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| - The boy and I were in Las Vegas for a few days and wanted to get away from the strip for awhile, so we decided to visit the Hoover Dam, as neither of us had ever been. This national landmark is just absolutely amazing and must be experienced in person to appreciate it.
Parking is $10. We came during the summer (nightmare because of the heat) so it was pretty busy, so we had to drive around and park all the way at the top level. Seems like there was plenty of parking though because there were still open spots available. Make sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, hats, etc to protect yourself from the blistering sun.
The boy and I opted to do the Power Plant Tour which allows you to go on a 30 minute guided tour and grants you access to the Visitor Center. This was $15 a person for adults, $12 for seniors, juniors, or military, or free for military in uniform or children 0-3 years of age. The tour was very informative and I enjoyed it and taking pictures. After we were done with much of the tour, we actually got stuck and were unable to get back on the elevators. Everyone else seemed pretty upset, but things happen and it wasn't the fault of any of the workers. We were probably stuck for at least an hour. I took the time to rest and loved being out of the sun, and I got some more cool pictures. Because the main elevators didn't work, we actually got to go through some tunnels that you aren't allowed in on the PowerPlant Tour; only the Dam Tour gets to experience it! That was pretty awesome. Apparently, elevator malfunctions happen quite often, so don't get bent out of shape people. I worked in customer service for 6 years and no one appreciates getting yelled at, especially when it isn't their fault. Just remain cool and enjoy the Dam, damn it!
Even better, we were refunded $10 total. So, not only did we get to experience more than we paid for, we also were refunded part of the money. Can't say I had a bad day. After the tour, we went in the Visitor Center which is highly interactive and a great place for kids I think. We then checked out some other places and were able to get some pretty amazing photos.
If you're in the area, make sure not to miss the Hoover Dam. It's truly amazing that this work was done quite some time ago; such forward thinking!
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