This Summer, a lot of families are staying closer to home. That's why Visit Carson City is encouraging Nevadans to discover their capital city.

"We are encouraging Nevadans to get out and about in their state and we would love for them to visit the capital city here," said David Peterson with Visit Carson City.

There's a lot of history in the downtown area: The Nevada State Capitol and and old government buildings, museums, mansions. The Kit Carson Trail is a walking tour with stops at dozens of landmarks.

"The stories are incredible," Peterson said. "The Ferris Mansion, this is the gentleman who invented the Ferris wheel. The Bliss Mansion, the Governor's Mansion on the West side, there's so much history involving not only Carson City, but Nevada becoming the state it is today."

There's a lot of new development as well.

"The whole revitalization down here is amazing," Peterson said. "Bringing people in on bicycles, McFadden Plaza, St. Charles Hotel. A lot of changes with new restaurants, the Bank Saloon should be open by Nevada Day, so really amazing investment taking place in Carson City right now."

Visit Carson City is encouraging people to discover their capital safely - businesses are enforcing social distancing protocols and handing out hand sanitizer.

"Working with the city and the prison industries here, and through the CARES Act, we will be distributing 10,000 individual bottles of hand sanitizer to the different tourism businesses here in Carson City. It's a great joint collaboration to keep everyone safe. We know that people want to get out of the house, maybe it's just an afternoon, maybe it's a weekend, but we want to make sure we're providing a safe environment for folks to come out."

And there are plenty of opportunities to get outdoors.

"Our trail system in the Carson Range is amazing," Peterson said. "There's plenty of single track if you want to come out on your mountain bike. If you want to hike, Kings Canyon Waterfall is a quarter of a mile, it takes you ten or fifteen minutes. You can ride you dirt bike on the East side in the Carson River Canyon and Pine Nut Mountain area. If you want to take a dip in Carson Hot Springs, go for it."

There are more opportunities on the horizon; The Bank Saloon, a historic bar that dates to 1899, has been renovated and should be open by Nevada Day. And there could be a chance to tour the old Nevada State Prison, shuttered since 2012.

"We're looking at hopefully bringing the prison online for tours for Nevada Day and I think that's going to be an amazing, historic and cultural experience for people when they come to Carson City," Peterson said.

For more information, visit their website. 

Â