The wife and I were married in Lake Tahoe way back in 1988. I was there once since then but it was still a long time ago. I skied Mount Heavenly and that was cool. Besides skiing and gambling I couldn't give you a hint upon what to do.

My future wife and I went for a weekend almost 10 years ago and stayed at Harrah’ in South Lake Tahoe. We were in a tower and had a room looking out over the lake. It was spectacular and I just enjoyed sitting in the room looking at the view.

My recommendation would be to try and go just a little later and also squeeze in two days a little further south in Lee Vining or Bridgeport where you can see Yosemite when the aspen are turning. Driving up Tioga pass that time of year is very scenic. Bridgeport has some fantastic hot springs that are really neat. Lots of travertine formations you can walk around. The eastern Sierra has quite a few hot springs if you are into that sort of thing.

You might get bored after a whole week at Tahoe so maybe a side trip to Yosemite would break it up a little. Mid-September should be just about peak time for fall colors.

No, but we have someone that can get you a Unicorn Tahoe

It’s crazy how people find threads that are a year or years old and bring them back.
OP how did the Tahoe trip go and where did you end up staying?

When is the best time to go if you don’t care about skiing? Was planning a Vegas trip for Valentines weekend and this is the 2nd thread I’ve seen pop up about Tahoe and then the guys at poker night started talking about it. Never been. From this thread it sounds like it might be a place to take the kids when they get a couple years older instead of a weekend getaway with just the wife.

I've been there a couple times.

I'm more of a North Shore guy.

South Lake Tahoe is a congested mess. Stay on the north shore.

Lol...I just reposted myself.

Yes, but only for a night, we stayed at some Casino, I learned how to play craps and won $150 bucks. It was like 25 years ago. I would love to go back again, the drive was nice too though I didn't have to drive. Going through Donner pass was interesting.

You really don't want to hit Phoenix and Vegas in June/July.

From San Francisco Napa, Tahoe isn't very far away if you drive middle of the week and middle of the day. But I wouldn't plan much more than a day there. Yosemite,Banff, Jasper, you should add Glacier National Park, are worth more time. The Monterey aquarium is nice if you are into that. If you go to Yosemite it's worth driving up to Tuolumne. Have fun.

The drive from Yosemite to Tahoe on the east side taking 395 is scenic.

If you want to take 120 across Yosemite to get to 395, be aware it's closed in winter. If it's a heavy snow year it might not open until late May.

Any time from late spring to early fall can be nice. Spring might be a bit wetter but you can get mountain thunderstorms all summer long. After Labor day and before ski season is really pleasant, if you don't mind it on the cool side. It is less crowded and lodging might be a bit cheaper.

I went in May about 5 years ago. Definitely caught some weird weather as it rained and snowed in back to back days. But it was pretty awesome overall. Did some hiking, fishing and white water rafting (not the craziest waters but still fun) and went on the catamaran.

That's the way we entered the park. It was late May. There was still plenty of snow on the ground around Tioga Pass, but the road was clear. God, that area is beautiful.

Lake Tahoe's water is a gorgeous, inviting color, crystal clear and oh so clean. It's all good until you decide to dive in off the boat because your hot and the water is about 55 degrees, causing complete shrinkage and shock.