We’re taking you to the iconic mountain town of Lake Tahoe and sharing the best things to do in Lake Tahoe and the places you have to visit year round. 

Lake Tahoe sits on the border of California and Nevada, with parts of the town in both states. Tahoe is a winter sports lovers dream, has a gorgeous big blue lake and fun nightlife and casinos on the south shore. In this episode we give you the lay of the land, Tahoe travel tips, and recommendations for things to see and do on a winter or summer trip to Lake Tahoe.

Both seasons are equally amazing and you should visit Lake Tahoe in both summer and winter. In this episode we arm you with things you can do year round and five into the best things to do in Lake Tahoe in Summer, plus the snow activities and things to do in Lake Tahoe in Winter. We’ve all been to Lake Tahoe in both seasons multiple times over the years and would go back another hundred times. It truly is an amazing place.

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3 (56s):
Welcome to this weeks episode of the Travel Squad Podcast. We are taking you to an amazing place for this time of year Lake Tahoe. But before we get into everything amazing, you need to know about Tahoe. I want to know from the squad, how was your holidays? How was your new year?

1 (1m 18s):
So I worked on new years, which is normal for me, but I still had a good time. So glad to be in 2021. And the holidays were great. Overall

4 (1m 26s):
I’m hoping 20, 21 is better than 2020, but I don’t want to get in the mindset of everybody thinking it’s just going to reset. Cause it’s a new year. Cause everyone was thinking 20, 20, a new decade. It’s going to kick ass and then that’s what happened. So 20, 21 I’m optimistic, but let’s not let our guard down everybody. That’s all I have to say. But holidays to answer your question, Kim, fantastic, enjoyed Christmas and enjoy new years. Although I spent it alone with Brittany at work, but you know, it is what it is.

3 (1m 53s):
No new year’s kiss for you.

4 (1m 55s):
Well, I mean, she wasn’t evening on call working, but she worked new year’s day in the morning. So I had a new year’s Eve kiss, but you know, Brittany’s an old soul. Usually we sleep into the new year. Can you believe that we’re typical old Nerrick couple but not this year. No

3 (2m 11s):
Way.

2 (2m 12s):
And you guys used to make fun of me for being the only one over 30 at one point in time.

4 (2m 16s):
I still rock it for being over 30.

2 (2m 18s):
I mean he couldn’t handle the new year.

4 (2m 19s):
It, Kim is the one who slowed down at her in her thirties. I think we all know this.

2 (2m 23s):
We

1 (2m 23s):
Do. We do

3 (2m 26s):
Nine years was amazing. Thanks for asking

4 (2m 29s):
While we’re waiting for you to jump in when you, you couldn’t keep quiet about it. I’m sorry. How was your new year’s camp?

3 (2m 33s):
It was great. I was in by de Guadalupe for a nice little weekend or overnight, or kind of an experience wine tasting in the valley. Couldn’t have been better. Stayed in a beautiful ocean front. Airbnb.

2 (2m 48s):
What did you go with? Sounds so romantic.

3 (2m 53s):
I went with a special friend,

4 (2m 54s):
Just a special friend,

3 (2m 56s):
A special boy friend,

1 (3m 3s):
The market

4 (3m 5s):
For now. We’ll see. We’ll see. I don’t know.

2 (3m 10s):
Well, you know what? While you were getting yourself a boyfriend, I got myself a cat. I do, I do little cat named princess it’s Jamal and I’s cat all the way back from 2008, I brought her home. So now I’m cohabitating with princess

3 (3m 24s):
Expanding your family. That’s so sweet.

4 (3m 26s):
Well, I’m glad to see everybody had a fantastic holiday, so excited for a new year here in 2021. So let’s get right into it with Lake Tahoe. And I’m so excited to talk about Lake Tahoe because I have such fond memories of going to Lake Tahoe. You know, our hometown of Woodland, big Tahoe is only about two hours away. So I can’t tell you how many times Zaina and I would go as a family to Tahoe, whether it be winter, whether it be summer, it was just a short little getaway from our hometown. And I mean, I’ve literally been hundreds of times. It’s no exaggeration. So I’m so excited to share information with you guys about Tahoe.

2 (4m 1s):
I know the stories are endless for all the times that we used to go when we were kids. And I think the thing for me is, you know, growing up so close to Lake Tahoe, you don’t really realize what a gym it is. And then once I grew up and you know, you hear people talking about it or even living in San Diego, I know people who’ve never been. And then they go and they Marvel at how beautiful it is. And it just really made me realize, wow, like I lived right next to it. And I went all the time and I was a kid. So you don’t really understand how beautiful it is. So I’m really excited to share this with you guys and relive some memories with trauma

1 (4m 32s):
And in Lake Tahoe, there’s so much to do any time of the year. You can go skiing and snowboarding in the winter, or you can go hiking or boating or kayaking in the spring and summer. It’s a great place to go all year round.

3 (4m 45s):
And if you guys remember last year, we put out an episode on big bear, California, and we compared it to Tahoe, but we all were in agreeance. That Tahoe was bigger, better cooler

4 (4m 58s):
Than

1 (4m 59s):
Absolutely.

3 (5m 0s):
So we had to bring you this Tahoe episode. So let’s get into it with Tahoe tips as we always do.

4 (5m 6s):
Well, the first tip is going to be that during the winter months, the roads can close due to snow. So there was a time when Zaina and I went up as a family and we were literally trapped in Lake Tahoe, no way out you couldn’t go highway 50 to get back into Sacramento. You couldn’t go around through Reno on interstate 80 and we were trapped in there. So you can either be stuck and not be able to get in or stuck in there, not be able to get out. But also on top of that, the roads are closing. That also means that there’s snow on there. So if they’re open, you’re either going to need a four wheel drive or chains. So it’s always good to have chains or that four wheel drive if you’re going during the winter months.

2 (5m 44s):
Yeah. We’ve actually been stuck both ways. I don’t know if you remember Jamal, but we were trying to get into Lake Tahoe and the roads were closed due to snow closure. And so there was no place to go and we’re all just sitting there. And I don’t know if you remember, but there was a car in front of us and the guy I’m, the girl kept making out hardcore.

4 (5m 60s):
I remember this more than you because the car was behind us, not in front of us, but yeah, we were stuck in traffic, on us highway 50, going through the mountains, along the American river. And it was just literally stop and go stop and go. And most of the time it was pretty much stopped. Like literally at a dead stop. And we had entertainment watching the vehicle behind us. There was a couple, every time we had to stop, they were just making out. So, you know, as a 10 year old Lou creeping and looking behind right there, I was like, that’s a form of entertainment. Like, oh, what are they doing? It was so risky at the time.

2 (6m 32s):
I shouldn’t have to say you’re like, if you put yourself in there, like 10, 11, 12 years old, it’s funny back then.

3 (6m 37s):
And Tahoe is in the mountains. It is mountain town. It does have a big, beautiful blue lake that stays frigid cold all year round. Yeah.

1 (6m 46s):
Yes. So when I was younger, my dad took us to Lake Tahoe in the middle of summer and the lake was still freezing and he dared us to jump in and I remember jumping in and just being so cold afterwards, even though it was mid-summer

4 (6m 59s):
Lakes, always cold. It’s in the mountains. It’s an Alpine lake. We’re going to get to that a little bit later. So even during the summer months, it’s definitely frigid

3 (7m 7s):
Squad tip. You guys may not even know this or maybe you do, but Lake Tahoe has hot Springs, natural husbands.

2 (7m 17s):
I didn’t know that

4 (7m 18s):
That is a squad tip that is ringing in my ears because I did not know that you are correct Kim. And where are they at?

3 (7m 25s):
Yeah. There’s like beautiful, natural, hot Springs that you can go into and have views of the mountains and the Lake.

1 (7m 31s):
Have you gone?

3 (7m 31s):
I have not. But some of my friends posted pictures on Instagram who live in Tahoe and that’s how I found out about it. We need

1 (7m 37s):
To go

3 (7m 38s):
Squad trip.

2 (7m 39s):
Squadron

3 (7m 40s):
Tahoe is also a really beautiful place for hiking, boating, skiing, golfing, any water activities. There’s also plenty of debauchery to be had in Tahoe. It’s really a place for everyone, almost everything.

4 (7m 53s):
Yeah. And another tip too, is Lake Tahoe straddles the border between California and Nevada. So, you know, on the California side, not that there’s not anything to do because there is tons. But if you cross over into the Nevada side in south lake Tahoe, right there, there’s the casinos. So there’s an abundance of nightlife in that sense also. So you have the best of both worlds and add in that little bit of excitement that Nevada brings to. So straddles two states.

3 (8m 19s):
Cool. So Tahoe has a ton of history and there is no better person to tell us all about it then Jamal.

4 (8m 25s):
Well, I don’t know what in particular history-wise you want me to say, but I’m going to brush over a few things and just educate our listeners here about how cool Lake Tahoe is. Please

2 (8m 35s):
Keep

4 (8m 35s):
Me too. I’m about to, here we go. One Lake Tahoe at one point was supposed to be designated as a national park. There was petitions to do that. It didn’t end up happening for a plethora of reasons, which is too many to go over, but that’s how great Lake Tahoe is. I mean, they really wanted to make it a national park, but again, by the time that it really came to do that, there was already too much industry and logging in the area. And then they decided that they weren’t going to do that, but there’s still lots of conservation efforts to keep Tahoe pristine, just doesn’t have that national park title, but it very well could be on top of that. Lake Tahoe is unique for several reasons. It’s the second deepest lake in the United States, only behind crater lake in Oregon.

4 (9m 20s):
And on top of that, it is the fifth deepest lake in the world based on average depth. So it’s really, really deep. And the lake was actually formed by glacial, snow melt. And so that’s one of the reasons why it’s very cold. And then again, during the winter seasons, it always has the snow, the snow runs off into the lake. So it always keeps that cooled pristine fridge. Like we were all talking about.

3 (9m 44s):
There are a lot of rumors about Tahoe that there is some kind of hidden city underneath the lake,

4 (9m 50s):
Like Atlanta.

3 (9m 51s):
Yeah, because it is so deep. They say there’s parts of the lake that they still haven’t discovered or gone down as deep as it goes. And there’s all of these rumors about a hidden city that used to be a city is now covered by this lake.

1 (10m 4s):
Interesting. I actually never heard that, but

4 (10m 6s):
We need to get a submarine and go explore. No, I would be interested in that. What’s really cool though, is, you know, I did mention it’s the fifth deepest lake in the world. I forgot to mention, you know, at its deepest point, it’s 1,645 feet deep it’s average depth is roughly a thousand feet. So I mean for a lake, I mean that is incredibly deep. So to hear those rumors that you’re talking about, it doesn’t surprise me. However, one thing I also did forget to mention though, is there is a famous spot of Lake Tahoe and I’m sure we’re going to get to it a little bit later called Emerald bay. And Emerald bay is actually rather shallow in comparison to Lake Tahoe itself.

4 (10m 46s):
And when you come into Emerald bay, if you’re on a boat, you can actually see down and see some sunken ships because it is shallow in that area. So I don’t know about lost cities, but there are lost and sunken ships down there,

2 (11m 0s):
Ships or boats, because I would love to see a pirate ship for, well,

4 (11m 3s):
I guess their boats, there’s not really much Shippy and going on on the lake. So yes, thanks for the correction. But I think it’s an interchangeable term, but that’s neither here nor there.

1 (11m 13s):
Let’s talk about how to get to Tahoe. What airports would you fly into?

4 (11m 17s):
Well, there’s really going to be two options if you’re flying and you can either fly into our hometown airport, the Sacramento international airport. Yeah. It’s about an hour and a half, two hour drive from the Sacramento airport to Lake Tahoe. Obviously during the winter seasons, it could be a little bit longer if there’s snow or you’re going to be driving slower, et cetera, but really, really close to get to in that sense, the other airport would be the Reno Tahoe international airport, which is going to be in Reno and to drive from Reno to Lake Tahoe. It’s about 45 minutes. So it is closer if you were to fly into Reno. The one thing that I would just say as a tip though, is we fly a lot.

4 (12m 1s):
As you guys know, we rep Southwest all day. Every day. I can tell you it is cheaper usually to fly into Sacramento than it is to Reno, regardless of where you’re coming from. So, you know, depending on the price difference, you may pay that more for the convenience of being closer or pay substantially less and you know, invest the drive. But either way, if you’re flying, you’re going to need a rental car to get.

2 (12m 23s):
And if you have a private plane, you can fly into the tiny little charter airport there in Lake Tahoe.

4 (12m 27s):
Yes, but I don’t think people who listen to us Cena have private planes.

2 (12m 32s):
Don’t rule them out. I

4 (12m 33s):
Don’t rule them out, but I’m going to go, statistically speaking that maybe you’re talking to less than one person.

1 (12m 39s):
If you have a private plane, please DM us. We would love to know if you do have one so we can prove Jamal wrong.

4 (12m 46s):
Well, when no one DMS us, I’m going to be proven. Right? But that’s

2 (12m 49s):
Whoa. I believe Kim Kardashian loves our podcast. I believe Paris Hilton loves our podcast. I believe Brittany Spears listens religiously.

3 (12m 56s):
John Mayer I’m sure is a huge fan.

2 (13m 0s):
Why wouldn’t you be don’t rule it out, Jamal.

3 (13m 3s):
All right. So I think the best way for us to talk about Tahoe is to break it down into the seasons because what you do in the summer in Tahoe is a lot different than what you do in winter, but both of them have amazing things to do. So let’s start with winter, probably the most iconic season in Tahoe.

1 (13m 20s):
Yeah. You can have a white Christmas in Tahoe in the winter and like Jamal and Zayna and everyone has said earlier, you can get snowed in. You can get stuck in traffic, but the snow is amazing. As we had talked about earlier, comparing it to big bear, there’s usually a lot more snowfall in Lake Tahoe. And so it leads to better skiing and snowboarding and tubing and all of the fun winter activities.

4 (13m 45s):
Yeah. And there’s lots of places in Lake Tahoe to go snowboarding or skiing or do whatever you want to do. As a matter of fact, you know, if you were to drive around Lake Tahoe, it takes about three hours. It is rather large in that sense. So there’s activities to do on the north shore, the south shore, south Lake Tahoe, that’s where they have the casinos in Nevada area, just as well. And there’s east shore, west shore and all along those shores, there’s different ski resorts. There’s even a ski resort where they have the winter Olympics up there in Lake Tahoe area. There is heavenly in south lake Tahoe, which is a very famous location, just as well for your winter activities.

4 (14m 25s):
So all around the lake, there are spots for you to do your skiing and snowboarding.

2 (14m 31s):
Sonny bono died there and heavenly sustaining injuries from running into a tree.

4 (14m 35s):
Well, I don’t think you really sold anybody to go to heaven.

2 (14m 39s):
Oh, you should go. You should go. You should go. I was just saying like a little bit of trivia. We went snowboarding and heavenly. Yeah.

4 (14m 45s):
I used to go snowboarding that are quite regularly and I have not been snowboarding at heavenly or in Tahoe since I’ve moved down to San Diego, which saddens my soul. So I do want to go back up each year. I keep saying this winter is going to be the winner and I never do it. So I need to inspire myself.

2 (15m 2s):
Do you ladies want to hear a funny story about Jamal snowboarding? Okay. So the first time we went snowboarding and I think we were probably like 1917 years old. And we went with my best friend, Josh and Jamal, and Josh braved the big, easy, which it’s so funny, it’s called the big, easy, but it wasn’t necessarily easy. We took a snowboarding class that day and Jamal was one of the best ones there. I was one of the worst ones there, long story, but anyways,

4 (15m 30s):
Long story, you were just terrible.

2 (15m 33s):
Anyways. So finally Jamal and Josh get the guts to go on the, what are those things called that take you up the hill,

4 (15m 40s):
The ski

2 (15m 41s):
Lift, the Jamal, Josh went on the ski lift and it’s the very first time ever on a ski lift. So once they got on, they didn’t realize that there’s like a bar to put over you. So they lifted the entire way without that bar. And they were hugging each other because they were scared.

4 (15m 56s):
I don’t know if we were really hugging, but we weren’t really, you know, wanting to move too much. But that’s the one thing about ski lifts. You know, they are kind of sketchy in that sense, but yes, they do have bars that you can pull over from the top. This was my first time ever really doing that type of winter activity. Cause when we were kids, we would always go sledding up there and doing those things. So this was my first expedition and experience, if you will, into the skiing and snowboarding world. So I had a learning curve,

2 (16m 23s):
You know what? I didn’t even master the lift that comes around and you grab onto the bar and then the bar pulls your body. They had to slow it down for me because I was so scared. And then it came and it was still too fast. It hit me in the gut and I fell back on my head.

1 (16m 37s):
I was so surprised you even tried to go snowboarding, but you know, I’m impressed. I have a job for, for trying

3 (16m 45s):
On this one. And heavenly was actually the one and only place I’ve ever been snowboarding. I think I was a freshman in high school and I was going with a friend and her family and we went up there. I did not know what I was getting myself into. My friend showed me for about 15 minutes on this tiny little baby hill, not even a bunny hill. Oh, here’s how you snowboard. Here’s how it works. Here’s your stuff. Let’s go up the lift. The lift is frightening as fuck. And I did have the bar down.

4 (17m 13s):
Some of them don’t even have bars.

3 (17m 16s):
And then I was so fucking scared the entire time. I only went down the mountain once it took me a very long time. I think I broke my tailbone and it’s still broken 10 plus years later. And I will never snowboard again because it’s just not my thing.

1 (17m 31s):
Do you know the, I broke my left wrist snowboarding for the first time I took lessons. And then after we took the lessons, I made it through and then we went down the bunny hill and it was a day where the ice was pretty hard and compacted and I slid and flew and landed on my left wrist and it broke.

4 (17m 50s):
So because of that to this day, Brittany rarely likes to snowboard with me. I have to literally twist her arm, but the not breaking it this time in order for her to get to do it with me. But heavenly again is going to be the marquee location for you to do your winter activities. It gives you beautiful, beautiful views of the lake at that ski resort. You know, you’re going down the hill, you’re above the lake level. You just see all the white around you, the beautiful, clear blue lake that is Lake Tahoe. And it’s just so majestic, but you can also go to Squaw valley, which again is a location where they had the 1960 winter Olympics north star, which is in Truckee area, north Lake Tahoe, Kirkwood, Sierra Tahoe.

4 (18m 32s):
So any of the resorts that you go up to up there, like no exaggeration it’s world, class skiing and snowboarding, all the resorts up there.

2 (18m 40s):
I just want to say also for heavenly that even if you don’t want to snowboard or ski, you can go up the gondolas to the top of the mountain and just look out, of course you are going to have to pay a fee, but you can go to the top.

1 (18m 50s):
And in winter it’s a perfect time to rent a cabin in Lake Tahoe, make a fire, sit around the fire with a cup of hot chocolate. Maybe you make some snow angels outside, maybe make some snow men, but it’s, it’s a really nice and beautiful place to spend winter.

4 (19m 6s):
Absolutely. And if you’re there during the holiday season as well, you know, again, it straddles California, Nevada. So on the casino sides of the casinos always do something big. They do new year’s fireworks. So there’s always fireworks shows and things like that during certain times of year. So if you’re there during the winter, especially during new years, which is a very popular time, you can see the casino firework shows also

3 (19m 29s):
Have any of you spent new year’s in Tahoe.

4 (19m 32s):
I can’t tell you how many new years I’ve spent in Tahoe

2 (19m 35s):
As what to say. Absolutely. Because one of my dad’s really close friends had a cabin. And so anytime we went, we would always stay at the cabin and it was on a huge hill. So right there in the backyard, we would always just go sledding down and make snow forts.

3 (19m 50s):
Nice. I have spent also many new and Tahoe. Oh, not when I was a kid. When I was between the ages of like 20 and maybe 25 or later spent many new years there. I remember my first, maybe my first time ever going to Tahoe was for new years, I was 20. I was not 21 and the casinos are 21 and up. And so they would have like door guys that, all of the casinos, but because there’s so many people there you could slip in, we would have like 15 of our friends with one by one, we would get kicked out of this one and have to go into the other one, just keep moving about. And yeah, they have really beautiful firework shows for new year’s to super, super fun time to be there.

3 (20m 30s):
Lots of people, I don’t know if they’re still doing it, but they were for a long time doing a snowglobe music festival there over new year’s, which is like an outdoor winter Wonderland music festival. But then they have a bunch of after parties at the casinos in Tahoe. And I remember going to one, it was Zed was deejaying and it was at Mt. Blue. And it was, it was a fine little after party. It was a fun thing to do. But later years later, I became roommates with this girl named Carolyn here in San Diego. I did not know her before that. We got to talking and we were at that same Zed show in Tahoe, after party. And we did not know each other

2 (21m 8s):
Small world, small

3 (21m 9s):
World, very small world coincidence,

2 (21m 12s):
Dang. And you know what? We’re not advocating anything illegal. But when you’re talking about how you were able to sneak through when you were under 21, when we were in new Orleans, we snuck Brittany through, into a strip club and into the casinos, but a where there’s a will. There’s a way,

1 (21m 27s):
Any more thoughts on winter in Lake Tahoe,

4 (21m 29s):
Other than the fact that it’s just truly majestic, even if winter sports, aren’t your thing. Just to go and be in the peace of the mountains, with the snow, with the beautiful lake, staying in a cabin or even in the hotels and the casinos. If you want to do that, Airbnb in any one of the residents out there, Tahoe is just beautiful in the winter and truly majestic.

2 (21m 50s):
It is like putting yourself into a snow globe.

3 (21m 54s):
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4 (22m 10s):
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4 (22m 59s):
So let’s talk about the spring and summer months on the things to do and Lake Tahoe. First off, I’m just going to say it 4th of July and Lake Tahoe. It’s a big deal. I bring this up because we talked about fireworks for new year’s, as there’s fireworks for new year’s there’s fireworks for 4th of July. It’s a not to be missed event if you happen to be going during the summer. But other than just fireworks, tell us a little bit about the hiking, Brittany.

1 (23m 23s):
Ooh, I love to hike.

2 (23m 25s):
Ooh, is this where you lost your toenail?

1 (23m 27s):
Yes. I went hiking in a place near of Lake Tahoe and I did lose a toenail after the hike. So the hiking trails called horsetail falls. It’s three and a half miles out and back to the falls. But I want to say, it’s longer if you go into the desolate wilderness or country and you actually have to like fill out a permit and say where you’re going and who you’re going with and your party. So during the right time of year in summer, all of that snow is melting and running off to make these beautiful, powerful waterfalls. And it’s when the snow melt it’s at its peak and the hike is just absolutely remarkable, but you can hike past the falls and hike up to the top of the waterfall.

1 (24m 11s):
And on the way down, it was just such a steep trail. I kept hitting pressure on my toenail from my shoe, and I ended up losing that toenail. My dad did this hike with me as well, and he lost a toenail too, but on the opposite foot.

4 (24m 26s):
So horsetail falls definitely. Apparently statistically here, we’re seeing it will cause you to lose your toenail, but other than losing your toenail at horsetail falls, there’s lots of other beautiful hiking to do. You can actually go to the resorts that they have for the skiing and snowboarding. They have hiking trails in that area just as well, other spots around the lake. So do check it out and a lot of biking around the lake also so good summer activities, but speaking of hikes, one of the really, really nice hikes to do is going to be hiking along Eagle falls, which flows into Emerald bay.

4 (25m 5s):
Now, before we talk more about the hike down to Eagle falls, let’s talk a little bit about Emerald day. I brought it up a little bit earlier. It is a bay off of Lake Tahoe. It’s very iconic for its beautiful turquoise waters and it was actually carved by a glacier running through there. So that’s what has created the bay area, but it’s very famous because in the middle of that bay, there is an island. And on that island, a lady built a little castle tea house and she had a home that she built along the banks of Emerald day. And so she would stay there during the summer and go and have her tea out there.

4 (25m 45s):
So it’s a really iconic spot, but they do have that waterfall that comes from the top of Emerald bay down in. So you can make the hike down along the waterfall, but do be careful. It’s notorious for people who want to get into the waterfall, take a photo. They have slipped and fell to their death. So do not do that. Stay on the trail, make your way down to the shore. And don’t go for that photo opportunity because many people die on that.

2 (26m 9s):
Dang, that’s crazy. You know, if there’s anything that I remember about being a kid is that we went to my old bay a lot. We hiked there a lot. And the one thing that I always wanted to do that my parents always said no was going out to the little tea house on the island because you can charter a boat and go out there.

1 (26m 23s):
It’s too bad. You didn’t go. It’s beautiful.

7 (26m 26s):
It’s right there.

1 (26m 29s):
So I don’t know he mentioned this, but Emerald bay is a state park and there is a point called inspiration point. It’s 600 feet above the lake with gorgeous views of the lake and funny island, which is located right in the middle of Emerald bay.

4 (26m 43s):
That’s the island with the tea house,

1 (26m 44s):
With the tea house. And I don’t know if Shamal mentioned this or not, but the mansion or the tea house is Scandinavian architecture.

4 (26m 52s):
Well, the tea house is not Scandinavian architecture. The lady who built the tea house, her mansion along the shore of Emerald day is called Viking’s home. And that is the Scandinavian architecture on the Vikings. Home has a 38 rooms and it’s considered one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in the United States. So it’s very famous in that respect too.

3 (27m 14s):
Zephyr Cove is another place around the lake that I love going. I think it’s on the California side.

4 (27m 22s):
It’s on the Nevada side.

3 (27m 23s):
It is on the Nevada side. Okay. It’s really close to the border then. And it’s a really cool place that is beachy Sandy. They have volleyball courts. They have a snack bar. You can get food and drinks there. You can chill there. I think it always has like a good fun crowd when I’m around there. It’s great place to go in the summer and just hang out because even though the water’s cold, the temperature and the sun shining down is so warm. You can be in a tank top. You mean a swimsuit? It’s great. Great vibes.

4 (27m 48s):
Yeah. Zephyr Cove is one of those places during the summer that it’s always going to have a lot of activity. It’s one of the best places along the shore to actually just go swimming in the lake. So it is not to be missed. And if you want a good vibe, that’s really where it’s going to be as that Zephyr Cove. Another good spot to go along the lake. If you want to do some sort of activity and do swimming or just admire the beauty of the lake is go to sand Harbor. Now it is on the Nevada state side as well. And it is actually a Nevada state park. So it does have a $10 entrance fee, but this is one of the most famous spots in Lake Tahoe to do some kayaking stand paddle boarding.

4 (28m 29s):
And if you really Google image Lake Tahoe, I guarantee you a photo of sand Harbor will come up without you even knowing it. It’s famous for the big boulders that are in the waters along the shore. So it has that kind of iconic look. The water is so clear and blue that you could actually see the boulders on the round of the lake, just as well in the shallow areas. So it’s a very iconic spot. And if you want to do some kayaking, paddle boarding is a very scenic place to do it. I mean, Nevada’s turned that area into a state park. So I mean, it has to be pretty right.

1 (29m 4s):
It’s a very Instagrammable spot. I just looked it up on Instagram and it is beautiful and I really want to go kayaking there.

3 (29m 11s):
So we’ve kind of talked about things you can do in the winter. We’ve talked about things you can do in the summer, but there’s plenty to do in Tahoe. That is fun all year round. One of those things we already mentioned was the gondola up in heavenly. You could do that winter. You can do that summer beautiful views, the best view,

2 (29m 27s):
Nobody knows views like this place.

3 (29m 30s):
There’s also the miss Dixie. Have you guys got on the mystic sea?

4 (29m 34s):
I have not been on the Ms. Dixie. I have been on it’s equivalent, the Tahoe queen, which is no longer in operation. Unfortunately I forgot what it was. I think it actually caught fire and they just never rebuilt it and put it back into commission. I don’t quote me on that, but I know something happened to the Tahoe queen, but the Ms. Dixie in a sense is its twin. And it’s a very famous paddle Wheeler boat that takes you around the lake on tours. So it has that old like Mississippi river boat vibe look cause it’s, you know, the paddle wheel style. So the toggle queen was like that. The mix, the miss Dixie is the same. So you can do tours on the lake.

4 (30m 14s):
They have food on there just as well. So it’s a big famous activity to do. And one of the best ways really to see the lake, unless you have your own boat or charter one for that matter that Ms. Dixie is an iconic activity to do in Lake Tahoe,

3 (30m 27s):
Especially for families, something not for families though. And a huge draw of Lake Tahoe are the casinos. Let’s crank it up.

4 (30m 36s):
Is that casinos? Well, one, if gambling is your thing, and if you enjoy the casino scene, you’re definitely going to enjoy them here and Lake Tahoe. But with the casinos comes, the restaurants comes the nightlife. So it has all that activity that you would find in Vegas. I’m not going to sit here and say, it’s on a Vegas level, cause it’s absolutely not. But because it’s in Tahoe, it just has its own unique charm, but you get those vibes. What

3 (30m 60s):
About shows who have shows like Vegas?

4 (31m 2s):
They don’t really have big ticket shows like that. They do have a lot of famous musicians that will perform and Lake Tahoe. I mean, they have a summer concert series that I’ve gone. I’ve seen incubus out there. I know one time my parents have actually gone and seen Elvis and Tahoe before the king isn’t around anymore. But I’ll tell you what Tahoe is still brings big name, you know, musicians to come. So those are really the shows that you’ll find. They don’t really have any anchor shows if you will, like they do in Vegas and not the specific hotels, but it also has great nightlife. I celebrated my 21st birthday out in Lake Tahoe, went to one of the clubs that hair is out there and had bottle service.

4 (31m 44s):
The only time in my life I’ve ever had bottle service was on my 21st birthday. So I mean, you can do it all and get that kind of like party Vegas experience in Lake Tahoe.

3 (31m 53s):
I have so many memories of casinos in Tahoe. I learned how to play craps in Tahoe. One money. You know, I’m not a big gambler. It actually is very scary for me to gamble, but when I’m gambling on my boyfriend’s money, I suddenly get

8 (32m 8s):
Really great

3 (32m 10s):
Throw in a couple of chips down into the field cashing in real quick buying, getting free drinks for standing there playing, oh yeah, that’s my jam.

4 (32m 20s):
Do you want to hear a squad tip squad? This applies to any casino that you go to that provides you with free drinks. And I say any because a lot of the native American casinos do not provide alcohol complimentary. So we’re talking Las Vegas and Nevada casinos here and Lake Tahoe and Reno play roulette. Put one bet on red, one bet on black. And you’re always going to come out even unless you have the unfortunate reality of it landing on one or two, depending on what roulette game you’re playing of the greens on there. So it’s always, unless you land on those greens going to be a push, so you can just get free drinks and wait for the cocktail waitress to come around a couple of times.

4 (33m 0s):
Yeah.

2 (33m 1s):
I always used to play the video game roulette because it’s basically there on the screen, but the ball is still real. So it still gives you really good odds since it’s a true ball on the roulette thing. And so I think like the, the minimum is two 50. So I remember spending time there with two of my friends, like all night just playing and getting free drinks and getting wasted.

4 (33m 23s):
I mean, it will land on green occasionally, no doubt, but in the interim, if you’re betting the minimum and you know, it’s like $5 or something, you know, you could get a few rounds of drinks for $5 before it hits green again. And you could get lucky and not have it at all. So squad tip on that as it goes for any casino until

3 (33m 39s):
You got the pit boss coming over,

4 (33m 42s):
They can’t tell you

3 (33m 42s):
Anything.

4 (33m 44s):
All I can’t tell you anything.

3 (33m 46s):
One of my friends actually won five grand on a video poker and

2 (33m 51s):
That’s crazy, but cool. Jim always says that’s the

4 (33m 54s):
Video poker has the best odds of any casino game. That is a statistical fact. If you know how to play it and know what machine to play based on the payout schedule that they have on the board. I didn’t have the fortunate luck that your friend had in Lake Tahoe to win 5,000, but in Reno, just a short 45 minute drive away, I’ve hit a Royal flush on the same machine in Reno at Atlantis twice, and have walked away with about 5,000 between those two going there. Yeah, same machine.

3 (34m 25s):
It’s so exciting when the guy comes up to you and makes you sign the paper. Cause he wants money know

4 (34m 30s):
Not really because then, you know, it’s good and reported on my taxes, but that’s okay

2 (34m 36s):
Guys, what movie I put in a quarter and I want a car I put in a quarter and I want a car rat race,

4 (34m 41s):
No national Lampoon’s Vegas vacation.

3 (34m 45s):
All right, let’s talk nightlife, Jamal, you said you celebrated your 21st birthday there. You’ve done a lot of partying in Lake Tahoe.

4 (34m 51s):
I have done a lot of partying in Lake Tahoe. I’ve utilized my squad tip and have gotten free drinks. The way that I just described to you. As I mentioned, you know, we went to Tahoe a lot as children didn’t do this as a child, you know, in my adult life, before I moved down to San Diego, I would go to Tahoe quite often, you know, with my parents or just alone with me and my dad. He likes to sit at the table. So I would, I would always get my drinks, have a good time. So my 21st birthday was the most serious party that I ever really did in Tahoe. And I don’t remember what the name of the club is that they had hair as I think it’s under a different name now, anyway, but rest assured each one of the four major casinos that they have. There will have some sort of nightlife bar or club in there for you to go to.

4 (35m 35s):
But I know you’ve had a crazy at the mountain blue.

3 (35m 39s):
I’ve had many crazy experiences. All of those casinos bomb blue. I don’t know if they’re still doing it, but during this time in my early twenties, when I was going to Tahoe a lot, they used to have a ladies night. It was either a Friday or Saturday, but ladies drink free, free to get in, free to drink. Whoa. And you get a wristband. And I mean, it was a good time to be a lady back there. And I just got to say that I’m so I’ve done that. That was awesome. That was amazing. I’ve celebrated my friend Kelsey’s bachelorette party in Tahoe, where we got a VIP booth right next to the DJ at the Harris club that was there and just got the total VIP treatment. That was amazing. I mean, countless other party experiences, both in winter and summer that are just such good time, such good times.

4 (36m 25s):
And you know what I find unique about Tahoe and I’ll say it again, you know, Vegas, I mean, it’s the king when it comes to partying and entertainment, there’s no doubt about that, but if you want that Vegas fund, but just not as crazy. And with the scenic beauty, you know, Lake Tahoe just has that majestic vibe. That’s just so amazing.

1 (36m 45s):
Aren’t you allowed to drink outside of the casino in Lake Tahoe?

3 (36m 49s):
Yes. That, that should have been in the tips. And the very first section, when we talk about Tahoe, absolutely. If you’re 21 and up, you can drink legally on the streets and tile, which means you can take your drink out of the casino and keep it in your hand while you’re walking around.

2 (37m 5s):
Oh, which means the party doesn’t have to end inside the four walls, take it outside.

4 (37m 10s):
Absolutely.

3 (37m 11s):
Just don’t bring glass. And he has say they’re tall. Also has a reputation just like Vegas for weddings, there’s wedding chapels. There people go and get married and Tahoe both because of, you know, the Vegas S scene. But also because Jamal said it is majestic. Any last thoughts about Tahoe? I know we kind of covered a lot.

4 (37m 30s):
I just want to say that, you know, I really grew up not thinking much of Tahoe and I don’t mean it in the sense that I didn’t think Tahoe was cool. I always did. But you know, when something so close to home and you go a lot, you don’t realize how special it is. It’s only when I got older that I really realized how special Lake Tahoe is in terms of its scenic beauty in terms of its just overall entertainment and not just in the casinos, you know, winter and entertainment, summer entertainment. I mean, it has the vibes of, you know, Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen, but with the gambling aspect too, if that’s what you’re looking for. So it really has a combination of it all that just makes it truly unique.

4 (38m 9s):
And I really didn’t realize how many people, you know, know of Lake Tahoe. It’s funny. This is, there’s like a 50, 50 split of people who absolutely know Lake Tahoe and then other 50% who don’t and when they find out about it, like how did I not know about this place? And then they just fall in love.

3 (38m 24s):
All right. I think it’s my favorite time of the

2 (38m 27s):
Week

4 (38m 28s):
Questions of the week.

3 (38m 37s):
All right. So our first question coming in hot is Nevada or California, which side would you recommend staying in for a first-time visitor?

4 (38m 47s):
That’s a toughie. And I don’t think there is a good answer. And I’ll tell you why, you know, if you’re more of the resort style, then you’re going to want to stay in the Nevada side because you’re going to want to be in one of the casinos. If you want mountain vibes and staying in a cabin, you’re going to find really nice cabins or Airbnbs on the Nevada or California side. So I don’t think there really is a right answer. I think the right answer to where you should stay and what state really depends on what it is that you plan to do while you’re there.

3 (39m 18s):
That’s a good point. And I would also say, I think we maybe touched on just a bit before, but when we’re talking about all of this we’re for the most part, talking about south Lake Tahoe, there is a whole north shore of Tahoe that doesn’t have casinos. That’s more quiet. That’s more nature. So if you are really looking for that nature side, look to north shore to,

1 (39m 37s):
So the second question that we got is are there any places in Tahoe that you would recommend to eat at?

3 (39m 43s):
I have one recommendation, an Italian place that I still think about even, I think it’s been two years now, maybe even three years, it’s called Italian Ristorante and oh my God, the pasta is so good. I had a linguini with a, like a light juicy Sherri sauce and it had artichokes and chicken. And as you can see, I still think about it.

1 (40m 6s):
It sounds really good.

4 (40m 7s):
You know, a place that I would recommend to eat for two reasons would be Friday station at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, hotel and casino. And I recommend it for two reasons. One, it’s a nice, fancy steakhouse place to eat and it is in the casino. So it is a little bit more expensive, but it’s not crazy, crazy Vegas expensive. It’s what you would expect for, you know, a normal steak house. But on top of that, it’s on the top level of Harris on the 18th floor and it gives you amazing views of Lake Tahoe. So you’re going to be dining with a view, the 18th floor windows, the whole floor is open windows, really not open as in, you know, they open up and you can feel the breeze, but really no walls in a sense it’s all just windowed walls and it gives you amazing views of the lake and it’s not to be missed.

4 (40m 58s):
I love, love, love eating that Friday station at Harris.

3 (41m 2s):
All right, thanks for tuning in to this week’s episode, everybody. We appreciate it. Keep the adventures going with us by following us on our Instagram and YouTube at Travel Squad Podcast, send us in those questions of the week.

2 (41m 14s):
And if you found the information in this episode to be useful, or if you thought we were just playing funny, please make sure to share it with a friend that would enjoy it too.

4 (41m 20s):
Please subscribe, rate, and review our podcasts and tune in every Travel Tuesday for new episodes.

1 (41m 26s):
Stay tuned for next week’s episode, we have some more amazing adventures and tips in store for you guys.

7 (41m 31s):
Woo.

4 (41m 34s):
Happy

2 (41m 35s):
New year.