A Reno Christmas tree lot with great customer service and an abundance of holiday spirit.

It was the day after Thanksgiving and after a whirlwind of a trip to see family in California, it was time to start decorating for my favorite time of year, Christmas. Luckily, my mom bestowed upon me roughly five or six huge boxes of Christmas decorations she no longer needed, but after all of the decorations were up we were still short one very important piece of Christmas cheer; the tree.

Last year was the first year my husband and I had ever put up a real tree. We did it because our usual artificial tree was still stuck overseas (in fact, that same tree is still in storage overseas), and rather than buy another, we decided to go au naturale with decor and opted for the real thing. At the time, we were living in Arlington, VA, so we packed up my son and traveled to the Christmas tree farms on the outskirts of the Shenandoah Valley and hunted for a little tree to cut down and bring home. We found a relatively small 5’5″ tree and after some obligatory photos, went to work with a handsaw. That tiny trunk must has been infused with titanium as it took my husband, who is no slouch, at least 15 minutes to saw through it. I gave it a go and literally couldn’t budge the saw. After that fiasco, we decided precut was the way to go. Sorry Clark Griswold but you can have your wilderness adventure; we’re going to a Reno Christmas tree lot this year.

Reno offers a decent selection of pre-cut Christmas trees; the key is to know where to go. Of course, you have your usual fare of grocery and hardware stores (even Costco was offering some pretty attractive Noble firs), but buying here can sometimes be a bit of a gamble, mainly because you don’t know how long ago the tree was cut (and how quickly it can dry out and die). The dry Nevada climate can wreak havoc on the life of your tree. Armed with that knowledge, I wanted to find a tree lot that cut the trees themselves and knew more about them other than their place of origin. We saw a few lots and almost stopped at one, but the trees looked rather sad. So we serendipitously continued to the corner of Virginia Street and Kietzke Lane, were we found Noble Christmas Trees.

At first glance, the lot didn’t look too fancy. The guys were just unloading a new crop of trees as we came the first day they were open. However, with trees as beautiful as the ones at this location, a fancy store front was unnecessary. The trees were lush, full, and the needles were supple to the touch, a good sign for prospective buyers – never buy a tree that has needles that break in half in your hands!. Most importantly, for us, they had a huge variety of sizes. We have a large space for the tree with 25′ ceilings, so I needed one that wasn’t dwarfed in my living room. I found my beauty, a 10.5′ Noble Fir, that was trimmed during its life cycle to be as full and classically pine-shapped as possible. I also learned that all trees from Noble Christmas Trees are high altitude trees, grown in Oregon so they hold up and last longer in the dry Nevada climate. My tree, in particular, was roughly 12 years-old and cut about 1 ½ weeks ago. It was $100 and, if I liked, for an extra $20, they could deliver it directly to my house and assist with set up. Um, heck yeah!

My tree was delivered that night and true to their word, Noble Christmas Trees helped set it up in my stand, cutting away parts to make sure it stood straight.

They also fresh cut the tree. This means they cut about ¼ inch off the base. When the trees are cut down, they seal the base to help prevent water leakage. Also, it just rained the night before their crop was cut for harvest, so this one was loaded with water to ensure it’s holiday season survival.

Tip: You want to make sure you cut off this sealed section of trunk before you place your tree in the stand or else it will not soak water properly and will dry out.

My tree is now over a week old and looks amazing. I have vacuumed around it once to pick up the minuscule amount of needles on the ground. I am extraordinarily happy we went with Noble Christmas Trees here in Reno, Nevada. My husband and I were planning on buying a large artificial tree next year for the living room, but Noble Christmas Trees may have just turned us into real tree lifers. Fortunately, we can order in advance to get that 15′ tree my husband wants next year. I just hope the Noble Christmas Trees staff will be there to help set up when it happens!

Adventures at Apple Hill: Part 2 — Apples ripe for the picking at Apple Hill. Family memories made to last a lifetime.

Last Saturday my husband, David, and I decided to take the drive for some Adventures at Apple Hill. From our house in South Reno, NV to Camino, CA it’s roughly 2 hours, so it may seem like a long venture for some apples, pumpkins, and baked goods, but most Northern Nevadans agree, it is definitely worth the trip. I hadn’t been to Apple Hill in nearly a decade, so I was looking forward to the adventure. Plus, this was my son’s first time of what will hopefully be an annual event, so I felt the twinges of a new tradition in the making. With excitement in the air and the fingerlings of a cold front on the way, we hopped in the car and drove to Camino that is near Placerville, California to visit Apple Hill.

As Will mentioned in his previous post, Apple Hill isn’t just one orchard, but a community of orchards, collectively known as the Apple Hill Growers Association. In total there are over 50 farms, orchards, wineries, and markets dotting the landscape of Placerville. This makes it impossible to walk from one attraction to another, so plan on either driving and parking or catching a ride on the convenient Apple Hill Shuttle, which is essential if you want to partake in some of the excellent adult libations along the way. You see, there are a couple wineries and brewery at Apple Hill as well. The ride is free and the bus arrives at marked spots every 15-20 minutes, so it is a great option if you know you’re going to be drinking during your visit or if you just want to be green and save on emissions, it being California and all.

While I love wine, my reason for this two hour drive was simple; I wanted to pick apples. It’s important to note that not all orchards allow you to wander through the trees to pick your own apples. The orchards that do are called “U-Pick” orchards and are marked not only on the Apple Hill maps, but usually with a big sign in front. According to my most recent count, there are eleven orchards in Apple Hill that allow U-Pick and are designated on the map legend with a “UP”. I was adamant that the only places we stop were the ones that granted my family and I permission to meander through the tree lanes to fill my own bucket.

David wanted to start on the East side of Apple Hill, as it was the first from our direction. Therefore, we settled on Hangtown Kid Apple Orchard (#15).

It was a pleasant surprise that Hangtown was also organic, which we found out as we wandered the apple trees. The trees were smaller, which made it easy for my son to pick apples himself. We asked the growers, a very sweet husband and wife team, and they explained they grow dwarf Fuji apple trees, which apparently produce a sweeter apple. One taste and there was no doubt; these apples were delicious. After walking and picking for roughly 15 minutes, we brought our 15-20 apples to the growers and I was ready to shell out the cash. Imagine my surprise when the total costs came to $3! Just think, if you had purchased roughly seven to eight pounds of organic Fuji apples at a local grocery store, you would be paying a minimum of $10-$15 dollars, maybe more. With that happy news, we went to their sister orchard across the street to pick out some pumpkins.

I have actually never been to a pumpkin patch that was a real pumpkin patch with pumkins still on the vine. Usually, the pumpkins have been cleaned, stems trimmed, and they are piled on the ground just waiting for someone to pick them up.

This pumpkin patch was authentic. Pumpkins in all shapes, sizes, and colors were randomly sprawled about the place. Some were still green while others were white and of course, your traditional token orange pumpkins.

After trampling through vines and allowing C to go a little overboard with the mini pumpkins, we finally found the perfect ones. For six pumpkins it came to $17. Not too shabby.

At this point, I was starving, so our next destination was lunch. We stopped at Bodhaine Ranch (#68), mainly because there was a large wooden sign on the front that mentioned apple-smoked sausage dogs. Yummy! After some imaginative parking by my husband, we walked in and ordered some of the best sausage and apple dogs I have ever tasted. In true Apple Hill form, instead of regular condiments, we were given apple sauce. We also ordered an old-fashioned apple pie slice to share. Now, I should preface this by saying I make a mean apple pie and sadly, I wasn’t overly impressed with this one. There were crates of apples for sale that looked delicious, but we didn’t drive two hours to shop like a grocery store, so we moved on to the next U-Pick farm. David also informed me he wanted fudge, so our goals were in place.

We up to this point we stuck on the east side of Apple Hill and decided to head west. This ended up being a mistake. I’m not sure if it was the time we tried to get to the other end or an accident ahead, but we ended up only moving 500 yards in twenty minutes.

Defeated, we pulled a u-turn and headed back to the east side and to Apple Ridge Farms (#20) where I saw a sign that said, “fudge kitchen”. Thankfully, the kitchen was fully stocked with every type of fudge imaginable and they gave out free samples, a dangerous thing to do in a fudge shop. Should find yourself stopping by, I highly recommend their mint and cookies & cream flavors.

It was starting to get late in the afternoon, so we decided one more stop and then time to head home. I chose my last U-Pick, Denver Dan’s Apple Patch (#14). Denver Dan grows mainly Fuji and Golden Delicious apples but after I implored about my beloved granny smiths he told me he has one tree in the front. Fortunately, that one tree was bursting with fruit and I quickly filled a large bucket of perfect grannies. We ended up getting a few more Fujis and called it a day at Denver Dan’s Apple Patch.

Apple Hill is a must for families and children young and old in Northern Nevada. There is something so special about enjoying simple delights like picking apples. And, if fruit cultivation isn’t your thing, Apple Hill offers delicious food, merchant fairs, petting zoos, children’s activities, wine and beer tasting, and much more. I hope you take time to visit Apple Hill this year. You won’t regret it.

Jen Schmidt is local Reno, Nevada photographer for Jen Schmidt Photography that captures the essence of life.

It was 2009 and I had a precious 12 week-old baby that was just itching to be professionally photographed. I began my search as any 21st-century mother would do, by pleading on Facebook if anyone knew of great photographers in the Reno-Tahoe area. I was given a list of recommendations that sounded great, but after some research and some obvious no’s (my brother’s girlfriend likes to take photos, etc.) I decided to ask my all-knowing mother if she knew of anyone in town. As luck would have it, she did.

Her name is Jen Schmidt and she had just left her job at the Reno Gazette Journal to start her own business, Jen Schmidt Photography. I checked out some samples of her work and they were just what I was looking for, so I gave her a call. Fortunately, Jen’s schedule was open and she was able to pencil me in the following week.

The session that followed was everything I had hoped for. Before Jen arrived, I had given her an idea of what I wanted. Since it was late November and I wanted to take photos of my son without him channeling the little boy from A Christmas Story, I opted to take photos inside. I wanted a few of him sleeping, him awake, if possible, and some cute mommy-baby photos. Jen understood this implicitly and directed me right away. The resulting shots were stunning. In our 1.5 hour session, Jen got about 200 photos of baby C and me, including my all-time favorite pose of the hand heart and baby feet. In less than two weeks, she came back with a completed CD filled with professionally-proofed shots. Now, looking at my three year son, I am so incredibly grateful for the time Jen put into her work to help capture my son’s fleeting moments of babyhood. I knew we would use her as our go-to photographer again, which we did the following year.

Now, I know, with digital SLR cameras and photoshopping techniques, nearly everyone considers themselves a photographer. But, let’s face it, owning a fancy camera does not a photographer make. There is an innate skill involved. It’s the ability to capture a natural smile, and gentle kiss, an emotional moment that makes photographs become so much more than a staged backdrop with an equally staged grin. Jen has this ability, in spades. She is a master of her craft and, in the three years her photography business has been in existence, has gone on to do weddings, proposals, senior photos, family outings, baby shots and births, birthdays, political events, sporting events, commencement ceremonies, and even boudoir sessions. Jen literally does it all.

Jen’s fees are worked out prior to her sessions, depending on how long you want your session with her to last. For me, the price was incredibly reasonable ( I was pleasantly surprised, actually) and with that I got the right to reprint my photos, something you may not receive when you opt for a photographer that gives you prints rather than digital copies.

I cannot rasp rhapsodies enough about Jen and her service. Her photography skill eclipses her years. With the holiday season fast approaching, if you are looking for a professional photographer that will give you beautifully-proofed candid images of you and your family (or whatever your needs be), I highly recommend Jen Schmidt Photography.

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South Reno’s Toll House Pumpkin Patch

Disclaimer

Before we began our reviews, we want to give you some backstory. This review was difficult to write, and we struggled over whether we should post it at all. We started this site with the hope of promoting local businesses to families around town. Businesses suitable for families and kids. We were hesitant to post something negative. Especially since we have so few posts at this point and since we’re so new to the blogging community and an organization in Reno, Nevada.

Our husbands helped in that regard. Would we want our close friends to have the same experience? The answer was an easy and emphatic, no. That’s why we finally decided to post this review.

Our goal with Windy Pinwheel is to inform parents around town about opportunities to enjoy time with their kids. It also serves to provide honest opinions from our point(s) of view. We understand that not all may feel the same way or agree with our assessment, but this is our take on the Toll House Pumpkin Patch located in south Reno.

Lauren’s Take

I wanted to like the Toll House Pumpkin Patch. I really did. I wanted to take my son there and have him experience the joy of my favorite season in all of it’s pumpkin and hay glory. Christine had purchased some Dealchicken.com coupons, so we assumed were getting a great deal on some classic honest family fun. Well, you know what they say about assuming…

Problems began immediately when we tried to enter the pumpkin patch. Christine had the voucher information on her iPhone and gingerly handed it over to the attendant. He asked us what it was. She explained they were the vouchers she had purchased online. He asked for the printed copies. Well, we didn’t print copies since we have the electronic version on the phone (trying to stay as “green” as possible and not waste paper). In a surprising spat of rudeness, we were informed that they only accept printed copies, couldn’t write our voucher numbers down, and they didn’t understand what was wrong with us. After all, everyone else printed them out. He looked as us in this moment like we were from a different planet.

Well, I was ready to forfeit my $15 right there and walk away. I’m not interested in staying in a place where the business owners don’t seem to care about my business. However, dragging the kids back to the cars would involve a lot of screaming. So, in the end, I drove home to pick up two printed copies of the vouchers so we would be allowed into the pumpkin patch.

In the interim, Christine dropped another $20 for 22 tickets. Each event in the Toll House Pumpkin Patch costs a certain number of tickets per participant. The bounce houses were four tickets each, the pony ride five, etc. After handing the printed vouchers to the attendant (whom at this point I was visibly annoyed with), I returned to find Christine and the kids inside of a bounce house. In fact, they were literally locked in the bounce house area. To make sure no one sneaks into attractions without paying, each one is locked with a cable lock. This is fine if someone mans the attraction at all times. Not so fine when the attendant walks away and leaves paying patrons locked inside. So, it was back to the ticket booth to get assistance to open the gate and let the kids and Christine out. My son didn’t take that part so well, being only three years-old and all.

Our vouchers included a train ride, and since the kids were excited about this attraction, we piled into the little train car and went for a ride around the property. Toll House has wooden decorations sprinkled throughout the wooded area of the train path (the train is not on tracks but on wheels in a modfied small motorized vehicle) of Halloween characters like Frankenstien’s monster, Snow White’s witch, etc. Alas, the cutouts looked decades old with pealing paint and broken arms. Needless to say, these cutouts did little to impress me; to a child, they wouldn’t care as much as I do about the appearance of these cutouts. There were also lights strung around part of the train course so the experience may be different at night, depending on the lighting, ambiance and what company you’re with.

Little A wanted to ride the ponies, so Christine dropped the last ten tickets (roughly $10) on a pony ride for her and C. A went up to the pony like a pro and couldn’t wait to ride. My son, on the other hand, took one look at the horses and said, “no way.” He refused to leave the gate, so we stood for the duration of the ride, cheering A on. After a five minute ride with the ponies tied to a circular track, the fun was over and A hopped down. We asked if we could get the tickets back because C chose not to ride. After all, he never went near the horse. We were told, “no refunds.” Annoyed and even more frustrated with this place, I took off and headed for the exit. I wanted off this crazy ride of an experience. Christine stayed long enough to hear the attendant say (I’m not joking here. These were his exact words) he was in a “mean mood today so there will be no refunds.” I’m glad I didn’t hear that. I would have lost it. A mean mood with a 3 year old? What; you’ve got to be kidding me!?!

By this time, I wanted to get out of there. There was literally nothing redeeming about this pumpkin patch, at all. The animals in a makeshift petting zoo looked miserable and sad, the hay maze (which was actually a hay pyramid with bounce houses on top of the twenty foot structure) looked dangerous enough to break a bone or quite possibly worse maim someone, the train ride was subpar at best, and for the final kicker, the pumpkins were ridiculously overpriced at $14 a pumpkin for a decent store-sized one. But what irked me the most was the abysmal customer service we received. Together, we spent over $50 at the Toll House Pumpkin Patch. You would like to think that would garner some sort of customer appreciation. We were wrong.

I’m not sure if it was the day we went (a late Tuesday afternoon), or moods were just off, but our entire experience was pretty awful. To be fair however, we left without trying all their attractions. The Toll House Pumpkin Patch also offers carnival rides (they weren’t set up when we went there), the aforementioned hay maze, a makeshift putt putt course (nothing fancy here), and apparently a greased pig competition (where the first person to catch the running greased pig wins cash) on the weekends. However, we didn’t want to give this place anymore of our money and decided to cut our losses.

It costs absolutely nothing to treat your customers with respect! I could have forgiven so much else that was wrong with this pumpkin patch had we received that. However, the terrible service merely exemplified and augmented the Toll House Pumpkin Patch’s other flaws. It is my recommendation that you skip this attraction and spend some quality family time at Apple Hill (view our write up about it here), where not only will you have a more enjoyable time, but you will be treated leaps and bounds better than Toll House Pumpkin Patch would treat a patron on its best day. Upon leaving, the ticket booth attendant yelled out to make sure we mention Toll House Pumpkin Patch to our friends. Don’t worry, we will.

Christine’s Take

I will offer this disclaimer in addition to our disclaimer above, I am very used to pumpkin patches held at farms that have a more harvest festival feeling versus the Toll House Pumpkin Patch which has more of a carnival atmostphere. So, perhaps my expectations were set up for failure from the beginning. These fall harvest festivals that we visited at Apple Hill and northern Virginia include a large pumpkin patch, live music, canned and baked goods for sale, corn mazes, slides to ride on with a burlap sack, livestock and demonstrations with them such as how to milk a cow, etc. Cox Family Farms is a good example of a place we visited while living in Virginia/Washington, DC metropolitan area.

When I saw the email come through on October 1st for the Toll House Pumpkin Patch, I immediately jumped at the chance to buy two vouchers which gave us, what I thought was enough entertainment for four people. I figured this would work for my family or for Lauren and I to take the kids.

Our daughter, A, loves pumpkins in the sense that she would have her own pumpkin patch on our front porch if we let her, so immediately when we arrived, she grabbed a Radio Flyer wagon and started loading up. She was excited to see the animals and my son was beyond thrilled that there was a train; or as he would call it a “choo-choo.” When we first walked up, there was no one to be found to “check in” with and I had no idea what to do exactly. So, we finally found someone, who we later discovered was the owner and, as Lauren explained above, he was not willing to take the vouchers via my iPhone app. I called my husband who printed them and Lauren generously offered to drive to our house and get the vouchers. In the meantime I knew the kids needed to get involved in one of the activities. Otherwise we would wind up with an entire wagon full of pumpkins and a heart broken child who would learn that we can’t take that many home with us (we didn’t know how much each pumpkin cost just yet).

I walked the kids over to the bounce house area and had to choose which one I would pay a total of 12 tickets for (keep in mind, I paid $20 for 22 tickets, so you can see how much one bounce house cost for three kids), the kids saw one that they liked and ran in. Unfortunately, the one they chose was a very old set of bounce houses and the kids quickly discovered there was no way to get to the top of the slide as dilapidated as the climbing aparatus was on this bounce house in particular. Regardless, the toddlers they are, they were determined. They always love a bounce house; even if it is in poor condition. Just about when the kids were done with this particular area, we saw Lauren return to the pumpkin patch. It was time for the train!

The boys were very excited and told us to “hop on”. In the mean time, we heard the owner telling the train operator that we had a “special deal” and were paid up for the train. Regardless of the frustration I had built up, I was determined to have the kids enjoy themselves. So we climbed in and started our ride. On a positive note, the train ride goes for quite some time around the property. We rode over a small creek and through a tree lined area. I can see how it can be lit up at night. It just might be really nice, but with toddlers I would be very unlikely to be there at dusk or further, at dark.

After the train ride, we walked to the back of the property and talked about all of the animals, made animal sounds with our kids and said hello to the cows. The kids chased some chickens and we discovered an area of dump trucks, ride on cars and plastic teeter totters. The boys immediately ran for the dump trucks.

While they were having fun we knew we still had ten tickets and four pumpkins to pick out. That is when Lauren and I walked with A & C to ride the ponies. A loves horses and rides them on her own already, so I knew this wasn’t going to be the most exciting for her, but she loves animals and she was excited to show her skills. She sat right up in the saddle like a pro and the operator started off being really nice. He complimented her confidence and walked the horse around the circle. Because C decided he wasn’t really interested in the horse afterall, we did ask if we could have the five tickets back and were told he could go to the hay “maze” instead, which I then said that we did not want the children playing in that area and was told “there are no refunds, I am feeling mean today.” By this point, I was ready to go home. I was incredibly disappointed in my experience. We picked out our pumpkins and headed out (as big of pumpkins as our deal would allow us, and they weren’t very big at all). I was so frustrated with the customer service we were given. Further, I was shocked and amazed that, as we were leaving, we were told to “tell our friends and come back soon.”

I feel that, for me, my most important reason for sharing this story, is that I consider my role with this site as being a voice for parents who want to give their children memorable, yet affordable experiences and with this particular experience I would not recommend any of my friends spend their money on it.

Have you visited the Toll House Pumpkin Patch? What was your experience like? We want to hear about it. Please leave us a comment and let’s have a discussion about it.

Discovering Nevada through a child’s eyes

Not too long ago a common lament about the Reno/Tahoe area was that there were not enough educational activities to do with your children. Well, thanks to the arrival of the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum, that old whine can finally be put to rest.

At 10:00 am on a bright (and hot) Saturday morning, Christine and I caravan’d three excited kids to downtown Reno for C and my first trip to the Nevada Discovery Museum. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had heard nothing but rave reviews from fellow moms but wasn’t sure if it lived up to the hype. Well, it did, in spades.

Upon entering through the glass-clad exterior (very modern, I must say) we somehow managed to get the kids to bypass the impressive gift-shop near the entrance and made it to the information desk. Tickets for everyone over the age of one are $8, but after some discussion with the attendant, I decided to get the family annual pass. This, my friends, is a steal. For $85 you get a year pass for two adults and up to a crazy six children, plus discounts on classes, events, and birthday parties should you choose the museum as your venue for such an occasion. There are multiple membership levels. This page will provide you with a better idea of which level might be good for you and your family. Finally, our business complete and fees paid, we ushered the kids into the museum.

Now Christine’s brood are old champs at the museum, so they were not standing in wide-eyed amazement like C and myself, beholding at the scene in front of us and considering what to do first.

On the top level, we were immediately greeted by an airplane. Little A jumped into it and began manipulating the controls for the wing and tail flaps like she was about to take off. C and N were more interested in the tree slide in a room for younger children off to the left. Crawlers and toddlers all took turns sliding done the tree and playing with the the foaming area. Christine, in her infinite wisdom, suggested we head downstairs to the Truckee River display; an 80-foot-long mock river that began in the mountainous Tahoe region (complete with wind generators you can position) that traveled through rapids to meander slowly through Reno towards the hydraulic power of the Derby Dam. The river finally comes to rest in Pyramid Lake. The model is really well done. You can float a boat from the top to bottom (and coincidentally sink it multiple times like C found out), operate the dam to control water pressure, and get really wet. Next comes the main feature of the downstairs area.

Right in the middle of the downstairs area is the Cloud Climber, a huge netted jungle gym that let you climb a potential three stories on equipment shaped like clouds. Sadly, this gem was closed for cleaning on the day we visited.

Note of warning to parents: little ones, unsure of their climbing abilities, can get scared in the Cloud Climber and require an attendant to escort them down. So, before you allow your kids to romp through the clouds, employ a serious dose of parental judgement.

Officially soaked, the kids decided to head to the camping room with a ceiling created to look like the night sky in Northern Nevada, twinkling stars and all. Children can crawl through caves, fish for local trout, camp in the wilderness, and mimic the melodies of the local fauna. C and A did an especially impressive coyote.

Done with nature, we went upstairs to work on our construction prowess. C and N worked on building a house. A kind-hearted volunteer built a fabulous foam block Reno Arch before immediately inviting the kids to knock into the over-sized blowing balls. I worked on an interactive home building site to build my most eco-friendly retreat. I did pretty well but didn’t make the best choice with choosing grass over natural landscaping. What can I say? I like grass.

There was so much else to do, such as learn how to make and earthquake-safe building and discover wind power, but the kiddos were itching to go to the next room to work on an art project in Da Vinci’s Corner.

We spent some time in this science-filled niche and assisted the kids in making little Popsicle-stick light catchers. N seemed more fascinated with the magnet wall while C was a regular one-man army working a miniature trebuchet to knock down buildings. Unfortunately, nap time was fast approaching, which meant we did not get to take full advantage of the Nevada Stories room, which upon first glance is my favorite.

Our quick walk through showed Nevada throughout the ages, from the prehistoric range of the Ichthyosaur to Native American settlements, mining town settlements and finally to the modern era. This room was the largest and most historically interesting and definitely on my list of first to visit upon our next trip.

Even though we were only there for a short time, C still was able to dig for buried treasures, make a fossil imprint, and paint water on soapstone.

By far, my favorite element of the museum was its complete inclusion of Nevada into all of its activities. Each part of the museum can be tied to something happening right outside your home, making it that much more tangible to our children. The Discovery Museum is so successful because it is Nevada.

Want more? Here is Christine’s take on the Nevada Discovery Museum:

Explore, play and learn all in the same air conditioned building, sounds like a teacher’s dream and a parents dream, right? Well this mommy (who also happens to be a teacher) had her dreams come true with the Discovery Museum in Downtown Reno. The old City Hall building was recently converted into space to learn, play and explore. Your artist can create their own masterpiece, while your little engineer can build a green home or experiment with wind energy. Children can discover more about the place we call home, by “camping under the stars” or cooking over the fire near their covered wagon.

When: Daily, the museum is open 7 days a week, check their website for seasonal hours. Week day afternoons are a great time to go when the school/camp crowds have gone and just before they close. Kids can roam with very little foot traffic.

Where: Downtown Reno, just behind the Federal Courthouse.

What: Various rooms of activities meant to teach children about Art, Science, History, Engineering and many more. Many of the rooms/areas have a Nevada theme as well. The Discovery Museum also has a little explorer’s room for soft play.

How to dress and what to bring: Wear comfortable shoes as your children will want to run from exhibit to exhibit .The Discovery Museum also offers a family friendly cafeteria style area that you can eat your own sack lunch.

Need to know: The Discovery Museum offers several rooms and packages for birthday parties as well as classes for kids nearly every weekend and a special class on Wednesday mornings for the stroller crowd. They have several week-long Summer camps as well.

Extra Extra: If you are local, a membership for a family of four will be paid for in less than 3 visits. Also offered are reciprocal memberships that allow you to visit nearly 200 Children’s Museums across the US.

Still want more? Here is Will’s dad take on the Nevada Discovery Museum:

This museum has everything that many of the Smithsonian museums in Washington have from interactivity, to engaging and historically accurate exhibits.

My favorite two places of the museum are the water feature of the Truckee River downstairs and the magnetic tube wall where you can drop a ping pong ball down a series of tubes of your own design. As a dad, I can play at these two exhibits with the kids the entire visit. I think they are more fun for parents that for the kids.

This is definitely a museum you can get lost in for a very long time (well, at least until it’s time for the little ones to take a nap) and the kids are kept busy the entire time as well. If you’re looking for something to do on a day where heading into the outdoors is something that doesn’t look promising, head over to the Nevada Discovery Museum. You won’t regret the experience.

Website/Contact Information: http://www.nvdm.org

Nothing beats a day at the beach. Of course, the nearest ocean is roughly 230 miles west of us in Reno, making a day trip rather more of an epic journey. But don’t despair beach buns; Northern Nevada offers many beach day-aways, starting with the world-renown Lake Tahoe. Here is a break down list of things to do in Lake Tahoe from an insider’s perspective.

Please select an area of Lake Tahoe:

Things to do in Lake Tahoe: North Shore

So you’re hanging on the North Shore

Incline Village

Tahoe’s North Shore offers some incredible beaches when it comes to things to do in Lake Tahoe. In Incline Village, there is Ski Beach, which features large grass areas, a playground, a boating ramp, and volleyball. Farther west is Incline Beach, and right before you enter Incline Village is Burnt Cedar Beach, which offers the most as far as family-friendly fun. The only problem is that the beaches are for residents of "Incline" and their guests, so make sure to get in with the locals before you plan your next beach outing.

Crystal Bay/Kings Beach

Things to do in Lake Tahoe: West Shore Hangouts

Tahoe City/Tahoe Vista

Keep driving down Hgwy 28 to reveal the beaches of Tahoe City and Tahoe Vista, including North Tahoe Beach. This stretch offers a large covered gazebo that plays host to everything from birthday parties to weddings and everything in between.

Commons Beach

Located in Tahoe City, Commons Beach features a playground and plenty of shore access. There are also plenty of benches, BBQs for picnics, and local shopping.

Meeks Bay

Meeks is a favorite along the West Shore since it has a large shoreline, plenty of amenities, and close access to the 2.6-mile Lam Watah Trail.

Things to do in Lake Tahoe: South Shore Style

Emerald Bay

Zephyr Cove

Zephyr Cove is one of the largest beaches on Tahoe. This huge resort offers plenty for the entire family, including water sports and crafts, picnic and dining, and plenty of local shopping in our list of things to do in Lake Tahoe. It is also the launching pad of the paddlewheel boats the M.S. Dixie II and the Tahoe Queen! Nothing like cruising the lake on these beautiful boats. If you’re lucky, you may even catch a speech by Mark Twain.

Things to do in Lake Tahoe: East Shore Serenity

Sand Harbor

One of my personal favorite public beaches of Lake Tahoe is Sand Harbor in this list of things to do in Lake Tahoe This large stretch of beach has boat access, sandy shoreline and rocky terrain for the daredevils in the family, and a certain calm that only the East Shore and its unyielding topography offers. While food is available at the beach kiosk, it may behoove you to pack a picnic as this side of the lake has no easily-accessible stores and restaurants. Finally, every Summer, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival talks place at dusk at Sand Harbor.

Beach like a local on the Eastern Shore….

There are a lot of large and beautiful public beaches around Lake Tahoe, but they suffer from the same affliction most public beaches in the Summer do…crowds. If you are interested in a true Tahoe experience, among things to do in Lake Tahoe, that doesn’t involve paying to park, we have some great suggestions you may not find in your guide book. Be forewarned, these secluded stretches of sand come at a cost of a 10-20 minute hike down to the water. There are no large parking lots either, so drivers should be ready to park along the side of the road and hike down.

Not sure where a particular beach is? Don’t fret; the lakeside route is guaranteed to be littered with paths that will take you towards the waters edge.

In order of beaches driving east on Hwy 50 outside of Incline Village towards the South Shore, these beaches are:

Hidden Beach

Immediately outside of Incline Village. This gem is a beautiful stretch of private sand that is also one of the few beaches that is dog friendly. Feel free to float a kayak or paddleboard off its inviting shores.

The Rocks

Immediately before you reach Sand Harbor. The name says it all. This beach is really a lot of picturesque water-worn rocks strewn along the shoreline. While they may seem inviting to jump and dive off of, please do not attempt. There are many hidden rocks beneath the water that can cause serious injury.

Chimney Beach and Whale Beach

Past Sand Harbor on the about 5 minute from the intersection of Hwy 28 and Hwy 50. About a 15 minute hike from the top of the road to the water, Chimney Beach and Whale Beach are another secluded area with plenty of rock formations and a small sandy stretch.

Things to do in Lake Tahoe:
And here’s your randomism for the day:

You want some fun facts about Lake Tahoe?

• Lake Tahoe contains an average of 37 trillion gallons of water with an estimated depth of 1,645 feet. It’s hard to imagine, but that is enough water to cover a flat surface, the size of California with 14 inches of of sweet alpine H₂O. If you did ever manage to drain Tahoe, it would take around 700 years to fill back up again. Learn more.
• Also, “Tahoe” is a mispronunciation of the Washo Indian word dá’aw for lake, so Lake Tahoe is technically Lake Lake. Talk about originality.

So you want some more information?

Sometimes an article just can’t give you all the detailed information you need to make a day of it. If you’re hungry for more, check out these great links we found with detailed information on some of the beaches mentioned above

So, what do you think? Did we cover everything or would you add something to complete this list of things to do in Lake Tahoe from an insider’s perspective? Let us know. Leave us a comment below.

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