Cemetery Gin tops the ticket on tourism promo packages

The tourism challenge in Virginia City, says Susan Sutton, was this:

Visitors drove up, stopped by the Bucket of Blood Saloon, grabbed an ice cream cone and went home missing all the other attractions in the historic town 23 miles from Reno.

Two years of legwork by Sutton, the executive director of the Virginia City Convention and Tourism Authority, created a set of full-day ticket options designed to extend visitors' stays.

So far, she said a few days ago, the Silver Line Express Ticket appears to be working. During June, visitors purchased $10,000 worth of the tickets.

Just as important as the sales figures, Sutton said, is growing number of visitors who get off C Street the town's main drag and explore the rest of Virginia City.

The value tickets are priced at $10, $21 and $36.

For $10, a visitor can take a 35-minute ride on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, get a narrated ride on the Virginia City Trolley Tour and get a package of discounts from merchants.

The $21 ticket adds admission to four attractions the Ponderosa Mine Tour, Mackay Mansion, Fourth Ward School and The Way It Was Museum.

And the $36 ticket billed as the "all inclusive" version adds admission to the Nevada Gambling Museum, Mark Twain Museum, Piper's Opera House, Chollar Mine and Virginia City Radio Museum.

Also included in the all-inclusive ticket is 2-for-1"Cemetery Gin" drinks at participating saloons. ("Cemetery Gin" is a specialty developed concoction found only in Virginia City. )

The program took a long time to put together, Sutton said, because she needed to get agreement from numerous merchants and restaurant owners as well as the attractions.

The Nevada Commission on Tourism financed the production of collateral marketing pieces through a rural tourism grant.

The program also has gotten a marketing boost, Sutton said, from northern Nevada hotels which have promoted the Silver Line Express Tickets to conventioneers and other visitors.