Lake Tahoe garners No. 1 rating

Lake Tahoe (tahoesouth.com) was named the “Best Lake in America” in a recent readers’ poll by USA Today. Editors narrowed national nominations to the top 16; readers weighed in and the largest and most popular alpine lake in North America took home top honors by garnering more than 5,000 votes via Facebook and Twitter (travel.usatoday.com).

Lake Tahoe is recognized for its timeless beauty and an international reputation as an outdoor recreational Mecca. The combination of great outdoors, entertainment, nightlife, dining and gaming identify its unique character.

“We’re into the champagne,” said Carol Chaplin, executive director of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. “All of the USA is invited to visit today — or soon to celebrate with us. You’ll discover first-hand why we call this destination home.”

“I’m looking forward to revisiting some old haunts and discovering new ones for a story and photos that will appear in USA Today on Aug. 10,” said Laura Bly, travel editor for USA Today.

“The Sierra mountains around Lake Tahoe clinch the deal,” wrote Dick Goodrick, a former Michigander who now lives in Dayton, Nev. “Year round recreation, skiing, hiking, casinos, mountain bike riding, fishing, wake boarding, sailing on big boats, paddle wheel dinner/cruise boats, clear deep blue water, spawning salmon, zip lining, historic homes to visit and much more. No lake can match it.”

Other Lake Tahoe awards include top rankings from TripAdvisor, Orbitz.com and Rand McNally as the No. 1 ski destination in the U.S.; and numerous designations from Forbes.com, MSNBC, SKI Magazine, Skiing Magazine, Transworld Snowboarding for diverse categories such as snow quality, scenery, après, off-hill activities, and terrain parks for Heavenly Mountain Resort, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Kirkwood Mountain Resort.

Lake Tahoe is an ideal vacation — just read the reviews.

For real time updates on events, promotions, packages, conditions and events in Tahoe South, The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority is on Facebook: facebook.com/TahoeSouth,Twitter: twitter.com/TahoeSouth,YouTube: youtube.com/LTVA.

For information about Tahoe South call 1-800-AT-TAHOE (1-800-288-2463) or visit tahoesouth.com.