Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Botanical Cactus Gardens Details
- Hours of operation: Open daily, 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. Live chocolate production hours vary, but are generally Monday - Friday until 4:30 p.m. Chocolate factory workers are not available on Saturdays and Sundays. Please call for more details.
- Cost: Free.
- Payment options: Not applicable.
- Reservations: Reservations not necessary.
- Location: Roughly 10 miles from the Strip, near Mountain Vista and Sunset Road.
- Age/Height/Weight restrictions: Not applicable.
Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Botanical Cactus Gardens Description
Holiday Cactus Garden
Wind
your way through more than 600,000 sparkling lights in the a sprawling
3-acre Botanical Cactus Garden as Ethel M Chocolates presents its 20th
Annual Holiday Cactus Garden, Nov. 13 through Jan. 1 from 5 p.m. to 10
p.m. Free and open to the public, the holiday hot spot will boast live
entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays as well as photos with Santa on
Fridays through Sundays.
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If
you want to take a break from the Las Vegas Strip, see the making of
chocolate and wouldn't mind a free sample, Ethel M is sure to be a sweet
stop.
Located on the southeast side of town, Ethel M Chocolate
Factory and Botanical Cactus Garden is only a 15-minute drive from the
Strip. If you've ever eaten Ethel M Chocolates, they were made here.
Forrest Mars Sr. opened the location in 1981. This is the only Ethel M
factory in the world. He named the brand after his mother Ethel, who
made chocolates from scratch -- right in their own kitchen.
The
factory follows the same traditions of Ethel's kitchen. The recipe for
the chocolate never changed. To this day, chocolates are still
hand-packed into the boxes. While you're touring the facility, see
chocolate in the making through the factory's windows. In addition to
chocolate, the factory also creates pecan brittle, peanut butter and
caramel.
Picking up a piece of chocolate and popping it in your
mouth only takes a second. Preparing the filling, texture and shape of
it takes a lot longer. In fact, this factory has a series of pipes,
conveyer belts and tanks that hold 20,000 and 35,000 gallons of
chocolate. Workers actually have to be latched into belts so they don't
fall into the chocolate!
At the Ethel M Chocolate Factory,
visitors witness the time and effort it takes to create that perfect
morsel. After seeing and smelling the rich aroma of these sweets, we bet
you won't be able to wait to devour a piece. You get a sample of your
favorite chocolate in the retail area.
There are plenty of
chocolates to choose from that are fit for all tastes. Select from white
chocolate, dark chocolate and milk chocolate with fillings like fruit,
caramel or nuts. The store offers festive flavors and box packaging
during Valentine's Day, Easter and Christmas. If you're purchasing
chocolate during the summer, you'll be given an ice pack so your treats
won't melt. Since the chocolates are preservative-free, the freshness of
each package only lasts two weeks. But we're pretty sure you'll be done
with the box before then. The gift shop includes M&M's chocolates
and souvenir items.
Ready to walk off all those calories from the
chocolate? Just next door is the unique, three-acre Botanical Cactus
Garden. It features more than 300 types of cactus including spotted
aloe, agave plants, Texas prickly pears and yuccas. Flowers bloom
starting from the end of April to the beginning of May. During the
holiday season, the garden transforms into a breathtaking winter
wonderland complete with lights, festive decorations, Santa visits and
carolers.
Even after more than three decades, Ethel M Chocolate
Factory has maintained its popularity. Almost 1 million visitors from
all over the world visit each year. After all, who would ever get tired
of chocolate?
Holiday Cactus Garden
Wind
your way through more than 600,000 sparkling lights in the a sprawling
3-acre Botanical Cactus Garden as Ethel M Chocolates presents its 20th
Annual Holiday Cactus Garden, Nov. 13 through Jan. 1 from 5 p.m. to 10
p.m. Free and open to the public, the holiday hot spot will boast live
entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays as well as photos with Santa on
Fridays through Sundays.
Life doesn't get any sweeter than this.
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