We will be in South Lake Tahoe with our 2 daughters (28 & 33) and their husbands from 4/17-4/25/09. Weather? Where to eat? What to do? How to dress? Easy hiking? Shopping? I know I'm asking alot, but we've never been there & could really use advice from those who have. Thanks so much!

There well could be snow in April. Bring Jeans and jackets.

Lots of places to eat. What is your budget and are you staying at or near the casinos at Stateline? Some good restaurants there.

Harvey's has the expensive 19 Kitchen on their top floor if you go early for sunset views, and The Sage Room Steak house on the bottom level has the best steaks in town.

There is a Hard Rock Cafe for lunch and Friday night seafood buffet also.

Across the street at Harrah's is a huge bufftet for B,L,D with nice views of the lake.

The Horizon Hotel has Josh's Restaurant which features a $19.99 Lobster dinner every night and other great food and drinks.

Take a 25 min. drive up to Incline Village and visit the Hyatt Resort, and the Lone Eagle Grill, right on the lake. Could have lunch or dinner with beautiful views. It's pricey, but you could just have drinks. We love the north shore for it's beauty.

Take a drive around the lake. Stop as you wish along the way.

Not so much heavy duty shopping in Tahoe. There are lots of T-shirt and tourist stores, but it's fun browsing.

Take a cruise on the MS Dixie out of Zephyr Cove. We took the lunch cruise over to Emerald Bay and back.

Ask if you have any more questions.

April is in the shoulder season. Weather can still be dicey and most of the ski resorts may have closed. It would be better to go a month later for better (warmer) weather.

What do you plan on doing? It's really too early for the lake and too late for the skiing. Most of the hiking trails will still be closed. Tahoe can be a ghost town at that time of year unless we have had a really large snowpack. which doesn't seem likely this year. A week is a long time just to spend in the casinos.

When you say "shopping", what are you talking about? Tahoe is not Vegas or even Palm Springs.

For dining, do a search on this forum and also consult Tripadvisor.com for ideas.

This is a family trip our kids surprised us with to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary & my retirement. Since we all live so far apart (IL, VT & northern CA), just being together is such a treat! One daughter is a teacher, & that's her spring break, so our time isn't flexible. We aren't picky about what we do, but I hope we don't get bored if there's not much to do. The kids love to hike & be outside. I don't care as long as we're together. Any day trips you can suggest? I really appreciate all the dining suggestions you've given, MBnancy. The lunch cruise sounds great, too! Thanks!

I forgot to mention that we're staying at The Lodge at Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe.

Most if not all the higher trails will be closed. But there are lots of lake-level walking that will be fine.

You can take a day trip over to Virginia City. All the Comstock Lode historical sites like the Piper opera house, silver baron mansions, etc. plus touristy/schlocky stuff w/ a "wild west" theme. www.ghosttowngallery.com/htme/virgcitynv.htm

And you can drive around the lake to see places like Sand Harbor - probably the single most scenic place in the whole basin, and that is saying a lot. http://www.terragalleria.com/america...e-tahoe.4.html

And there is Truckee/Donner Lake and Squaw Valley. There are some terrific restaurants and shops in Truckee. http://www.truckee.com/

Check out the Timber Room and the Lakeside Inn & Casino for eats. They have a real good and inexpensive breakfast. For dinner, they offer a great prime rib, also for not much $$. They still offer the old-style baked potato presentation - where they bring out the dishes of sour cream, chives, butter, etc., and apply to your potato as you watch.

There's another restaurant downstairs, more casual - used to be Mexican, but now it's called Latin Soul. Pretty good also, at least it was when it was Mexican.

Here's a link for you: http://www.lakesideinn.com/TP5.asp

Thanks for all the great suggestions everyone! I really appreciate the time you all took to reply & also for the links you've included!

Oh, I love the Sage Room at Harveys. I almost expect Dean Martin to walk in carrying a martini. Great steaks, filet mignon, etc.

There is a nice park on the west side, north of Emerald Bay that has a lovely access to the lake. I think it might be Sugar Pine. It is very pretty.

Sugar Pine is closer to Tahoe City. The state park next to Emerald Bay is DL Bliss.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=505

The Rubicon Trail there is outstanding and since it's at lake level should be snow free in mid-April. There are several other excellent trails in this vicinity as well.

Thanks Marginal & Otis B Driftwood! We'll check it out. Would anyone happen to know if going to Yosemite would be doable in a day from South Lake Tahoe? I'm not sure how far that is.

Sorry, but no -- it's about 200+ miles to Yosemite Village from So. Lake Tahoe (according to Google Maps). There's no way to drive "straight" from one to the other.

Keeping in mind that Tioga Pass will be closed, no.

Bliss will no doubt be closed to traffic in April and the walk down to the water is long.

Expect snow to be present, maybe not at lake level but certainly on the ski slopes and the waterfalls in the area to be really moving. You can also hike to Cascade Falls depending on the snow issue. If the snow is really gone you could do that hike easily.

Emerald Bay would be a good place to visit to see Eagle Falls and then view the bay from the viewing area. The castle will be closed ot visitors so a walk down the steep trail may not be desired at this time.

A really great place for dinner for the 4 of you would be Evans. The food is wonderful and it would make a really nice and special evening. Need reservations.

Also Blue Water Bistro is right on the lake and has good food. Definitely get reservations.


Beacons at Camp Richardson is good and lakeside.

The Cantina might be a fun spot for mexican food and margaritas.

If they are offering lake cruises I'd suggest Safari Rose but if they are not yet open for the season you might want to take a paddle wheel cruise to Emerald Bay from SLT.

Shopping? Not so much.

Dress is super casual. Jeans. Maybe a little dressier at Evans.

For a nice meal, check out Evan's Gourmet Cafe, Harvey's 19 Kitchen or Cafe Fiore. Have fun! ***kim***

Cafe Fiore is more of a romantic spot for two. It's a very tiny restaurant made up of 7 tables. I don't know if all four of you would want to dine there together. That's why I suggested Evans which I think is perfect for a group of 4 looking for outstanding food.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all for the suggestions!!! Can't wait to check them all out! I really appreciate the time everyone took to reply to my questions! You're the best!!!