11 replies to this topic

[bordercolliefan]

I'm slightly embarrassed to be posting this, but despite living here for 10 years, I'm not very familiar with Lake Tahoe. 

 

Now my sister is coming to visit in 2 weeks and wants to make a day trip there!

 

We will drive on 50 to South Lake Tahoe. 

 

My question is:  can anyone recommend scenic spots, interesting places, good restaurants in the vicinity? 

 

My sister is not terribly rugged, so at best we'd be aiming for short, easy walks-no ambitious hikes.  I think her main priority is just to see some pretty views! 

 

Thank you for any suggestions!! 

[Rich_T]

Echo Lake is an easy and scenic walk, up at the summit of Hwy 50 before you drive down into the Lake Tahoe basin.  It's a little hard to find, but once there, you can head out on the trail along the slope by the lake, and head back whenever you've had enough - or go all the way and take the water taxi back.

 

Pope Beach or Baldwin Beach is nice.  The nearby walking trails on raised wooden platforms are easy and are set in nature.  This is along the south shore of Lake Tahoe.

 

Emerald Bay is an old stand-by that everyone likes, and is a little further on than the places I just mentioned.

 

I'm not up on the restaurants there.

[Steve Heard]

Don't be embarrassed. I was in your shoes a few years ago. I don't gamble much, don't ski (snow or water), and when someone gave me a 2 night stay up there, I really had no clue as to what to do.

 

I've since been up there quite a few times.

 

I'm no expert, but the restaurants I've enjoyed are The Beacon and The Riva Grill. The Beacon is on the beach at Camp Richardson. It is super casual, has a large deck, live music and good food. Rum Runners are their specialty drink.  The inside part of the restaurant is fairly small, so if it's not cold out, sit out on the deck and take in the view and listen to some music. 

 

The Riva Grill is close to the casinos and is more upscale than the Beacon. Wet Woody's are their specialty drink. They have an enclosed patio with heaters. The restaurant is large and the upstairs section has great views. 

 

If you're into buffets (my wife almost never goes, so that means I almost never go), the Forest at Harrah's is pretty decent, but the views are spectacular. It sits on the 18th floor.

 

We've also done the Fresh Ketch at Tahoe Keys. Has an older feel to it, but was decent.

 

That Chart House is up Kingsbury Grade, and though far from the water, it has great views. Upscale.

 

I have yet to take a boat cruise, but shall some day. We did rent a paddle boat near Zephyr cove and cruised around a bit. That was fun. 

 

Other than that, I got nothin'.

[cw68]

I'm not very knowledgable about South Lake, but if you're open to North Lake, then I could pipe in.

[The Average Joe]

I don't think they do it this time of year, but the catamaran cruise out of Camp Richardson is very relaxing and gives a nice view of the lake. Any sail on the lake is pretty sweet.

 

Again, not sure what the status is for this time of year, but you can ride the Heavenly gondola for some amazing views and you can do short hikes from there in the warmer months. Not sure if they will let you ride without a lift ticket now, but it would be worth a call.

http://www.skiheaven...id=PPC116081810

 

Another really neat thing to do in summer is to go to a Shakespeare on the Lake show. Slightly pricey, but the venue is open air on the lake, and if you get reserved seats, they are Adirondack chairs. Nothing like a bottle of wine with various appetizers, a warm summer evening, a performance under the tahoe stars and someone special to share it with. https://laketahoeshakespeare.com/

 

Winter views are nice, but the primary focus is skiing. If you aren't doing that, you could just mosey around the lake. The drive takes awhile, but you get a feel for the different towns around Tahoe. We usually stay somewhere on the North Shore as we don't gamble much. It's much more laid back up there as opposed to the glitz of South Shore.

 

I must say that the sunset views from the higher levels of the casinos can be quite spectacular. Not sure which restaurant I was at that impressed me with the views...sorry.

[4thgenFolsomite]

if I had one day to show someone some nice views and a flavor of South Lake Tahoe with easy walking, I would drive up 50, start at the Taylor Creek Visitor's Center (easy loop trail through gorgeous meadows that goes into an underwater viewing area where you can see fish swimming in a natural stream), then I would go to the Tallac Museum (historic beautiful house right on the shore of Lake Tahoe with fun easy access and then GREAT beach access, bring a couple of folding chairs and get ready to soak it all in), then late lunch at the Harrah's Forest Room Buffet (which is way up on like the 11 or higher floor with sweeping nearly 360 degree views of Lake Tahoe and the gorgeous ski slopes and mountains behind, fairly good food for a reasonable price, again you can not beat this view without getting on a gondola to the hills). 

[Rich_T]

if I had one day to show someone some nice views and a flavor of South Lake Tahoe with easy walking, I would drive up 50, start at the Taylor Creek Visitor's Center (easy loop trail through gorgeous meadows that goes into an underwater viewing area where you can see fish swimming in a natural stream), then I would go to the Tallac Museum (historic beautiful house right on the shore of Lake Tahoe with fun easy access and then GREAT beach access, bring a couple of folding chairs and get ready to soak it all in), then late lunch at the Harrah's Forest Room Buffet (which is way up on like the 11 or higher floor with sweeping nearly 360 degree views of Lake Tahoe and the gorgeous ski slopes and mountains behind, fairly good food for a reasonable price, again you can not beat this view without getting on a gondola to the hills). 

 

Yeah, Taylor Creek ... that's the trail I was talking about.

I like the rest of your tips, too.

[nomad]

Sometimes some of the best times are just had by winging it.

[sunnyCA]

+1 for the Beacon…good food, good drinks, amazing location!  You can rent bikes or ride horses at Camp Richardson as well, so that might make for a fun day.

[bordercolliefan]

Many thanks for everyone's suggestions.  It did give me some ideas for my sister-- I'm thinking we'll start heading toward Emerald Bay, maybe stop at Camp Richardson and the Beacon... sounds like we can have a fun day! 

[LexMan]

if I had one day to show someone some nice views and a flavor of South Lake Tahoe with easy walking, I would drive up 50, start at the Taylor Creek Visitor's Center (easy loop trail through gorgeous meadows that goes into an underwater viewing area where you can see fish swimming in a natural stream), then I would go to the Tallac Museum (historic beautiful house right on the shore of Lake Tahoe with fun easy access and then GREAT beach access, bring a couple of folding chairs and get ready to soak it all in), then late lunch at the Harrah's Forest Room Buffet (which is way up on like the 11 or higher floor with sweeping nearly 360 degree views of Lake Tahoe and the gorgeous ski slopes and mountains behind, fairly good food for a reasonable price, again you can not beat this view without getting on a gondola to the hills).

This is almost exactly what I would do. The only difference is that I would eat at The Beacon Restaurant....close to the Tallac Museum....very casual on the beach...indoor and outdoor seating. If time permits, I would spend a few minutes at the Emerald Bay vista for photos prior to this.

Too bad she's not a little rugged. If she visits in the summer, a day trip to Angora Lakes is so nice and so close to Taylor Creek.

[knittychick]

My favorite place for lunch Friday - Monday is Steamers 2236 Lake Tahoe Blvd (http://steamersbar.com/). It's a very friendly place and their weekend taco specials can't be beat. They're really good (and cheap), but very different from La Fiesta. It used to be mostly locals, but over the past few years I've seen more tourists. I wouldn't call it a dive bar, but its not upscale - no view, it has a great corner bar vibe. There is a large outdoor patio (no comparison to Beacon's view of the lake) and their tacos are definitely worth checking out.