One of our favorite vacation destinations is Lake Tahoe. The beautiful mountain scenery, the crystal clear lake, the wonderful dining options...and, oh yes, the gambling! (I must confess, wonderful as it is, I wouldn't love Lake Tahoe quite so much if they didn't have gambling.)

If you're expecting a Las Vegas-type experience, you're going to be disappointed by Lake Tahoe. The casino options consist of a few older properties at the North Shore, and four major properties at the South Shore. You're not going to find the same level of glitz and ostentatious excess for which Vegas is known. However, what Tahoe offers is in some ways better. It's quieter, classier, and more accessible.

Harrah's Tahoe, located on the South Shore, just over the state line from California, is by far the best of Lake Tahoe's options. It compares favorably in most aspects to anything Las Vegas, Reno, or anywhere else has to offer.

Harrah's offers the best gambling, including the only full-pay video poker, on the South Shore. You can actually find some decent plays here, including Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, and Double Bonus (all at the $.25 level). This is in contrast to the adjacent casinos, Harvey's & Caesars, which have nothing playable. I seldom play the tables, but they always seem to be doing good business. Minimums are on the $5 level (higher on weekends and during peak season).

Harrah's also has a decent gambler's rewards program ("Total Gold") that is tied in to all their various casinos throughout the U.S. Slot clubs like this one track your amount of play so that you can earn cashback and comps. ("Comps" in casino-speak are "complimentaries"; i.e. free food, drinks, hotel rooms, etc.)

The restaurants at Harrah's offer a wide variety of very good food. The Forest Buffet (located at the very top of the casino, which gives a great view of the lake) was among the best buffets I've tried. A little pricey, but well worth it. The American River Cafe is a good coffee shop and the North Beach Deli has tasty sandwiches. They also have a new seafood restaurant, a classy steakhouse, and a much-praised gourmet room.

On the downside, Harrah's is smokier than I like (the result of it being an older property without a state-of-the-art ventilation system). The cocktail service was also somewhat slow. However, the employees are quite friendly and helpful.

We always stay at a lodge or inn on the California side of the lake when we visit, so I can't comment on the rooms. However, I have heard good things about them. Despite what you might think, you can sometimes get some pretty decent deals on rooms at Harrah's. Give them a call and ask if they're running any promotions or gambler's specials. You might be surprised.

All in all, I would definitely recommend Harrah's Lake Tahoe if you want to gamble in this beautiful town. Even if you don't want to gamble, Harrah's is recommended for its variety of excellent dining options. Lake Tahoe is a spectacular place to visit. If you haven't yet made it there, I hope you someday will!

Recommended: Yes