Fun tour and roaming around the Pope and Baldwin estates and land on the shoe of the lake. Self guided and self directed tour for us wandering around the many buildings and land that once belonged to these two wealthy families. Its a fun diversion during the day to get away from the crowded streets and even crowded trails to visit a peaceful plot on the lake.

Wanted to go to Emerald Bay, but could not find a parking place along route 89 the day after Independence Day at 10 am. Decided to check out this place, and really really glad we did. It has preserved estates from three bygone families, but even more interesting for us was to engage conversations with onsite craftsmen and women: a summer-in-resident artist, a couple of ironsmith, and a made belief ship captain. They were also handling out pickers and bags to families, especially ones with children, to pick up garbage. What a GREAT idea! They also had a small garden with a waterfall that served as a bathing pool for Stella's Jay's, a herb garden, and a tiny beach for swimmers and kayakers.

This historic site is well worth the time to explore. The story of the inhabitants is nicely displayed throughout the area and the grounds are well maintained with paths that run throughout the property and along the lake. The museum/house was closed the day we were there but it was still a highlight on our trip to South Tahoe.