Truckee -- Gateway to Lake Tahoe

Truckee has a colorful history as a railroad town. It is also the site where the ill-fated Donner party became the Dinner party. Truckee is centrally located for winter or summer fun. There are about 6 excellent ski areas within a 30-minute drive, Lake Tahoe is a mere 20 minutes away, and Donner Lake (with its state park and campground) is in Truckee's backyard. There are restaurants for every taste, from fast food to elegant dining. And a great feature is that clean jeans and a Polo shirt are acceptable at even the most white-tablecloth place! ("Mountain formal" means you've cleaned the mud off your snow boots and are not wearing a t-shirt.) Downtown Truckee has been restored to look the way it did in the late 1800's, with cute and interesting shops (see shopping journal).

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

If you are driving here in winter, be sure to carry tire chains, even for 4-wheel drive vehicles. During the winter, the Truckee Ski Trolley and Dial-a-Ride provide transportation around town and to the nearby ski areas for a reasonable price. During the summer, TART, the bust system also provides transportation. Call Area Transit Management at (530) 587-7451 for more information about fares and schedules.

"The Squeeze" is known for gargantuan omelets of every imaginable variety. Other breakfast platters are also delicious. Locals and visitors alike crowd this narrow restaurant for breakfast before hitting the ski slopes or doing whatever summer activity they do. I have never counted the number of omelets, but the menu is huge; some omelets are named for the locals who "invented" the combinations. Reservations are not taken -- sign in and wait your turn. The servers are friendly and efficient and the coffee is not bad. (I'm very fussy about coffee.) Although they have sandwiches on the menu, they are mostly made from the ingredients available for omelet fillings. My personal recommendation is eat breakfast not for lunch. They are open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Although it's called Taco Station, it is the burritos that have made it famous. They are so huge that they are wrapped in two tortillas to keep all the filling from tumbling out. You can get your choice of beef, grilled chicken, carnitas, fish and others, which all include lettuce and tomato for $5.25. Guacamole, sour cream or cheese are a little extra. For $1 more, you get rice and beans, too. All burritos are served with green and/or red sauce (the red is fiery) and a large handful of fresh tortilla chips. Of course there are other menu items, such as tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, enchiladas, salads, etc. They have not only soft drinks, but beer and wine as well. All the food is prepared to order. You can get the food to go or eat inside at big picnic tables. In nice weather, you can eat outside at picnic tables. Mike, the owner, is a real nice guy who donates a lot of time and food to local worthy causes.

For dessert, you can dash across West River Street to Earthly Delights and get one of their wonderful cookies or brownies.

This small museum is worth a trip, especially if you have kids who have studied the Western Movement in school. The museum has artifacts and items representative of the Native Americans who lived here and the history of the pioneers as they traveled from the east coast to California in search of gold and commerce. A highlight is an actual covered wagon. Be sure to watch the narrated slide show about the Donner party, which is very interesting and quite dramatic.

Outside the museum is the Donner Party Monument, which is on a pedestal about 20' tall. The height of the pedestal illustrates the depth of the snow when the Donner Party was trapped on its way over the mountains into Sacramento. Nearby is one of the Donner Party campsites. The other campsite is about 10 miles away and has a self-guided walking tour through it.

The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for children 6-12, under 6 free. Phone (530) 582-7892.

"Commercial Row" is a block and a half of varied specialty stores and restaurants. The area has been restored to resemble the late 1800's, with covered wooden sidewalks. Earthsongs has jewelry, greeting cards and a huge variety of gift items such as bath soaps and lotions, candles, creative Christmas tree lights, teas, coffees and spices. Cabona's has wonderful clothing for men and women; visit its Brighton room for women's leather accessories trimmed with silver. Truckee Llama Company also has unique women's clothing items, including some great sweaters. A new store, The Pharmacy, is beautifully decorated, with upscale display cases. The store features high-end body lotions, scents, bath salts, and bath and bedroom attire. If you have kids, don't miss the Truckee Variety Store, which has an amazing selection of small inexpensive toys, some of which you may remember from your own childhood. Kids also enjoy Truckee Train & Toy at the other end of Commercial Row.

You’ll find a shoe store, several outdoor apparel stores (check around the corner past the Bar of America and the post office for a snowboarder shop). The Cooking Gallery is jam-packed with every imaginable cooking gadget, tableware and kitchenware, along with gourmet food items. Of course, no tourist town would be complete without a T-shirt store. And this is just a sample of all the shops. There is 2-hour parking along Commercial Row and a paid lot on Jibboom Street, which runs parallel, one street over. (Don't park in the post office lot -- it is limited to 20 minutes for post office customers only. As hundreds of Truckee residents do not have home-delivery of mail, this is a busy parking lot.)

As outlets malls go, Truckee's is small. Still, if you like bargain hunting, it is worth an hour or so. The Dansk outlet has good buys on china, flatware and glassware. A friend bought her flatware here, saving several hundreds of dollar over what she would have paid at a department store, even on sale. Bass Shoes, Geoffrey Beene, Van Heusen, Izod and Hanes are other major apparel stores. There is also a Home Again outlet and a few others that seem to change on a regular basis. Geoffrey Beene and Van Heusen have some great deals on cotton knit shirts and other casual clothing. Hanes includes not only socks and pantyhose, but also lingerie, including Olga and Playtex bras.