Lake Tahoe

Sand Harbor Beach, Northeast Lake Tahoe Nevada — Sand Harbor Beach, Northeast Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Lake Tahoe is right on the border of California + Nevada near Carson City, NV. It is a beautiful scenic lake with tourism year round. Known for its summer sporting on the water + its amazing skiing in the winter, there is always something fun to do here.

We travelled in mid-May with our then 3 year old and almost 1 year old daughters, driving in from the Carson City side and stayed on the South California shoreline. It was around an 8 hour car trip from the Boise area to the hotel.

Where we stayed:

Marriott Grand Residence Club

This was a great family-friendly location to stay. Rooms can be booked as a traditional hotel room or can be added onto for a suite with a full kitchen, dining, + living area. Our room had amazing bathtubs. Walking distance to a grocery store, multiple restaurants, shopping + entertainment, gondola access, kids center with activities onsite (some free, some extra cost), fitness classes + guided walks to the lake, concierge service. Outdoor pool and 2 hot tubs on the property, very kid friendly. Car park is valet only so plan on those additional costs + time to retrieve the car.

This location can be booked directly through Marriott or I have seen people put rooms up for booking on Airbnb. We were booked through a family member’s Marriott points.

What we ate:

Base Camp Pizza Co

This restaurant was very busy, and from several people we talked to it is a local favorite. Great atmosphere, indoor/outdoor seating options with heating, live music on certain nights, varied pie menu with fun desserts and drinks. We went early in the evening because our children are early risers, but reservations are recommended if you plan to eat during peak hours. We enjoyed a custom pizza and the rockslide brownie dessert. Both were excellent.

Heaven’s Little Cafe

Great little all encompassing grill + coffee house, especially great for starting out in the morning. Inexpensive, family friendly options. Not a lot of seating but it can be taken to go easily. The chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, and hot cocoa (on repeat) were well loved.

Heidi’s Pancake House

This was a fun family restaurant to try. Thematic + kid friendly in service and menu. Can get very busy at peak times for breakfast and lunch, closed at dinnertime. Reasonably priced for the area. Excellent crepes + french toast. The kids devoured the pancakes + fruit. Kid sized hot cocoas available as well.

Sprout’s Cafe

This was hands down my favorite restaurant we tried this trip. Their menu is quite varied, and is full of vegetarian + vegan options with some gluten free options available. I had their veggie crunch sandwich and both my kids were fighting to eat it with me. Jeremy went with their delicious house made bagels + their bee sting smoothie (this was a surprising choice for my meat + potatoes loving man) and they were excellent. For the kids we had them split a smoothie + a peanut butter honey sandwich. We all loved what we had, there was amazing indoor and outdoor seating available, staff were very accommodating and friendly, and the prices were quite reasonable for such fresh offerings. Definitely recommend.

Maya’s Mexican Grill

Came highly recommended. I gave it a try (Jeremy tried something else). It was not the greatest experience for me, the meat ended up being raw (they were busy and rushing) and had closed by the time I was eating it (takeout), so I can’t say I was a good judge of it. I added it here anyway because it was so highly recommended.

Applebees

Sometimes you just need to go to a tried and true restaurant, especially with kids. I will say this was the most difficult service we encountered, it seemed understaffed. But the food was decent and it was a lower cost meal compared to other restaurants we ate at.

Ten Crows BBQ

While a total vibe, it was less kid/family friendly but still doable. We sat in the patio seating so the kids could walk around the patio/garden a bit while waiting without bothering other customers and it worked out great. The mac + cheese was a hit for our kids. We as adults can’t seem to remember what we had, but I think that was more a reflection of the chaos of keeping the kids entertained and fed.

Sites to see:

Sand Harbor Beach

When we were choosing a location for swimming at the lake, this beach was recommended for an open sandy area and easy access to the water. It is on the northeast Nevada shoreline, but it still was only a 20 minute drive or so from the hotel. There are large, clean, family oriented restrooms on the property, plenty of parking. We wish we had brought our own form of shade as there is no shade on the beach.

Other Tips/Tricks/Recommendations for this location:

Use your room’s amenities!

We didn’t eat out every meal, since our room had a full kitchen + we were across the street from a grocery store. I ran over after the kids were in bed to grab some basics, but I think it would have been an option to have them delivered. While groceries are more expensive in town than other places (Carson City Costco would be a great place to stock up on the way up the mountain), we chose to purchase in town since we were trying to meet bedtimes for our kids. Purchasing food from the grocery store was less expensive than eating out every meal with our kids so we felt it was worth it.

Fill up the car before driving the mountain!

Gas in Tahoe is much more costly than down the mountain. Gas at the Carson City Costco vs in town was more than a $1/gal difference.