What's New in North Lake Tahoe this Summer

From YubaNet.com

Regional
What's New in North Lake Tahoe this Summer
Author: North Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureaus
Published on May 8, 2008 - 7:57:14 AM

NORTH LAKE TAHOE, California/Nevada May 8, 2008 - North Lake Tahoe continues to evolve and change, without losing what makes the area so special, to meet the needs of today's travelers.

On the museum front, the Tahoe Maritime Museum in Homewood is set to reopen May 24 in a new 5,800-square-foot facility with interactive exhibits, children's visiting area and community gathering area. The museum, reminiscent of an old boathouse, showcases the history of boating in Lake Tahoe. Several historical watercraft, including the Shanghai, an 1890s excursion, and Redskin, a rare 1912 Canadian-built displacement boat, are on display.

In Tahoe City, the Tahoe City Field Lab, also known as the Historic Fish Hatchery, is nearing completion of a $3 million historical renovation, with a grand reopening scheduled for mid-August. Future plans for the site include restoration of the surrounding three acres and an interpretive education nature center, demonstration garden of various native plants in both upland and wetland areas and an interpretive kiosk. The kiosk will be attached to the historic hatchery and will provide public viewing into the main great room. Tours of the building will be regularly available. Interpretive elements include historic uses of the building for fish rearing, life cycle of fish and ongoing research.

Travelers have never experienced a Farmer's Market like the ones in North Lake Tahoe. Here, visitors have access to fresh, high-quality agricultural products direct from the producer in a vibrant marketplace located lakeside. Whether you're shopping Tahoe City, every Thursday from May 22 to October 16, or Kings Beach, every Tuesday from June 3 to August 26, small-scale farmers have set up shop adjacent to the country's largest alpine lake, making for a scenic, Tahoe experience. Truckee will also offer a Farmer's Market, every Tuesday at the Truckee River Regional Park from June 3 through September 30.

Located in Tahoe Vista at the North Tahoe Regional Park, the new North Tahoe Disc Golf Course is a fun and challenging 18-hole course that provides a variety of shots that complement nearly every style of play. The last nine holes were finished last fall. The course is an example of a highly-successful volunteer project and was completely built with community donations and hours. Travelers can purchase their own discs at the Sports Exchange in Truckee. Also new at North Tahoe Regional Park is an all-weather soccer field used for pick-games, the American Youth Soccer Organization and adult leagues. It can also be booked for soccer tournaments.

For families looking for fun and learning, the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences offers self-guided and docent-led tours, hands-on activities and a monthly lecture series. Here, visitors can take a 3-D virtual reality flight through Lake Tahoe, peek through a microscope and view tiny aquatic creatures and learn how scientists study water quality. The nearby North Lake Tahoe Demonstration Garden, which promotes environmentally sensitive landscaping practices to reduce erosion and improve the clarity of the lake, offers Green Thumbs Thursdays June through August. This free gardening class is open to the public and provides hands-on experience working side-by-side with master gardeners.

Off the lake, the Village at Squaw Valley in Olympic Valley recently welcomed two new eco-friendly shops, Maud Olson and Patagonia. Maud Olson Eco-Friendly Clothing is proof that fashion and sustainable living can go hand-in-hand, and features a line of high-end apparel, such as hand-knit baby alpaca sweaters, mittens and gloves by Rachel Comey, as well as a wide selection of the Loomstate's high-fashion jeans, hoodies and t-shirts made from organic cotton. Patagonia, who leverages their resources to create a healthier planet, opened a new location at the base of Squaw Valley and offers a great selection of outdoor wear and accessories for women, men and children. Nearby, the Sunrise Biscuit Company has set up shop in the lobby of the Cable Car Building, formerly occupied by Headwall Café. The popular eatery features grilled paninis, soups and daily specials. Locals traditionally go for the biscuits and graving - all prepared with less packaging waste - along with their locally roasted fair-trade coffee.

The Village at Northstar in Truckee also has expanded its retail and restaurant offerings. A must is Mikuni Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar for its renowned Japanese cuisine and fresh sushi creations. The kids will enjoy Ambassador Toys, which strives to promote understanding and respect for cultures around the world through the beauty and creativity of toys, books and music. The Tahoe Creamery's motto, ‘Keepin' It Pure', might be the mantra for the entire North Lake Tahoe destination. Here, visitors will find natural, premium, gourmet ice cream.

In regard to lodging, the Ritz Carlton Highlands, which broke ground in 2006, is on schedule to be completed in fall of 2009. The ski-in, ski-out 173-room upscale property, situated mid-mountain at Northstar-at-Tahoe in Truckee, is Lake Tahoe's first-ever, five-star caliber hotel. A 20,000-square-foot lavish spa, offering mountain views, will also be built onsite.

The historic Crystal Bay casino corridor is poised for a significant transformation, with plans for an upscale destination resort on 14 acres that would include 200 hotel rooms and nearly 180 fractional-ownership or whole-ownership condominiums. Also planned is a village with restaurants and shops, a 10,000-square-foot casino, "pocket" parks and family entertainment centers. Pending permits and environmental reviews, developer Boulder Bay LLC plans to begin construction mid-2009 and complete work of the $250-million project by 2014.

More rooms are planned for Truckee as construction is set to begin in June on a 109-room Marriott Residence Inn off Highway 80 near Donner Pass, with the hotel opening mid-summer of 2009. There is also a small, 52-room boutique hotel in the planning stages in the rail yard development outside of downtown Truckee.

JMA Ventures, the new owners of Homewood Mountain Resort and Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, have a Truckee hotel in the works. Early plans for their Hotel Avery include a restaurant and condominiums on its Bridge Street location along the Truckee River.

JMA has even bigger plans for Homewood Mountain Resort, including a quaint pedestrian village, mid-mountain lodge, gondola and underground parking. The village, to be located at the north base, will house an ice cream shop, hardware store, market, 50-room hotel, spa and 40-condo complex. Also scheduled to be included are an ice rink, swimming pool and amphitheatre.

North Lake Tahoe is a 45-minute drive from the Reno Tahoe International Airport, two hours from Sacramento International Airport and just over three hours from San Francisco International Airport. For lodging reservations, recreation and event details, call North Lake Tahoe at 1-877-949-3296 or visit www.GoTahoeNorth.com. Visitor information centers are located at 380 North Lake Boulevard in Tahoe City and 969 Tahoe Boulevard in Incline Village. The North Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureaus, Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, work together to promote North Lake Tahoe as a premier, year-round destination.