Las Vegas Tours Tips
Read these 10 Las Vegas Tours Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Las Vegas tips and hundreds of other topics.
Fisher Space Pen Factory
Located in Boulder City, this little factory is a great stop along the way to Hoover Dam. The Fisher Space Pen was selected by NASA because it writes in zero gravity and has been used on every manned space flight since 1968. In fact, Fisher Space Pens are so cool, they also perform in temperatures from -30°F to +250°F, underwater and at any angle--even upside down! The Fisher Space Pen is unconditionally guaranteed to give outstanding service both here on Earth and in space and is the perfect choice for anyone who demands reliability in a writing instrument. Made at the factory in Boulder City, you can own your own Fisher Space Pen by stopping by the store located at the front of the factory. Used by ski patrols, search and rescue teams, law enforcement agencies, and the armed forces, they also make perfect gifts for your friends who love science and technology. The Fisher Space Pen factory is located at 711 Yucca St. in Boulder City, Nevada
Favorite Brands International Marshmallow Factory
In 1988, this marshmallow factory was destroyed when a factory next door blew up. They were cleaning up marshmallow in Henderson for weeks afterward. What a mess. Happily, the marshmallow factory is open for business again, including self-guided tours of the plant and production line. It's a good idea to check with the plant ahead of time so you know when the machinery will actually be running. When it is, you can see how they cook the marshmallow mixture and then blow air into it to create the fluffy treats we know and love. The best thing about this tour? It's free, and they even offer a discount bag of mini-marshmallows at the end of the tour! The Favorite Brands Marshmallow Factory is located at 1180 Marshmallow Lane in Henderson. Call 702-393-7308 for more information.
Jubilee! All Access Backstage Walking Tour
This exclusive backstage tour of one of Las Vegas' longest running stage shows is a must for everyone visiting Las Vegas. You'll get an intimate look at what it really takes to put on a Vegas show. Tours are led by a showgirl from Jubilee!, who'll show you some of the designer costumes, the lighting and sound booths, the sets, the stage, dressing rooms, and much more. Tours are $15, but if you see the show they are only $10. That's a true Las Vegas bargain! Jubilee! has run for 20 years at Bally's, so you're not only seeing what happens behind the scenes, you're seeing a little bit of Las Vegas history. There are some narrow, steep stairs during the tour, so it may not be appropriate for everyone. You can get tickets by visiting the Bally's or Paris box offices.
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
If you've ever wanted to see how they make your favorite chocolate candies, then this is the tour for you! Ethel M's is another sweet factory located in Henderson, on the corner of Sunset and Mountain Vista, to be exact. You can combine this tour with the marshmallow tour and have quite the sugar overload by the end of the day! This factory tour is also self-guided so you can take it at your own pace, and it's free, too. This is a really interesting tour that shows how the chocolates are created, filled, coated, and packaged ready for sale. After you finish the factory tour, make sure to leave some time for the beautiful botanical cactus gardens out back. They show desert landscaping at its best. The factory and gardens are open daily for tours from 8:30am to 7:00pm. You can find out more by calling 702-435-2641. You can arrange special group tours by calling that number, too.
Neon Graveyard
The Neon Graveyard, located near downtown Las Vegas is located on McWilliams and Encanto, and it's where old, discarded neon signs go to die. You may have seen it in several movies filmed in Las Vegas, including "Mars Attacks," "Vegas Vacation," and many more. Often called "The Boneyard," the area is now managed by the Neon Museum, and they'll give tours by appointment only. Regular appointment hours are Tuesday-Friday between 11:00 AM-5:00 PM. Other days and times subject to staff and volunteer availability. Tours cost $5, and you can arrange to photograph or video the signs if you contact the museum ahead of time for their permission. These signs are some of the fascinating history of an entertainment town, and if you have time to visit the Neon Graveyard, don't miss it!
Champagne Shopping Tour
This is the ultimate Las Vegas tour for shop-a-holics! Vegas has become quite a shopping Mecca, and this tour will show you some of the best bargains in the Vegas area. You'll visit the Primm factory outlet mall, which includes such high-end retailers as Coach, Escada, Burberry, and Versace. With over 100 shops, you're sure to find bargains you simply cannot live without. Enjoy a bottle of champagne on the way or on the return trip. The tour also includes discounts, a $20 gift certificate, and more. Find out more by checking with your hotel front desk or concierge, or by calling Vegas.com (866) 807-4697 and asking about the Champagne Shopping Tour.
Haunted Vegas Show and Tour
This really unique tour begins with a short half-hour show introducing some of Vegas' most haunted and ghostly sites. Then, tour goers board buses for a two-hour search for the most haunted sites in Las Vegas. They'll also learn a little bit about Las Vegas history as they stop along the way to visit some of the spookier sites. Even some long-time locals were surprised about the number of supposedly haunted sites in town. The show and tour begins in the Celebrity Room at the Greek Isles Hotel & Casino. It runs every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday at 9:00 PM. The show is dark Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Tickets are $46.25 and $57.25. For more information call the Greek Isles Box Office at 702-737-5540.
Cycle Las Vegas Bike Tours
If you want to get off-road and really enjoy Las Vegas there are several bike tours available. You can tour Mt. Charleston or Red Rock Canyon by bike on several different affordable tours guided by professionals. This is really one way to see the beautiful landscape quite up close and personal, and on some of the tours you may even catch a glimpse of wildlife such as the famous Nevada wild mustangs. If you really want to see the desert and mountains surrounding Las Vegas, this is the way to do it. You can call 888-609-5665 or 702-243-0181 for more information on these and other bike tours in the area.
Las Vegas Entertainment For Child - The Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam has often been referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World. If you have flown in from the east or the south, you might have seen it from the air, but nothing can compare to seeing it up close and in person. Built between 1931 - 1935 to harness the flow of the Colorado River, Hoover Dam is primarily responsible for storing the water used by people and agriculture in the desert southwest including Arizona, California, and Nevada. California is entitled to 4,400,000 acre-feet, Arizona 2,800,000 acre-feet, and Nevada, 300,000 acre-feet a year from the river, and the dam stores it for constant release regardless of season. Sitting only 30 miles from the Strip, it is also one of the top Las Vegas tourist attractions for visitors. Visiting the dam is a unique experience! With US 93 running across it, you are completely free to roam on the top of the dam. The view over the edge 550+ feet in the air and down Black Canyon on the Colorado River is worth the trip all by itself. For a $4 admission, the visitor's center contains quite a bit of historical and interesting photos and exhibits.
However, the real fun are the two tours offered. The shorter tour is fine for most. Taking 30 minutes, you go down into the dam and view the generators and are taken at to the base of the dam, where you can peer down the canyon and up toward the top of the towering structure. However, if you have a sense of adventure or are more interested in the technical inner workings, the one-hour Hard Hat tours is a must. You descend into the side of the dam in an elevator cut through the volcanic rock, and after a short walk through a pure rock tunnel, emerge in the generator room. Unlike the short tour, you are taken via another elevator to the floor of the generating area where you stand next to the huge encased turbines.
You are also taken into tunnels where you can see the huge pipes that were buried in the walls of the canyon. A real highlight of this trip is touring the inside of the dam itself, which is lined with two miles of tunnels that serve both for drainage (all dams have a minor amount of seepage inside) and inspection. When looking down over the edge of the dam (and especially looking up from the bottom), you might notice a few vents on the side of the dam. Guess what -- on the hard hat tour you can actually walk to the vent and peer out at the canyon from the inner center of the dam. Truly amazing. The tours is not for the claustrophobic, especially the hard hat tour where you take 10 separate elevator rides with 20 people to each elevator car, and also walk the interior tunnels of the dam which are around 5 feet wide and 7 feet tall.
The visitor center is open from 8:00 AM to 5:45 PM. Tours start at 8:30 AM and run the remainder of the day. Parking on the Nevada side (in the garage) is $3.00. Parking on the Arizona side is free. The Traditional tour is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $2 for kids 7 - 16. The Hard Hat tour is $25 and includes a hard hat which you get to keep.
Las Vegas Fun - A Helicopter Tour in Las Vegas
See the Grand Canyon in a Jet Helicopter. For years a comapny called Maverick Helicopters has been providing a true VIP Helicopter experience of the Grand Canyon.
They give you an adventure of a lifetime and not just another tour of the Grand Canyon. All Grand Canyon flights include a return over the Las Vegas Strip! Or you can enjoy a helicopter tour of the attractions in Las Vegas a la carte.
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| Christina Chan |
