By Cris Alarcon, InEDC Writer. March 12, 2026)
Sunnyside Lodge: A Summer Day on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore in 1955
In July 1955, the western shore of Lake Tahoe hummed with the sound of outboard motors, laughter drifting across the water and the clink of glasses raised in summer celebration. Tucked along the shoreline just south of Tahoe City stood a modest but lively landmark: the Sunnyside Lodge.
Though visitors today know it as the expansive Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge, the property began humbly decades earlier as a private summer residence built in 1908 during the early era of Tahoe’s lakeside estates.
By the mid-20th century, however, the house had entered a new chapter.
From Private Retreat to Public Lodge
After the end of World War II, travel across California surged as families sought recreation in the Sierra Nevada. In 1946, the Sunnyside property was converted into a small public lodge and marina.
The transformation was modest by modern standards. The lodge offered just seven guest rooms and two shared bathrooms, with a small dock where visiting boaters could tie up. Yet the setting — clear alpine water, towering pines and a relaxed atmosphere — quickly made it a destination.
According to regional historical accounts from the period, the lodge’s marina became a summertime parade of polished wooden runabouts and cabin cruisers, many arriving from homes scattered around the lake.
“It was the kind of place where you could arrive by boat, step onto the dock and immediately feel part of the crowd,”
wrote Tahoe historian David C. Antonucci, who has documented the region’s resort culture.
“Sunnyside represented the casual, social spirit of mid-century Tahoe.”
July 1955: A Snapshot of Tahoe’s Golden Summer
By July 1955, Sunnyside Lodge had firmly established itself as one of the West Shore’s most popular stops.
On warm afternoons, guests gathered along the waterfront deck — smaller than the one that exists today but already a central feature — watching boats glide across the deep blue water of the lake.
Vacationers often arrived after long drives from Sacramento or the Bay Area, while others came by water from nearby communities such as Homewood, California and Carnelian Bay, California.
The lodge offered what many travelers sought in the postwar years: a rustic escape where mountain scenery met the relaxed rhythm of lakeside life.
Guests could spend the morning fishing or boating, the afternoon swimming or sunbathing, and the evening sharing dinner while the sun dipped behind the Sierra crest.
Reinvention in the 1980s
The original structure served guests for nearly four decades before time and weather began to take their toll.
In 1986, the aging lodge was sold to a group of Bay Area families who saw both its historic charm and its need for major reconstruction.
A year later, in June 1987, Sunnyside reopened following a significant rebuild. The renovation expanded the lodge to 23 rooms and suites and dramatically enlarged its lakefront deck — today widely regarded as one of the largest outdoor dining decks on Lake Tahoe.
The rebuilt lodge also embraced the classic “Old Tahoe” style, incorporating river-rock fireplaces, natural wood interiors and antler-inspired décor to preserve its rustic character.
A Living Piece of Tahoe History
Today, Sunnyside continues to operate under the management of TS Restaurants, a family-owned hospitality group.
While the structure has grown and modernized, the spirit of those mid-century summers remains.
Visitors still arrive by boat, bike and car to gather on the deck overlooking the same sweeping view of Lake Tahoe enjoyed by guests in 1955.
Signature dishes — including fried zucchini and the restaurant’s well-known Hula Pie — have become traditions in their own right.
For longtime Tahoe residents and historians alike, Sunnyside represents more than a restaurant or lodge. It is a rare survivor from the era when Lake Tahoe’s shoreline culture was shaped by small family lodges, wooden boats and long, sunlit afternoons.
More than seventy years after that busy July of 1955, the scene at Sunnyside still echoes the same invitation: pull up to the dock, step onto the deck, and stay awhile.
