Using a California Gold Rush inheritance, enigmatic San Francisco bon vivant George Whittell Jr. constructed his Castle-in-the-Sky, Thunderbird Lodge, in the midst of a vast land holding spanning almost the entire length of Lake Tahoe's Nevada shoreline. Visitors tour the main house, the servants' quarters, the kitchen, a stone Card House perched above a crystal-clear lagoon, and a 600' secret tunnel leading to the opium den and the steel boathouse. Seeing the famous 55' art-deco mahogany speedboat, THUNDERBIRD yacht, is a tour highlight. Thunderbird Lodge National Historic Site is open to the public for guided tours, weddings, special and corporate events.