I make it a point to stop by the Bucket of Blood for a bloody Mary. Â It's nostalgic to me since I've been coming to Virginia City since I was young. Â Every time we go we hit the Bucket of Blood, sit at the bar have a bloody Mary, drop a few bucks in the slots. Â However, this last time the bartender was completely rude. Â The old man looked like he wanted everyone out of his place. Â Â Forget about cashing out if you win because the old bitty gets a little huffy puffy when you make her work. Â She couldn't even take more than one drink order at a time and snapped at us.
To boot the bloody Mary was awful and we had a better one at the Bonanza. Â Plus at Bonanza it was buy 1 get one free. Â I'll probably stop in again, however, if I get the same treatment it will be my last.
Great old western bar with large mirrors behind the bar, slot machines, and the essence of an old miner's town. Â There's a huge bar to the right when you walk in, dusty wooden floors, and a live band rocking it to the left. Â A definite must see when going to Virginia City. Â Their beer selection is descent for a po dunk town in the middle of nowhere. Â From the back there is an awesome view across the valley. Â Can see 50+ miles away or something like that. Â They sell plenty of shirts, sweaters, beer, and shot glasses with their logo so you've got a cool souveneer to take home.
Review Source:This bar is a microcosm of Virginia City -- loaded with charm, history, character and curious out-of-towners. My girlfriend and I arrived with five minutes left in the Seattle Seahawks' playoff win over the Washington Redskins, so I was in a great mood while here as I watched a huge game featuring my favorite team on a big screen.
The bartender was friendly and knowledgeable about football -- and my girlfriend said she was surprised to see someone so good-looking in a seemingly rugged town. She suggested he looked like a model or an actor. She and I will discuss this later.
I had bottled sarsaparilla here and wouldn't have known about the place's One Big Flaw had my girlfriend not ordered a beer. There was none on tap, so she settled for a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. No beer on tap? At a reputable bar? Perhaps it's the result of Virginia City's 6,200-foot elevation; that's the only explanation I can come up with.
The bar's many highlights include its main-drag location downtown, numerous historical pictures, intentionally cheesy souvenirs and great picture window that overlooks fantastic mountain scenery. There is minimal smoking, which isn't the case in all Nevada bars. Unfortunately, it does bear the other Nevada-bar hallmark: slot machines. They're isolated to one area, but it's in the middle of the place.
The TV was a plus, but it wasn't well-situated. We couldn't find seating that gave us a clear, direct view and had to turn our heads. It's too high and far away from the seats.
If you visit Virginia City, come here -- but also head up the hill to see the unusual houses and views. One can spend an hour or a day in VC, and the hilly, history-filled drive from Carson City is a bonus if you're heading east.
How awesome is this place?!! We rolled through town at 4 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon. This appeared to be THE place to get a drink. There was a band playing and alot of locals, including these adorable little girls and their daddy, dressed up like they came straight out of a western movie. We sat in the back by the window overlooking the valley and just stared in awe. People were dancing under the high ceiling adored with beautiful little chandelier lights from the old times.
I don't remember the last time I went to such a nostalgic place. Even though we only stayed for 15 minutes, we loved every minute of it.
BOB is a must see not if you are in VC, but if you are within 100 miles of it. Make it a destination. Sure the Bloody Mary's are incredible, hence the name; but beyond that being inside BOB is the closest thing to a time machine that can transport you to the days of the 49'ers.
There are a few places in VC that take it a little too far and ruin the nostalgia with carnie like Hawking and overpriced do-dads, BOB is not that place. It's relaxed, friendly and best of all cool inside. If you are lucky enough to catch squeak playing the Piano you are in for a rare treat. She is in the record books for the most memorized songs, so requests fly at her fast and furious and I doubt if you can stump her.
FYI, this town is empty at 6am, full by 9am and bustling in full swing at Noon. Tumbleweeds and coyotes by 7pm. So get there early and you will never forget the awesome experience. Oh, and kids are allowed inside.
P.S. The antique chandeliers are amazing!
Yes this place is sorta touristy, but it's by far the coolest place in Virginia City to have a drink or two or three. First they actually have Miller High Life, that's very important. Â Secondly it's a clamper bar. Last but not least the folks who work there are pretty cool and the ambiance is exactly what you expect from a old west historic bar.
Expect to hear a live band, people dressed in historic garb and a few slot machines. Â Not so many slot machines to make it seem like a casino....but a bar.
So this town reminded me of the creepy movie dusk til dawn. I was waiting for bloodsucking creatures to come out of the shadows LOL. Â Definitely a haunted town, which was awesome to see and feel a place filled with so much history. Â By far one of the strangest places I've ever been but also one of the most nostalgic and a place that I can always tell stories about.
Okay I forgot to mention that everyone was dressed straight out of the wild west days. Â Wow. Â I felt like I walked right into the 1800's. Â Time Warp!
Awesome. Â I love macabre stories, and gruesome tales of the west. so naturally I was praising the very air I was breathing when I saw the sign for this place. Â The story of this place is not to be missed, and you need to hear it first-hand, so head up to Virginia City for a fun day. Â I bought a t-shirt, a commuter mug, and took some pics. Â great bar, and a bar keep who pulls up his straps and will give you a laugh or brief story.
You gota get to Virginia City early - Â most the shops close by 5PM.
I love this place, makes the trip to Virginia City worth it in every way...well this place and their cemetery.
The old photos are great to look at...it gives you a good feel of what it was like way back when during the Silver Baron days...Their drinks are good, and it has some gambling to waste the time away...
On top of it, I have a kick ass shirt now...skeletons and buckets of blood...pretty gnarly.
Cool. Â Definitely a tourist place, but it really doesn't feel like it. Â You can actually see dudes walking around with bandoleers draped across their chest and the barkeep wears a derby hat and one of those arm band thingies, just like the old times. Â Definitely feels creepy. Â And David John (and the Comstock Cowboys, I think?) always seems to be playing music every time I'm there.
update 11.16.07: Â They got rid of the old fashioned slots that actually dispense real coins! Â Bummer! Â Minus one star.
Simply Awesome!
It was built in like 1873 and it's got a great view from the back. The drinks are nice, but really what do you go to Virginia City for? To be in the historical creepiness of the desert! :).
You look out over the old silver mines of the 1880's and revel at the astonishing wooden sidewalks everywhere... it's just a great town and this saloon is the highlight of it. Tiffany lamps hang from the ceiling, and old-school roller slot machines are off to the left.
A completely interesting experience and you just hafta go if you are out in Reno for the weekend. BUT REMEMBER: There is ONE way in and ONE way out and Nevada police will pull you over for anything.... if you plan on getting wasted, bring a designated driver or just pass out in one of the bed & breakfasts they have there. You don't want problems from Nevada police.
A beer drinking historians dream!!! The historic Bucket of Blood Saloon is one of a kind for sure! They have really kept this place authentic! Over 130 years old! There are old photos (tin types) of this place hanging all around not to mention loads of the original artwork still in place . The drinks are relatively cheap and the atmosphere is priceless. This is a must if you find yourself in the area. They even have video poker in the back...not authentic but well appreciated nevertheless.
Review Source:One of the most infamous bars in all of the west, and a colorful history to boot. Â To start off with, Â you have the whole lawless/mining boomtown history that's sort of to be expected (we'll get to the rest of that here in a second).
This is the bar that Nick Cave sets the blues traditional 'Stagger Lee' in (no one is quite sure how Cave discovered this watering hole, in that he's never been to Virginia City that anyone knows of).
Historically, setting aside the mining history, is the that it was originally called 'The Boston Saloon'. When built, this was a popular saloon opened and operated by  William A. G. Brown, a prominent, successful and highly respected African -American in Virginia City (a place-marker now gives a history, for anyone interested).
History aside, it's a great place to stop off at. And while most of the drinking establishments in Virginia City have preserved the boomtown  atmosphere, B.O.B. seems to have taken it one step further, in preserving all periods of it's history.
The drink prices are average (not much more expensive than some, less than others), but definitely worth stopping in for a commemorative T-shirt, mug, shot glass, or any other memorabilia.
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