Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden

Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden, Henderson, NV

Learn about premium chocolate making and the traditions of Mars Inc. at the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden as part of this group bus tour. The Ethel M Chocolate Factory dates back to the early 1900s when Forrest Mars, Sr., one of the founders of Mars, Inc., learned about the art of chocolate making from his mother, Ethel Mars. Ethel Mars’ teachings about chocolate making would later lead to Forrest Mars establishing one of the world’s largest chocolate companies and beloved chocolate brands like M&M’s, Snickers, Dove and Twix. Leaving the company to his children, Forrest Mars retired to Henderson, Nevada in the early 1980s where he established Ethel M Chocolates as a tribute to his mother, her recipes and chocolate making teachings. Today the Ethel M Chocolate Factory continues to honor the same chocolate making traditions established by Frank and Ethel Mars through making chocolates with no preservatives and in small batches to ensure the best quality flavor and taste.

Visiting Ethel M Chocolate Factory

During your visit to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden discover how chocolate and other Ethel M goodies such as pecan brittle and chocolate bark are made. Shop for Ethel M Chocolate in the Gift Shop. Outside you can wander the Factory’s Cactus Garden, one of the largest in the Southwest United States.

Ethel M Chocolate Factory Tours

Discover how Ethel M chocolates and other Ethel M goodies have been made in the Henderson factory for over 30 years during a self-guided tour of the Ethel M Chocolate Factory. Entering the Factory, you will follow a walkway with signage and video monitors explaining the activities you will see through large glass windows. Confections are molded, filled and wrapped by machines and chocolatiers. Be sure to ask about your free sample of chocolate at the end of the tour.

Shopping in the Ethel M Chocolate Factory Gift Shop

After your self-guided tour of the Ethel M Chocolate Factory, treat yourself to something sweet, or find the perfect gift for a loved one. Choose one of the Ethel M Chocolates Traditional Collections offering signature gourmet chocolate treats in a variety of creamy, crunchy and chewy assortments, hand packaged and carefully arranged by gourmet chocolate experts to satisfy your sweet tooth, or make it personal by designing your own box of chocolates. Choose your box and fill it with individual chocolates from the case like satin crèmes, dark chocolate truffles, or sea-salted caramels. In addition to chocolate you can purchase other sweet treats including Ethel M’s signature pecan brittle handmade in small batches and available in classic or drizzled in Ethel M’s luxurious milk chocolate.

Cactus Garden

Adjacent to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory is the world famous Ethel M Cactus Garden. Stroll through the beautiful botanical cactus garden, one of the world’s largest collections of its kind, featuring over four acres of drought-tolerant ornamentals, cacti and other succulents. From Beaver Tail to Creosote, cacti and succulents found in the Cactus Garden are native to the American Southwest. Other plants include desert trees and shrubs from the Southwestern United States, Australia and South America.

Travel Tip

- The Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden is ADA complaint.

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