The main entertainment in the Shasta Lake area centers on the lake itself. The cool thing to do is to rent a patio boat or houseboat and throw your own party on the water. As with cars, it’s necessary to designate a boat driver for your party to keep your friends and everyone else on the water safe.

The major annual festival at Shasta Lake each year is the Shasta Damboree (www.shastadamboree.com). Each May, a three-day weekend is devoted to family-friendly events that bring out the community and draw visitors to the region. The events feel typical of a good small-town celebration, with spaghetti feeds, pancake breakfasts, an arts-and-crafts area, and a parade and evening party with fireworks and live music. Check the website for dates and events for the coming year.

Some of the best drinking, pool playing, and occasional live music happens up on the northern Sacramento River Arm, just off the I-5 at The Basshole (20725 Lakeshore Dr., 530/238-2170, www.bassholebarandgrill.com, grill daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Tues. until 5 p.m., bar open until closing). Yeah, really, they went there. This bar, restaurant, pool hall, and bait shop comprise a single large hall for dining, drinking, and recreating, with the bait shop hiding in a tiny room just off the dining area.

The food is nothing special—burgers and dogs and fairly tasty hot fries are the house specialties, though for dinner they do put out an array of slightly fancier entrées. Locals don’t come here to eat, they come here for beer. Expect to find the occasional co-ed wet t-shirt contest and other such adult entertainment on summer weekend evenings.

Two other options are the Wonderland Tavern (15041 Wonderland Blvd., 530/275-2397) just off I-5 and the Idle Hour Bar and Grill (14961 Bear Mountain Rd., 530/275-0230), which sits south of the Silverthorn Resort, close to the intersection of Bear Mountain Road and Silverthorn Road.