Historic Shakespeare Ranch in Lake Tahoe

This home is not currently for sale.

The 129-acre Shakespeare Ranch in Glenbrook, Nevada is for sale, just the third time in its 150 year history.

Long before an exclusive enclave of homes were built at the base of Spooner Summit there were lumber mills, preparing the trees clear-cut around Lake Tahoe for lumber to support the hundreds of miles of silver mines in Virginia City during the Comstock days.

The Bliss family owned the land then, and the whole area was called Glenbrook because of the protected glen and brook that flows through it. After action in the silver mines slowed down, Glenbrook became a summer vacation destination for the affluent San Francisco family where presidents stopped by for a stay in the early 1900s. The Glenbrook Inn that was built there was operated by the Bliss Family until the 1970s

As the Bliss family sold off their property, the ranch that is currently for sale became Shakespeare Ranch, leaving the name Glenbrook for the community. It got its name from a local legend claiming you can see the image of the Old Bard himself on the face of the huge mountain that overlooks Glenbrook Bay.

The home has 200 feet of lakefront, seven guest houses, five private buoys, a 5,111 square-foot entertainment barn, an indoor pool, wine-tasting cellar, horse stables and rodeo grounds.

“They don’t make barns like this in Texas," said former President George W. Bush after stepping foot inside Shakespeare Ranch’s 5,111 square foot Entertainment Barn. Inside the barn there is a gourmet kitchen, wine room, and full saloon-style bar.

Each July, Keep Memory Alive hosts its annual Shakespeare Ranch Summer Social and Rodeo featuring a weekend of fun and fundraising. This year it will be held July 28-29 and will have restaurateur Emeril Lagasse taking over the kitchen to prepare an extraordinary dinner, a rodeo and a top-notch private performance by a surprise A-list entertainer. Past headliners have included Robin Williams, Jay Leno, Lionel Richie, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Kenny Loggins and the band America.

Property highlights include a lakefront home, over 200 feet of lake frontage on Lake Tahoe with a community pier and launch service to 5 private boat buoys. This historic ranch boasts nearly 35,000 square feet of improvements including a historic entertainment barn built in 1873 with chef's kitchen and plans for a new approximately 9,500 square foot estate home with garage. There are 7 guest homes and cabins, and along with the barn, office and pool building, feature 15 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, 7 kitchens and many garages centered around a green with gazebo, in close proximity to the common buildings and amenities. The 5,111 square foot Entertainment Barn was built in 1873 then moved to its present location and restored by the current owners, outfitted with a gourmet kitchen and wine room for celebrity events. Outside, the buildings frame a large central grass courtyard, the site of many parties on warm summer evenings, and fireside events when the snow flies.

There is a grand Pool House with indoor pool and steam spa, fireside dining, an outdoor hot tub, a fully equipped gym, an art loft, an executive office suite, a staging kitchen for catering, and guest bathrooms. There are horse stables with paddocks, a greenhouse, vegetable gardens, animal enclosures, rodeo grounds with pens and bleachers.