The Las Vegas area is more than flashy casinos, restaurants, and shows. There's also a lot of interesting things to enjoy outside of the city such as the Hoover Dam. The dam itself is just over 20 miles from Las Vegas itself and can be reached by car from Interstate 515/U.S Highway 93/95. The dam is located on Hoover Dam Access Road, which is just half a mile west of the dam itself on Highway 93.
On the Way
There's also a lot for you to see on the way to this engineering marvel. Just off the interstate, you can find the Clark County Museum .sitting on Boulder Highway in Henderson. This 30-acre site tells the story of southern Nevada in all it's glory Some of its best-known exhibits include the Anna Robert Parks exhibit hall, which gives you a history of the Las Vegas area from the ice age all the way to the mid 20th century. Sitting near the exhibit hall is a fantastic mix of late 19th and early 20th century buildings that have been restored to show what Clark County life was like in those days. On Heritage Street, as the collection is called, you can even see a version of the original 1932 Boulder City train depot.
Just three miles away from the dam site, Boulder City was built with the expressed purpose of housing the workers who built the Hoover Dam, which was then referred to as the Boulder Dam. It's also a modern tourist destination, and one of the town's best places to visit is the Nevada State Railroad Museum's Boulder City branch. There are plenty of old trains on display from the early-to-mid 20th century, most of which have been beautifully restored. On most weekends, you can ride along the Nevada Southern railway in century-old Pullman coaches that have been refurbished with modern comforts, but there's also on open-air coach on the train for those who want a better view of the scenery.
At the Hoover Dam
When you reach the dam itself, be sure to head to the Hoover Dam visitor center. This place tells the story of how the dam was built, how the dam operates, and how much water flows through it every year. You can also purchase tickets for guided tours of the power plant and the passageways between the dam. When you take these tours, your family can enjoy a unique view of what many consider a modern-day wonder of the world.
