I learned about a fun family winter activity during my short stay in Lake Tahoe last week for the SATW Western Chapter meeting: Borges Sleigh Rides, which has been owned and operated by the Borges family for 42 years. Sam Borges, the patriarch of the family, started giving sleigh rides to visitors in 1968, aboard a sleigh he built himself and is still in use. Today his son Dwight runs the family business with wife Dianna, and the two of them are among the most friendly, upbeat, welcoming people I’ve ever met.
I spoke with Dwight over the course of a couple hours during my five-day stay in Tahoe, and I don’t think he ever stopped smiling the entire time. He’s someone who loves what he does, and is a wonderful ambassador for the entire South Lake Tahoe area! Last year, Dianna compiled her father-in-law Sam Borges’ memoirs in a slim book called Sleigh Rides in Lake Tahoe. It is a loving tribute to a man who passed away just three weeks ago and who personified the advice, “Find what makes you happy and try to make a living at it.”
In the winter, Borges Sleigh Rides operates out of a small warming hut in a large meadow just across from the Montbleu Resort Casino & Spa on Highway 50 that runs through town (Stateline, Nevada). The standard 30-minute sleigh ride ($20 for adults, $10 for kids 11 and under) takes guests around the meadow, through the woods, and up to a picturesque spot for snapping photos and viewing beautiful blue Lake Tahoe. The route also passes along part of the old Pony Express trail. Along the way, drivers tell stories and point out local landmarks.
Beautifully crafted sleighs, equipped with warm blankets, range in size from a cozy two-seater to festive twenty-passenger sleigh for large groups, like the elementary school kids who field-tripped to the Borges Sleigh Ride operation while I was in town. Just for kicks, Dwight and his staff built a huge, 14-foot snowman for the occasion of having dozens of school kids on the property. (Told you he was a fun-loving guy.) Sunset Dinner Sleigh Rides and pony rides are also available.
I highly recommend you check out Borges Sleigh Rides on your next winter trip to South Lake Tahoe; for kids (of all ages) it’s a hoot to sing “Jingle Bells” to the beat of the real jingle bells that sway from the majestic Blond Belguim horses. No kids? There is that romantic two-seater sleigh with plenty of blankets to snuggle under with your significant other.
If your travels take you to Lake Tahoe in the summer, the Borges family offers scenic carriage rides for all ages in the warm-weather months. Whenever you go, just make sure you tell Dwight and Dianna I send greetings from Colorado!
For more ideas for family activities to do in Lake Tahoe, from snowmobiling to fishing to paddlewheeler excursions, check out the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority website.
What a great idea! I’ve been to Tahoe a million times and have never heard about sleigh rides. Thanks for the tip!
Ooh, cool – I have never been on a sleigh ride but it looks awesome!
Oh, that looks like a potentially romantic idea! I once saw photos from a wedding in which all the guests arrived by sleigh.
That looks like a lot of fun. What a winter wonderland Lake Tahoe is!
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