Las Vegas is a man made attraction that has attracted thousands of people from all across the world. Las Vegas is known for their casinos and bright neon lights. There are several Clark County communities that come together to form Las Vegas including Henderson which has the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, you don’t have to like gambling to come to Las Vegas, there are many other options including several natural outdoor recreational activities. One of these options is Lake Mead National Recreation Area which is near Boulder City and the Valley of Fire State Park. And then there is no shortage of clubs along the Las Vegas Strip that you can choose from to keep you busy all night long. Despite the size of Las Vegas it isn’t the capital of Nevada. Carson City is the capital of Nevada and is located near Reno and Lake Tahoe. Many choose to come to Carson City as a result of its close proximity to outdoor activities including many skiing and snowboarding sites in the winter. Although, like most large cities in Nevada you can still find some casinos if you want to do a little gambling while you are there.
There is no shortage of accommodation in Nevada and many of them are the hippest hotels you will find in the entire United States. Many of these hotels come with excellent service and amenities so the only hard trouble is figuring out which one you want to stay at. However, if you are looking for something a little different than the standard Las Vegas hotels you should consider the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa. This hotel isn’t located along the strip, instead most rooms overlook the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation and the architecture and design is built to look like the natural wonder that it overlooks. So this makes it an excellent option for those who want outdoors in their Las Vegas vacation.
The Hoover Dam gets its name from the country’s 31st President Herbert Hoover who was supporting the project long before he became the President. It was, in fact, during his stint as the Secretary of Commerce that Hoover began developing a plan that would tame the unruly Colorado River and provide necessary electricity and irrigation to the peoples of Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona. It culminated in the legislation called the Boulder Canyon Project Act that was passed in 1928. Hoover Dam’s measurements are mind blowing, especially for the early 1930s. Workers used 4,360,000 cubic yards of pure concrete in its construction, making the dam the first edifice to contain more masonry than Egypt’s Great Pyramids. The dam itself now ranks in as the 18th highest dam in the world, standing 726.4 feet tall and measuring 1,244 feet wide at the top of the structure. The dam weighs an estimated 6.6 million tons!
In addition to the production of power and irrigation measures for the Southwest, Hoover Dam also created a fantastic body of water, Lake Mead. A whopping 146,000 acres, Lake Mead is a fantastic destination that is visited by flocks of individuals each year. The warm Nevada sunshine graces the lake that is situated a few miles from Sin City itself, Las Vegas. If you are interested in visiting Hoover Dam, be sure to check out the visitor’s center and take a behind the scenes tour. Completed in the mid-1990s, the visitor’s center is interactive and full of information about the building and purpose of the dam. If you plan on going on a walking tour, be sure to bring your walking shoes, as you will walk across the very top of the dam itself.