Looking for a Las Vegas Tour Guide?

Looking for a professional tour guide while in Las Vegas?  Look no further than the Las Vegas Tourist Guides Guild!

Here, you will find dedicated professional tour guides for the Las Vegas area, regional attractions, National Parks, and multi-day, over-the-road destinations.  With our members, you can find guides skilled in leading tours for most every conceivable interest and style: Strip tours, Fremont St. and Downtown tours, walking tours, nature/outdoor/adventure tours, foodie tours, nightlife tours, culture tours, history buffs, celebration groups for birthdays, family, girls or boy’s getaways, day tours, half-day, and multi-day tours, corporate groups, and much more. Many guides also offer tours in a variety of languages, and these are listed on the Members Page and a separate foreign-language guides page. Many members also offer VIP and event services for individuals and groups, including airport meet and greets, hotel check-in or other travel assistance.

Go For Quality!

Don’t take a chance with your tour experience!  For quality, educated and informed professional Las Vegas tour guides, tour directors and event specialists, you want a Guide from The Las Vegas Tourist Guides Guild.

Many of our members have been certified as professional Las Vegas Tour Guides by the guild, by completing and passing the guild’s rigorous Las Vegas Tour Guide training class and testing, and having their experience verified. Just ask them about it – they are proud of their achievement and it shows in the quality of their Las Vegas tours!

Whether for your Las Vegas tour group or clients, or for a specialized Las Vegas tour during your Las Vegas vacation, a professional Las Vegas tour guide will ensure you have the best possible experience.

Hire A Trusted Professional Las Vegas Tour Guide ~

To hire a Las Vegas Tourist Guides Guild member, simply review the member listings linked below, with individual websites and profile pages, then contact your preferred guide(s) directly to inquire and confirm options, availability, and rates.

A listing of our members and their contact information can be found here.

A listing of members who have been certified via the guild’s Certified Professional Las Vegas Guide training program can be found here.

Members who speak various languages are listed here.

Our member guides look forward to showing you and your group the best of Fabulous Las Vegas and beyond!

If you have any questions or comments for the guild, please contact us.

Las Vegas Tourist Guides Guild_logo

Rediscover Nevada Museums

NV Museums

 

Everyone is invited to Rediscover Nevada Museums with free entrance on Saturday July 20, 2013!

Three local museums are included in the promotion:

  • Nevada State Museum, at Springs Preserve, Las Vegas
  • Lost City Museum, Overton
  • Railroad Museum, Boulder City

The other participating museums are:

  • Railroad Museum, Carson City
  • Nevada Historical Society, Reno
  • Nevada State Museum, Carson City
  • East Ely Depot Museum, Ely

For more information, visit http://museums.nevadaculture.org/

Thanks to LVTGG member Char Cruze for calling our attention to this great promo!

Boulder City Bypass and History

Boulder City Btpass history las vegas hoover dam

That stretch of Highway 93 from Railroad Pass Casino to the Hoover Dam Bridge will never look the same again.  I mean that figuratively and literally.

The Las Vegas Review Journal had an article “Boulder City Bypass project protects tortoises.”  A simple read about what is about to happen in phase one of what will hopefully become Interstate Highway 11 from Las Vegas to Phoenix.  That led me to wonder more about the first phase and the project.  And that led me to some interesting reading about the area and what all is out there and why it’s so important to the project and our jobs as tour professionals.

The Electronic Paper Trail

I started with the Goetechnical Report.  I know, a nail-biting title to a page turning book if there ever was one!  Not really, but I digress.  But I was wondering about the roads they were putting in and how it was all going to work.  Also I needed the photo for the post..

The technical part of building a highway in the Mohave is actually pretty fascinating.  The stuff they need to know about what sunder our feet before building a roadway made me understand why when the big earthquake hits, you will find me at the Railroad Pass Casino.  That’s some hard rock up there that ain’t moving!  Not to mention I found out where I can hunt for turquoise.

That all piqued my interest in their real desire to save what is left of Boulder Dam squatters camps mentioned like McKeeversville and the camps around Railroad Pass (as well as the real reason that it is called Railroad Pass).  That jumped me over to the tree hugger’s report.  You know you can ‘t turn a shovel of dirt without filing an impact statement with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Love The Tree Huggers

As much as I hate the EPA and all their paperwork mandates, I do love their attention to detail.  They are like the Mormon Church;  Document Everything.  That meant I needed to read  Affected Environment – A look at the Indian tribes of what is now the bottom of Lake Mead.  It is a historical look at everything from the era before the Indians up to the squatters camps and how they were named and built.  The creating of Boulder City, the Boulder Dam working district.  The creation of Lake Mead National Park (the third most visited National Park) that lead to the mining claim that saved the Hacienda Casino. And what is there now and why.

If you click any of those links, you will see long page numbers.  It’s government, its busy work.  But scan the highlights and you will see some interesting reading material there that will help your tours.

Here are some of the things the reports highlights about the area between Railroad Pass and Hacienda Casino;

  • We have 16 lizard species in that drive
  • There are 18 snake species
  • With over 20 bat species, 11 are on the endangered list
  • Desert Tortoises are popular around Railroad Pass but almost non existent near Lake Mead
  • The first serious discussion of the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge in 1992
  • Willow Beach was considered the popular spot for the bridge
  • Hoover Dam Bypass bridge location was chosen in March of 2001
  • The historic nature of the Los Angeles Switch Yards and power lines

It All Changed One Day

The one thing that was surprising, was how it all changed September 11, 2001.  Reading the reports written pre 911 are completely different from reports written post 911.  We went from projections that were optimistic (we can build it wherever we want)  and sometimes combative (agencies not working together) to one of balanced thought and maybe even a little skepticism.

It goes along with those of us who lived that time.  How Vegas changed and how the tourist changed by that one day.  Just an interesting note I had….

 

 

Navigating The Hoover Dam Bridge

Isn’t that a beautiful sight??  The Hoover Dam bridge is a piece of true architecture masterpiece and history that really does compliment the grandeur of the mighty Dam itself.

Coming in at the original $240 million budget, it sits a mere 1,500 feet down river from the Hoover Dam.  The bridge deck come in at 1,900 feet long! Making this the longest concrete arch span in North America. To be fair, the real name of the bridge is the Mike O’ Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. But hey, everyone just calls it the Hoover Dam Bridge!

It’s All About The Amazing View!
And what a view it is.  Crossing the bridge by vehicle is a straight shot with absolutely NO view of the Dam. However, from the Nevada side, there is a plaza that gives a wonderful history of the the construction, the technology used and its relation to the Dam. For the view, there is a walkway across the bridge on the Dam side. Only accessible from the Nevada side

Give your guests about 30 minutes to complete the walk up to the plaza, out to the bridge and to return to the parking lot. You may have to drop at the plaza and have the bus return later due to crowded parking.

The bridge spans Black Canyon. Actually it is also in the neck of the canyon and that is what a Tour Director needs to remember. Winds coming through the canyon can easily hit 20-40 miles an hour. T he Nevada Department of Transportation is asking that all high profile vehicles use the inside left travel lane.

Wind Advisory Warning System
With this understanding, they developed a early warning system, giving drivers advance opportunity to take the old detour around the dam through Laughlin, Nevada. .

WIND WARNING– During wind warnings( 50 mile-per-hour-plus wind gusts or sustained winds of more than 40 miles per hour ) , high-profile vehicles such as commercial trucks, RVs, campers, buses and large truck-trailer combination’s will not be allowed over the Hoover Dam Bridge. High-profile vehicle drivers will need to seek alternate routes, such as U.S. 95 (U.S. 93 in Arizona) to Laughlin.

WIND ADVISORY– During wind advisories ( sustained winds of 25 to 39 miles per hour and gusts of 30 to 49 miles per hour ), high-profile vehicles will be allowed on the Hoover Dam Bridge, but advised that wind gusts could reach up to 49 miles per hour.

Drivers can learn of wind-related closures in many ways. Signs located on U.S. 93 from west of Boulder City to the Hoover Dam Bridge, as well as on the Arizona side of the bridge, will report wind warnings with a High Profile Vehicles Prohibited message. While not behind the wheel, drivers can call 511 or 1-877-NV-ROADS for road conditions. Drivers stopped to use the computer can also view nvroads.com for the same information, and will be able to choose the ClearPath logo for e-mail or text message updates on any Hoover Dam Bridge wind conditions.

Hope This Helps
Mark Anthony