Nevada State Museum, State heritage museum in Carson City, US

The Nevada State Museum, Carson City occupies the former Carson City Mint, a stone building whose coining rooms now hold the museum's collections. Exhibits cover Nevada geology and paleontology, silver mining, and American Indian culture, including the historic mint machinery and Coin Press No. 1.

The building opened in 1870 as the United States Mint and struck silver coins from ore pulled out of the Comstock Lode until it closed in 1893. It was later taken over by the state and eventually converted into a museum in the 20th century.

The Washoe weaver Louisa Keyser, known as Dat So La Lee, is represented by ten baskets in the permanent collection, shown alongside 29 other Washoe baskets in the exhibit Waší∙šiw Guwá: The Work of the Washoe People. A mural of the artist covers an exterior museum wall. The Under One Sky exhibit presents 10,000-year-old artifacts and American Indian culture from a Native American viewpoint.

The museum occupies the former Carson City Mint building, with entrance through the main doors on North Carson Street. Exhibits are arranged across two floors, and the historic Coin Press No. 1 is on the ground floor. Allow at least two hours to see the permanent galleries, including the mammoth and basket collections.

The museum still keeps Coin Press No. 1, a machine from 1869 that is brought back into operation during special demonstrations held at the museum. During these events, visitors can watch as commemorative medallions are struck using original historic dies, making it one of the few places where you can see a 19th-century mint press actually working.