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Tahoe with little kids?

Kimmyt

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My brother and SIL are not skiers, but are thinking of taking their 2yo daughter to Tahoe over Spring Break. They want to get her to experience snow more than anything, and maybe they will try to ski but not sure. Does anyone have recommendations on places to stay that aren't super crazy Spring Break type scene, good for kids, and have lots of fun activities? I know this isn't really about skiing, but they might try it if they enjoy their time so I'd love to help point them in the right direction.
 

lljc00

Certified Ski Diva
For that age, I would recommend Soda Springs (with caveats). They have a Planet Kids area for kids under 8. Has tube lanes and a tube carousel (spins the tubes around in a circle). It's been many years since we were there with mine as littles, but they also have skis that you can try on, and I believe a small magic carpet to ride up. I think you can also book lessons within Planet Kids.

The caveat is that they can have extremely long lines. Like on the order of an hour+ when it's busy. We were just up there this past weekend on Friday and Saturday (my kids had an in-service Friday). Friday was no problem. But Saturday, the lines looked terrible! And apparently it doesn't make a difference whether you bought your tickets online (I will say apparently according to yelp reviews, since I didn't have to deal with a line since I cashed in my 2-day tickets on the Friday off-peak day).

You can get around this if you have a pass/card that you load the tickets onto directly when you purchase, but if you are first timers, you wouldn't have one already (unless there's some order by mail option, which I haven't looked into).

An alternative is Donner Ski Ranch which has a separate tube area that's $28 for 2 hours (2 hours is plenty of time).

These are both North Tahoe places. N. Tahoe has several smaller hills (= less expensive), but hotel lodging is fewer (= more expensive or via HomeAway AirBNB) compared to South LT.

Other than Soda Springs, I'm not sure how many places teach kids younger than 3. You could also just get those plastic skis that strap over regular boots and just find a small sledding hill to see if there's any interest :-)
 

mahgnillig

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Sorenson's in Hope Valley is nice and quiet if they fancy renting a cabin. There is a yurt nearby where you can rent XC skis or snowshoes, Kirkwood is nearby for downhill skiing (though i'm not sure if they have lessons for kids that young), and Grover Hot Springs is only a short drive away.

For a cheaper break they could always get a hotel/airb&b in Carson City or Gardnerville and drive up to Tahoe. Spooner Lake is only 15 minutes from Carson and has a ton of snow and a picnic area. A friend of mine went skate skiing there last week and said it had been groomed recently for XC skiing as well, though they no longer have rentals there. If the weather is nice then a picnic in the snow at Sand Harbour is a must do!
 

SnowSeeker

Angel Diva
We are taking our kids (8 and 12, skied since toddlers) to Tahoe/Squaw in April for spring break. After a lot of thought, we booked at Squaw Creek because it’s family oriented and has ice skating, snowshoeing, dog sledding, pools and more. Regardless of ski level or interest in skiing, we find it best to book at places that have many other amenities in case weather is bad or the kids feel like coming in early. Our good friend has a house in Tahoe Donner and loves it for young kids. It’s quite nearby Squaw/Ap so you can ski a few different places if you rent a house in that area. Having said that, we decided on ski in/out at Squaw bc it’s such a pain to haul everyone and the gear in the car or shuttle.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
We are taking our kids (8 and 12, skied since toddlers) to Tahoe/Squaw in April for spring break. After a lot of thought, we booked at Squaw Creek because it’s family oriented and has ice skating, snowshoeing, dog sledding, pools and more. Regardless of ski level or interest in skiing, we find it best to book at places that have many other amenities in case weather is bad or the kids feel like coming in early. Our good friend has a house in Tahoe Donner and loves it for young kids. It’s quite nearby Squaw/Ap so you can ski a few different places if you rent a house in that area. Having said that, we decided on ski in/out at Squaw bc it’s such a pain to haul everyone and the gear in the car or shuttle.
Resort at Squaw Creek is great!
 

SkiBabyMD

Certified Ski Diva
An alternative is Donner Ski Ranch which has a separate tube area that's $28 for 2 hours (2 hours is plenty of time).

Highly recommend Tahoe Donner for kids that age. The sledding area is wonderful. AirBNB homes there are relatively cheaper. Maybe call ahead to make sure the sledding area is still open!
 

MotherDuck

Certified Ski Diva
It might be too late for the OP, but I just learned tons of tips from several other threads that are over 10 years old. So better late than never :yahoo:

We've stayed at North Star, Tahoe Donner, Squaw Creek and even Reno. The first 3 have the obvious advantages of, as many others have mentioned, offering many family friendly activities within walking distance or minimal driving. My kids loved our times there. But they are also quite expensive. Reno offers great lodging+food options at a low cost and also close to Mt. Rose for skiing. But I wouldn't go there for a snow playing vacation :smile:

For those who don't ski and don't want to cut an arm and leg for a snow vacation, South Lake Tahoe is a pretty good option. Many hotels/motels with walking distance to both the lake and Heavenly Gondola are very affordable and available especially during weekdays. It is a great experience to visit a beach after a big snow storm where the sandy beach is covered with knee high snow and the beautiful lake is surrounded with snow mountains. You can also do snowshoeing or sledding with just a little bit drive (Camp Richardson, sledding hill behind Mont. Bleu casino, Van Sickle State Park or along I-50, etc). Heavenly village has ice skating and movie theater. If mom&dad want to learn to ski Heavenly CA lodge has a child care center.

Last but not least, snow vacation during the spring break can be a hit or miss as the snow starts to melt. For non-skiers, most activities would be at lake level where snow disappears the earliest. So adjust your expectation.
 

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