Trip Advisor

Boulder City Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center

Small town. Big adventure.

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Local Attractions

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Just twenty-six miles southeast of the neon lights of Las Vegas, Boulder City serves as a serene, historical gateway to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Established in 1931, the town was originally a federally planned "company town" designed to house the thousands of laborers tasked with constructing the Boulder Dam during the Great Depression.

The city’s architecture and layout reflect the optimism of the 1930s, characterized by lush green spaces and Art Deco influences. Visitors can immerse themselves in this heritage at the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum, located inside the historic Boulder Dam Hotel, which once hosted celebrities and dignitaries like Howard Hughes and Shirley Temple. The downtown historic district is highly walkable, featuring more than thirty eclectic sculptures and the famous "Toilet Paper Hero of Hoover Dam," a bronze statue dedicated to a worker named Alabam who maintained the construction site’s outhouses.

Outdoor enthusiasts find the town an ideal base for exploring the rugged Mojave landscape. One of the most popular local traditions is visiting Hemenway Park, where a resident herd of wild desert bighorn sheep frequently grazes on the manicured lawns, seemingly indifferent to the presence of human spectators. Nearby, the Historic Railroad Tunnel Trail offers a scenic hike through the very tunnels used to transport heavy equipment for the dam’s construction, providing panoramic views of the turquoise waters of Lake Mead.

The local dining and shopping scene leans heavily into small-town charm and retro aesthetics. The Coffee Cup, a local staple featured on national television, is a favorite for hearty breakfasts, while the Southwest Diner offers regional flavors in a cozy, traditional setting. For those seeking unique souvenirs, the town is filled with quirky antique shops and boutiques, as well as the eccentric Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum, which showcases a vast collection of horror movie memorabilia.

Beyond its proximity to engineering marvels, Boulder City is defined by its unusual status as a "garden city" in the desert. It was one of the first fully planned communities in the United States, designed by renowned landscape architect Saco Rienk de Boer with a hierarchy of housing that once separated managers from manual laborers. Today, that rigid structure has softened into a tight-knit community that prioritizes historical preservation, ensuring that the town remains a "frozen-in-time" sanctuary amidst the rapid development of Southern Nevada.

Boulder City

Visit Boulder City

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Fun Facts

Unlike the surrounding region, Boulder City was envisioned as a model of "clean living," which is a legacy that persists today through its strictly enforced ban on gambling, making it one of only two municipalities in Nevada where the practice is prohibited.

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Upcoming Events

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