The places that don't make you apologize for the kids. Restaurants with crayons that aren't an afterthought, parks with shade and bathrooms, the ice-cream stop with the line on a hot Tuesday.
A breakfast-and-lunch spot on Donner Pass Road, best known locally for its huevos rancheros.
A 3,549-acre state park established in 1928 on the lake's east end, preserving the Donner Camp site — designated a National Historic Landmark. The visitor center's museum covers the Donner Party, the Washoe people, and the Chinese railroad workers who later built through Donner Pass.