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Nightlife

Lake Tahoe offers a marvelous blend of gamboling and gambling, wildlife and wild life. There are casinos on the Nevada side, all with showrooms headlined by the diverse likes of Jay Leno, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, and ZZ Top. Throughout you'll find stand-up comedy clubs, karaoke bars, intimate jazz/blues venues, glitzy nightclubs, rollicking hard-rocking pubs, and firesides and hot tubs redefining après-ski. We particularly recommend Truckee for cool live music and laid-back bars, the après scene at Squaw Valley, and lively South Lake Tahoe/Stateline for casinos and more frat party ambiance. But whatever your mood, Tahoe can scratch the itch, and we've got the lowdown on the high-octane see-and-be-scenes.

APRÈS-SKI

Squaw/Alpine Meadows
Upscale PlumpJack Café (1920 Squaw Valley Rd.; 530/583-1576; www.plumpjack.com), at Squaw's cable-car base, features a circular fireplace (all metal, no stone), plush lounge seating, and admirable selection of wines by the glass; stay for one of ski-dom's finest dinners. Bar One (Olympic Plaza; 530/583-1588) is an institution at the base of the KT-22 offering pool tables, extreme ski/ride flicks on the big-screen TVs, and cool events, from the Saturday Concert Series to the Adventure Slide Show Series. It almost seems "squaw-lid" compared to its glam neighbor, Plaza Bar (Olympic Plaza; 530/583-1588), where even the wealthy and famous get starry-eyed ogling the pro skiers and riders tossing their manes after a righteous ride (or photo shoot). Nearby at Alpine Meadows, the river-rock fireplace and curved wall cantilevered over the Truckee River at River Ranch (Hwy. 89 at Alpine Meadows Rd.; 530/583-4264; www.riverranchlodge.com) lure a gnarly bunch stoked from the slopes, eager to share adventures.

South Shore
Surf's always up at the Tiki Bar (Twin Bridges; 530/659-7453; www.sierraattahoe.com), a straw hut on the deck of Sierra-at-Tahoe's base lodge (just follow the Polynesian rhythms); it's the only place to soak up a fishbowl for two (a startling electric-blue liquid with a rubber shark floating on top) while refueling on Hawaiian-style burgers. South Lake Tahoe's Nepheles (1169 Ski Run Blvd.; 530/544-8130; www.nepheles.com), a longtime favorite for romantic dining, also offers soaking in private hot tubs replete with intercom – to order more cocktails! Also in South Lake Tahoe, the lakefront hotspot Riva Grill (Ski Run Marina; 900 Ski Run Blvd., Suite 3; 530/542-2600; www.rivagrill.com) – along with North Shore sister property Gar Woods – is beloved for Wet Woody rum smoothies (you can opt for Twin Screws, Dean Martinis, etc.), best enjoyed on the deck after a day bashing the bumps or, even better, come summer. Locals flock to The Divided Sky (530/577-0775; www.thedividedsky.com), 5 miles south of South Tahoe, in Meyers, California, for its subdued hipster vibe, fab organic gourmet sandwiches and salads, and live music leaning toward acoustic and bluegrass bands.

NIGHTLIFE

Truckee
Bar of America (Commercial Row, 10042 Donner Pass Rd.; 530/587-3110) has undergone many incarnations since 1891, including serving as Truckee's "unofficial town hall" for three decades. The look is Wild Wild West (pictures of famous gunslingers hang everywhere), but the vibe is plain wild, especially when northern California bands blast the joint with everything from folk-funk fusion to acid jazz; you can also partake of the Pacific Crest Grill menu (courtesy of the adjacent nouvelle Mediterranean resto) at the bar. Cottonwood (Corner Brockway & Old Brockway, Hwy 267; 530/587-5711; www.cottonwoodrestaurant.com) offers a splendid deck (sublime sunsets over the Sierras), scrumptious food, romantic ambience, historic decor (antique sleds, skis – and 1930s wooden scaffold ski jump), and live alt country and acoustic music. The bar overflows with character and characters like Doug "Dougman" Thompson – there's even a sign that says, "A Note to Our Bar Customer . . . Please do not speak to Doug about Skiing, The Weather, Motorcycles, ‘Gettin' Some', The Grateful Dead (especially ‘that one show from 1973') . . . Thank You, The Rest of the Bar Staff." Moody's Bistro & Lounge (10007 Bridge St.; 530/587-8688) has an established live-jazz reputation thanks to hosting past acts like as Mose Allison and Dred Scott; even Paul McCartney occasionally drops for impromptu performances at this retro-hip/speakeasy venue which also doesn't charge a cover.

Tahoe City
Sierra Vista (Tahoe City Marina Mall, 700 N. Lake Blvd.; 530/583-0233; www.sierravistatahoe.com) offers the perfect blend of unsurpassed lake views and innovative live music from African rhythms to acoustic surf rock. The barely-legal crowd frequents Pierce St. Annex (850 N. Lake Blvd.; 530/583-5800; piercestreet.com), a pickup party central with DJs, pool tables, and a crowded dance floor spread over a duplex.

Squaw
Zenbu (Olympic Plaza Building; 530/583-9900), is groovadelic, from the late-night menu of Mediterranean and Asian tapas, to the ultra-LA decor (waterfall entrance, velvet lounge booths, black leather couches, bamboo floors) and celebrities writhing to the beat of local and national DJs.

South Lake Tahoe/Stateline
Whiskey Dick's (2660 Lake Tahoe Blvd.; 530/544-3425; www.whiskeydickssaloon.com), in South Lake Tahoe, ropes them in for awesome happy hours and other promos, 90+ beers, pool tables, big-screen plasma TVs, and a cool lineup of live acts (with unforgettable names from Echo of Souls to Eek-a-Mouse). Stateline's Cabo Wabo (Harveys Resort & Casino, Hwy 50; 775/588-2411) is the Red Rocket's joint (rockster Sammy Hagar often jams here) and serves up Tex-Mex food and rocking specialty drinks made with Sammy's signature Cabo Wabo tequila.

CASINOS/SHOWROOMS
On the North Shore, Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe (111 Country Club Dr., Incline Village; 775/832-1234), Crystal Bay Club (14 Hwy 28, Crystal Bay; 775/831-0512; www.crystalbaycasino.com), and Cal Neva Resort Spa & Casino (2 Stateline Rd., Crystal Bay; 800/225-6382; www.calnevaresort.com) lead the pack with gorgeous old-style casinos and legendary lounges. Crystal Bay's acts are edgier (acid jazz, funk), while the others book softer sounds. South Shore casino-hotels, headquartered along Highway 50, in Stateline, are larger, livelier, and louder, with the big three often sharing headliners. Caesars Tahoe (55 Hwy 50; 775/586-2044 or 888/829-7630; www.caesarstahoe.com), whose Circus Maximus Showroom hosts the likes of Kathy Griffin, Dana Carvey, Chris Isaak, and Girls Gone Wild Tour, also hosts a throwback disco with incredibly popular nightly promotions. Harveys Resort & Casino (Hwy 50; 775/588-2411; www.harrahs.com) sports the lake's largest casino; entertainment here ranges from The Improv comedy spot to adult revues to a summer outdoor concert series headlining the likes of Toby Keith and the Eagles. Harrah's Lake Tahoe (Hwy 50/Lake Tahoe Blvd.; 775/588-6611; www.harrahstahoe.com) fronts a wild range of acts (Ice Cube, Bo Diddley, David Spade), while an oxygen bar at its Altitude disco provides respite from the dancing hordes.