OVERVIEW

The botanical cactus garden at Ethel M Chocolate Factory is covered in lights from November 15 to January 1.

COST

FREE admission to lights

Hot chocolate etc. for sale inside

LOCATION

2 Cactus Garden Drive

Henderson, NV 89014

SCHEDULE

The grounds are open 8am to 10pm.

The lights turn on around 5:00 each night.

Santa visits 5pm to 9pm Friday – Sunday.

Choirs sing 6pm to 8pm Friday – Sunday.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

It is busy.  Always busy.  Just expect it.  Especially on weekends.  Every time I have been, parking has been full.  You can find more parking across the street in the medical building park, where Steinberg Diagnostic is, but then you will have to cross the street and there isn’t a crosswalk.  So that’s illegal and unsafe.  And I officially don’t condone that.

On the third Thursday of each month from 2pm to 9pm Ethel M has “Decadence in the Desert” – food trucks, live music, art vendors.

WHAT TO TAKE

The whole thing is stroller accessible, however, the crowds might make it slow going.  We have taken a stroller every time though, even a side-by-side double.

OUR EXPERIENCE

We have been 3 or 4 years.  It’s a fun, quick outing for us.  It has always been very crowded.  We always have to park off the property and walk over.  It’s so crowded you can only move at an extremely slow, one step at a time, walk.  The kids have always liked it.

WHAT WE LIKED

Free chocolate samples inside, the beautiful lights, Christmas in the desert.

WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE

The crowds are hard, but manageable.  We didn’t do Santa here, the wait was too long.

WILL WE GO AGAIN

We went to the “opening” event of 2016, where they turned on the lights for the first time.  It was so busy that I don’t think I would go on that particular night again, and I wouldn’t recommend it.  We definitely make it a point to go at some time during the season each year.

LINK

https://www.ethelm.com/category/visiting+the+factory/cactus+garden+holiday+lights.do