Family Fun in Tahoe Snow

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Overview

After a Sleigh Ride Photo - Lake Tahoe, California

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While many adults think of the casinos in Tahoe, the area is full of fun things to do with a family. Summer and winter alike offer the opportunity to enjoy a cruise out of Zephyr Cove (Hwy. 50) on the M.S. Dixie. After all, Lake Tahoe itself is the largest alpine lake in North America, and the water is %99.9 pure! The color of the water is amazing, and a cruise through the various coves to see some of the sites such as Vikingsholm Castle is sure to be a hit with the kids. Call 775-588-3508 to make reservations for a boat ride. If your need is for speed in the winter, an excursion on a snowmobile might accomodate you. A snowmobile tour can be embarked upon from Zephyr Cove. Call 775-588-3833 for...Read More

While many adults think of the casinos in Tahoe, the area is full of fun things to do with a family. Summer and winter alike offer the opportunity to enjoy a cruise out of Zephyr Cove (Hwy. 50) on the M.S. Dixie. After all, Lake Tahoe itself is the largest alpine lake in North America, and the water is %99.9 pure! The color of the water is amazing, and a cruise through the various coves to see some of the sites such as Vikingsholm Castle is sure to be a hit with the kids. Call 775-588-3508 to make reservations for a boat ride. If your need is for speed in the winter, an excursion on a snowmobile might accomodate you. A snowmobile tour can be embarked upon from Zephyr Cove. Call 775-588-3833 for reservations and details. Sleigh rides are a unique experience in the winter wonderland of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and are easy to find. Cross country skiing and snowshow activities are available at Camp Richardson (www.camprich.com). And, OF COURSE, there is PLENTY of downhill skiing. With an average snowfall of 40 feet per year, Tahoe is a favorite skiing destination for people from all over the world.

Quick Tips:

If you are skiing with kids, I HIGHLY suggest the ski schools at Heavenly Valley (South Tahoe) and North Star at Tahoe (North Tahoe). Both of these are excellent places to learn how to ski. Your children will also have a lot more fun on the mountain if they get the basics down with good instructors first.

When looking for accomodations, be sure to find a place with a heated pool. After a long day on the mountain, nothing is nicer than letting the kids splash out whatever energy they have left while you sip a Mountain Breeze in a hot tub and watch them.

Best Way To Get Around:

We rented a car so as to have ultimate flexibilty of movement. After all, Reno is almost an hour away from Tahoe. However, pretty much all of the hotels and resorts have buses that run back and forth from the ski resorts on a regular basis. Walking is not a bad option to get to some places either, but you will have to stay close to your hotel. Get a car if your budget permits. If not, look at shuttle prices from the airport to Tahoe. Read Less

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Embassy Suites Hotel Lake Tahoe Resort

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Hotel | "Embassy Suites Resort Lake Tahoe"

The Embassy Suites Pool Photo - Embassy Suites Hotel Lake Tahoe Resort, South Lake Tahoe, California

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The Embassy Suites in South Lake Tahoe has many great things going for it. It is a large, atrium style hotel that has a big chain feel when you first walk in, but you''ll soon be feeling right at home. We stayed in a suite with a king bed and a separate room with a fold out couch for our son. I would highly suggest this type of sleeping arrangement for anyone traveling with kids. While there was a TV fully equipped with video games in our living room, there was also a TV in the master bedroom so there were no fights over evening viewing. There was a fully stocked mini-bar and refrigerator as well as a microwave. There was a VCR and Pay-Per-View. One evening after a hard day of skiing, w...Read More

The Embassy Suites in South Lake Tahoe has many great things going for it. It is a large, atrium style hotel that has a big chain feel when you first walk in, but you''ll soon be feeling right at home.

We stayed in a suite with a king bed and a separate room with a fold out couch for our son. I would highly suggest this type of sleeping arrangement for anyone traveling with kids. While there was a TV fully equipped with video games in our living room, there was also a TV in the master bedroom so there were no fights over evening viewing. There was a fully stocked mini-bar and refrigerator as well as a microwave. There was a VCR and Pay-Per-View. One evening after a hard day of skiing, we had a great time in the suite as a family eating popcorn and watching a good movie together.

I would say that the carpet and furniture in our room looked a little worn, but that is really the ONLY negative I can say about this resort. What struck me the most about this Embassy Suites was the INCREDIABLE service. I forgot my toothbrush. A new one was there within two minutes of calling housekeeping. Room rates included a SPECTACULAR, COOKED breakfast each morning. We really enjoyed the selections of fruit, eggs, pancakes, french toast, etc.... This was a big change from the bagel many hotels offer to start your day. Also, there are FREE drinks in the afternoon---as many as you want---on the second floor for about two hours. I really learned to like having a Mountain Breeze (a Skyy Vodka and lime slushy concoction) in the hot tub while my son swam in the pool.

The Embassy Suites also has a sauna and workout room. The exercise room consists mostly of treadmills (it''s hard to run in the ice!) and stairmasters. Another service I really enjoyed was getting a deep tissue massage as a present from my husband on Valentine''s Day. He simply made a reservation with the concierage, and a massage therapist came at the appointed time and set up a table in our room. Services range from $70-$160, and things such as mud wraps are offered in addition to massages. This is a great thing to indulge in after skiing or snowboarding!

Also, a block away from the hotel well within walking distance is a gondola that will take you to the top of Heavenly Valley Ski Resort (see separate Gondola Entry).

I would highly recommend the Embassy Suites Resort Lake Tahoe to anyone who wants to enjoy a family vacation. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 19, 2001

Embassy Suites Hotel Lake Tahoe Resort
4130 Lake Tahoe Boulevard
South Lake Tahoe, California 96150
(530) 544-5400

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Turtles Sports Bar & Dance Emporium

Restaurant | "Turtles"

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Turtles is a sports bar in the Embassy Suites Hotel. The menu is basically bar food: burgers, chicken fingers and the like. They do offer all-you-can-eat peeled shrimp, too. There is a dance floor and live entertainment at Turtles, but we ate there too early in the evening to see any of this. The service was decent, and the food was okay, but nothing great. I had a bowl of piping hot soup which WAS excellent, but the rest of our meal was average and some-what forgettable. Reasonably priced. A good place to eat with the kids the first night when you're too tired from travel to seek out something else.

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on February 19, 2001

Turtles Sports Bar & Dance Emporium
Embassy Suites Resort
Lake Tahoe, California
(530) 543-2135

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Chevys Fresh Mex

Restaurant | "Chevy's Mexican Restaurant"

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We really liked this restaurant. Everything here was fresh---the AWESOME salsa made on the premises---and all of it was GOOD. I had a wonderful shitake mushroom, black bean and asparagus burrito that was HUGE. My husband had an equally delicious Tex Mex meal. Our son went for the kids' menu and his old standby when he's not certain of the cuisine: chicken fingers. The service was fast and friendly. The atmosphere was nice---split level with tables and booths, warmly decorated with Mexican and old American West decor. My Kalua and coffee was especially strong. Our tab totaled right under $30, and all of us left very full and satisfied.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 19, 2001

Chevys Fresh Mex
3678 South Lake Tahoe Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, California 96150
(530) 542-1741

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Samurai Japanese Dining and Sushi Bar

Restaurant | "Samurai"

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We ate at Samurai's on Valentine's day as I love sushi. It was highly recommended by our hotel's concierage who said that it was the best of the Japanease restaurants on the South Shore. She made us reservations, but we did not need them as we were eating fairly early in the evening. The center of Samurai's has a blue fire that is surrounded by a circle of chairs, but we chose to eat by ourselves at a table. We found a very nice selection of sushi and our son enjoyed the kids' menu. He is a great fan of yakitori chicken and rice. The service was quick and friendly, and the food was delicious and filling. We enjoyed our meal and conversation, but we did pay a much higher tab than we ...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on February 19, 2001

Samurai Japanese Dining and Sushi Bar
2588 Lake Tahoe Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, California 96150
+1 530 542 0300

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Perfect Turn Heavenly Rockets Ski School

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Attraction

Progress Report Photo - Perfect Turn Heavenly Rockets Ski School, Lake Tahoe, California

Quote:

Heavenly Rockets Instructors come from all over the country and, indeed, all over the world. Our son's lead coach was from Argentina! Kids may rent equipment before school starts (a helmet is HIGHLY advised!), or they may come with their own equipment which will result in a small discount in the daily rate. Kids are assessed at which level they ski and grouped accordingly (Brand new skiers are level 1!). I HIGHLY suggest ski school for the first day of any child's visit to Heavenly if that child is not a solid skier. If he or she is a beginner, the rest of the trip will be MUCH more enjoyable if the basics are learned from an instructor. If he or she has been skiing before but not for a long tim...Read More

Heavenly Rockets Instructors come from all over the country and, indeed, all over the world. Our son's lead coach was from Argentina! Kids may rent equipment before school starts (a helmet is HIGHLY advised!), or they may come with their own equipment which will result in a small discount in the daily rate. Kids are assessed at which level they ski and grouped accordingly (Brand new skiers are level 1!). I HIGHLY suggest ski school for the first day of any child's visit to Heavenly if that child is not a solid skier. If he or she is a beginner, the rest of the trip will be MUCH more enjoyable if the basics are learned from an instructor. If he or she has been skiing before but not for a long time, ski school is a good place to brush up on the basics before tackling hard runs on the mountain. Higher level skiers are also taken up the lifts so that they do not get bored.

Also, while your child(ren) is learning how to stand on skis, you can feel very secure about his or her safety while you have full freedom to ski whatever level runs you like! My husband and I greatly enjoyed skiing with our son, but it was fun on the first day to check out the resort by ourselves. This also allowed us to figure out which runs we believed our son could handle when he joined us skiing.

In addition, we found we were very welcomed to watch a bit of the kids' instruction whenever we liked, and this was comforting to me. We popped into the ski school before and after lunch (kids are fed at the school) to watch our young skier at work!

At the end of the day, make sure you have the claim ticket you need to pick up your child. We found the Rocket staff to be very protective of the kids, and we had to wait for our son to finish up with his coach before we could collect him. We liked getting the Skiing Progress Card that gave us a general idea about how he did during the day, and we were thrilled the next morning to take him up on a green run with us. We also invested in one private lesson for our son ($80/hour) to help him further gain control of turning and stopping. If you can afford it, a private lesson is VERY helpful for your child(ren) (and you, too!) regardless of the level of skiing.

When we went to Tahoe, our son could not ski at all. Before we left Tahoe, he was able to ski on every blue run the resort had to offer! This, of course, made skiing with him much more fun for us, too! Heavenly has a great program! Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 19, 2001

Perfect Turn Heavenly Rockets Ski School
Heavenly Base Lodge
Lake Tahoe, California 89449

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Heavenly Ski Resort

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Attraction | "Heavenly Valley Ski Resort"

Ridge Run Photo - Heavenly Ski Resort, Lake Tahoe, California

Quote:

Heavenly Valley is one of the BIG FOUR (there are over 20 downhill and X-C resorts in the area) of the most well known alpine resorts in Tahoe: Heavenly, Squaw Valley, Kirkwood, and North Star. I would say it and North Star are the best suited for families though you can't go wrong with ANY of these places (Squaw Valley was, in fact, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. It has some wonderful runs for more advanced skiers!). There is an excellent ski school at Heavenly Valley that I would highly recommend for beginners (see separate Heavenly Rockets entry). Most of the trails are intermediate, but there are also plenty of blacks and double blacks for the expert skier. There is a half pipe that i...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 19, 2001

Heavenly Ski Resort
Highway 50 at Ski Run Blvd
Stateline, California 89449
+1 775 586 7000

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Borges Carriage Rides

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Attraction | "Sleigh Ride by the Borges Family"

Dashing through the Snow! Photo - Borges Carriage Rides, Lake Tahoe, California

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As we live in Georgia, riding in a one-horse-open-sleigh is not an easy experience to come by! This was a nice afternoon activity (sleighs stop running right before sundown) for the family, and the sleighs were VERY close to the Embassy Suites where we were staying. We met Charlie, our horse, and then embarked on an approximately 35 minute ride through the snow. Our guide gave a friendly narration of the area complete with the recitation of a poem by Robert Frost. It was interesting to learn about the family that owned the land on which we were riding as well as to hear some general history of the area. The boarding house that was once a family home, was also a Pony Express outpost and once serve...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 19, 2001

Borges Carriage Rides
50 Highway 50
Stateline, California 89449
+1 775 588 2953

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Harvey's Tahoe

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Attraction | "Harvey's (Casino and ARCADE)"

Quote:

Harvey's is, of course, a huge casino right on the Nevada side of the Nevada/California state line. If you want to ask the concierage about babysitting services in Tahoe, you can go to the casino one evening (there is also a Harrah's and a Caesar's within a block of each other!) for gambling or a floor show. There are lots of slots, tables, sportsbooks, etc.... HOWEVER, we did not do this. We were on a family vacation, and we went to Harvey's solely because it did offer something fun for our kid, too. On the bottom floor of Harvey's is a huge arcade. As we would have done for ourselves had we been in the casino gambling, we set a spending limit for our son. We gave him $10.00 and le...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 19, 2001

Harvey's Tahoe
Highway 50
Stateline, California 89449
+1 775 588 2411

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Nevada State Museum and Mint

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Attraction

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Carson City is in between Lake Tahoe and Reno. It is a very small state capital but a city worth a look. On the way to the airport we had some time to explore this area, and we chose to visit the State Museum. There were several other museums that looked interesting as well among which were the state's largest railroad museum and an interactive children's museum that might be worth a visit. A day in Carson City might also be a nice way to break up a week of skiing on a family vacation!The State Museum is in a building that used to be home to one of the US mints. Anyone with an interest in coins would enjoy the exhibits dealing with this history. It is also interesting to learn all ab...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 19, 2001

Nevada State Museum and Mint
600 North Carson Street
Lake Tahoe, California
(775) 687-4810

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Village Mountain Surf

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Attraction | "Various"

Quote:

Early one evening we walked along the street and looked inside some of the shops on South Lake Tahoe Blvd. There were some neat items for sale, but you will mostly find what you would expect: t-shirts, postcards, and other touristy stuff. We did need to pick up some new ski clothing, however, and we found The Village Mountain Surf at 3552 Lake Tahoe Blvd to have everything we needed. They even had bathing suits, so I could buy a new pair of board shorts and bikini top to wear in the hot tub! There is also a K-mart to pick up essentials you may have left behind a little more cheaply than you would in a ski shop. My husband found a great pair of ski pants in the grocery store (Roley's), believe it ...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on February 19, 2001

Village Mountain Surf
3552 Lake Tahoe Blvd
Lake Tahoe, California

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Heavenly Aerial Tram

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Attraction | "Heavnely Valley Gondola"

Quote:

The Heavenly Valley Gondola is new to the resort. It offers very convenient access to the mountain for skiers, but it is also popular with people who just want a spectacular view. Lift tickets cover access to the gondola, of course, but if someone in your party is not skiing, they may ride the gondola for $20. Gondola riders get some spectacular views of Lake Tahoe as they are taken up the mountain to an observation deck. The views from the deck are breath taking! Still, the view is the only thing you'll find. Currently there is no restaurant or even place to get coffee. We were told that a restaurant is slated to be built on the observation deck in the summer of 2001. Once this is...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on February 19, 2001

Heavenly Aerial Tram
Highway 50 at Ski Run Boulevard
Stateline, California 89449
+1 775 586 7000

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