"South Lake Tahoe" Top 5 Page for this destination South Lake Tahoe by Yaqui

South Lake Tahoe Travel Guide: 354 reviews and 752 photos

Home of History, Gambling, and Beauty! - South Lake Tahoe
Home of History, Gambling, and Beauty!

Explorer John C. Fremont in 1844 came upon the lake when he first saw it from the top of Red Lake Peak in Carson Pass. He gave it a name after a botanist, but subsequently it was called many names until the US Department of Interior commissioned Dr. Henry Degroot, a journalist, suggested "Tahoe" an Indian name meaning "big water". In 1945, the California State Legislature made it final.

Like so many of Lake Tahoe's communities around the 1860's the area grew due to commerce that involved silver mines, Comstock Lode, and the Central Pacific Railroad. Yet by the 1880 with all the clear cutting this area almost lost its charm when it was stopped. By the 1900's the only business that showed promise was tourism and thus began a new land rush to build resorts.

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Lot of wonderful places to stay, shop and visit!
  • Cons:Casino's need TLC and traffic is thick, be careful!
  • In a nutshell:A place of many hiddens gems!
  • Last visit to South Lake Tahoe: Dec 2008
  • Intro Updated Oct 31, 2009
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Reviews (14)

Old Time Charm - South Lake Tahoe Old Time Charm Hotels (2)

I got a giggle to see that this place is hanging in here. Although, it looks dated, it looks like it is being still... more travel advice

Grand! - South Lake Tahoe Grand! Hotels (2)

Wow, the place looks fabulous from the outside, but it does look expensive. Yet, it is nicely located in the heart of... more travel advice

Blue Buses - South Lake Tahoe Blue Buses Transportation (1)

One thing wonderful about Tahoe is the transportation services. Lots of different systesm are available if you do not... more travel advice

Wonderful gift shop! - South Lake Tahoe Wonderful gift shop! Shopping (2)

One of these neat little gifts shops along Hwy 50. They had some nice shirts and sweat jackets that were reasonabley... more travel advice

Comments (10)

  • Jim_Eliason's Profile Photo
    Jan 18, 2013 at 2:41 PM

    Nice page

    • Yaqui's Profile Photo
      Jan 20, 2013 at 7:48 AM

      Thank you Jim for stopping by. It is a wonderful spot to visit and stay.

  • Reply
    JLBG's Profile Photo
    Jun 23, 2011 at 10:59 PM

    Great Pony Express statue ! That looks like a nice place to visit !

  • Reply
    TheTravelSlut's Profile Photo
    Nov 9, 2010 at 8:09 PM

    Cool pages on a cool place! :-)

  • Reply
    hopang's Profile Photo
    May 14, 2010 at 10:32 AM

    What a great entertainment center! Heavenly Village certainly sounds and looks wonderful and interesting to visit and explore, and so is the Heavenly Gondola ride. Thanks for your virtual tour with stunning photographs. ~ho & pang

  • Reply
    Jim_Eliason's Profile Photo
    Mar 10, 2010 at 6:48 PM

    Nice tips!

  • Reply
    toonsarah's Profile Photo
    Dec 23, 2009 at 12:11 PM

    I hadn't realised there was so much to Lake Tahoe. I would enjoy the Heavenly Gondola and the brewery sounds good too

  • Reply
    travelgourmet's Profile Photo
    Dec 7, 2009 at 2:19 PM

    Hi Dee, spent part of my honeymoon here over 41 years ago. Nice to see the changes.

  • Reply
    mindcrime's Profile Photo
    Dec 1, 2009 at 1:09 PM

    because of VT we have the opportunity to see all these places, because it's almost imposible for someone to explore in deep every US state. thanks for sharing with us all this info!

  • Reply
    kyoub's Profile Photo
    Nov 22, 2009 at 3:49 PM

    Another interesting place to visit. Great page and photos. Nice you got to have a date night there.

  • Reply
    deecat's Profile Photo
    Nov 22, 2009 at 12:46 PM

    How nice, Dee, to be the 1st to review your South Lake Tahoe pages. Another great page that gives us insights into this lovely place. Looks as though they make it a year around spot to visit. As always, your tips are excellent & your photos are topnotch.

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