We will be in California this summer and would like to visit Lake Tahoe. I am with my husband and two boys, ages 11 and 15. What is the difference between the north shore and south shore? What would you recommend or is it possible to do both? What is there to do on lake tahoe?

How many days do you have for Tahoe??

In general - the south end is more built up, the big Casinos are at that end. But there are still a lot of non-casino sites/activities. Boat trips, gondola to the top of Heavenly Valley, Emerald Bay, etc.

The north end is less developed. Or rather - there is development but not the glitzy/casino over-development like down south. More boat trips, Sand harbor, Squaw Valley and its Cable car, Tahoe city, small casinos, etc.

Then there is the west side - is a less developed part and mostly small resort/residential areas.

The east side of the lake has almost no development and essentially there are no places to stay. But do tour around to that side - some great hikes and views.

There is hiking/walking/water sports all over. You can stay anywhere around the lake and easily get to the other parts. Are you looking for a hotel, suite hotel, condo, house???

My own preference - especially for a family stay would be the north end or along the west shore. You can drive to anyplace else you want to see.

WHEN is the trip? Summer is the busiest time of year there and if you mean around July 4th or Labor Day weekend it will be VERY crowded w/ lots of traffic.

The water in Lake Tahoe is really, really cold. They won't be doing much swimming. Just be aware of that in your plans.

The July 4th traffic is horrible.

Incline Village would be very nice for your family. It has the nicest beach on the lake.

You can rent a boat for the day. You can also rent paddle boats. There's hiking, taking the M.S. Dixie to Emerald Bay and back, Squaw Valley for ice-skating and tram riding, you can rent bikes, there are many, many things to do.

We will probably stay two nights. Is that enough time to get in some of the sights? I do not know anything about it so everyone's ideas sound great. We are planning the end of july so hopefully it won't be as crowded. What is the weather like at that time? Any nice hotels to recommend? We are heading to Seattle after that so it will probably be the two nights.

End of July will still be very crowded. Not as bad as the 4th, but it's high season.
Weather will be warm days, usually mid 70s to low 80s, and cool nights. Sometimes you can get a thunderstorm or 2. The storms seem to like the south Nevada side the best.
As far as sights go, the best sight of all is the Lake. I've been coming to Tahoe every summer for 38 years and my favorite thing to do is sit at the Lake, read and take few swims. Late July the Lake warms up nicely and you can swim in it. It's not warm, but comfortable.
My 2 favorite beaches are Meeks Bay on the Westhore and Sand Harbor on the Eastshore. The East and West shores seem to get less afternoon wind.
I'd head over to Sand Harbor one day, get there a bit early for parking. You can pick up a blow up raft and paddles and your kids can cruise around.
Another day you take a morning hike to Eagle Falls. It's about 2 miles round trip. You get there by driving to Emerald Bay, which is a must see, you'll see the trail head from the road.
After your hike head north for a relaxing day at Meek's Bay. You can rent paddle boats there.

Don't worry about the weather or the cold water. Lake Tahoe is great fun for families. When our kids became teens, they preferred going to Kings Beach on the North Shore because it was active, busy, and had lots to do. You'll find parasailing, paddle boats, swimming, and more. From the time they were small through teen years, they loved using the inflatable raft we purchased cheaply in one of the local shops. I wouldn't stay in Kings Beach, but perhaps would stay in one of the nearby towns like Tahoe Vista. Mourelato's Lakeside Resort and Franciscan Lakeside Lodge are both right on the water.

Other favorite activites at Tahoe are hiking and biking. There are great biking trails around the lake, particularly from Tahoe City to Sugarpine Point State Park (North Shore to mid-west side) and also near Southshore from Camp Richardson to Baldwin Beach. Bike rentals are available everywhere.
Hiking trails are everywhere.
Have a great time!

I wouldn't stay in Kings Beach, but perhaps would stay in one of the nearby towns like Tahoe Vista.

The one place I WOULD stay in Kings Beach is Brockway Springs Resort. We went there for many years when our kids were young, and went back when they were older and could go into town by themselves for dinner, a round of mini-golf at the best miniature golf on the planet (IMHO!) etc.

The south shore is very busy. And I can't remember which side the casinos are on... (sorry)... However with that said, both side are beautiful and offer so much to do. You're boys are going to love it!! There is hiking, biking, Lots of water actives - the village is a nice little place to grab lunch. Below is a video cam of Tahoe, pretty cool
http://www.tahoesbest.com/lake_tahoe_cam.htm

Thank you so much for all the great information. I am going to check into everything. It looks absolutely beautiful.

Moon Handbooks publishes a very comprehensive guidebook, entitled "Tahoe" -- Over 600 pages of information. Along with the great tips from Fodorites, I found it very helpful on our last trip to Tahoe with our kids.

the village is a nice little place to grab lunch

I'm not sure what village travelattorney is referring to, because there is no single village in Lake Tahoe. The south is much more built up and the "village" isn't quaint, but it's nicer than it used to be (it was mostly junky old motels before, now it's fixed up with some large developments - hotels, shopping, restaurants, ice skating rink, etc. Still, I wouldn't call it a nice little place). On the other hand, there are other little and not-as-little towns all around the lake - Tahoe City, Truckee, Incline Village, etc.

What to do on the East side heading south:

Sand Harbor is a fantastic beach. You must go there for at least one day or for a visit.

Sand Harbor also has the Shakespeare festival every summer. Right on the lake.
http://www.laketahoeshakespeare.com/

Tour Thunderbird Lodge. Quite Historic and amazing:
http://www.thunderbirdlodge.org/

Better yet do the cruise and come in from the lake side. So pretty form the lake:
http://www.tahoeboatcruises.com/tbirdlodgetours.htm

Heading out south you’ll get to Zephyr Cove which is good for lake cruises and you can rent water craft or walk on the beach.
http://www.zephyrcove.com/


Things to do in South Lake Tahoe:

There are of course the casinos. You can shop and eat at the village area, take a scenic ride on the Heavenly gondola or visit the casinos. Here’s info on a gondola trip:

http://www.skiheavenly.com/lake_taho...to_do/gondola/

Some great beaches in SLT that are worth a visit are Pope, Camp Richardson and Baldwin. All of these are past the Y (way past the casinos, past the grassy area next to the lake, past the outlet store) which is really now a 4 way light but habits are hard to break!

You should visit the Tallac site.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/recreation/tallac/

Also if you are interested in fish this is pretty interesting:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/recrea...streampc.shtml


Hikes to take near South Lake Tahoe are the Moraine Trail which is a pretty easy hike of 1 mile (one-way) Walk a relatively flat trail through the forest and along the shore of picturesque Fallen Leaf Lake. Take Highway 89 to Fallen Leaf Road. Continue approximately 2/3 of a mile to Fallen Leaf Campground. Drive through the campground and park just before campsite #75 on the right. There is no fee for day use. Look for the trailhead sign near the parking area.

Another hike is Angora Lakes which is an easy hike and hikers are rewarded with several lakes. In the summer you can rent row boats or just swim and lay around on the sandy beach but I don't think it starts by Memorial Day. It’s only ½ mile and the scenery when you get there is great. The lake is surrounded by cliffs and giant rocks. Take Highway 89 to Fallen Leaf Lake Road and turn left. Turn left at the first paved road. Continue to Forest Service Road 12N14 and turn right. Watch for bicyclists along this road. Continue past Angora Lookout to the road's end at the parking lot.

Things to do on the West Side:

Rent bikes and ride along the bike path from Tahoe City southward all the way to just south of Sugar Pine (the bath ends/begins just prior to Meeks Bay) or north to the River Ranch. Where ever you go the bike path is very nice.

River rafting out of Tahoe City. Take an ice chest full of your favorite beverage and food supplies. Rafting is completely weather dependent. Some years when there is too much or too little snow the rafting season is affected. Check to see when rafting begins. Here’s a link to one of the companies with an online coupon:
http://www.truckeeriverraft.com/taho...017/direct?c=1

South of Tahoe City is:

Homewood: Chambers Landing – It has 2 beach sections. One part is roped off as private and the other part is open to the public. Not really great sand, and the shore is rocky. The best part is the dock with the historic Chambers Bar at the end. This place will be hopping on that weekend. Many people boat in and the dock is like a party at happy hour, reduced Chambers Punch prices.

Just south of Tahoma is Sugar Pine State Park with the Ehrmann Mansion. In the summer there are tours: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=510

A little further south is Meeks Bay – great beach, there is a grill shack right on the beach. Paddle boats and tricycles available for rent. Beautiful views of the lake.

Next up is DL Bliss – nice beach but very hard to get into so if you go get really early start. There is a path to the right of the parking lot as you are looking at the lake. It offers amazing views of the lake which are not available from the road.

After Bliss you come to the well known Emerald Bay. Vikingsholm, a replica of a Scandinavian castle sits on the shore. You can take the Vikingsholm Trail to see the castle. Not the Tea House which is on the island but the castle that’s on the shore of the bay. The trail starts at the parking area on the north side of Emerald Bay, on Highway 89. It's a wide, well-maintained trail, but fairly steep, about 2½ miles round trip. At the bottom of the trail is a picnic area. http://www.vikingsholm.com/

Or you can take a short side hike to Eagle Falls or Cascade Lake & Falls

Eagle Falls / Eagle Lake Trail starts at Eagle Falls Picnic Area, highway 89 across from Emerald Bay. Permits are required on this hike and a self-registration station is at the trailhead. The hike is only about 2 miles round trip to Eagle Lake (only about 1/3 mile to the falls); the terrain varies from steep to flat and crosses beautiful Eagle Falls on a steel footbridge.

Cascade Lake & Falls – Turn into the Bayview Campground across fro Emerald Bay Inspiration Point, drive to the end and park at the trailhead. Take the trail that veers left. Spectacular views of the 200 foot high falls and Cascade Lake can be seen from this short trail.

Now if instead of heading south in Tahoe City you headed north you could visit Squaw Valley. Our kids always enjoy a day at High Camp. Take the tram up to the giant pool and Jacuzzi. They can also ice skate. There is a pool side grill and palapa bar as well.
http://www.squaw.com/summer-squaw

While you are in North Lake Tahoe:

Stop in at Carnelian Bay at Garwoods which is a great lakeside restaurant. Order up a Wet Woody – Rum drink.

You can go mountain bike riding at Northstar. http://www.northstarattahoe.com/info/summer/biking.asp

Check out the Fire Lookout for amazing views of the lake:

From Incline heading west near the Biltmore casino turn north on Reservoir Road. Then turn right onto Lakeview Ave. Continue on this road, if it forks stay left and do not turn onto Tuscarora. It will bend back before you reach the parking area for the short walk to the lookout. The lookout provides you with really beautiful views of the area and lake."

Hang out at the beaches in Incline.

There is still more.

You can rent a boat for a day, go sailing…