Lake Tahoe : A City Boy’s Perspective

My friend Sarah and I both needed a few days away from reality. I looked at a few options for us, and Lake Taho is the adventure we took.

Neither of us had been there, and we did not do a lot of research ahead of time. This trip was a, “Let’s get there and we’ll figure it out as we go.”.

For those of you who follow my blog, you know that cities are my go-to. I love the hustle and bustle. I love food scenes, museums, and everything else that cities all over the world hold, so this was a big change of pace for me.

We both flew into Reno, rented a car, and set off on a road trip. The drive from Reno to South Lake Tahoe is just over an hour on the main highways. I decided we would take the more scenic route. We followed Interstate 580 South, to Hwy 431, to Hwy 28 which runs along the lake, to Hwy 50 which brings you into town. The drive was truly spectacular! The views of the lake from the Mount Rose Hwy were stunning!

I chose The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on the Nevada side of the lake for our stay.

The hotel was fantastic, and after this stay, I would definitely choose Hard Rock in another location. The lobby and casino were filled with memorabilia from bands and musicians.

For dining, they offered an oyster bar, prime steak house, and a restaurant called Alpine Union Bar & Kitchen. This is where we had dinner our first night. The menu is short and simple, offering about 10 items. We both chose the prime rib, and it was great! The cut of beef was huge, and served with mashed potatoes and broccolini for $20!

But I’m getting ahead of myself a bit. After checking into the hotel we were both hungry from our flight, and road trip. I took a quick look at Yelp and found a restaurant right on the shore of the lake just a jaunt away from our hotel, so off we went. It’s called the Beach House. It’s situated right next to a public beach. They offer a simple menu of burgers, chicken strips, sandwiches, and fish ‘n chips. We both had a burger which was very good. The view is really what makes this place stand out. If you are looking for a casual place to have a bite, or enjoy some craft beer from their bar, this is the place.

On our second day, we took the car out and did a little driving. Once again I opened Yelp to find a good breakfast place. Heidi’s had great reviews so off we went! Heidi’s Pancake House is a bavarian themed restaurant with hearty breakfast favorites. I have to say the pancakes really stood out, so light and fluffy! My omelet was great, and Sarah ordered a side of biscuits and gravy that was super flavorful.

I had noticed that Emerald Bay looked especially beautiful so after breakfast, we decided to start there and work our way back to the hotel.

The drive up to Emerald Bay is beautiful, but not for the faint of heart when it comes to heights. The majority of the drive is at lake level, but the last third of it is a steep climb with no guard rails, and you have to cross a narrow road with steep drops on each side.

Once you are at the lookout you are treated to stunning views of the lake and surrounding area.

From Emerald Bay, we drove back down and visited the Tallac Historic Site. I love history so this was the highlight of visiting the lake for me. The site is made up of three gilded age homes that sit on the lakeside. The Baldwin Estate, The Pope Estate, and The Valhalla Estate.

The Baldwin Estate now serves as the museum and gift shop. This is where you purchase your tickets for the tour of the Pope Estate. The Baldwin Estate was part of a large land purchase by Lucky Baldwin in 1880, as he wanted to preserve some of the lands around the lake from the logging industry.

The Pope Estate

The Pope Estate was originally built in 1894, and purchased in 1923 by George Pope. The home changed and grew in size over the years. The homes were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. There are three specific architectural reasons the Pope Estate was added to the register, and I will point each one out as we take the tour.

When you enter the home you walk into a foyer that has direct access to the living room, dining room, and stairs leading you up to the second floor.

The first room we visited was the Living Room. The windows give you amazing views of the lake just a few steps away. The woodwork and tasteful furniture make it a warm and inviting place to sit and relax.

Now we come to the first reason this home was added to the historic register. The living room boasts a large and beautiful bookshelf. The bookshelf was carved from one solid piece of redwood. Let me state that again. One SOLID piece of redwood. It is absolutely beautiful!

Next, we took a stroll up the stairs and visited Granny’s Room. When the house was acquired in 1971 the home was in disrepair. Vandals had come in and even taken some of the closet doors off to be used as firewood. This room shows what the state of the home looked like in 1971 before restoration began.

Just a few steps down the hall is the main bathroom for the second floor. Note the sits bath,. After a day of playing polo or just horse back riding the sits bath was a great place to rest your rump! The linoleum on the floor is called Pullman Linoleum and was used on the Pullman Cars for trains. They aren’t sure which came first the linoleum used in this home or on the train cars.

The seamstress’s room was our next stop. She took care of taking care and mending all the clothes for the Pope family and keeping the fabric wall coverings in order. The wallcoverings you see throughout the house are not wallpaper, but rather printed fabric with a padded background. The printed fabric was then pinned to the padding. During the restoration, they took samples of the original fabrics and had them replicated almost exactly. The Singer Sewing Machine in the picture is original to the home and donated by Miss. Emily Pope.

Note in the picture below of the door way. This is the second reason this home was added to the historic register. At the time of this home’s construction there had never been an arched doorway of this style used before.

Mr. Pope’s office is adjacent. Many of the items in this room were also donated by Miss. Emily Pope. There is also a door that leads to an overlook of the stairs up.

Mrs. Pope’s bedroom is a lovely example of femininity. Everything including the ceiling is in shades of pink. Once again Miss. Emily Pope donated some of the original furnishings for this room. Out of the open door at the far end of the room is a large sleeping porch. As many of the family’s who had homes here, they were only used during the summer months. Many doctors at that time recommended sleeping out in the fresh air.

We then made our way back downstairs to visit the dining room. The dining table and chairs are original to the home, as are many of the serving pieces. This is the one room of the house where you will find wallpaper. It was supposed to have been the fabric wall cloth, however, a mistake was made.

To visit the kitchen you have to walk out the rear of the home and through a covered walkway to the kitchen which is in a separate building. This was done so that if the kitchen were to catch on fire it would not burn down the rest of the home. I did comment to the tour guide that the walkway is attached to the home and made of wood, so I not sure how well their plan would work out. This covered walkway is the third reason the home was placed on the historic register.

The kitchen and servants rooms above are used for day camp activities for many of the children staying at Camp Richardson nearby. The day we were touring the kids had just put their banana breads in the oven and had gone upstairs, so we were allowed to tour the kitchen. The stove and refrigerator are awesome, and I love that the refrigerator called the “Coolerator” is still in use.

I truly enjoyed our tour of this amazing home and the history behind it. It really was the highlight of Lake Tahoe for me.

Fallen Leaf Lake

Our tour guide had made mention during the tour of another beutiful lake not far from where we were standing. She said it was called Fallen Leaf Lake. Sarah and I decided to go for a visit. Before we headed that way I must admit I asked the nice lady in the museum shop if it was a nice easy drive, or a white knuckle experience similar to the road up to Emerald Bay. She assured me it was nice and easy, just a little narrow at times. She wasn’t joking about the road being narrow, you have to take your time and be prepared to pull over often to allow other cars to pass from the opposite direction. Some of the homes along are beautiful, and I”m sure there are some great cabins for rent here as well.

At the end of the road is a small lodge called Fallen Leaf Lodge. They serve light bites, ice cream, coffee, and have a small gift shop. Parking is limited but well worth waiting for. I grabbed a coffee and Sarah and little ice cream. We sat on the back deck overlooking one of the beautiful views. It’s a great place to destress. There is a small public beach here as well.

For dinner, on our last night, we stopped in at California Burger Co. . They are located in the Heavenly Village on the California side of Stateline.

The village is full of shops and restaurants. It is also home to the gondola system that takes you to the top of the mountain where there is skiing, ziplines, and even some kind of bobsled roller coaster. Sadly it was closed the day we were there.

This strip was actually inspired by Ted Kennedy a Parter at the California Burger Co. I met him at work and he gave me his card. I was excited to give his restaurant a try, and I was not disappointed. We sat outside on the vast patio, listening to the live band playing, and relaxed.

We started with the sweet potato tots that were served with an amazing ranch sauce. These were amazing, and the ranch dipping sauce had a little something extra!

For our meal, I chose The Blues Burger and Sarah chose The Fromage A Trois, and we decided to spit so we could each get a taste. The burger was perfectly seasoned, and topped with blue cheese, sauteed mushrooms, and sauteed mushrooms. When you took that first bite it was heaven. We really enjoyed our time here and a great big thank to Ted for inspiring our trip!

Virginia City

We had flights back to reality on our final day in the afternoon. I thought it would be fun to stop by Virginia City on our way back to Reno. The city grew up around the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Load of gold found beneath.

We started our morning in Virginia City by having breakfast at The Canvas Cafe. We both had bacon and eggs, but friends I’ve got to say it was the best bacon I’ve ever had! I definitely recommend stopping here.

After breakfast we wandered across the street to The Way It Was Museum.

They house all kinds of artifacts from the town and the era. They also have a small theater with a film running on a loop giving you some of the histories of the town.

We then strolled up to the end of the main street and back down the other side. There are all kinds of shops and saloons. Many of the saloons are original, and still operating. On the streets above and below you will find other museums, the Opera House, and the cemetery. You can easily spend a full day here.