Will be in Tahoe for 8 days in April and want to have other options than skiing and gambling and anxious to see nearby small towns and do some antiquing and fles markets and we hear we can get to the Napa valley in 2+ hours.Need some suggestions and any restaurant ideas in South Lake Tahoe.THANKS

I was in Lake Tahoe last October. We came there from Yosemite - which you could do in a long day. You could also go to Virginia City which would be about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Reno is also about an hour from Tahoe.

Napa valley is approximately 165 miles and the driving time is about 3.5 hours. Yosemite is not really doable as a day trip unless you do not plan to see anything. You will also have to be concerned about weather. Snow is still very likely in April.

Virgina city is an excellent day trip as is Reno. Could be combined into 1 day for both. Squaw Valley, Truckee and around the lake are good possibilities.

I would suggest some of the small, interesting towns in the Gold Country. Napa is too far , as is Yosemite. You'll spend way too much time in the car. Start at Truckee, head down I80 toward Sacramento. Take Hwy 20 to Grass Valley/ Nevada City. There you will find lovely shops and restaurants and a great place called Empire Mine. It's a fun old mine with a big house and grounds. There are a few good wineries around the Foothills as well. Take Hwy 49 to Auburn and look around Old Town. There are great antique shops and the perfect place for dinner, Bootleggers. Then take I80 back up to Tahoe ( 1 or 2 hour trip depending if you are at Southshore )I live in the area and know it well if you would like to email, feel free. Alysa

Barry,
I had another idea, perhaps a bit easier travel wise if you are staying at S. Tahoe. Take Hwy 50 toward Sacramento/then Hwy 49 to Sutter Creek. Along the way you will find many small picturesque towns. There are tons of wineries in Amador County that are very good. You could make a whole day of just wine tasting. Sutter Creek has some outstanding antique shops and fun restaurants.

Alysa has given you some great information! The ride to Sutter Creek is very pretty, with lots of stopping-off towns. Old town Auburn is definitely worth a visit. So is Grass Valley; it's a nice homey place, with some interesting rough edges, and has a real sense of history about it. (To me, Nevada City "just okay"--the atmosphere is little too upscale and new agey for me, but it's very close to Grass Valley and still worth checking out.)
Virginia City, not far from Tahoe, is also worth a visit (as others have posted); it's touristy in nature, but April shouldn't be too bad as far as actual tourists go. It's an unusual place, and still has some musty corners that evoke its heyday, when it was far larger and a history-making mining town. Also, VC is on the side of a mountain, and elevated, so you get some great views of the desert and surrounding hills. Personally I'd devote the bulk of a travel day to VC, rather than rush it there for time in Reno. To break up that day a bit, you might take a ride through the canyon that leads from VC to the road out of Carson City; it's pretty neat. The backtrack to VC will be even neater (best views from that direction).
(In case you're wondering, Carson City itself isn't much, but it's got its minor charms.)
Another thing to consider if you want to explore a different kind of scenery: Take a drive out to Pyramid Lake, roughly 26 miles north of Reno on a zippy-fast road (i.e., no mountain roads with twists and turns to negotiate). It's a vestige of Lake Lahontan, an ancient lake that filled much of northern Nevada a VERY long time ago. It is spectacular, and a great contrast to Tahoe because it is a desert lake. It's a thrill just to experience the vista into which the road curves you before it descends to the lakeshore. (I lived a few years in Reno--yuck!--and Pyramid Lake was one of my sanity savers.)
Regarding Yosemite, it really is quite a truck from Tahoe. It looks close on a map, but that's as the bird flies. Like Cal said, a daytrip won't leave you time to see anything in Yosemite.
Finally, if you go into Reno and want a good Mexican restaurant, check out Bertha Mirandas. It's the only thing about Reno itself that I miss.
Have fun!

Wish I had this list of things to do out there about 4 years ago (pre 'net for me)! We took a drive all the way around the lake, just stopping at various sites and towns along the way. They have a nice looking bike path too, if that interests you.

barry...all good suggestions...i'd add Coloma to your list.where marshall/sutter found gold...antiques along hwy 49 also. down i80 is Shanghai bar in old town Auburn (near Bootleggers) is one of the oldest working bars/restaurants in the west...travolta filmed "Phenomena" there..if you like antiquing, come down the road a few miles from aubrun to roseville. take the atlantic st. exit and go into town until it turns into vernon st. some good antq stores there. also a big one on harding blvd you can hit on your way back to i-80. turn right from atlantic to harding (before atlantic st veterinary) and right at the light and it's up about 1/2 mile on the left.
for a real interesting ride go north thru truckee on 89 until you hit sattley and go west on hwy49 until you hit hwy20 back to i-80 or go further to auburn and head back to tahoe on i-80..nice day trip and numerous stops along the road to explore.