An interesting tour going through the making of the chocolates, with a free one at the end, not to mention the ability to create your own custom box of chocolate, great for a gift. The cactus garden is also interesting, more so for those who have never been out west to see cacti up close.

A small marvel is located in nearby Henderson at Sunset Way and Mountain Vista. The Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden is well worth the visit. Named for the mother of the founder of the Mars Candy Company, Ethel M’s is a local favorite. Bypass the entryway gift shop, and go directly to the factory viewing windows. We have been here twice and have only been able to see the crew cleaning up and shutting down the production line. Descriptions and photos are displayed below the windows to the workrooms so you can get an idea of what goes on here during working hours. Don’t feel bad if you miss it, they still give you free samples before turning you into the showroom. Boxes of wonderful chocolates are stacked up, just waiting for you to make up your mind. Each box includes instructions on how to freeze you chocolates to help preserve their freshness. Once open it is recommended that the chocolates be consumed within 2 weeks. Trust me this has never been a problem.

Surprisingly, chocolate is only part of the reason I recommend visiting Ethel M’s. In the side yard is one of the world’s largest collections of drought-tolerant plants in a naturalistic setting. Pathways wind through the collection of over 350 species of cacti.

But wait, there’s more! To the back of the property is the water treatment plant. Rather than hiding it, Ethel M’s made it a science lesson. The water from the factory is transformed from a cloudy nearly black liquid through several holding tanks and comes out crystal clear. Each tank treated the water in a different way such as gravel filters, duck weed, etc. The clean water was then used to water the garden.

The tour of factory, garden, and water treatment plant are free…unless you stock up on boxes of chocolates.

What could be of more interest to the children in your group than candy? They'll see plenty of candy on this tour, and learn about how it's made, as well. You'll begin the tour in the attractove. colorful gift shop. If you didn't know it before, Ethel M is the upscale division of the M&M/Mars company--and the moment you see the gift shop, that becomes quite clear! You'll be able to purchase M&M's themed merchandise, such as "Yellow" on a keychain, or a "Red" stuffed toy. Past the gift shop, the short tour begins. It's all behind glass observation windows--so don't worry! Your kids can't mess anything up or get caught in a machine! For an adult's longer attention span, this tour could be a lot more complete. For a child's short attention span, though, its short length should be tolerable for babes and toddlers. For adults interested in learning more candy-making details, there IS a complete visual review of the mechanized process shown on TV monitors. At the end of the tour, everyone in your group gets a free candy sample, and you get to choose from a varied selection. After leaving the building, you'll exit into the Cactus Garden. Your kids may enjoy strolling (running?) along the winding paths if your trip has kept them cooped up in the car. The adults will enjoy seeing the Western plants in the garden. Ten years ago, the garden didn't look as good as it does now---the plants were smaller. The garden has really filled out over the years. You'll even find shade! Best of all? The tour and the Cactus Garden are free!

If you are a chocoholic, this is the place for you! You will need a rental car to get there, but I go every time. Pick up something for a loved one back home while you are at it. They have a self-guided tour that just takes a couple of minutes and ends up in the shop where a free taste awaits you. Then you can pick out chocolates to purchase. They also have a delightful cactus garden that is nice to stroll through, with all kinds of trees and cacti. We were lucky enough to see some blooming since it was still spring when we visited.

We had thought of doing this tour a couple of times, but finally decided to check it out. It was a walking tour; I think it took longer to drive to the factory from the strip than to do the tour. I was a little disappointed with the tour -- you walked through and watched video of how to make chocolates. You could look into the factory through windows, but couldn't really see anything. All the machines had covers. They did give out free samples of the chocolate -- I think my wife enjoyed that part the best! I really enjoyed the cactus garden and how they clean their water from the factory. I found this very interesting!

If you’re not sure where to go to see the factory, you can visit the Ethal M Chocolate store in the M&M building on the strip by the MGM. They have a map they can give you to help you find your way to the factory. One last thing: there are tour buses arriving all the time to the factory; time it so you go between buses, even if that means you wait for a few minutes before you go on the tour.