Hiking trails are part of the $250 million Springs Preserve, which opens on Friday. Photos By Shelly Donahue/View
A model of a Joshua tree is among the many desert plants on display. Photos By Shelly Donahue/View
A replica of a Southern Paiute village was constructed as part of the Springs Preserve.
Man-made canyon walls will greet visitors when they first enter the preserve. Photos By Shelly Donahue/View
Children can enjoy a play area featuring a giant snake. Photos By Shelly Donahue/View
Marlene karas/ViewDesert plants are in place at the Springs Preserve. Many were transfered from another location and still have their support systems in place while they adjust to their new environment.
Advertisement
The $250 million Las Vegas Springs Preserve is on track to open on Friday. The entrance is at 333 S. Valley View Blvd., near the U.S. Highway 95 interchange.
Jesse Davis, marketing manager, said the long-awaited cultural site was Las Vegas' answer for residents and tourists seeking a different kind of outing. The site is expected to attract an estimated 600,000 visitors a year.
"I think visitors will likely be surprised at the breath of offerings of the preserve," he said. "It offers an off-the-Strip destination ... for recreation, entertainment, education, food and even shopping experiences."
Singer and three-time Grammy nominee Jewel is slated to mark the official grand opening of the preserve with a concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
Jewel has sold over 27 million albums to date and is one of the founders of Project Clean Water, which fits with the preserve's philosophy of eco-awareness.
"We wanted to ensure that our grand opening was a unique and thoughtful experience for all visitors and thought what better way to do this than to have a multi-talented star performing under the stars," said Francis Béland, Springs Preserve executive director.
The preserve will feature a variety of concerts and theater performances beginning this fall in the amphitheater.
To purchase tickets, call Ticketmaster at 474-4000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are priced at $45 for general admission.
The preserve encompasses 180 acres of green museums, galleries, botanical gardens and trails. Visitors enter via a ravine walk with 25-foot-tall, man-made cliff walls on either side. The trail opens to the main grounds and the guest service building, where tickets can be purchased. The building also houses a cafe and various shops.
The facility's 1,800-seat outdoor amphitheater, where Jewel will perform, is nearby.
One of the complex's buildings is the Desert Living Center. It houses educational programming, a design lab and a gallery showing visitors what it took to live in a hot, arid climate before the days of air-conditioning. Another display highlights alternative energy sources.
Meanwhile, the Origen Experience encompasses the museums and gallery portion of the preserve. It contains the Big Springs Theatre, which can seat nearly 200 people and has a screen system similar to IMAX systems. Hands-on displays allow visitors to build their own desert landscape or try airflow tests. Origen also includes a display of wooden pipes -- early settlers' attempts to try and tame the Springs.
Visitors can even experience an instant flash flood, which is simulated in an arroyo-like room with 5,000 gallons of water rushing under their feet.
The Springs Preserve is eco-friendly, with many of the buildings showing architectural components like re-used railroad ties for beams, straw insulation and compressed earth walls. There are even Photovoltaic cells at the Desert Living Center with which the preserve generates its own power. The U.S. Green Building Council gave the facility its highest award for eco-friendly construction.
The Springs Preserve's outdoor component includes a cinenega area -- a desert wetland -- as a respite for migrating birds. The property includes cottages transplanted from downtown Las Vegas, now undergoing refurbishing. They were built circa 1910 to house mid- to high-level railroad employees. They will be open to the public in about two years.
The botanical element of the Preserve project included the planting of hundreds of trees.
Russ Harrison, horticultural service supervisor, said using local growers is part of the project's policy on sustainability.
"We're walking the walk, and not just talking about it," he said.
He said people will be amazed to learn about the variety and diversity of plants that can grow in the Mojave desert.
The preserve is circled by two and a half miles of trails. Viewing platforms at various spots allow visitors to oversee the preserve without disturbing the ecobalance. Trail ramadas offer shade, while graphics describe points of interest.
Missing from the opening will be the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society. It's in the process of building a new facility at the Springs. Its new home will have a foot print of 79,000 square feet and is expected to open in July 2008.
"I think the real beauty of the preserve was that it was something actually built in honor of Las Vegas," Davis said. "It's something we can all be proud of.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
