Lake Tahoe will always be one of my happy places. I grew up going to our family’s cabin, the one my Grandpa built my Grandma in 1947, for 2 weeks every summer. Our trips to the lake included some of the best memories with my parents and brother—from swimming in the icy water, horseback riding, shopping for beauty products at Longs, swinging in the hammock in the backyard, and making dinners as a family, with lots of old school Nick at Night marathons {Bewitched and I Dream of Jeanie nights were my faves! And of course The Brady Bunch}. We stopped going in 2007 and then 8 years later I took a trip with Matthew. Now 3 years later, we came back and this time with Augustine. It felt so incredibly special to introduce Augustine to Lake Tahoe but my biggest complaint was that the weekend was just way too short. Here are some photos from our family trip to Lake Tahoe, along with some recommendations for where to go and what to do!
Our Family Trip to Lake Tahoe
EAT
Sprouts – A great local spot in South Lake Tahoe that has delicious and healthy food options. Almost everything is organic too!
Revive Coffee & Wine Bar – We went for coffee the first day and I loved the Early Christmas Latte. It had vanilla and hazelnut syrup in it with some nutmeg on top! So delicious during the chillier mornings! All the food looked amazing too so next time I’d love to come back for lunch or a happy hour (when I can drink wine again!)
Taqueria Jalisco – We went in here after seeing tons of people walk in. There were a lot of locals, and a lot of Mexican people too, which I think says something about the authenticity of the food. We met the owner Manny and he was so incredibly nice and shared his story with us. He opened this shop over 30 years ago, and it was the first Mexican restaurant in South Lake. Everything we had was delicious and they have a lot of unique taco options for those of you meat eaters!
Riva Grill – This is one of my cousins’ favorite spots. They all love to come here and we unfortunately weren’t able to make it this trip. Next time though!
Reader Recommendations: Beacon, Kalani’s {especially for their happy hour}, Himmel Haus for a pretzel, Artemis, Blue Angel Café, Edgewood for brunch, Fire Sign Café, Sunny Side Resort, Gar Woods Grill & Pier, Base Camp Pizza, Black Cabin Coffee.
DO
Hike – there are so many beautiful spots to hike in Tahoe! We went to Fallen Leaf Lake but here’s a list of some others we wanted to check out!
Horseback Ride – I grew up going to the Zepher Cove Stables but I’m sure there are other stables around too!
Swim – Some of our favorite beaches on the south side include Pope, Baldwin, Sand Harbor, and Skunk Harbor. Kiva is a dog friendly beach but it has lots of rocks. Emerald Bay is definitely worth checking out if you’ve never been!
Boat – Rent a boat for a few hours. It’s so much fun! You can even go tubing if you want which is a lot of fun!
Drive – love the drive around the lake! Tahoe City is such a great area with lots of cute boutiques and restaurants, and Camp Richardson is fun too! They have an ice cream parlor that always has a long line!
Relax – There’s something about Tahoe that just encourages relaxing. You don’t need to do anything to have a good time. The smell of the pine trees and that cool mountain air do wonders for the soul!
I can’t wait until we can take another family trip to Lake Tahoe! Have any of you been to Lake Tahoe before? Would love to hear some of your favorite spots!
xox
