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Las Vegas area Attractions
There are Arts and Museums for all ages and tastes:
Las Vegas Art Museum,
9600 West Sahara Ave., 360-8000,
Rainbow
Library, 3150 North Buffalo Dr., 243-7323, AND
Summerlin
Library and
Performing Arts Center, 1771 Inner Circle Dr., 256-5111
to name only a few, are all just minutes away from Sun
City, and all offer historical and contemporary international, national and
regional art.
Nevada
State Museum, 700 Twin Lakes Dr. in Lorenzi Park, 486-5205
– Check out the state fossil ichthyosaur, 48 feet long
and 225 million years old, and other extinct skeletal creatures.
See Mojave Desert animals and plants. In the History Gallery,
see how Las Vegas has grown over the last 100 years. In the
Changing Gallery through September 16, 2001, Nevada folk arts, past
and present, are the feature exhibit: Handed Down:
Nevada’s Living Folk Arts. Open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
admission: $2 for adults and free for children under 18.
The
Las Vegas Natural History Museum, 900 Las Vegas Blvd., North,
384-3466, features exhibits of Southern Nevada's plant and animal
life, as well as interesting displays of animated dinosaurs and
a children's hands-on exploration room--something your grandchildren
will enjoy.
The
Lied Discovery Children's Museum, located at 833 Las Vegas Blvd.,
North, 382-3445, with over 100 hands-on exhibits to touch, see,
explore and experience. This is one of the largest children's museums
in the USA.
If you are interested in learning about what grows and
thrives in this desert environment, three places are on our list:
Desert
Demonstration Gardens, 3701 West Alta Dr., 258-3205. The Las
Vegas Valley Water District has put together these gardens as a
horticultural resource center, well worth the self-guided tour,
and they offer free literature and classes.
Ethel-M Chocolates Factory and Cactus Garden Tour, 2 Cactus
Garden Dr., in Henderson, 433-2500, features a cactus garden with
a self-guided tour to view over 300 cacti and desert plants. And,
yes, the Chocolate Shop gives free samples!
The
Arboretum at the University of Nevada/Las Vegas, 4505 South
Maryland Pkwy., 895-3392, is another sampling of flora for our area.
Water, Water Everywhere . . .
If it's water you are looking for, why not
Take a hard-hat tour of the
Hoover Dam? US Highway 93,Boulder City, 294-3524.
Learn about the history, the engineering wonder, construction and
benefits of this National Historic Landmark, still the Western Hemisphere's
highest concrete dam.
Enjoy Lake Mead
Recreation Area, with boating, fishing, skiing, swimming.
AND
Lake
Mead Cruises, Lakeshore Rd., (State Hwy 166) Boulder City, 293-6180.
Enjoy a narrated scenic cruise aboard one of the showboat style
stern-wheelers, to view the dramatically beautiful shoreline with
its cliffs and coves, or from a personal watercraft.
AND
Try
Black Canyon River Rafting, 1297 Nevada Hwy., Boulder City,
293-3776. This group presents a 12-mile rapid-free raft tour down
the Colorado River, below Hoover Dam, featuring waterfalls, hot
springs, fascinating geology and history.
Nature's Backyard
Is escaping into nature’s backyard your forte? We have that close-by,
too:
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is only a few
minute’s drive from Sun City-Summerlin. Take Charleston Blvd., West
(State Hwy 159), 363-1921. Here you may escape into a world of peace
and quiet to drink in the natural beauty of colorful sandstone cliffs
and canyons of wildlife and desert scenery. The Visitor Center is
full of excellent native displays. If you like hiking, this is your
place, with trails for lazy ambling to very strenuous rock scrambling.
Make it a short soul-refreshing drive-through on the scenic loop
or a day-long trek, complete with picnic lunch.
Spring Mountain Ranch State Park is an historic spot not to
be missed in Red Rock Canyon, just West of the Scenic Loop Road
exit. The 100 year old main ranch house and grounds are open to
visitors interested in the history of the development of the Las
Vegas Valley. In the summertime, one may enjoy presentations by
the Super Summer Theater under the stars at Spring Mountain Ranch
State Park. Call 875-4141 for Ranch information.
While in the Red
Rock Canyon area, you may want to take in Bonnie Springs Old
Nevada, 875-4191, with its petting zoo, riding stables and Old West
entertainment. It’s just a short distance West of the Spring Mountain
Ranch. Then turn and re-trace your way on Hwy 159 for one more look
at the beauty of Red Rock Canyon as you head home.
Mt.
Charleston is part of the Spring Mountains, looming 11,918 feet
above sea level, and in the winter its snow-capped peaks are
a reminder that we are near a winter playground. Mt. Charleston
offers skiing, snow-boarding and sleigh rides in the wintertime,
and is a cool respite from summer heat. Take US 95 North to State
Hwy 157, for a relaxing trip in the high country of ancient bristlecone
pines, about an hour’s drive from Sun
City-Summerlin, making the loop to return via State Hwy 156
to US 95. For general information, call 222-1597.
Valley of Fire State Park is located approximately 50
miles North of Las Vegas on State Hwy 169, off I-15, and is a Fall,
Winter and Spring favorite. The Park, which has a well-appointed
Visitor Center, was once part of the Arrowhead Trail, a road linking
Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. The area with its red rock formations
was described as “a whole valley being on fire.” When work on roads
was completed, Valley of Fire became Nevada’s first state park,
in 1935. The entire park area is steeped in the history of the Anasazi
and Paiute Indians, with an abundance of fascinating petroglyphs.
There are picnic areas, restrooms, campgrounds and gook hiking .The
younger generation (and also the not-so-young!) enjoys scampering
over the rock formations. Call 397-2088.
Somewhat Farther Afield . . .
Farther afield, the attractions of the area also abound:
Ancient American Indian symbols and ruins stretch
across most of the West, with concentrations in Nevada, Utah and
Arizona, and are easy to reach.
Death Valley,
part of which claims the lowest spot in our hemisphere at 282 feet
below sea level, Furnace Creek and Scotty’s Castle are on the Nevada/California
border, near delightful Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
Across Nevada to the West, lies historic Virginia
City, queen of the Old West’s mining boom-towns. This grand
dame has capitalized on her past and is a thriving reminder of the
gold and silver mining days of this State, with all its glory. Call
(775) 847-0177 for local information.
Reno and
our State Capital, Carson
City, and the two beautiful lakes, Pyramid and Tahoe, top off
the list on the western edge of the state. These places and Virginia
City would make a nice week’s trip from Las Vegas.
Nevada’s only national park, Great
Basin National Park, is about 300 miles north of Las Vegas,
near Baker. Take US 93 North to US 6/50 East to reach this vista
of mountain peaks, lively streams, wildlife and the famous Lehman
Caves, one of the finest limestone caverns in the country... Call
(775) 234-7331 for more information. *
On the way to the Great Basin National Park, you will
pass Cathedral
Gorge State Park, near Panaca, the second oldest town in Nevada
(the oldest is Genoa, near Carson City). Cathedral Gorge is made
up of narrow, deep canyons, weirdly eroded, and grottos, with cathedral-like
buff-colored spires, which give the area its name.
Bryce Canyon National
Park, Cedar Breaks National
Monument, and Zion National
Park, all within a half-day’s drive in Southern Utah, are spots
of spectacular natural beauty. *
And everyone’s favorite, Grand Canyon National Park,
is in northern Arizona, just 280 miles from Sun City-Summerlin.
*
*For detailed information on national parks, log on
to http://www.nps.gov/ then click on
“Visit the Parks,” an alphabetical listing of all the national parks.
Houses of Worship
Catholic
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
1811 Pueblo Vista Drive
Islam
Masjid As-Sabur
711 Morgan Avenue
Madrasa I Islam
3799 Edwards Avenue
Jewish
Temple Bet Emet
8901 Del Webb
Boulevard
Shema Yisroel
Desert Vista
Temple Bet Knessert
Bamidbar
Desert Vista
LDS [Mormon]
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints
9011 Hillpointe Road
Protestant
Desert Spring United Methodist Church
Palo Verde High
School
Mountain View Presbyterian
8601 Del Webb
Boulevard
St. Andrew Lutheran
8901 Del Webb
Boulevard
Sun City Community Church
Rampart Plaza
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