The Ethel M Chocolate Factory may look more down-home country kitchen than the machine-modern masterpiece factory that director Tim Burton created for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it is the real deal. No golden ticket is needed to go there, see how chocolate is made and come away with wonderful memories and as many gourmet chocolates as a budget allows.
There is also a retail store and an amazing, two-acre cactus garden, with a little something called the Living Machine: an experimental water-recycling plant that uses bacteria, snails, algae, fish and plants to make wastewater suitable for irrigation.
The Living Machine is no chocolate river with waterfalls that whip chocolate into world-class shape, but it is a gift to our community from Mars Inc. Yes, the company behind such candy as M&Ms, Snickers, Twix, and of course, Mars Bars. Ethel M is their gourmet line, named after company founder Forrest Mars' mom, Ethel.
A twirl through the Botanical Cactus Garden will reveal a whole slew of interesting plants and wildlife. There are quite a few roadrunners zooming about the 300 or so plants and trees. It also is home to one of the area's most brilliant holiday light displays every winter.
The windows at the Henderson confectionery may prohibit most visitors from truly interacting with the factory's inner workings, but you can see the candy-making process if you happen by during production times. Those in the Ethel M-know call ahead to find out the schedule. If chocolates are being made, it's free samples all the way around. We're talking all sorts of amazing ruffles and caramels and crèmes, oh my.
The workers at Ethel M aren't midgets who burst into song, and you won't have an insane tour guide. Sadly, the tours of the factory and garden are self-guided, though arrangements can be made for larger groups.
Despite the differences between fact and fiction, the message is the same: Put your family first; don't be a jerk to the world around you; and enjoy some sweets every once in a while just because you can.
Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Botanical Cactus Garden, 2 Cactus Garden Drive, Henderson. 458-8864.
www.ethelm.com
Anne Kellogg is a native Las Vegan with a thing for purchasing stuff. E-mail her at
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