Holiday Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolates

The holidays are here and in Henderson and Las Vegas that means our annual trip to the Holiday Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolates – a family tradition.

Being born and raised here, we’ve always been a little spoiled by all of the fun we have at our fingertips, but Ethel M Chocolates is something that grounds me a bit.

If you aren’t familiar with Ethel M Chocolates, you will find deliciously fresh chocolates produced by the passionate Mars associates (and family!).

Inspired by the kitchen of Ethel Mars (which dates back to 1910), Forrest Mars Sr. created Ethel M Chocolates in his mother’s honor. Using her timeless recipes, Forrest’s vision of sharing fresh-crafted, small-batch, premium chocolates was born.

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Located in the heat and the heart of the desert, Forrest went to extraordinary lengths to produce our unique chocolates and fillings right here at his factory so that the quality of the chocolates would never be compromised.

The craftsmanship and care required to create each batch of Ethel M Chocolates remain unchanged. Ethel M Chocolates are still made in small batches with no artificial preservatives, using only the freshest and finest ingredients.”

Holiday Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolates

During the winter season, they host their annual Holiday Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolates attraction in Henderson, a walkable wonderland of Christmas lights covering their cactus garden of trees, cacti, shrubs, and bushes native to Nevada and surrounding areas.

The best part?

The Holiday Cactus Garden attraction is an opportunity for Ethel M. Chocolates and families to give back. In years past, free entry with the donation of canned goods has now turned into a small $2/person donation to Three Square Pantry.

I love that when you plan your visit, it’s all going back to a great cause.

Location

2 Cactus Garden Drive, Henderson, NV 89014

Ethel M. Chocolates is located just outside of Las Vegas in the arid Nevada desert.

Once you arrive, parking is free and there is a lot of it. If there is anyone in your party that needs to be dropped off before you park, you can drop them off right at the entrance, which is great especially for the elders in our families.

Hours of Operation

Dates: Nov. 6, 2025 – Jan. 3, 2026 (Opening Night Nov. 6
Hours:
- Opening Nights: Nov. 6: 5-10pm
- Nov. 7th – Dec. 23rd: 5-10pm
- Christmas Eve: Dec. 24th: 5-8pm
- Christmas Day: Dec. 25th: CLOSED
- Dec. 26 – Dec. 30th: 5-10pm
- New Year’s Eve: Dec. 31st: 5-8pm
- Jan. 1st – Jan. 3rd: 5-10pm
Santa Visits: Santa will be available daily from 5pm to 1 hour prior to closing through Tuesday Dec. 23rd. This is to give enough time for people still in line to see him. Line cut-off will be at 9pm sharp. SANTA WILL NOT BE HERE AFTER 12/23/25.

The Holiday Cactus Garden is open nightly through January 4- no reservations needed. So many opportunities for selfies and Instagrammable moments. And Santa is here nightly through Dec. 23 for pictures!

Cost

If you are not interested in enjoying the Holiday Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolates or visiting Santa, you can walk in to the store without any reservation. As I mentioned above, the Holiday Cactus Garden has moved from the donation of a canned good to a small donation of $3/person.

$3 per person.
Children under 2 & Senior Citizens 65+ are FREE.

This year, a $3 entrance fee per person is required with half of all proceeds going to Help of Southern Nevada and Three Square Food Bank to further their missions of supporting those in need in our Las Vegas community. The entrance fee can be paid with either cash or credit card.

Stay & Play Nights

Movie Nights

Movie Nights: $5 +tax per person. Reservations Required. **Click **HERE to Reserve Your Seat.

Located in the Pavilion.

Movie Night – Featuring The Nightmare Before Christmas Nov. 22: 7pm
Movie Night – Featuring The Santa Clause 1 (sequel series) Dec. 6: 7pm
Movie Night – Featuring The Santa Clause 2 (sequel series) Dec. 13: 7pm
Movie Night – Featuring Happy Feet Dec. 27: 7pm

Tips For Your Visit

Go Early

The Holiday Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolates opens up in early November. Because the holidays are a huge thing in Las Vegas with entertainment, travel, and tourists, we always recommend going in early November for a few reasons.

The weather is still somewhat warm.
There are typically no lines to see Santa.
You can enjoy everything without feeling rushed as it gets closer to the holidays.

If you decide to go mid-December, be prepared for lines, crowds, and a wait.

holiday cactus garden at ethel m chocolates (4) — Hot Chocolate at Food Truck Area

Buy Hot Chocolate On-Site

While they have the option to buy hot chocolate ahead of time, we prefer to get there a little early to walk in the shop, grab a sample of their chocolate and then order hot chocolate fresh.

It gives us a chance to enjoy Ethel M before get too tired from walking and then we go buy chocolate afterward. You can also grab hot chocolate in the corral area (where the food truck is) and there are typically other treats on site you can buy from the truck outside.

Special Events

Located in the Pavilion, check out these special events!

Veteran’s Day – Complementary Entrance with Valid ID and 15% Off Promotion In-Store Purchase for All Veterans Nov. 11: 5pm
Henderson Silver Knights Night – Wear Your Favorite Knights Gear and Meet Lucky Nov. 14: 6pm
Movie Night – Featuring The Nightmare Before Christmas Nov. 22: 7pm
Movie Night – Featuring The Santa Clause 1 (sequel series) Dec. 6: 7pm
Movie Night – Featuring The Santa Clause 2 (sequel series) Dec. 13: 7pm
Movie Night – Featuring Happy Feet Dec. 27: 7pm
Snowy Night – One Last Night of Snow in the Holiday Garden Dec. 30: Snow begins falling at 5pm

$5 +tax per person. Reservations Required.

Be Sure to Visit Santa and Get Your Photos Taken

If you want to see Santa and get photos, but don’t want to wait in a long line, make your reservation within the first hour or so. After that, there may be a slight wait to visit him.

We usually head to the Holiday Cactus Garden between 5-6pm to avoid the large crowds.

2025 Santa Prices start at $35 for one 8”x6” photo in a custom Ethel M Chocolates frame.

Stroller and Wagon Friendly

The Cactus Garden paths are stroller and wagon-friendly. While they do like to move things along, this is a great option for families with multiple children so they can all be in the same place and not sneak away to the cacti. They are also ADA Compliant and accessible throughout their entire facility.

P.S. here’s a quick link to our wagon pictured above.

Buy the Chocolate

Ethel M Chocolates are made fresh daily, in small batches with the highest quality ingredients and no artificial preservatives – which you know we LOVE since our families are pretty picky about what we put in our bodies. We love grabbing a couple of boxes of chocolates to have on hand for the holidays for gift-giving and thank-you gifts.

Their assorted holiday boxes are also amazing, which we snagged this year. Last year we did the Design Your Own Assortment.

Take the Photos

There are so many instagrammable spots at the Holiday Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolates – they even added a new light up present near the outdoor corral area.

holiday cactus garden at ethel m chocolates (2) — Tunnel Photo Op

Have you been?

Have you been to the Holiday Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolates? This holiday season you’ve got to get out to Henderson and experience Ethel M Chocolates Holiday Cactus Garden Lights—there’s no greater Las Vegas tradition and it’s been going on for over 25 years!

It is one of our favorite affordable family traditions to enjoy year after year and we love that Ethel M is based locally out of our beautiful home of Las Vegas.