Who Boulder City suits
Boulder City suits Hoover Dam visitors who want to arrive at the 9am tour without a 45-minute drive, Lake Mead boaters using Hemenway Harbor or Lake Mead Marina, cyclists riding the River Mountains Loop Trail, and anyone who wants a quiet small-town base 25 miles from the Strip. The Boulder Dam Hotel, built 1933, runs $120 to $180 and is a proper historic property; the Best Western Hoover Dam and Hampton Inn are around $130 to $200. Rates are steadier than Las Vegas — weekends only add about 20%.
It does not suit anyone who wants gambling (illegal within city limits), nightlife, or a Strip-based trip. The town has maybe eight restaurants worth eating at, and everything closes by 9pm.
What you can walk to
From the Boulder Dam Hotel you can walk the entire historic downtown in 20 minutes — Milo's Cellar for wine on the patio, the Boulder Dam Brewing Company, the Boulder City Company Store, the Bureau of Reclamation's small museum inside the hotel, and about a dozen antique shops. Hoover Dam itself is 7 miles east — a 10-minute drive, not walkable. The trailhead for the Historic Railroad Trail to Lake Mead starts about a mile from downtown and runs 3.7 miles through five old rail tunnels to the dam overlook.
Good to know
Can I gamble in Boulder City?+
No. It is one of only two Nevada municipalities where gambling is banned by law — a legacy of the federal dam project.
Is it worth staying here versus day-tripping from Vegas?+
Only if Hoover Dam and Lake Mead are the whole point of your trip. Otherwise a day trip from a Henderson hotel makes more sense.