Lake Tahoe with a Toddler

Hi guys!

Are you looking for a great all-season family destination in the US? If you are planning a trip to the Lake Tahoe area in 2020, you will definitely want to check out our Tahoe highlights for great places to: Eat & Drink, Explore and Play.

Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to check out our interactive map with bookmarks of our favorite spots!

Overlooking Emerald Bay on a hike

If you haven’t already seen our love letters to Tahoe, check them out in video form here, here, here, and here. In case it’s not evident from those videos, we REALLY love Tahoe (and will ALWAYS love you, Tahoe!). We love the lake. We love the mountains. We love the sky. We love lamp.

I Love Lamp GIF from Anchorman GIFs

I really hope you get my reference to Anchorman here.

In all seriousness, we are like kids in the candy store in this place. In the summer, there are beaches. In the winter, there’s skiing and snowboarding, and in the shoulder seasons there’s hiking! Year-round, there are non-stop views, great food, coffee, beer, wine. Are you booking your trip yet?

We were lucky enough to spend a month exploring the area with our toddler and found tons of kid-friendly options.  So without further ado, here’s my list of Tahoe summer spots that were our favorites. Be sure to check out the map below to plan a few great days in Tahoe!

EAT & DRINK There are tons of options for dining out in the Tahoe area, but here are a few that are somewhat lesser-known

1. Blue Dog Pizza | Their “hair of the dog” pizza has been my favorite pizza for 10 years. Ben is always kind enough to split one with me | 4000 Lake Tahoe Blvd A1, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

2. Himmel Haus | Great traditional German restaurant at the base of the Heavenly Tram. Cozy in the winter with fireplaces but still fun in the summer months too | 3819 Saddle Rd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

3. Squeeze Inn | Great little spot for huge omelets. Walk it off on the main drag of downtown Truckee | 10060 Donner Pass Rd B, Truckee, CA 96161

4. South Lake Brewing | Brewing great beers in South Lake Tahoe. Food options are limited (bags of chips), but you can bring a lunch to enjoy at an indoor or outdoor picnic table. Cornhole! | 1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

5. Lake Tahoe Aleworx & Tahoe Pourhouse | Super cool concept of pour-it-yourself beer or wine, so you never get stuck with a big glass of something you don’t like. Also has a GREAT outdoor shared patio with lawn games, a stage and fire pits | 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd Suite #2050, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Patio at Tahoe Aleworx near the Y

EXPLORE Our favorite things to do in the summer months in Tahoe are boating, hiking and strolling. Here are a few of our favorites.

1. Tahoe Gal (North Lake) or Safari Rose (South Lake) | Both boats offer cocktails and snacks and can be booked on relatively short notice. Try to time your boat with sunset for some amazing views | 952 N Lake Blvd, Tahoe City, CA 96145 & 900 Ski Run Blvd Suite 200, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

2. Angora Lakes | Pretty easy out-and-back hike that brings you to a lake with a small resort and ICE CREAM! Get there early to ensure easy parking | End of Angora Ridge Road, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

3. Cascade Falls | Slightly more challenging hike than Angora lakes but the views are eye popping. Also an out-and-back that you’ll want to arrive at early to ensure parking is available | Bayview Campground, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

4. Tahoe City | Great walkable downtown with plenty of shops, restaurants and views to keep everyone happy. For a nice stroll, park your car at Commons Beach, walk east along the lake path and through the Tahoe State Recreation Area Campground, eventually ending up back on the main street (N Lake Blvd) before heading back towards Commons Beach | 400 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe City, CA 96145

5. Downtown Truckee | Another great downtown area to walk through with tons of shops and restaurants | 10041 Donner Pass Rd, Truckee, CA 96161

Tahoe Sunsets are the BEST :)

PLAY Here’s a list of our favorite spots to get your wiggles out!

1. Beach at DL Bliss (Lester Beach) | Our favorite beach of the trip. Prior to this trip, we had never been to this beach because the parking lot was ALWAYS full by 9 AM. If you’re going, get there early | 9881 CA-89, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

2. Beach at Meeks Bay | One beach north of Lester Beach (above), this is our go-to beach. There’s usually parking available (about $11 / day) and they have a snack bar in case you run out of food. The views don’t hurt either | 7941 Emerald Bay Rd, Tahoma, CA 96142

3. Beach at Thunderbird Cove | A hike-in or great spot to visit with a boat | Parking is about 1.9 miles south of Sand Harbor beach in Nevada (sorry for not having a real address!)

4. Playground at Commons Beach | The beach here has some great views looking south towards Heavenly, but the best part is that there are TWO playgrounds next to restroom facilities and it’s walkable to downtown when you’re done playing |400 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe City, CA 96145

5. Playground at Regan Beach | Slightly off the beaten path in South Lake this playground features a swing set with a view. Pack a picnic (there are picnic tables and a nice lawn) | 3199 Sacramento Ave, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Liesel’s 1st paddle (of many) happened at Meek’s Bay

So this is our FUNemployed Tahoe. Tahoe-lovers, what did I miss? And newbies, what do you want to know more about?

If you want to stay up-to-date on our adventures, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram!

Also… check out our Google Map of our favorite toddler-friendly spots around the lake!

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