne or chocolates to their room cost for $30 each item. Guests can also add five birthday or five anniversary balloons to the room for $20 each as well as a flower assortment for an added $35 or roses to the room for an additional $50.

What is the best roadside motel in the country?

USA TODAY readers voted the Square Rigger Lodge in Jacksonport, Wisconsin as the best roadside motel in the country for the outlet's 2025 10 Best ranking. Here's the complete top 10.

  1. Square Rigger Lodge, Jacksonport, Wisconsin
  2. Roadrunner Lodge Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico
  3. The Local, St. Augustine, Florida
  4. 4. Dame Fortune's Cottage Court, Hot Springs, Arkansas
  5. Boots Court Motel, Carthage, Missouri
  6. South Wind Motel, Columbus, Ohio
  7. Sugarloaf Mountain Motel, Virginia City, Nevada
  8. Cuyama Buckhorn, New Cuyama, California
  9. Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico
  10. The Groovy Nomad, Trenton, Georgia

Why is Virginia City famous?

Virginia City was the site of the Comstock Lode, a famous mining claim that made Virginia City an industrial hub comparable to Denver or San Francisco during its height of mining success. During its peak, Virginia City was one of the most significant towns in Nevada, with a population of 25,000 people.

What else is Virginia City famous for?

Before he was Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens came to Nevada, where his brother was territorial secretary, and began writing for the newspaper in Virginia City, the Territorial Enterprise. It was there he first used the pen name that would become known the world over.

Another famous, albeit fictional, family had ties to Virginia City. The town appears prominently in the opening of the "Bonanza" TV show, and the Cartwright family's spread, the Ponderosa, stretched from Virginia City to Lake Tahoe. The scenes set in Virginia City were actually shot in California, but the show did include actual shots of Tahoe.

What is there to do in Virginia City?

So, so much.

There are camel races, outhouse races, a chili festival and Rocky Mountain oyster fry (those aren't oysters!), historic steam train rides, ghost tours and other paranormal events, fireworks, Christmas festival, saloon crawls ... all taking place along the historic main street lined by authentic 19th century buildings and wooden boardwalks.

Virginia City celebrates its mining heritage with mine tours, museums, a stamp mill and grand 1800s buildings built when the town was the center of the Comstock Lode silver boom.

If you love a parade, you'll love Virginia City, which has parades for Memorial and Labor Day, Fourth of July, Halloween, Veterans Day and Christmas.

For motorheads, the Street Vibrations Spring Rally motorcycle gathering is June 6-8 and the weeklong Hot August Nights car festival opens in Virginia City on Aug. 1-2 before moving to Reno for the rest of the week. Street Vibrations returns for its fall rally Sept. 25-28.

Virginia City's tourism authority has dates and more events at Visit Virginia City.