Patrick and Jeanne Mulreany wanted to start a business in 1983. They often drove on Highway 395 south of Carson City and noticed the number of out-of-state license plates on the road. They also noticed the scarcity of dining establishments and lodges.

Jeanne was a registered dietitian and wanted to open a restaurant. When they teamed up with a local developer who wanted to open a modest coffee shop with a few rooms, the result was the Carson Valley Inn.

Since the inn opened in 1984, it has grown beyond modest but remains relatively remote, and it is one of the few casino-hotels where you can walk out and be in the countryside in a matter of moments.

The Carson Valley, south of Carson City, is a beautiful stretch, especially in autumn, and it's managed to remain so despite the creeping growth of the communities of Minden, Gardnerville and Genoa.

On Friday, the Carson Valley Inn will host its annual Oktoberfest from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Shannon Ballroom. Beer lovers can choose from a wide variety of ales, lagers, pilsners and stouts, including traditional German brews and special Oktoberfest creations.

Multiple food stations will offer beer-steamed sausages, knockwurst, bockwurst, sauerbraten, pork loin, sauerkraut, German cold cuts, potato pancakes, spaetzle and cheeses. There will be a hot pretzel bar and an array of desserts, including strudel, of course.

The Al Gruber Band will play German tunes and lead sing-alongs. The traditional Chicken Dance will be featured. Authentic German attire is encouraged, and there will be a prize for the best costume.

The inn features 230 rooms with nine suites, a 59-site RV park, 6,000 square feet of convention space, 600 slots, keno, a sports book, a poker room, a wedding chapel, a spa, a gift shop, a convenience market and parking for 600 vehicles. All rooms and RV sites offer high-speed Internet access.

Three restaurants provide food beyond the German – Fiona's Bar and Grill with lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch; Katie's Country Kitchen, the 24-hour coffee shop; and Job's Perk, offering coffeehouse fare.

The cabaret lounge, one of the few still operating in Northern Nevada, features no-cover no-minimum shows five times a night, hourly beginning at 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays. This week showcases Rolland Dempsey with a five-piece band offering a mix of rhythm and blues, soul and contemporary pop, the usual cabaret brew with something to please everyone. Monday Night Football is featured on the big screen in the cabaret.

The fest can be used as an excuse to explore an area most visitors to Northern Nevada ignore as they dart between Tahoe and Reno. Douglas County stretches from the Lake Tahoe basin to the Carson Valley floor. The valley itself is backed by views of the Sierra Nevada and Job's Peak. There are the Pine Nut Mountains and agricultural lands in a state which can boast very little arable land.

Take a side trip to Genoa, the oldest town in Nevada, settled in 1851. Visit the museum in the courthouse, built in 1865, rebuilt in 1910, and temporarily a schoolhouse when the county seat was moved to Minden.

There is also Mormon Station State Park right on Main Street with a replica of the trading post and fort built by the town's founder, John Reese.

The Genoa Bar and Livingston's Exchange is Nevada's oldest operating "thirst parlor," opened in the 1850s.

Notice the statue honoring one of the state's most colorful characters, "Snowshoe" Thompson, buried in Genoa. Thompson, a Norwegian American, delivered the mail between Placerville and Genoa and Virginia City. He got his nickname because he wore 10-foot skis, guiding his cross-country trips with a pole held in both hands. He is often considered the father of California skiing and was the first to deliver silver ore mined in the Comstock Lode.

Nearby Gardnerville was settled in 1879 when the Gardnerville Hotel, a blacksmith shop and a saloon were built along a new road as the center of the hay and grain business. Named after settler John M. Gardner, it features the Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center built in 1915 as the county's high school.

Minden, site of the Carson Valley Inn, was built as a terminus for the Virginia & Truckee Railroad and named after a German town near the birthplace of founder H.F. Dangberg. It's most elegant structure is courthouse designed by F. J. DeLongchamps.

Another easy side trip can be made to Topaz Lake, created to provide irrigation for farmers and now a recreation center for boating, fishing and skiing.

"What draws people to the Carson Valley Inn," says director of sales and marketing "is they don't get lost in the shuffle. We're small and intimate and comfortable. We offer a home feeling.

"We are more suburban than urban, and you can walk out the door, turn one direction, and be wandering in nature very quickly."

CARSON VALLEY INN OKTOBERFEST

COST: $49

GETTING THERE: From Sacramento, take Highway 50 into South Lake Tahoe and turn right at Kingsbury Grade about a half-mile into Nevada, just past the MontBleu. Travel down to the valley and continue past the stop at the bottom of the grade, about three miles, to a traffic light at Highway 88. Make a left and travel two miles until it dead-ends at Highway 395. Turn right; the inn is about a quarter-mile on the left.

1627 U.S. Highway 395N, Minden, Nev.; (800) 321-6983

INFORMATION: (775) 783-6679 or www.cvinn.com/oktoberfest