Las Vegas is one of the most wheelchair-friendly cities you can find. Tourists love the easy walking (or rolling) on the strip, which is connected by ramps and bridges and nary a step in sight. To see more of the sights in and around Las Vegas, check out these wheelchair-accessible options that visitors love. No matter where you're going, locals advise calling ahead. The tour company can offer insights as to the best times to visit, special accomodations, and any additional fees.
With the motto, "Hop On, Discover, Hop Off, Explore," Big Bus Las Vegas has many route options to view all of the city has to offer with multiple ticket options. Many of the vehicles are wheelchair accessible and have lifts for up to 650 pounds. Since the entire fleet in Las Vegas is not wheelchair accessible, make sure to contact Big Bus 48 hours prior to your family's tour if anyone in your party needs accessibility, and Big Bus will make arrangements to accommodate you. Those with wheelchairs unfortunately cannot access the bus's upper decks, but the view is just as enjoyable from the space below.
A deluxe ticket option includes hop-on, hop-off accessibility as well as the accessible Eiffel Tower Experience. Or, choose the night tour option, which features a free walking tour of the Fremont Street Experience (entirely wheelchair accessible). This off-the-strip experience features classic casinos like the Golden Nugget that are reminiscent of the old Las Vegas. Don't miss the free Viva Vision Light Show, which features 550,000 watts of LED entertainment. The show runs every hour on the hour from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. and lasts for six minutes on the 1,500-foot-long video screen over the Fremont Street pedestrian mall.
Take in Vegas from above with an experience to remember at Love Is Ballooning, Nevada's only wheelchair-accessible hot air balloon. For $750, a wheelchaired guest and caregiver can ride and view the sights of Las Vegas valley through polycarbonate windows. Up to two guests can ride for an additional fee, and weight restrictions may apply in hot weather. Balloons can fly as fast as 15 miles per hour and as high as 3,500 feet above the ground. Small, private flights ensure an intimate experience for your family. For tickets, call 702-726-0400. Families should note that children under 10 must be pre-approved with an additional waiver signed, and pregnant women should not fly.
The Neon Museum preserves the artifacts of an old Las Vegas, chronicling the trends in sign design and light technology from the 1930s to today. All tours are wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant, but note that day tours are restricted to children age 10 and up and night tours to children age 12 and up (due to the presence of broken glass and rusty metal on display). View the Neon Boneyard on an hour-long guided tour or self-guided tour, available seven days a week with times varying by season.
Since many of the historic facilities at the Grand Canyon were created before ADA standards, make sure to do some research before hitting up the Grand Canyon. The rugged terrain features steep cliffs and rocky trails, but the park offers assistance for visitors with wheelchairs or with visual impairments. Shuttle busses are wheelchair accessible, featuring ramps with space for wheelchairs. However, wheelchairs larger than 30-inches wide by 48-inches long will not fit. Opt for the Scenic Drive Accessibility Permit (this can be purchased at the entry gate to the park), which allows for handicapped visitors to access areas that might otherwise be closed to public traffic.
Grandcanyon.com offers a variety of helicopter tour options to view the Grand Canyon near Las Vegas. Although the helicopters themselves can not fit a wheelchair, passengers with disabilities are still able to ride. They can wheel out to the helicopter (staff will handle safe keeping), but need to have someone on hand to help them into the helicopter seat?not provided by the tour company.
If this isn't an option for you and your family, a bus tour is perhaps a more suitable option. The Papillion Grand Canyon Bus Tour is wheelchair accessible, with a South Rim tour that departs from Las Vegas. Hotel pick-up and drop-off ensures you never have to worry about getting there. Along the way, you'll enjoy views of the Mojave Desert, Colorado River, and finally, Grand Canyon National Park. Headset narration is available in five languages for entertainment and information. Before your journey, contact Papillion's reservation department so that customer service can ensure all special accommodations are met.
Need more exploration? Papillion also offers wheelchair-friendly bus tours of the Hoover Dam as well as wheelchair-accessible helicopter tours. Located 35 minutes from Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam (the highest in the Western Hemisphere) attracts more than one million visitors per year. The Dam Tour is not wheelchair accessible, but the Power Plant Tour and Hoover Dam Visitors center are. Those needing special accommodations or with mobility equipment can enter through an elevator inset in the canyon up to the Visitor Center.