Chocolate lovers rejoice! You've found heaven on earth and it's only six miles away from the Las Vegas Strip. The Ethel M factory is where some of the world's most famous candies are made, including M&Ms, Milky Way, Three Musketeers, Snickers, and Mars Bars. The origins of this famous chocolate factory date back nearly a century, when Ethel Mars began making and selling chocolates from her home kitchen in Tacoma, Washington. Eventually she and her husband Frank parlayed this into a small business. The family tradition was then handed down to their son Forrest, who turned the business into the chocolate empire that still continues to this day.
More than 2,000 people visit the Ethel M factory each day. During free tours visitors can observe the meticulous process in full, from the hand selecting of nuts to the packaging of candy bars. A dizzying array of conveyor belts and vats churn out a seemingly endless supply of candy, while visitors file past the labeled machinery. Video presentations explaining the making of the candy complement the walk-through experience. The tour ends in the giftshop, where you can get a free sample of chocolate or hand-dipped ice cream. You can also arrange to have chocolate sent anywhere in the United States. Merchandise varies in price from a few dollars up to $150.
There is also a 2.5-acre cacti garden on the premises with over 350 varieties of rare cacti. The cacti bloom in the spring, but the chocolate is good year-round.