MontBleu’s casino is better lit and less smoky than many others, making it easy to stay and play late into the night. The Zone contains the sports book and the poker room, but slots and video poker machines are everywhere. As with other casinos here, you’ll find full-fledged table games of the Vegas variety: craps, roulette, blackjack, and Texas hold ’em, among others. 50, Stateline, NV, 775/588-3515 or 800/648-3353) is great fun on weekend evenings, with go-go dancers and youthful gamblers enjoying free drinks as they hammer the slots. The gaming floor of the MontBleu Resort Casino and Spa (55 U.S. Note that the casinos sometimes call the town Lake Tahoe, Nevada, though it’s legally Stateline. If you think casinos are smoke-filled holes sheltering lonely souls pouring their savings into slot machines, think again: On the South Shore, just over the Nevada state line, various casinos attract a young crowd looking for a lively, hip night out. But either direction provides a lovely excursion. The obvious advantage is that your car stays on the lake side, making it easier to admire the views and to pull over at beaches and scenic overlooks. If you’re driving the perimeter of the lake, many locals recommend driving the route clockwise, northbound on the west side and southbound on the east. You’ll often find yourself deep in the pines with fewer lake views, though they certainly exist. The drive along the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe is beautiful, woodsy, and quiet, with fewer towns and stopping points along the way. On the North Shore, shortly west of the intersection of Highways 28 and 267, Crystal Bay marks the California-Nevada border crossing. 50 from the South Shore, the town of South Lake Tahoe becomes Stateline, Nevada, with barely a sign announcing the transition. Lake Tahoe straddles California and Nevada, and so do visitors to the area.

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