New Year's celebrations in South Lake Tahoe

For many years the only action on the South Shore for New Year's Eve was the street-closing celebration at Stateline. While thousands still head to the casino corridor for the changing of the year, there are many more options for revelers.

Heavenly Holidays wraps up their two-week celebration at Heavenly Village with a family friendly New Year's Eve celebration from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. There will be an outdoor concert, ice sculpting, fire dancers, a photo booth and face painters. At 9 p.m. (midnight on the east coast), a gondola car will make it's way down the mountain to a countdown and fireworks.

SnowGlobe will be wrapping up their three day outdoor concert on December 31 with shows going until 1:00 a.m. Tickets aren't sold out yet, but they expect that to happy by Thursday. For more information, visit their website.

Newly opened "The Loft" will have a special dinner show with award winning magician Tony Clark as well as dancing and cocktail party in their new upscale lounge. Check their website out for more details.

Highway 50 through the casino corridor will close around 10:30 p.m., or whenever the gathering crowd warrants cutting off car traffic. The best bet to miss the traffic after closure is to get to that end of town prior to 9 p.m. if that area is on your plan for the evening. Parking does let up for a bit near Heavenly Village after the fireworks show is over after 9:00 p.m.

All of the casino nightclubs, the Improv at Harvey's, Jimmy's Restaurant at the Landing, the M.S. Dixie II cruise, and other local bars and restaurants will have special menus and midnight activities.

Whatever you choose to do, have a safe, and happy new year!