Visiting Lake Tahoe with toddlers !!

I visited South Lake Tahoe with my family over the Memorial Day weekend for the first time ever . It was very refreshing to run away from the crowds of Bay area and feel the fresh air. We just stayed over night so it cannot be considered a long visit but a brief one.  I have two boys , ages 2 and 5 , hence i got to plan in a way that they could enjoy.

The drive itself was very pleasant.We started around 7:00 AM from San Jose , took US 50 from Sacramento and there is a small creek which kind of stays with you on the whole drive once the Eldorado National Forest  area begins and lot of photo opportunities along the way.Reached our destination by 11:00 AM.

    Above : View from Pope Beach                                                                  Below : Birds at pope beach
   

Pope beach is our first destination . It is perfect for kids . Lots of Shady sand area and close proximity to toilets and parking which is a blessing . Parking is $8 flat fee. The views from here are very beautiful . We can still see the peaks of the mountains covered with snow.
For more info and reviews :Pope Beach
In May ,the water is very cold , so all we got to do is play with sand , but didn't enter the water much. The water is very clear and it is flat for a long distance. So we don't have to worry about the kids getting into deep waters .
Our next stop was Taylor Creek Visitor Center. We went down to visit the fish pond at the end of the rainbow trail. It was very serene and the trail is very kid friendly. By the way , the fish pond at the end of the trail closes by 4:30 PM, so try to be there at the least by 4:00 PM .

    above:the views from taylor creek center , below : woods on the trail
    

For more info  :Taylor Creek Visitor center on Trip Advisor

We then continued towards the Inspiration Vista Point. All these places are located on Route 89. Now this is a drive , I wouldn't feel comfortable doing again .It is very very curvy and yet , very beautiful. From here , we can see the views of Emerald Bay and Fannette Island. The parking here is very busy , may be because of the long weekend. From here , we drove to the next Vista point near Vikingsholm. This gives even grand views of the Fannette Island. It is almost 6:00 pm then and starting to get dark , so we called it a day. 

For more info : Inspiration Vista Point

On our Second day , we first visited the Gandola at Heavenly.  I felt it a bit expensive, but it is worth it , if the visibility is clear , so we have the complete unobstructed view of lake Tahoe. From here , we went to this small fishing farm called Tahoe Trout Farm . This is very small place , run by a couple ,with two fish ponds. They provide all the equipment ,worms and show us what to do and how to do. This is for the first time fishers . Kids would love this place. They charge only for the fish we catch , and also help clean and pack.  It was almost 1:30 pm , so we grabbed a quick lunch and set to come back. 

For more info : Tahoe Trout farm
The Gondola at Heavenly

    above: Tahoe Trout farm                                                                                   below :View from Gandola

Fun filled two days , absolutely loved every minute of it.