KINGS BEACH, Calif. – Throughout the summer season, Kings Beach is bustling with activity. From a long day spent soaking in the sunshine beachfront, to shopping through the storefronts; this North Lake Tahoe town is the epitome of a summer in Lake Tahoe. Coming to the radar back in 2021, a new, collaborative space joined the Kings Beach business landscape and is celebrating its third summer in town: Tahoe Backyard. 

Inspired to create a unique, collaborative space for businesses, creators, and the community, Tahoe Backyard is an outdoor community gathering space “where folks can connect and engage under the trees.” 

“[The owners] have an incredible space here, their vision for a community gathering space that was art, community, and music-based was really something that was special,” Nicole Stirling, property manager for Tahoe Backyard said. 

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Right at the end of the pandemic in 2021, the space foreclosed, bringing in the new property owners, which have fully revived and refreshed Tahoe Backyard, bringing the creative, collaborative commonspace that Tahoe Backyard is today. 

“Four new property owners purchased Tahoe Backyard, and their vision was to create this community space that can be used by small businesses in our community and tourists and community members that people can really enjoy,” Stirling said. 

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The space that encompasses Tahoe Backyard currently permanently hosts two staple businesses in the Kings Beach community, Bear Belly Brewing Company and Chickadee Art Collective. An artist herself, Stirling was initially convinced to become apart of the Tahoe Backyard team after being presented to showcase her art at Chickadee Art Collective. Currently, Chickadee hosts Stirling’s art, along with 55 other local artists in the Lake Tahoe area. 

Along with the two concrete businesses that are located onsite, Tahoe Backyard has been proactively working towards bringing three additional container business stalls to the property, bringing a total of five businesses to the communal backyard. 

“We are aiming to get those businesses here by summer 2024 and that will fully complete the site,” Stirling said. “We currently have and will continue to have fun events like makers markets, live music, poetry nights, and people can also rent the space out for private events.” 

While the Tahoe Backyard space is a host for community gathering on a daily basis, the space is also available to rent for private events, such as weddings, receptions, and birthday parties. This summer season, Tahoe Backyard has had several event coordinators host unique events, such as a LatinX celebration fundraiser, a recurring “Poetry Night” event that occurs on the second Wednesday of every month, and recurring Makers Markets, that take place two Saturdays every month. 

“It’s really been something that has blossomed and grown over the last two summers and we’re really happy to host that,” Stirling said. “We are always talking about new, fun events we can host here, and we are always working to constantly grow to utilize the space to the fullest.” 

With the evolving space continuously growing their event calendar and working towards bringing more businesses to the backyard, Tahoe Backyard also has three spots available onsite for food trucks with plug-ins available. 

“We’ve got plenty of space for our vendors, live music, and food trucks at all of our events,” Stirling said. “Eventually we’d like to have more food offerings here in Kings Beach, and with the accommodations that have been made on property for the food trucks that come to Tahoe Backyard, it’s been something that’s been helpful and necessary for our community to have a great and growing food scene.”

Looking forward, Tahoe Backyard encourages local community members, makers, creators, and businesses to come out and get involved to continue to support and grow the Tahoe Backyard vision.

“Come on out and enjoy the talent that our community has to offer,” Stirling said. “We’ve got a lot of folks making and providing amazing things here, and we want you to come out and enjoy it with us. We are looking forward to growing with our community as Kings Beach continues to be beautified and modernized over the next couple of years, and we hope to continue to grow with our community and provide a safe, beautiful space for everybody to enjoy together.” 

Tahoe Backyard is located at 8428 Trout Avenue in Kings Beach, Calif. 96143. Tahoe Backyard is open Wednesday – Sunday. For more information on Tahoe Backyard’s hours, events, and businesses, visit tahoebackyard.com or email them at backyardtahoe@gmail.com. 

Madison Schultz is a reporter for the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun.