Hosted by Grand Canyon Fun Trips, this eight-hour tour departs Las Vegas each morning for the Hoover Dam. Tourists travel through historic Boulder City, which was erected by the U.S. government to house the nearly 5,000 dam workers and their families. Upon their arrival, guests have two hours to tour the visitor center, view construction footage and tour the top portion of the dam. Guests then board a Mississippi-style paddlewheeler for a 90-minute narrated cruise of Lake Mead. A complimentary lunch is served in the vessel's climate-controlled enclosed deck. On the return trip, guests make a stop at Ethel M Chocolates and Botanical Cactus Garden in Henderson to view the chocolate-making process and sample the treats.
The Lost Wages tour company offers an extensive eight-hour tour of the dam. The Ultimate Dam Tour, which runs Monday through Friday, departs Vegas at 8 a.m. and guests are transported to dam where they meet their guide. Tourists travel 524 feet into the walls of Black Canyon to view the Nevada Powerwing and a collection of generators. The tour continues to the top of the dam, where guests learn how it was constructed and how the intake towers work, as well as about the company that built the dam. Time is allocated for a visit to the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum, and a lunch stop is made on the return trip. A short stop at Ethel M Chocolates is also included.
The Hoover Dam Adventure Tour also offers a combination land/water experience. Led by the Hoover Dam Tour Company, this tour departs the Miracle Mile for the dam daily at 9 a.m. An on-board narrator provides information about Las Vegas and Boulder City during the trip. Upon arrival, guests are granted access to the dam's visitor center, the exhibit halls and observation deck prior to traveling by van to the base of the dam. The subsequent portion of the tour is conducted on the water aboard a Coast Guard-approved raft, from which guests get close-up views of the dam and power plant during a 30-minute ride. This tour also gives tourists the chance to walk to the Arizona side of the Hoover Dam.
