Lake Tahoe is the beautiful lake located between Northern California and Nevada. It’s a year-round recreation area that draws visitors from around the world for skiing, hiking, camping, cycling and swimming. The views are breathtaking, the water clear, the night skies studded with stars. Lake Tahoe is famous for both its nightlife and wildlife, the home of black bears, bobcats and mountain lions. Residents love the solitude and the way they coexist with nature; it’s not unusual to come home and find a bear nosing around the yard.
Here are a few classic Lake Tahoe landmarks:
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Gar Woods Restaurant. Gar Woods is a classic, known for its legendary specialty drinks, named after the classic wooden boats that cruise the Lake in the summer. |
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Squaw Valley. Squaw Valley, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics, now the Olympic Museum. Squaw also provides hiking, biking, golf and luxurious spa facilities for those who are more interested in being warm and pampered than braving the elements. |
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Eagle Rock. Located on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, Eagle Rock rises 6,286 feet above sea level in Tahoe Pines. A 20-minute hike rewards you with a breathtaking view of the Lake. This is a great hike, easy for kids and dogs. |
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Fleur de Lac. Fleur de Lac may be best known for its starring role in “The Godfather II”. Movie buffs will remember Fredo’s climbing into a boat and his subsequent shooting death on the Lake. This walled compound is now an exclusive community of private homes. |
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Vikingsholm Castle. One of the best examples of Scandinavian architecture in the US, visitors will see intricate, Viking-themed carvings and paintings, a sod roof planted with wildflowers and massive Nordic fireplaces. |
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Fanny Bridge. Fanny Bridge is named for the spectacle of thousands of fannies bent over the railing watching fish leap from the Truckee River—each hoping to catch a morsel of food. |
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Watson Cabin. Built in 1908, Watson Cabin was ahead of its time for one important reason—its indoor plumbing. Filled with authentic furnishings and period decorations, Watson Cabin is now a museum. |
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The Cottage Inn. The Cottage Inn’s original residence was built in 1938, and its charming guest cabins are only a few steps from one of the finest beaches on the Lake. |
Father Junipero Serra, the spiritual leader of the mission movement, was proclaimed a Roman Catholic Saint by Pope Francis in September 2015.
Many missions, including San Juan Capistrano, grew grapes to make wine and brandy. It was not just for celebration mass--wine was the padres’ table beverage.
The missions recruited Native American tribes to help them establish their communities. For San Francisco de Asis, now San Francisco, it was the Ohlone tribe.