SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Imagine you’re on the beautiful waters of Lake Tahoe during sunset, and you’re feeling the curiosity and thrilling suspense of trying to solve a murder mystery, all while learning some of Lake Tahoe’s rich history? Yes please, sign me up. Boat Tahoe is launching an all new Murder Mystery Sunset Cruise starting May 15, and it’s sure to leave you with some pretty amazing memories.
Boat Tahoe, now in their sixth year of business, strives to give unique experiences to its guests. Known for customizable experiences and boating adventures such as Morning Tea & Biscotti By The Emerald Bay Tea House, and the Godfather Crime Tour, Boat Tahoe has drafted up one more to add to its list.
With seven locations on the Murder Mystery Cruise, the tour was designed to keep the concept of Lake Tahoe’s true history at the forefront while intertwining a fabricated story of murder set in 1959. As the story unfolds, Lake Tahoe’s gorgeous landscape becomes part of the adventure, turning its visually stunning waters into the setting, the backdrop, and part of the mystery.
Leaving from the Tahoe Keys Marina, the cruise heads to the Valhalla Boat House before making its way to Emerald Bay, including Fannette Island, Vikingsholm Castle, the underwater sunken ship at the depths of Emerald Bay State Underwater Park, and finally, the Rubicon cliffs where intrigue is peaked and the truth is revealed.
“Tahoe is the main star of the show,” said Zach Koneffko, owner of Boat Tahoe. “I don’t want to take away from that. At each location, the captain of the boat tells the true history of that location, and then we play an audio file. At three locations, [the guests] get photographic evidence, and it allows them, as a group, to try and solve the mystery.”
Koneffko highlights that the great thing about this tour is the balance of interaction and relaxation. “I didn’t want to overwhelm the whole tour with things to do, so I wanted it to be a good balance where it’s still relaxing, you’re still getting the sights of Tahoe, but at the same time, this is an add-on game to it.”
Like many of the ideas Koneffko has turned into a reality, this one was thrown around while talking with friends about how much fun it would be to play a game like this on the lake.
“This is probably the most thought-out and interactive experience that we’ve done,” said Koneffko.
With some of the nicest charter boats on Lake Tahoe, Boat Tahoe has four vessels, three of which are Bowrider power boats, and their newest addition, a pontoon boat. “I make sure they’re as high quality as possible, because that’s the experience I want to give. I would rather pay extra for a boat to make sure people are on something they love.”
Although the Murder Mystery Cruise is available to take place on any of their four boats, they are limiting the time of this adventure to sunset hours, with Koneffko noting that sunset matches the murder mystery vibe perfectly.
Boat Tahoe opens for the season May 1, and will be offering the Murder Mystery Sunset Cruise starting May 15. Price points for this cruise start at $589 for groups of up to six people, and can have parties of up to 13.
To book your adventure, or to learn more about Boat Tahoe, visit https://www.boat-tahoe.com/, or check out their instagram: @boattahoe. They can be reached by phone at (530) 208-0211. Boat Tahoe operates out of the Tahoe Keys Marina.
