Masonry Magazine September 1973 Page. 11
Be A Winner!
And Las Vegas tours, like showgirls, come in all sizes. There are bus tours, air tours, boat tours, and tours you can take by car rented or family. There are day tours, night tours, short tours, long tours. Some tours are operated for a fee; some are for free. There are tours of Lake Mead, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world; tours of Hoover Dam, one of the seven engineering wonders of the world, and tours of Las Vegas, one of the most exciting cities in the world. And for those who would joust with Lady Luck, Las Vegas casinos offer a tour de force.
Bus tours represent the least expensive means to see Las Vegas and the many interesting scenic highlights of the area. A deluxe eight-hour night club party, conducted by a hostess, is offered by Gray Line Tours and Transportation Unlimited. The party begins with dinner and a floor show in the main showroom of the Landmark, the newest Hughes resort hotel. Following the show, the party moves to Casino Center, then to the famous "Strip," and includes a guided tour of Caesars Palace. The next stop is the main showroom of the 1,000-room Dunes Hotel and Country Club for a choice seat to see the Casino de Paris French revue. The tour fare includes beverages, taxes and gratuities.
An abbreviated night club party tour starts in Casino Center, proceeds to the "Strip," with stops at Circus Circus, the Frontier Hotel, and concludes with the midnight show in the main showroom at the Desert Inn. Beverages, taxes and gratuities are included in the tour fare.
Daily bus tours are operated to and from Hoover Dam, about 30 miles from Las Vegas. The four-hour excursion includes a walking trip through the interior of the dam. A recently completed modified access tunnel, called an "adit," and a new glass-enclosed platform 560 feet below the crest of the dam on the Nevada side offer additional viewing areas. This pioneer, multipurpose Bureau of Reclamation project continues to be a leading tourist attraction in the Southwest and counted its 15 millionth visitor last year. Tours are conducted daily between 8:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
The grand finale of a Las Vegas show spectacular is unmatched anywhere here or abroad. Beautiful costuming, music and choreography-not to mention the dazzling show-girls-combine to produce stunning effects.
For those who want to see Grand Canyon utilizing ground transportation only, an overnight tour operates Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Gray Line Motor Tours, LTR Stage Lines, Transportation Unlimited and Greyhound all operate tours to various points of interest. Passengers are picked up at all hotels and motels, and reservations may be made through hotel bell captains or motel front desk employes.
Would you like to "discover" the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, or Disneyland via a combination air-ground tour? Scenic Airlines is one of two charter air services that offers daily scheduled flights to all three points.
Scenic's deluxe Grand Canyon tour starts with free pickup at your hotel, then follows with a flight to the Canyon over the same route as filmed in Cinerama's "Seven Wonders of the World." As the aircraft enters the Canyon area, the pilot flies below the nine-mile-wide Canyon rims for many miles to permit a never-to-be-forgotten view of an extinct volcano, breathtaking waterfalls, and an ancient Indian village. After landing at Grand Canyon Airport, the tour continues on the ground to the South Rim, a visit to the museum, and lunch at Bright Angel Lodge. Scenic also offers a four-hour air tour only of the Canyon.
Water-oriented Las Vegas visitors have a choice of several ways to see the grandeur of Lake Mead, 30 minutes from the city. Yachts Echo 3 or 4 begin daily one-hour excursions at 11 a.m. from Lake Mead Marina. If you would prefer to chart your own course over a portion of the 255-square-mile lake, you could rent a 16-foot outboard with motor.
The most complete lake tour is offered by Lake Mead Yacht Tours. The tour operators provide hotel pickup daily at 8:45 a.m. with return to hotels by 4:15 p.m. in time for nighttime activities. At Lake Mead Marina, passengers board the $100,000 air-conditioned luxury yacht "Echo" for a two-and-one-half-hour cruise that includes a close-up view of Hoover Dam, lake landmarks such as Boat House Cove, site of many movie locations, and historic mines such as Bonelli Peak and Miner's Cove. After lunch at Echo Bay Resort, passengers are taken by bus to the Valley of Fire State Park where they can visually