Ponderosa Saloon & Mine

I really liked this saloon. This saloon houses the old bank. The drinks were a fair price. The bartender gal made a good fruity drink and bloody mary. The history around the saloon was interesting to look at. I also loved the mine tour. It was short, but very good for the price paid. The tour guide was very knowledgeable.
Probably my favorite saloon in town. Bucket of Blood gets all the attention, but this saloon is fantastic. Don’t overlook this one!

The mine tour ($ 6, cash only) is fantastic. Mines are so cool! The length of the mine is about 100m and is twisty turvy 300 feet into the side of the mountain. Our tour guide communicated very interesting content and answered our questions well. Our tour group had five people on it, which was just the right amount of people. Tall people like myself (I’m 5’10″) are offered hard hats to protect one from hitting one’s head on some of the low beams. My favorite part of the tour was the very last stop, where our tour guide explained to us that the miners were given one candle a day by the mine owners. The tour guide lit the candle, turned off the electric lights, and BAM, we were in a freaking dark mine illuminated by single candle. HOW COOL! And then… dun dun dun… the tour guide blew out the candle and you’re in the freaking dark, which he explained was how many of the miners spent their day in the mine so as to save the candle for when they really needed it.
As should be evident by my review thus far, if you are claustrophobic, DO NOT GO ON THE TOUR. Instead, such friends can spend the 30 minute length of the tour drinking at the bar. The bartender, whose name was Gidget, was an absolutely sweetie. One can’t take drinks on the mine tour, but Gidget offered to keep our open beers in the fridge for us while those of us who did want to go on the tour went on it. Like everything else in Virginia City, the bar was decorated in a pleasantly old-​timey way. When my friends and I were there on Saturday afternoon, the bar was not as noisy and crowded as some of the other bars, which was a good thing.
Why only four stars? The bar initially smells kind of musty and old upon first entering. It goes away soon after you actually get in, and because the front door was open there was good ventilation. A minor mehhh detail, but very much outweighed by the awesomeness of the MINE TOUR.

We were told that there are two options for late night fun in Virginia City: karaōke at Ponderosa, or a live band down the street. I will ALWAYS pick karaōke. And boy was I right to do so. We had a great time! The regulars were just about the sweetest people you’ve ever met. I only drank beer, so I can’t comment on the cocktails, but it was a well-​stocked bar. They also have snacky food, but we came straight from dinner, so I didn’t try anything.
I sang «Don’t Stop Believin’» toward the end of the night. I was hesitant, because that song can be way overdone and being the outsider, I checked with the KJ to make sure. He said, «Can you hit the notes?» I said, «I’m drunk enough to try!» he said, «Hell yeah, go for it!»
The KJ was awesome, the singers were fantastic, and everyone was having a great time. It’s a special thing to sing with a bunch of strangers where everyone is so positive and supportive.
The next time we pass through VC, I will definitely make sure it’s on karaōke night at the Ponderosa.

This was one of my favorite places to visit in Virginia City. The tour is not that long, but, it does not cost you too much either. The tour guide was wonderful and you could tell he loved his job. He was very kind to my young son and got him involved with the tour. There were some young males on our tour who used inappropriate language and the guide reminded them there were children present. Everyone appreciate d that.