Tahoe is packed with family fun outings, outdoor adventures to enjoy with the kids, places to take the kids to enjoy local history, and scores of events and live music. But if you don’t read every edition of Tahoe Weekly in print or at TheTahoeWeekly.com, follow us on social media or subscribe to our free e-edition, you’re missing out on a lot of what Tahoe has to offer.
I started putting together our Ultimate Tahoe Bucket List 15 years ago sharing some of our favorite things to do in the Tahoe Sierra. It will take you many visits to Tahoe to even put a dent in this list (maybe even a few seasons), but that’s just another good reason to visit us again and again.
It’s all about family
- Catch a snowflake on your tongue.
2. Drink lots of hot chocolate.
3. Compare hot chocolate at your favorite coffee shops or restaurants.
4. Make frozen bubbles outside when the temperature dips below freezing.
5. Capture snowflakes for the Stories in the Snow citizen science project.
6. Make a snowman or snow angel.
7. Play board games together.
8. Bake cookies.
9. Read your favorite books.
10. Cut out paper snowflakes.
11. Sip hot apple cider by a fire.
12. Put together puzzles.
13. Watch the snow fall.
14. Practice making snowballs.
15. Have a friendly snowball fight.
16. Take in the fresh air and relax. You’re on vacation.
17. Ditch the car; it will only irritate you. Take local transit or local ski shuttles to the resorts. Walk anywhere you can.
Outdoor adventures
18. Take the family snowshoeing at a local resort. Don’t forget snacks.
19. Make a backyard sled run or two.
20. Visit a local sled hill.
21. Tube at the local ski areas – the runs are long and fast, and many will even take you back to the top. Find a list in this edition.
22. Ski or snowboard at as many Tahoe area ski resorts as you can this season.
23. Take a cross-country skiing lesson.
24. Download the U.S. Forest Service’s Junior Snow Ranger book and help your child earn a badge.
25. Enjoy snowshoeing at the state parks; you only pay for parking: Donner Memorial State Park, Sugar Pine Point State Park, Emerald Bay State Park, Van Sickle Bi-State Park and Sand Harbor State Park (yes, it’s open in winter), to name a few.
26. Participate in more than one winter sport in a day.
27. Enjoy Disco Tubing at Palisades Tahoe.
28. Take a horse-drawn sleigh ride at Sand Harbor Nevada State Park.
29. Take a full-moon snowshoe tour.
30. Snowshoe in Tahoe Meadows or Chickadee Ridge.
31. Play in the snow on the beach at Lake Tahoe.
33. Go ice skating at a local rink; some are even free. Find a local ice skating rink in this edition.
34. Search for animal tracks in the snow and try to identify them.
Explore Tahoe
35. Take a scenic gondola ride at Heavenly Mountain Resort or an aerial tram ride at Palisades Tahoe.
36. Visit the KidZone Museum in Truckee.
37. Take a trip to Woodward Tahoe at Boreal Mountain.
38. Check out the weeklong Kid-O-Rama returning this year from Feb. 19 to 26 at Palisades Tahoe.
39. Explore kid-friendly environmental displays at U.C. Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center in Incline Village, Nev.
40. Explore a local museum. Read Sightseeing in this edition.
41. Spend time at a local library.
42. Check out a book from the book vending machine from the Incline Village Library.
43. See how many SnowFest! events you can attend. Held Feb. 25 to March 6.
44. Visit an indoor climbing gym.
45. Make a splash at one of the local indoor pools.
