“Lights on the Lake,” Lake Tahoe South Shore’s (http://www.TahoeSouth.com)
July 4th Fireworks extravaganza is one of the most
popular
Independence Day celebrations in the West with 100,000 plus
onlookers. The
event has received national media exposure in USA Today, Travel
&
Leisure and ForbesTraveler.com as one of the nation’s top
Fourth of July weekend festivities.
The display includes memories for a lifetime:
the
magnificent backdrop of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada; the
mountain air
and scent of pines; a billion stars visible in the clear sky; kids
in
wide-eyed wonderment; and goose bumps with the traditional close of
“American the Beautiful.”
Holiday weekend visitors can expect the
fireworks show
to explode into unusual and whimsical shapes such as jellyfish,
stars,
butterflies, and smiley faces around 9:45 p.m. This annual family
tradition
is choreographed to music and broadcast on local radio stations
KRLT-FM
93.9 and KOWL-AM 1490. “Lights on the Lake” is sponsored by the
Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.
The fireworks are launched from offshore barges
and can
be seen from all corners of town. South Shore offers convenient
access to
viewing areas via public transportation, paved bike trails, and
nearby park
and walk venues.
Vantage points include:
South Lake Tahoe’s two paddle
wheelers, the Tahoe
Queen
and M.S.
Dixie II; both offer dining/viewing packages
Nevada Beach State Park has a
soft, sandy
shoreline equipped with barbecues and picnic tables
Regan and El Dorado Beaches offer
front row
seating that fills up fast
Bijou Community Park is set back
from the
shoreline and boasts many amenities such as a skate park, disc golf
course,
dog park, golf course, and playground to keep the whole family
entertained
while holding your ideal viewing spot
The Tallac Historic Site, off
Emerald Bay
Road, has an east-view perspective with nearby Baldwin Beach and its
picnic
tables
For the more adventurous, hike to
the top of
Mount Tallac for a bird’s eye view of the fireworks extravaganza,
but
don’t forget your headlamp for the trek back down
A Fourth of July favorite is Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course’s 4th
of July Celebration. This setting offers front-and-center
viewing of
Lights on the Lake from Edgewood’s private beach and an
all-you-can-eat buffet www.edgewoodtahoe.com.
South Shore’s Independence celebration, July
2-4,
also provides scenic beauty, countless indoor and outdoor activities
—
even skiing and snowboarding at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. With the
recent
El Nino winter, Kirkwood still has enough snow to reopen, July 2-4,
for
summer skiing, riding, and mountain bike access. For schedule of
events,
times and details: www.kirkwood.com
