We stopped at the Hoover Dam on our way back to Las Vegas after the Grand Canyon. I really didn’t have a plan for coming here, nor had I planned to do the tour, but I am really glad we did!
Before going to the parking lot, or crossing the dam, your car will be inspected. We had to roll down all our windows – they quickly looked in and let us go. We did see them pull over several cars though.
We paid to park in the parking garage right near the visitor’s center. If we didn’t have 6 kids, I probably would have driven farther to the free parking, but with kids and the heat (it was hot, even though it was only the end of March), it was worth the $10 to pay for parking and not have to walk a mile or more.
If you plan to go into the visitors center, DON’T bring ANY snacks. Doh! We made this mistake without realizing it. We had snacks in our backpack (because – kids! I always have snacks), so my husband had to run it back to the van (another good reason for parking close!), but he was not happy about it…
We decided to do the tour. Mainly because it runs continuously, and we didn’t have to wait. DO NOT just pay for the visitor’s center. It is NOT worth the money!! It is small and does not have very much in there. The tour and the visitor’s center is worth the money together, but don’t just pay for the museum/visitor’s center.
The tour runs every 15 minutes. This tour is VERY well run! I was so surprised that it runs so smoothly! Like they must have gotten training from Disney or something on how to run a tour/attraction well. So good with very little wait! There is a more expensive and longer tour – however, small children can NOT go on that tour and it does not run as often, but I have heard it is worth the money! We were there the day they re-opened the tour after an elevator refurbishment, so maybe that is why it was running so well? It was great though.
You start with a video. I am not usually a fan of these types of videos, but this video was short but gives you an excellent overview of the Hoover Dam. Less than 10 minutes and gives me everything I need to know! I dislike when they are like 20-30 minutes. Give me that information faster! HA! Short Attention span here.
Then you take a quick elevator ride down 530 feet. The ride is just over a minute! You start by viewing the huge 30-foot diameter pipes that transfer the water through the dam!
Next, you head to the Power plant generators!
After the generators, you are taken back up to the visitor’s center/exhibit level. Be sure to go out to the Observation Deck. You will get spectacular views of the Dam and the bridge! They have an open and enclosed viewing area. I kept the little ones in the enclosed area – to help with my mommy anxiety! Great views from either area.
The exhibit/museum/visitor’s center was underwhelming – I guess we’ve been to lots of museums/visitor’s centers and we are picky, but I would have never paid just to go in here. I would have felt ripped off. The tour was totally worth it though. I think we took like 10 maybe 15 minutes in the exhibit hall and left.
After the Tour, we HAD to walk across the Dam. So we walked across, took some pictures, and called it a good day! Stopped by the gift shop and went back on our way to Vegas!
I am so glad we stopped and decided to splurge on the tour. It was well worth the money and extremely well run (especially for the government!)
