Las Vegas, Nevada
Sin City is known of course for its gambling, drinking and shows but Las Vegas can be the kind of trip you want it to be. You can have a great time without putting money into a one armed bandit or at a table. There are many other entertainment options, museums and outdoor options available away from the lights. You can ride thrill rides on top of the tallest tower in the United States, solve crime at the CSI Experience, hike in the Red Rocks of the Nevada Desert, visit the historic Hoover Dam and so much more. Donna and I have visited Las Vegas quite a few times and have found new a unique things to do each time. Its a unique Oasis in the desert and a place that is well worth the visit even if you do not gamble or drink.
Getting there and Transportation
The easiest way to get to Las Vegas is to fly into McCarran International Airport that is minutes away from the hotels of the Las Vegas Strip. There are many flights available for affordable prices. The airport is a hub for airlines like Southwest and Frontier and has good service by many others. Las Vegas is a city where you do not really need a rental car if you just want to spend time around the strip area. From the airport to the hotels there are a variety of options. Donna and I have used one of the many shuttle services that cost around $15-20 round trip. You do not have to have a reservation but its good to have one. We also used Lyft before to get to our hotel. There is a special pickup point in the parking garage for this service. A little more expensive option are Taxi cabs that are plentiful in Vegas. While on the strip you can use Lyft, Uber, Taxis if you would like but a more cost effective option is walking some of the strip and also using the LasVegas Monorail that runs on the East side of the strip that will take you from the MGM Hotel at the Southernmost station to the Sahara (SLS) Hotel near the Stratosphere on the North Side. A day pass that gives unlimited rides is $13. There are also bus and small group tours available to areas in Las Vegas and to places as far away as the Grand Canyon and Utah. We have taken advantage of these tours as well.
The Strip
The Las Vegas Strip (Part of Las Vegas Blvd.) is the epicenter of most things to do in the city of Las Vegas. You have many hotel options and where you should stay really depends on what you budget is and what theme you want. You could stay in Polynesian themed Mirage, take a trip to Venice by staying in The Venetian or even go to Paris at the Paris Hotel. Part of visiting Las Vegas is just walking into an exploring the hotels on the strip. Donna and I have on the trips we have taken gone into many of the hotels. In the Bellagio hotel you can see beautiful glass flowers in the ceiling of the lobby and a little further inside is the conservatory where there is a wonderful garden decorated with a theme for the time of the year. At the Venetian Hotel you can see gorgeous paintings and statues that are replicas from Venice and then walk through the Canal shops and even ride on a gondola through the hotel. To go into every hotel to see the themes and decor will take quite a bit of time so I recommend for sure stopping by Caesar’s Palace, The Venetian, Paris, Bellagio, The Luxor, New York, New York and The Mirage if you want to visit some of the more interesting hotels. I’ll go over some of the entertainment you can find in the hotels a little later. Each hotel has a casino so you of course can visit those if you want to get some casino action on your trip. On the strip you can eat very expensive or relatively cheap at some of the shopping food courts and some hotels have cheaper options like Fast Food, Johnny Rockets and other restaurants. We usually eat affordable to save money but will occasionally splurge for a nice dinner while in Vegas at a moderately fancy restaurant.
Free entertainment on the Strip
Not everything in Las Vegas has to cost you money. While some of the casino shows like the Pirate Battle at the Treasure Island (now call TI) is gone you can still visit a few free shows. The most famous one is the fountains of Bellagio. You are able to see a musically choreographed fountain with lights and huge water displays. Its definitely worth seeing at least once during the stay. We have seen the show during the day and at night. Also at the Mirage Hotel you can see the eruption of a Polynesian volcano during the evening. This display has been featured in many movies shot in Las Vegas over the years. The is also a free show in the Caesar’s Forum Shops called ‘The Fall of Atlantis’ that features pyrotechnics, video and animatronic characters. It is about a feud between the Kings children who process powers of fire and water that destroys the kingdom. Its a nice show while you are shopping in the expansive forum shops. There are also many gardens, fountains, and aquariums you can looks at throughout the strip.
Museums and Exhibits on the Strip
In Las Vegas along the strip many hotels have museum exhibits that are either permanent or just passing through. When we were in Las Vegas in 2012 for example The Venetian had an exhibit on Leonardo Da Vinci and his inventions. An exhibit we love to visit is in the MGM Grand Hotel shopping area. The CSI Experience gives you the chance to look for clues in three different crime scenes (each scene is an additional cost) and go through the scientific process to solve the case. At the end of the process you have to charge someone with the murder. We have done all three cases and there are twists and turns. This will cost around $25. In the Luxor Hotel they have a long running Titanic exhibit that includes replicas of some of the cabins and other parts or the ship, artifacts and a good history of the ship. The Luxor also has a Bodies exhibit featuring real human bodies and our anatomy. I have not been to the Las Vegas version of this exhibit but to another traveling version. Its an interesting exhibit but not for the faint of heart. Both of these exhibits cost $32 each. At the Mandalay Bay you can see the Shark Reef that contains many animals and sea life in its aquarium and jungle. Its a nice aquarium where you can spend some time. The Shark Reef will cost $25. You can buy combination packs and passes that will discount going to multiple exhibits on the strip.
Rides on the Strip
There are many great rides and attractions at the different hotels along the strip. If you want to go high for your thrills the Stratosphere is the place to go. Its the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States and has several rides available. If you just want to see Las Vegas from up top you can go to the observation tower for $20. If you want more of a thrill you can ride the rides (unlimited ride package is $44) that are located outside on the roof of this tall tower. Donna and I rode the Big Shot that drops you from the top of the antenna of the tower. The view is amazing. There are two other rides up there. One that swings you over the side and another one that gives you the feeling you are going to fall off. If you are extremely daring you can jump off the side of the tower for $120. If roller coasters are more what you like to do you should go to the New York, New York and ride the roller coaster that runs just outside of the hotel. It is a pretty nice but compact roller coaster. Donna and I rode it on our first time together in Las Vegas. If you want a more relaxing view of the Las Vegas Strip and the mountains of the Las Vegas valley The High Roller at the Linq is your best bet. It is one of the world’s tallest observation wheels (ferris wheel) and you can ride during the day for $22 and at night for $32. It takes about 30 minutes for the ride to complete and it gives you time to hopefully catch the fountains of Bellagio and the scenery. We really enjoyed this ride and the unique scenery of Las Vegas. If you have the money to spend they also offer a variety of helicopter rides in Las Vegas and to the Grand Canyon. Donna and I on our honeymoon took a twilight helicopter tour that took us out to the Hoover Dam and then up the strip just as the lights came on. It was a wonderful and memorable experience that cost us around $200 a person.
Shows on the Strip
Las Vegas is of course known for its shows. You can find about any kind of live show you would want to see in Las Vegas. From our personal favorite Cirque Du Soleil to stand up comedy you can find it there. Pretty much every hotel on the strip offers at least one show so my suggestion is look up shows before you go so you know what you might want to see. Sometimes if you go during a non-peak time you can get discounts buying them at the hotel instead of online like we did to Cirque Du Soleil’s KA at the MGM in a November before Thanksgiving. Depending on the show you might have the chance to be a part of the show like we had once in Cirque Du Soleil’s Mystere. It was a unique experience. There also are temporary showings such as a George Straight concert or the annual Pro Rodeo Finals in Las Vegas. There are a couple of places on the strip that sell discount tickets to shows but be careful being pulled into a time share pitch for show tickets since you will have to visit a property to get the tickets (we declined).
Downtown Las Vegas
If you want to see another side of Las Vegas you can visit the downtown area. It is home to many of the older and smaller casinos in Las Vegas. The two best attractions there are the Fremont Street Experience and the zipline over the street. The Fremont Street Experience is a video show on the huge screen that was built above the street. It plays a variety of music choreographed shows. I am personally not a huge fan of the downtown area since it is a little rough but it is worth seeing at least once.
Outside of the Strip Area
If you get tired of the lights and sounds of Las Vegas and want to get out into nature or see some history, you can do that too in Las Vegas. There are several day trip options from Las Vegas you could either book a bus tour or do on your own. One of the closer options is going to visit the Historic Hover Dam. They offer a nice tour that takes you into the electric generation area. The Hoover Dam was a huge undertaking in the 1930s and is still used today to generate a lot of electricity. Nearby Lake Meade is a nice place to visit as well. Its an easy drive if you want to rent a car and visit or a bus tour is not a bad option either. You can also visit to the West of Las Vegas the Red Rock National Conservation Area. There are many hiking areas there into the beautiful Red Rock canyons and formations. Its extremely quite out there so a good place to get away from the casinos of Las Vegas and see some of the beauty the desert has to offer. A longer trip option is to visit the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas. Donna and I took a day trip bus tour to the Grand Canyon for a good price of $80 a person that made several stops along the way and included an Italian food lunch buffet in Arizona. We stopped at the Hoover Dam, Seligman, Arizona (Route 66), and then got a couple hours at the Grand Canyon before we headed back to Las Vegas. The tour picked us up around 6am and dropped us off around 10pm so it is a full day tour but is was nice. Another wonderful National Park that is around 3-4 hours away from Las Vegas is the Zion National Park in Southern Utah. Its a extraordinary canyon of unique rock formations, waterfalls and a river. We rented a car to go to this destination and returned it immediately after getting back to Las Vegas. A place we have not been to yet but is within reach of Las Vegas is Death Valley National Park in California. There are also other museums and places in Las Vegas you can visit like a museum that holds many of the old casino signs. We have not yet explored in Las Vegas outside of the main tourist areas other than to go to the National Parks, but we want to visit places like the Atomic Testing Museum.
Las Vegas Tips
Las Vegas can be a city that can get very expensive depending on how you tour it. There are of course many expensive but very good restaurants throughout Las Vegas. You can though find more affordable options in the shopping food court areas and at places like Johnny Rockets. When we had rented the car to go to Zion National Park we ate at a Chili’s outside of the strip area before turning in the car to save a little money. Also look for ticket packages to the different exhibits and attractions to help save a little money since it can get expensive. Try to go to Las Vegas during a off peak time if you can where you can get more discounts. While playing the slots and tables can be fun, take some time to leave the casinos and do some other things and if you can get out of the immediate Las Vegas Area and visit some of the wonderful national parks a few hours drive away. Las Vegas is a city that gives you the choice what kind of trip you want to make it into. You do have options for night clubs and casinos but there is much more out there I hate for people to miss!
