Exploring the 726-foot-tall Hoover Dam, 30 miles from Las Vegas, becomes a treasured vacation memory for those taking the special tour that features a cruise on Lake Mead, time to appreciate the Dam’s history, and a sweet stop at a candy factory.
During a luxury coach trip departing from Las Vegas, an expert guide/driver regales passengers with information about the area and fun-filled details about what their day will bring.
Sightseers pass through the picturesque town of Boulder City, the community built by the federal government to house approximately 5,000 Hoover Dam workers and their families. Working conditions during the project were dangerous and intolerable; wages ranged from 50 cents to $1.25.
- Panoramic views and photo opportunities
- Las Vegas Valley and surrounding area
- Narrated luxury motorcoach tour to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead
- Boulder City
- Hoover Dam history and artwork
- Historical film
- Hoover Dam’s W.W.II gun emplacement
- Optional tour of the dam’s interior, inclusive
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- Cruise aboard a paddlewheeler to Hoover Dam
- Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Botanical Cactus Garden
- Complimentary lunch
At the Dam, sightseers will have two hours to browse through the Visitor Center where they can view a 10-minute film with incredible historical footage, and then peer over the structure which contains enough concrete to lay a sidewalk from San Francisco to New York City. Contrary to popular myth, there are no bodies buried in the 4.5 million cubic yards of concrete.
Worth noting are the W.W.II gun emplacement, amazing artwork, such as the two bronze 30-foot winged figures and a marble chart showing the position of the stars when the dam was dedicated on September 30, l935. Close by are the plaque dedicated to a stray dog adopted by construction workers and intricate terrazzo floors with Native America designs. Tours of the dam’s interior are optional.
Visitors depart the Dam for the lake formed by Hoover Dam and a 90-minute cruise aboard a Mississippi-style paddlewheeler hosted by Lake Mead Cruises. During the narrated excursion to the back side of the Dam, a complimentary lunch is served in the climate-controlled enclosed deck. Outside promenade decks offer a sense of the immense size of Lake Mead and views of the surrounding mountains, wildlife, and the Dam.
Guests also have an opportunity to tour Ethel M Chocolate Factory in Henderson to watch the confections being made and receive a sample goodie. Ethel M’s is known for its Botanical Cactus Garden and the walking tour that showcases hundreds of desert plants. During December, the garden is decorated in millions of Christmas lights.
|