South Lake Tahoe: Planning events in the Blue World
Want to meet (and eat) green?
“CodeGreen” initiatives at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe include having timers on lights, eliminating 500 cups per day from landfills and converting fryer grease into bio-diesel. Heavenly Mountain Resort serves natural and hormone-free meats and poultry, as well as organic dairy products. Elevations 6310 Restaurant & Bar uses 100 percent organic ingredients in its lunch and dinner menus; other amenities include local art exhibits and live music. The Wide Awake Conscious Café is another 100 percent organic-food restaurant; it’s open breakfast through dinner.
Want unusual transportation?
Discover Lake Tahoe offers private tours, restaurant transfers and ski resort shuttles. Get attendees on the water with a South Shore water shuttle, or charter a yacht, sailboat, parasail or fishing boat through Tahoe Keys Boat & Charter Rentals. HeliTahoe takes attendees on helicopter tours of the area and also offers flight lessons. Lake Tahoe Snowmobiles has the largest snowmobile tour center in the U.S., and can take groups on lakeview rides. From May to October, Lake Tahoe Balloons offers a two-deck hot-air balloon tour accommodating up to 49 passengers. The Borges family has operated year-round sleigh, hay and carriage rides for over 40 years. Charter boats are available from Lake Tahoe Cruises and Woodwind Cruises.
Want unusual venues?
The 1924 Valhalla Grand Hall, located on the Tallac Historic Site, is a rustic wood and stone hall with a wrap-around porch, a 20-ft. tall stone fireplace and walk-in hearth, a second-floor balcony and an event lawn accommodating functions for up to 125 people. The Zepher Cove Resort has historic cabins for planning or goal-setting sessions of up to 20 people, and two paddlewheel boats (the Tahoe Queen and M.S. Dixie II), which are available for receptions, tours or dinner cruises. Through the resort’s stables, planners also can arrange meal/trail rides for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Want to pamper attendees?
Harrah’s Lake Tahoe is a recently renovated AAA Four-Diamond property; suites have two bathrooms, each of which has its own TV and telephone. It has a 22,000-sq. ft. Special Event Center, a 24-hour casino, and event staff can help planners put together customized theme events for up to 1,500 attendees, including personalized cabaret entertainment. Its restaurants and nightclub venues regularly rank among South Lake Tahoe’s best, and its spa has Roman baths, Turkish steam rooms and Finnish saunas.
Want to satisfy high rollers?
Harveys Lake Tahoe has a 52,000-sq. ft. 24-hour casino, a 20,000-sq. ft. Special Event Center, a 54-ft. luxury yacht (the Tahoe Star), and Top-of-the-Wheel — a cocktail lounge with panoramic views of the lake. MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa’s casino takes sports bets; other resort amenities include a full-service spa and 16,000 square feet of meeting space. Other casinos include Harrah’s, Horizon, Bill’s and Lakeside Inn — all of which feature gaming, headline entertainment, shopping and live music.
Want group dining?
Friday’s Station Steak & Seafood Grill gives groups a breathtaking view of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada. 19 Kitchen-Bar has a VIP seating area, multi-course menus and lakeside views from every table. The Naked Fish was named SKI Magazine’s “must-visit-mountain-town sushi bar”; off-premise catering also is available. Fire + Ice, located near the Heavenly Gondola, is a popular après-ski locale with a large patio, outdoor fireplaces and a creative drink menu. Kalani’s mixes unique ingredients from Hawaii with Asian and European spices and sauces to make bold dishes. Mirabelle French Cuisine offers a seasonal menu and an impressive wine list in a French country atmosphere. The Red Hut Café has been satisfying breakfast and lunch crowds since 1959.
Want nightlife?
Harrah’s VEX nightclub has a VIP stage booth that can be reserved for parties of up to 200 people. Are your attendees more the scotch-and-cigar crowd? Cocktail and cigar lounge, Cliché, is known for its collection of single malt scotches and distinctive cigar and drink pairings. Opal Eurasian Cuisine and Ultra Lounge has a tapas and sushi menu, a comprehensive martinis, wine and champagne list, and a hookah bar. Attendees can rub shoulders with locals at Mott Canyon Tavern & Grill, where “happy hour” is served from 4-6 p.m. and 12-4 a.m. Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Cantina at Harveys offers late night live music and fine tequila.
Want group activities?
Golf season in Tahoe begins in May. Edgewood Tahoe on the South Shore is ranked one of the Top 100 public golf courses in the U.S., and Genoa Lakes Golf Resort has two 18-hole championship golf courses. Team-build on the Heavenly Flyer, a zip-ride in Heavenly Village that has a vertical drop of 525 feet. Take the Heavenly Gondola to Adventure Peak, where attendees can rock climb, hike or mountain bike during warm months, and snow tube, dog sled, cross country ski, snowboard or snowshoe when there’s snow. A wide variety of watercraft, from sailboats to JetSkis, also is available.
Want items for gift baskets?
Order food baskets from Alpen Sierra, which provides coffee to major hotels and restaurants throughout the area. Create your own basket from the Tahoe Country store, which sells regional crafts, souvenirs and original art. Or, send attendees home with some airplane reading. Books written about Lake Tahoe include Alpine Sierra Trailblazer and A Trout Person’s Guide to Tahoe – Notes from a Female Angler.
