The Lake Tahoe region has some of the most diverse and most beautiful skiing and snowboarding in the United States. Given its geographic size, Tahoe is best divided into two regions for vacation purposes: North Shore and South Shore.

Named from a Washoe Indian word meaning "lake in the sky," Lake Tahoe is one of the largest and most stunningly beautiful mountain lakes in the world. Sapphire blue in color and rimmed with white-capped mountains, the lake is simply captivating. Mark Twain was one of the first to note its beauty: Tahoe was "the fairest picture the whole earth affords," he wrote in "Roughing It" in 1861. The lake straddles the border of California and Nevada, stretching 22 miles from north to south.

Although they share the lake's beauty, the North and South Lake Tahoe regions are distinctly different. Though you can run yourself ragged by trying to visit every major area in a week, it's better to concentrate on the North Shore or the South Shore. While North Lake Tahoe retains much of its rustic charm, South Lake Tahoe is known of its glitz, gambling, and nightlife. On the Nevada side, huge casino hotels rise high above the pines, and neon lights surround marquees with names such as Chris Isaac, Sammy Hager, and Frank Sinatra Jr., headlining the nightly entertainment. It's possible to rent a hotel room here and never use it. Life quiets down on the California side of South Lake Tahoe. But the casinos are never far away.

No matter where you stay around the lake, a number of ski resorts are nearby, and each has its own flavor. Most of them have glorious views of the lake on sunny days, of which there are many. But when it's not sunny, it's usually snowing, and prodigious amounts fall around Tahoe every winter. During the winter of 2006/07, Kirkwood boasted over 850 inches. "We weren't shoveling," said one Kirkwood local. "We were digging."

The Tahoe resorts are also easily accessible. Most are within an hour's drive of Reno, Nevada, with an excellent airport served by the major airlines. Of note: Southwest Airlines often offers deals to skiers flying to Reno.

• Alpine Meadows Ski Resort
• Diamond Peak Ski Resort
• Heavenly Ski Resort
• Kirkwood Mountain Resort
• Northstar-at-Tahoe
• Sierra-at-Tahoe Ski Resort
• Squaw Valley USA
• Sugar Bowl Ski Resort

Of note to families, Heavenly and Sierra-at-Tahoe are the only two resorts in the entire Tahoe area that offer child care for children younger than 2. For this reason, their day-care centers fill up fast, so book early. Other options are noted in the child care sections for each resort. The resorts that accept children 2 and older require that toddlers be toilet-trained. They also require a birth certificate with proof of age.

South Lake Tahoe
South Lake Tahoe has it all: a world-class ski resort accessible from the center of town, never-ending nightlife, stunning scenary, humongous full-service hotels, cozy B&Bs, over 300 days of sunshine per annum, and snow measured in feet.

With such an array of accommodations, you can pick your style of vacation. Part of the town lies in Nevada, so if you like to stay up late dancing and gambling, book a room at one of the high-rise casino hotels. A few steps across the Nevada/California state line, which runs right through town, life is quieter. Two Marriott properties are steps from Heavenly Ski Resort's gondola. Or stay in one of the many smaller inns and motels lining Lake Tahoe Boulevard (a.k.a. Hwy. 50).

Nearby are three resorts: Heavenly and Kirkwood, two of the largest Tahoe resorts, and Sierra-at-Tahoe, just 12 miles down the road. Heavenly is the most popular Tahoe resort with out-of-towners, probably because it is so close to town and its runs are visible from anywhere around the lake. Kirkwood has a well-deserved reputation for awesome alpine terrain and massive amounts of snow, and the near completion of the mountain village at its base is metamorphosing it into a year-round resort. Sierra-at-Tahoe is a locals' favorite, known for its tree skiing and incredible backcountry terrain.

A word on phone numbers: Though the South Shore appears to be one big town, it's two towns in two states. If you're staying on the Nevada side, you'll need to dial the area code before all California phone numbers, and vice versa. Kirkwood is in another area code, 209.

North Lake Tahoe
North Shore has history, is more spread out and a lot quieter, and has an amazing concentration of excellent skiing and snowboarding facilities. Resort skiing in California started in the North Lake Tahoe region in the late 1930s, when a group of investors, including Walt Disney, started Sugar Bowl. The 1960 Winter Olympics were staged at another North Tahoe resort, Squaw Valley USA. North Tahoe isn't as densely developed as the South Shore, but it covers a lot more miles of the lakeshore. Its Nevada side has casinos, but they are not as prominent as the ones at South Shore. The California side of North Tahoe is dominated by condos that are vacation homes for Northern Californians. There are restaurants and nightlife, but things get quiet once the sun goes down.

The North Tahoe region has 12 Alpine ski facilities (the lake is visible from five of them) and six cross-country areas. The five largest Alpine resorts are Squaw Valley USA, Alpine Meadows, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Diamond Peak and Sugar Bowl. The nearby resorts of Mt. Rose, Boreal and Homewood also are worth a visit if you're in the region. The remaining four—Granlibakken, Tahoe Donner, Donner Ski Ranch and Soda Springs—are very tiny areas that destination visitors would be unlikely to visit.