Historic Tahoe ranch visited by Robin Williams, Jay Leno for sale for record $98 million

Shakespeare Ranch is a 133-acre landmark Tahoe lakefront ranch now offered for sale for only the second time in history since 1861. Shakespeare Ranch combines vistas as grand as Montana and Wyoming range lands with nearby ski resorts steeped in Olympic heritage to rival Aspen and Vail, a lakeside golf course more intimate than Pebble Beach, and a yachting paradise on par with the Caribbean.

The ranch lies within the gated community of Glenbrook, the oldest settlement in Nevada founded in 1860 by Maine sea captain Augustus W. Pray. With the feel of a New England village, Glenbrook offers a preeminent year-round lifestyle like no other single destination in the World combined with Nevada tax benefits — all just four hours from San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley, and under an hour by air.

Property highlights include over 423 feet of sandy shoreline on Lake Tahoe, a 397-foot shared pier with boat lift, 5 boat buoys, and nearly 40,000 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 17 guest homes and cabins, and along with the barn, office and pool building, feature 25 bedrooms, 25 bathrooms, 13 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. “They don’t make barns like this in Texas,” President Bush told the owners when he visited the ranch one summer.

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 fireside dining, an outdoor spa, a root cellar converted to a wine tasting room, 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 green house, vegetable gardens, animal enclosures, rodeo grounds with pens and bleachers where the annual “Glenbrook Rodeo” is held, and the iconic Shakespeare Rock monolith lies within the estate, a backdrop for this awe inspiring hamlet.

The annual “Glenbrook Rodeo” is a tradition dating back to the 1940s, revived by the current owners in 2000, featuring bull riding, bronco riding, ribbon roping, and barrel racing. In addition to the rodeo, there are carnival games and a silent auction followed by an extraordinary dinner prepared by restaurateur Emeril Lagasse at the barn. The evening also features 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.

No other land holding on the shores of Lake Tahoe can be created in the image of the historic Shakespeare Ranch, with its fields and streams, forest and mountain, sandy beach and crystal waters that open to some of most accessible, yet unspoiled shoreline, hidden coves and boulder bays alongside well provisioned harbors, waiting to be explored.

—By Sierra Sotheby’s