Many winter and summer events and activities are enjoyed by Truckee residents and by owners of vacation homes within Tahoe Donner, Squaw Valley, Lahontan, Northstar, Alpine Meadows and the surrounding areas. This page showcases a sampling of what is available during the year.

With the world’s top whitewater athletes competing in the wild rapids of the Truckee River, the thrilling Reno River Festival should not be missed by Tahoe Donner residents and their guests. The Reno River Festival is located in downtown Reno, NV at the Truckee River Whitewater Park at Wingfield and takes place annually in early May.

Some of the events at the Reno River Festival include the “Run Amuck” relay race featuring creatively costumed participants, the “Stand Up Paddle Board” race, kayaking, raft racing, and numerous whitewater competitions, such as Open Freestyle, Invitation Freestyle, and Boater Cross. Food and drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are available for purchase. The Festival also features other entertainment starting with a kick-off party and continuing with live music, a beer garden, yoga in the park, an outdoor expo with the top outdoor sporting equipment on sale, and ending with after-hours entertainment at local clubs and nightspots within walking distance of the Whitewater Park.

It is no surprise that this event has attracted over 40,000 Tahoe Donner homeowners and visitors. For more information on the Reno River Festival, call (775) 324-6622.

Take advantage of Truckee's home-grown California certified foods at the Farmers' Market. With healthy items such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, honey and eggs, the Farmers' Market is a great place to go for nature's finest and freshest organic produce.

Tahoe Donner Homeowners and their families can enjoy music, locally made crafts such as soaps and lotions, and lessons available from local chefs.

The Market takes place June through September. For more information on the Farmers' Market, call (530) 823-6183.

Patriotism and family values are taken very seriously by Tahoe Donner real estate owners and vacation homeowners and nowhere is it more evident than on our nation's birthday. The color guard leads the annual parade followed by hometown floats, equestrian groups and marchers. Tahoe Donner residents of all ages will be entertained by all the festivities!

Truckee firefighters kick off the 4th of July celebrations with their annual pancake breakfast. This popular attraction precedes the annual parade and is truly a "Home Town" event not to be missed! Tahoe Donner homeowners and guests of all ages will be sure to enjoy this yearly event.

The Nevada County float promotes the Truckee Kidzone Museum's exhibit entitled "The Five Senses". The Kidzone Museum is a great place for children of Tahoe Donner real estate owners to explore and learn through imagination and experimentation. Some fun activities offered are pretend playing, playing dress-up, rearranging balls and tubes, playing with the farm animals, participating in arts and crafts, conducting fun science experiments, and climbing on the jungle gym. The Kidzone Museum is located at 11711 Donner Pass Rd. in Truckee.

These Scottish pipers play a lively tune that sets the pace for the Truckee parade. The parade is a favorite among Tahoe Donner residents, vacation homeowners and visitors from all around who come to observe this celebrated annual event.

Truckee kids line up after the parade to watch the Balloon Man form his inflatable artistic creations. Tahoe Donner property owners will be amused by these charming balloon masterpieces. For more information on the parade, call (530) 587-8808.

The annual Lake Tahoe Summer Music Festival is one of the highlights of the summer season for owners of Tahoe Donner real estate. This festival presents a variety of concerts in different venues around Truckee and North Lake Tahoe during the months of July and August. Tahoe Donner vacation homeowners and Truckee residents look forward to the festival's annual "Concert on the Green." Tahoe Donner residents can pack up a picnic basket, round up the whole family and head down to Tahoe Donner's Driving Range for a day filled with fantastic music and wonderful entertainment! A portable concert stage is brought in for the evening concerts which have featured a variety of performers including the Russian National Symphony Orchestra, the Manhatten Rythm Kings, Chuck Mangione, and the Reno Symphony Orchestra.

There are often friendly competitions to see which Tahoe Donner homeowner can prepare the fanciest gourmet meal. Or, if you’d prefer, burgers and the "fixins" may be purchased from Tahoe Donner's "Bar-B-Que Wagon." Beverages are also available for purchase.

Truckee residents and Tahoe Donner vacation homeowners enjoy a truly magical evening of great entertainment under the stars. Definitely not an event to be missed! For more information on the Music Festival, call (530) 587-9400.

Established in 1996, Reno Artown offers Tahoe Donner homeowners and visitors over 400 art-filled events and presentations including music, theater, dance, visual arts, children’s activities and multi-cultural arts. Artown is the most wide-ranging art festivals in America with locally, nationally and internationally recognized artists.

Located in the Reno/Sparks Area, NV, Artown is held in July with an encore October through April with such events as Bluegrass, theater, dance, Broadway, and folk music. Acquiring 350,000 visitors annually, this art festival is a great way to delve into the wonderful world of art and culture.
 
Artown is great for families, those who love and appreciate the arts, or those who want to learn about art and culture. For more information, call (775) 322-1538.

Lake Tahoe brings the complete works of William Shakespeare (abridged) to life at Sand Harbor in a comically amusing show. With live music, education on the importance of arts, theatre and music, and fine dining beside the magnificently blue Lake Tahoe, this event is ideal for the whole family! For more information, call (775) 832-1616.

Saturday, August 1st, 1986 drastically changed Augusts in the Reno/Sparks Area, NV. At around 7:30pm at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, hundreds of teens of the 50s and 60s gathered outside, waiting to be let into a first-time event of unpredictable enormity. Over ten thousand people crammed in the Convention Center to see the live performances of the Righteous Brothers, Wolfman Jack, and Jan & Dean. Thus Hot August Nights was born.
 
Every year since, thousands of visitors go back in time to the age of Rock n’ Roll at the United States’ largest classic car festival: Hot August Nights. Hot August Nights is located in Reno, NV and surrounding areas and starts in early August.

Not only does this event showcase beautiful 1950s and 1960s cars, but they also offer Tahoe Donner residents and visitors controlled cruises, “show-n-shines,” a sock hop and concerts by the area’s top entertainers featuring 50s and 60s era music. There is also plenty of shopping to do at places like the Silver Car Auction, the Big Boy Toy Store, and the Hot August Nights Swap Meet.

Tahoe Donner residents and visitors are continuously drawn to this event, which has been running for 25 years in 2011 and with over 800,000 visitors. For more information on Hot August Nights, call (775) 356-1956 ext.1.

Labor Day weekend brings the end of the summer and the annual Best of the West Rib Cook-off to Sparks, Nevada. Sparks is located just 40 minutes east of Truckee. This annual event is sponsored by John Ascuaga's Nugget and draws entrants from around the country. This event is a great weekend trip for Tahoe Donner real estate owners!

Local purveyors of ribs are well represented as many of the entrants own their own restaurants such as this Carson City eatery. Aficionados of ribs may purchase 3 or 4 rib sample servings from any of the entrants or entire slabs to take home. Beef brisket and chicken is also available.

All ribs are special order from Curly's Foods Inc. of Sioux City, Iowa. The ribs are specially sized and trimmed to cook-off specifications. Each entrant has their own cooking style, seasonings and sauces. For more information on the Best of the West Rib Cook-Off, call (800) 648-1177.

The National Championship Air Races & Air Show offers awe-inspiring aeronautics that the whole family will enjoy. Located at the Reno Stead Field in Reno, NV, the Air Races have taken place annually in mid-September since 1963.

Tahoe Donner homeowners and their guests will enjoy watching the six different classes of racing aircraft and the first-class air show featuring some of the world’s top aerobatic performers. Other features of the air show include military aircraft, aircraft displays, merchandise, food and drinks, and an awards banquet to finish.
 
If you’re an aeronautic enthusiast or just looking for something exciting to do with the family, the Reno Air Races is the event for you. For more information on the Reno Air Races, call (800) FOR-RENO.

Enjoy the spirit of Halloween at the end of October at Squaw Valley USA with activities such as a Halloween scavenger hunt, guessing the weight of the big pumpkin and trick-or-treating in a safe environment! For more information, call (800) 403-0206.

Sierra Nevada Dance performs “The Nutcracker” featuring local students and adults and the Reno Baroque Ensemble perform "Handel's Messiah" for some charming holiday entertainment.

Also providing holiday fun is the Noel Night at Northstar-at-Tahoe.
A family event full of holiday cheer with free ice skating, shopping specials, holiday carolers, and of course, pictures with Santa! And stay warm and full by the fire with s’mores and hot cocoa.

For more information about dance performances, call (530) 582-8278, or for Noel Night, call (800) 466-6784.

Annual Tahoe Donner Torchlight Parade is a cherished Tahoe tradition. Skiers ages 10 and up wind their way downhill with torchlights, creating an awe-inspiring display for spectators.

Kick off the New Year at Northstar's Fire and Ice New Year’s Eve Celebration! This event offers live music, fire dancers, ice skating, hot cocoa and s’mores, and a spectacular fireworks show!

For more information about the Torchlight Parade, call (530) 587-9444. For Fire and Ice, call (800) 466-6784.

The Thunderbird Lodge, originally built and owned by George Whittell, Jr., is a phenomenal place to visit for Tahoe Donner homeowners.  Enjoy the magnificence of the stunning architecture sculpted perfectly alongside the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe.

Born in 1881, George Whittell blossomed into wealth from both his mother and father’s families, who flourished financially during the Gold Rush. He enjoyed many luxuries such as collecting exotic animals and extraordinary automobiles and boats, like the famous 55’ speedboat, the Thunderbird. Lake Tahoe caught the prosperous man’s attention in the 1930s and thus construction began on one of the nation’s most extravagant mansions in 1936.

The Thunderbird Lodge, located on the East Shore of Lake Tahoe, was spread over almost one third of the lake’s acreage, which prevented development and preserved the spectacular wildlife of Lake Tahoe. Whittell held onto the property until his death in 1969, when it was then purchased by Jack Dreyfus of Dreyfus Investments. Dreyfus later sold most of the land to the Forest Service and Nevada State Parks.

The main house originally consisted of two master bedrooms, three servant bedrooms, a kitchen and a great room with a movie screen. Dreyfus later added another master bedroom, two guest rooms and a glass-enclosed bridge connecting the 1000-foot great room. The mansion also consists of the Card House, the Caretaker’s Cottage, the Cook/Butler’s House, the Elephant Garage, the Admiral’s House, the Gatehouse, and the Boathouse with a 600-foot tunnel. A lighthouse was also added by Dreyfus in 1985 and can hold up to 100 people inside.

 The mansion is beautifully crafted with stone masonry and fine iron and woodwork. Tahoe Donner residents and their guests are sure to find enjoyment in either a tour of the mansion or a cruise along side it in the blue waters of Lake Tahoe. For more information on either land or boat tours, contact the Lodge at (800) 468-2463.

The National Auto Museum in Reno, Nevada is located along the shores of the Truckee River. From their exquisite architecture to their extensive collection of automobiles, the Auto Museum is an extraordinary site to visit for Tahoe Donner residents and their guests.

The experience begins before you enter the museum with the auto-inspired architecture of smooth, rounded corners, chrome trim and reflective glass windows.

In this photo: 1930 Duesenberg

The beginning of the National Auto Museum began with a man named Bill Harrah, owner of Harrah’s Hotels and Casinos and an avid collector of cars. After his death in 1978, inspiration for a car museum was attained when the Holiday Corporation purchased Harrah’s Hotels and Casinos and Bill Harrah’s auto collection in 1980. The Holiday Corporation intended to sell the 200+ auto collection, however a public protest led Nevada Governor Robert List to help form a non-profit corporation in 1981, to which the Holiday Corporation donated 175 cars and the research library.

In this photo: 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500k Roadster

The Auto Museum is now one of the best museums around, with the honors of being named Car Collector Magazine’s “Top Ten Museums,” “One of the Best 16 Car Museums in the World” by AutoWeek, and “Best Museum in Northern Nevada” by Nevada Magazine. This museum does not merely showcase automobiles. It makes use of dramatic exhibits and guest participation to heighten the experience of historic enthusiasts and car fanatics alike, as well as display car-related artifacts, like gas pumps and ad signs, and time period clothing and accessories.

In this photo: 1921 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost with solid copper body

The Auto Museum has four main galleries categorized by dates: “1890s-1910s,” “Teens-1930s,” “1930s-1950s,” and “1950s, Racecars & Beyond.”  They also have a theatre, the “Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame,” and the “Changing Exhibit Gallery,” which features such exhibits as “Quirky Rides” including cars like the abstract “Picasso Car.” The Auto Museum also showcases many celebrity cars owned by Andy Griffith, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Lana Turner, John Kennedy, John Wayne, Mary Pickford and many more!

This museum is a great destination for Tahoe Donner Homeowners and their families. Whether you’re an auto enthusiast, a history buff, or just looking for some weekend fun, the National Auto Museum is an enjoyable and educational way to spend the day. For more information on the National Auto Museum, call (775) 333-9300.

In this photo: 1936 Cord Westchester Sedan

With such destinations as Fourth Ward School Museum, Comstock Firemen's Museum, The Mackay Mansion, Pipers Opera House, The Way It Was Museum, St. Mary’s Art Center, Storey County Courthouse and Virginia and Truckee Railroad, there is plenty to do and learn with the whole family. Virginia City also hosts many unique events like the International Camel Races, Outhouse Races, a Fourth of July Spectacular, International Chili Cook-off, Cinco de Mayo Celebration and the Mountain Oyster Festival.

As one of the most famous American short line railroads, the Virginia & Truckee Railroad has as many as 45 trains a day arriving and departing Virginia City. Established in 1869, this train ride offers a historical narrative as you wind through the remarkable scenery of the Sierra Mountains.

Looking for houses for sale in Tahoe Donner? Then call/text the North Woods Group Realtor Pete Griffin at (530) 414-1213 or email pete@tdhomes.com today!