The City of Lights provides great access to several museums that are fun and educational for adults and children.  The Lied Children’s Discovery Museum is located on Las Vegas Boulevard near the heart of the action.  Here you’ll find 22,000 sqft of exhibits exploring the arts, sciences, humanities and early childhood.  This is a great experience for parents and children as the museum encourages adult/child interaction through shared learning and discovery.

There are plenty of activities that will keep the kids happy for hours.  Many exhibits at the museum simulate experiential learning offering children a way to get firsthand experience about life.  There is an exhibit about adult life allowing a child to try out a job, earn a paycheck and deposit their money into a bank.  Another area helps children to understand what it may be like to become physically impaired.  The mission of the Lied Children’s Discovery Museum is:

to provide a vibrant and engaging environment, through exhibits and programs, where children and families from economically and culturally diverse backgrounds actively participate in playful learning environments

They are doing an excellent job!

You might also take some time out of your day to visit the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.  Located nearby to the Lied Museum, here you’ll find dinosaurs, fossils, marine life, nevada wildlife and even an Africa exhibit.  Children will enjoy one of the museum highlights - a 3,000 gallon feef tank with live sharks and stingrays!

Join in the family fun, visit a Las Vegas museum today!

Recently we attended the 4th annual Las Vegas Celtic Gathering and Highland Games. Located at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs, the gathering was a just another great example of the amazing diversity of our favorite city.

The gathering featured dancing, pipe band and athletic competitions, as well as traditional Scottish food (and some non-traditional food – I never pass up a funnel cake) and hundreds of kilt-wearing participants.

The first written reference to Highland dancing dates back 1,000 years, and originally this athletic dance-style was used to train soldiers. Participants competed in many types of dances at the Celtic Gathering, including Highland Fling, Flora MacDonald’s Fancy and Seann Triubhas (pronounced Shawn Troos).

Traditional Scottish music could be heard throughout the park as pipe bands practiced for their competitions. Getting to see the bands before their events, tuning the bagpipes and going over last-minute details, was a great behind-the-scenes experience.

In Heavy Events Athletics, participants compete in eight events (such as throwing weights and stones for distance) all in the same day. By the afternoon, when we saw the athletes compete in Weight Over Bar (which involves throwing a 56-pound weight over a bar 15+ feet in the air), they had been competing since early morning. Clearly, competitors need strength and endurance to excel.

The Las Vegas Celtic Gathering and Highland Games is a great way to spend a day in the park. Visit the following link for more information on the Las Vegas Celtic Society and next year’s Celtic Gathering.

Located along the western rim of the Las Vegas Valley just near the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is the community of Summerlin, Nevada.  Summerlin is a planned community originally purchased and run by Howard Hughes in the 1950s and named after his grandmother, Jean Amelia Summerlin.  Hughes obtained the land as the Hughes Tool Company which later became the Summa Corporation.  Much of the land was acquired for as little as twenty-five cents an acre as it was thought to have no use.  The Summa Corporation’s land holdings continued to grow over time and thus the two main areas, Summerlin North and South, were conceived.

Summerlin is actually contained within two locales, the City of Las Vegas and Clark County Nevada.  The area is generally divided into North, South, West and Centre.  There are many villages in each locale which contain a variety of gated, non-gated and age-restricted communities.  Summerlin is highlighted by wonderful pocket parks (there are over 100) and scenic rest stops that showcase the stunning natural beauty of the area.  Community members can be found biking and golfing or playing tennis, soccer and even chess in the park.  There are also many village community centers throughout the area to enjoy.  Golf is of course a big attraction for Summerlin - there are at least nine courses in the area.

The Red Rock Country Club Community is home to two of those spectacular courses - the private Mountain Course and the public Arroyo Course.  Both courses are Arnold Palmer designed signature courses which players of all levels can enjoy.  The natural beauty of the surroundings in this community are unmatched.  At the Red Rock Country Club you are sure to have a world-class golf experience.

Please contact Jan or Kerry at the Coffman Team for more information about living in Summerlin, Nevada!

Interested in Red Rock Country Club Homes?  Please use our online Las Vegas MLS Search.

Central to Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the famed Las Vegas Strip, Henderson Nevada offers the hospitality of a small town yet the excitement of a big city.  Borne out of necessity just prior to World War II, Henderson originally housed a basic magnesium plant that supplied the US War Department with munitions and airplane parts.  by 1947, magnesium was no longer needed for war efforts and nearly half of Henderson’s inhabitants had moved on.  The Nevada legislature eventually took over state administration of basic magnesium allowing local industry in Henderson to grow and thrive.  Today a fledgling town that was once only 13 square miles is the second largest city in Nevada.

Residents and visitors have ample opportunity to enjoy lots of leisure time in Henderson.  With eight championship golf courses (including The Rio Secco Golf Club, one of the top courses in the nation), Nevada’s only scenic bird preserve, over 11 miles of hiking trails, a nationally accredited parks and recreation system, a massive recreational facility and the largest outdoor amphitheater in Nevada - there is plenty to do in Henderson.  Visitors to the city will also be taken care of with over 2,000 hotel rooms and a plethora of exquisite shopping, dining and pampering options.

Just miles from McCarran international Airport, Henderson is conveniently situated on the southern rim of the Las Vegas Valley, east of the Boulder Highway and slightly east of Interstate 15.  Highway access is gained through US 93/95 or the I-215 Beltway linking to I-15.

Don’t miss the upcoming Henderson Heritage Parade and Festival marking 55 years of history and tradition!

Saturday, April 19th

8:00 am - Mayor & Council Breakfast Henderson Convention Center (Front Lawn)
10:00 am  - Parade Procession Commences Water St. (Basic Ave. to Victory Rd.)
12 - 4pm  - Car Show Henderson Events Plaza
12 - 8pm  - International Food a& Folk Life Festival Henderson Events Plaza

Interested in Henderson Real Estate Opportunities?  Please use our complimentary Las Vegas Area MLS Search

The Grand Canyon is a feat of nature found few places in the world.  It’s immense, powerful nature and inspiring beauty attract millions of visitors annually.  The canyon displays incredible geologic color variations, is 277 river miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep!

The Grand Canyon was afforded national park status in 1919 and had Federal protection as early as 1893.  Historical significance is important as it’s home to human artifacts dating back 12,000 years.  Archaeological remains have been found representing over 11 different cultural groups.  Most notable however, is the geologic significance of the canyon.  It is one of the most studied landscapes in the world, offering a pristine record of three out of the last four eras of geologic time.  Rich with fossils, geologic features and rock types, and caves containing many historic findings - the Grand Canyon is a rich system of resources.

Ecology is also of interest.  Did you know that the canyon is home to five out of seven life zones (equivalent to the terrain traveled from Canada to Mexico) and three of four desert types found in North America?  It also houses over 1,500 plant species, 355 different types of birds, 89 mammal types, 47 reptile, 9 amphibian and 17 fish species.  This spiritual place combines all of nature’s wonders in beautiful harmony.

As you may or may not know, there are a plethora of Grand Canyon tours originating from Las Vegas.  Jeep treks, horse pack trips, rafting tours, aerial tours and more.  We have been lucky enough to fly over this natural wonder in our own plane quite a few times and can attest to its beauty!  I have had my pilot’s license since 1982 and fly mostly for pleasure.  I am a member of Angel Flights, which is a non-profit company who arranges free air transportation in response to health care and other compelling human needs.  

A couple weeks ago I flew to Phoenix to pick up my son and take him to lunch in Sedona - it was a great day trip and he even took video of me taking off to head home!  Take a look.

Just 30 miles East of Las Vegas lies the world’s largest man-made reservoir - Lake Mead.  For water enthusiasts, Lake Mead offers a variety of year-round recreation.  Boating, fishing, sun bathing, swimming, scuba diving, hiking, camping, water skiing and more all provide loads of family fun.  The surrounding and starkly contrasting Mojave desert also offers plenty to do for hikers, photographers and those hoping to just enjoy the sights.  You might be surprised to know that there is an abundance of specially adapted plants and animals inhabiting the desert.  Some even remain dormant until conditions are just right for germination.

Lake Mead was formed in the 1930’s with the creation of the Hoover Dam and the damming of the Colorado River.  Pioneers sought to harness the power of the river to allow for large-scale irrigation and the expansion of other industries.  The lake is named after Elwood Mead, the Bureau of Reclamation commissioner at the time.  Lake Mead was dubbed the first national recreation area in 1964.  Millions of visitors come each year to take advantage of the many recreational opportunities and experience the wonder of Lake Mead’s diverse desert landscape.

The park does require entrance and lake use fees.  You can purchase daily use passes or an annual pass.  There are many different types of pass programs but generally entrance is $5.00 per vehicle for 1-5 days or $20 per year.  Lake use fees are generally $10.00 per vessel for 1-5 days or $20 per vessel/ per year.

Lake Mead Website
http://www.nps.gov/lame/index.htm

Full Fee Schedule
http://www.nps.gov/lame/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm