Tahoe/Cntrl CA/Carmel drive
 

My wife & I will be spending a week tramping through central California- a few days in Tahoe at the beginning and a few days in Carmel at the end with 2-3 days in between. We are planning on a leisurely drive over those 2-3 days by way of Yosemite.<BR><BR>Any recommendations for sites/routes?<BR><BR>Any recommendations for restaurants in Tahoe, central CA or Carmel/Monterey?<BR><BR>Thanks

Take a drive along the coast near Carmel. Big Sur is beautiful. Pt. Lobos is just a few minutes south of Carmel, and is an excellent place for hiking. We also visited the Hearst Castle while we were in Carmel, although it was a three hour drive south. <BR>

Don't know where in Tahoe you will be staying but here are some good restaurants we've eaten at:<BR><BR>South Shore:<BR>Evans American Gourmet - best food in Tahoe.<BR><BR>Cafe Fiore - second best food great little place, has only 6 or 7 tables.<BR><BR>Cafe Riva - sister restaurant to Garwoods in Carnelian Bay in north Tahoe. Riva is located in the marina in south shore.<BR><BR>Cantina Bar and Grill - for mexican food.<BR><BR><BR>West Side:<BR><BR>Angelina's Pizza in Tahoma<BR><BR>Norfolk Woods Inn for breakfast. great crepes.<BR><BR>Sunnyside Resort - great food and views.<BR><BR>Garwoods for lunch and a Wet Woody, half price on Wet Woody wednesday.<BR><BR><BR>Things to do in Tahoe:<BR><BR>Gondola at South Shore. Picnic at the stop near the top. Get back on and go to the top and hike around.<BR><BR>Raft down the Truckee river. It's slow and it's fun. Try to get into splash fights with other rafters. Stop along the sand bars to join in the fun.<BR><BR>Go to Squaw Valley High camp for the day. Buy the ticket that gets you into the pool and ice skating. There is grilled food and a bar at the top too.<BR><BR>Zypher cove has lots of water vehicles to rent as well as boat tours of all kinds, paddle wheel and sailing.<BR><BR>Sand Harbor and Incline have great beaches.<BR>Historic stuff:<BR><BR>Tallac in Camp Richardson<BR>Mansion and Tea House at Emerald Bay<BR>Mansion at Sugar Pine Point<BR><BR>Second summer for the high speed ferry Meteor. Leaves from South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City. <BR><BR>Spend a day at the beach at Meeks Bay. Nice sandy beach on the west side. Has a snack bar with grilled food. They also rent paddle boats, etc.<BR><BR>Visit historic Chambers Landing on the west side. Go during happy hour for a chambers punch.<BR><BR>Visit the Thunderbird Lodge. Tours on Wed and Thurs. Must have reservations call 1-800-GO-TAHOE to make arrangements for a tour.<BR><BR>Have fun!

ttt

Spend a day in Yosemite - it's an incredible place - it is crowded between Memorial Day and Labor Day, so plan accordingly. Then take the most direct route to the coast. There isn't much to see between Yosemite and the Bay Area - just a lot of farm land. Santa Cruz is a great place to visit. You could spend the night there, and then have a leisurly drive down to Carmel.

From Tahoe take the Kingsbury Highway 207 to Hwy 395 and come down to Yosemite that way. A little south Bridgeport and off the Hwy is Bodie State Historical Site which is a real nicely preserved ghost town. In Lee Vining there's Mono Lake. From there take Hwy 120 over Tioga Pass. I would recommend spending your time in Yosemite, hiking, relaxing and enjoying the views.<BR><BR>Utahtea

Point Lobos Park near Carmel is a must ! Allegro (casual italian) has very good food, it's in the Barnyard Center downtown.