MichelleY

Misha: I just got back from the Hyatt. The lake has plenty of water and there is still plenty of snow in the high mountains, so I think you will have plenty of water in the Truckee River for rafting.

We have taken the house tour at Sugar Pine. It was very interesting and has beautiful grounds.

You will love the area.

MY

MichelleY

PS: the house is called the Ehrmann Mansion.

Suzie

ThH Hellman-Erhman Mansion is definitely worth a look. We espeicaly like to tour when they have the actors recreate teh residents and guests of the time. Also do a self tour of the out buildings.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=991

The Scandanavian Castle called Vikingsholm at Emerald Bay is really interesting even if you just look at the exterior architecture. It's quite the steep hike up and down though, so be prepared:
http://www.vikingsholm.org/

misha2

We were looking for challenging river rafting. I guess we can call Truckee rafting before we get there to see if it is all a pleasant float or has some rapids.

Ehrmann Mansion sounds great! I tried to find info about actors. But, did not see that on their site. We might have to skip Vikingsholm if the hike is too steep for the grandparents. Too bad. It seemed so interesting. Are these easy enough to do on one's own? Or, does anyone suggest a tour company?

Dragonfly looks great! Will plan to go there one night. Is it formal or funky enough for a birthday celebration, or is it more in a strip mall? Perhaps I should do one of the places mentioned above with a view for the birthday ( Jakes?) and then eat at Dragonfly another time.

Has anyone been to a Young Shakespeare production?

Thank you all for being so helpful

Birdie

We just did Ehrmann last week and enjoyed it. They didn't have actors but a tour guide led us through the house and told interesting stories. The park is lovely and has some nice hikes that range from very easy to more difficult. I hope the park is still open when you go. They are on the list to be shut down for budget reasons.

Suzie

The state park closures are only in the proposal stage and not at all a done deal. Nevertheless the parks would not close until after Labor Day 2009.

MichelleY

IMO the closing of our state parks is just a big scare tactic the governator is throwing out there. Closing the parks would do more to hurt the surrounding towns and businesses.

hazel1

Misha2 - Dragonfly is definitely funky not formal, and it's located in historic downtown Truckee, not a strip mall. It's on the second floor with a great outdoor balcony overlooking the street scene below and the surrounding mountains. It's great for lunch or dinner, and I've had birthday celebrations there myself (tho just five people).

As for Young Shakespeare, I haven't been to those particular productions, but I've been to the several performances of the Lake oShakespeare
Festival and have always enjoyed them immensely. The location at Sand Harbor right there on the beach overlooking the lake is absolutely awesome, especially if you can catch a performance on the night of a full moon. They have really good food vendors there so you can buy your dinner, or you can bring in a picnic. It's a wonderful experience (but bring a jacket -it can get chilly in the evening).

misha2

Great! Ehrmann and Dragonfly seem like a must -- as does a Sand Harbor performance. What kind of food vendors do they have there?

MichelleY

Misha: Sand Harbor also has a great beach. Go early, bring a beach umbrella and spend the day. We get there about 10 or 11 and don't leave until 5 or 6.

MY

hazel1

I obviously had a few typos in my last reply, so to clarify I meant the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (https://www.laketahoeshakespeare.com/), which the Young Shakespeare program is a part of. The website has a tab regarding dining, but I believe there were some other vendors as well as the one described, sushi bento boxes being one that I recall. My mother mother had it last year and dropped her sushi roll, prompting us to name her selection the Tahoe Sand Roll.