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Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam
Our kids are engineering-minded, so a stop at Hoover Dam is a "must do." In the 1930’s, the mighty Colorado River was damned up, to provide a stable water supply for farmers, and electricity to Arizona and Nevada. It was quite an engineering feat - the river had to be diverted into tunnels during the construction, and the concrete had to be built in interlocking blocks (the ultimate Lego project). In 1935, when Hoover Dam was completed, it was the world's highest dam (726 ft high).
    Visitor Center – Stop into the visitor center for hands-on exhibits, models and dioramas of the dam construction, and a short introductory movie.
      Observation deck – From the observation deck are stunning views of Lake Mead, the Colorado River, and Hoover Dam.
Hoover Dam
  Powerplant Tour – From the visitor center, take an elevator 500+ ft down for a 45 minute guided tour. On the tour you'll see the massive generators that convert the water flowing through the dam into electricity, and go through tunnels deep in the heart of the dam. Click here to reserve tickets for the Powerplant Tour in advance. (No age restrictions for this tour.)
   

Hoover Dam Tour – The Hoover Dam tour includes the Visitor Center, the Powerplant, and an additional section, the inspection tunnels. The tour is for kids 8 and up, takes 1+ hours, and is fair amount of walking. Tip: There are no reservations for the Dam Tour, so arrive before 11am to get a spot on the tour.

    Walk along the top of the dam – Walk along the sidewalks on the top of the dam over to the intake towers, for stunning views of the lake. On one side of the lake is Nevada, on the other is Arizona.
      Tip: Hoover Dam is very busy in the summer (and it's hot), get there early in the day to avoid crowds.
kids books hoover dam
     
Hoover Dam  
Hoover Dam
Elizabeth Mann

The exciting story of building the dam – choosing the location, diverting the river, pouring the concrete, installing the generators. Two page spread of the dam and historical illustrations. Good for older kids. (Picture book)

 

     
The Hoover Dam
Jeffrey Zuehlke

Before you visit Hoover Dam, find out about this engineering marvel – one of the largest dams in the world. Why was the dam built, how many people did it take to build, how much cement is in the dam? (Picture book)

 

 
The Hoover Dam
More children's book on other Arizona pages
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