Heavenly Village to re-open at South Tahoe for Memorial weekend, tourism travel still not allowed

Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe is reopening over the Memorial Day weekend and having a four-day locals-emphasis celebration after being closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event has been scaled back from previous years as city and state officials grapple with phase 2 reopening, which allows second-home property owners living outside the area to return to the California side of South Lake Tahoe, but not allowing for non-essential travel and visitors.

South Lake Tahoe city officials sent a reminder Wednesday advising California second-home property owners living outside the area are allowed at South Lake Tahoe for Memorial weekend but officials also noted that non-essential travel and visitors are not allowed.

“We love our visitors and recognize how much they contribute to this City and this economy,” said South Lake Tahoe City Manager Joe Irvin, “We just know how important it is to get things open safely, and we all understand we are stronger together and safer apart right now.”

Meanwhile, at Stateline on the Nevada side, the casino core remains closed. There are some restaurants and shops that have opened between Zephyr Cove and Stateline and those are seeing an uptick among among locals, second home owners and vacation home renters.

Campgrounds throughout the Lake Tahoe basin are closed for overnight camping. All National Forest beaches, trails and trailheads are open, but parking areas, restrooms and trash service are not, so visitors should plan accordingly and be prepared to pack out anything they bring in and use, said Lisa Herron, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Campgrounds and resorts will open at some point after Memorial Day weekend. A date has not yet been established.

The Memorial Day Holiday is typically one of the biggest weekends in the City of South Lake Tahoe, which is on the California side. Although second homeowners are now welcomed back in the city limits to their property’s, lodging is not available to citywide short-term renters or patrons at this time, officials said.

“We would love nothing more than to welcome everyone to Tahoe right now, but that’s not the safest way to bring people back to South Lake,” said Irvin, “We need to be responsible and make sure we are doing our part to keep our neighbors safe and Tahoe safe, while adhering to the Governor’s Stay at Home Orders.”

At Heavenly Village on the California side, any business will be good business.

"We are excited to have the village open and operating," said Heavenly Village VP Gary Casteel, Jr. "I cannot stress the level of excitement I have received from our tenants to safely re-open. A special thank you to mayor pro-tem Tami Wallace for all of her support in the re-opening.”

Most retail shops and restaurants will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. over the weekend.

Restaurants opening include Basecamp Pizza, Azul, Gunbarrel Tavern, California Burger, Fire and Ice, and Driftwood Cafe. A number of retail shops are also set to open.

Heavenly Village management said safety is their number one priority and the Village has multiple state-mandated safety protocols in place including social distancing designations, sanitizing stations, signage, and hand washing stations. Social distancing and face masks are encouraged.

On March 19, 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-33-20 directing all residents immediately to heed current State public health directives to stay home, except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of essential critical infrastructure sectors and additional sectors as the State Public Health Officer may designate as critical to protect health and well-being of all Californians.

“The City promotes responsible behavior and wants people to be responsible to themselves and their neighbors as we go through this time,” Irvin said, “Keep proper social distance, wear a mask if you can, and make sure you’re doing your part to not spread this virus and helping to keep Tahoe safe.”

For more information on COVID-19 and California's response visit the California Department of Public Health's website here.