I'm going to Vegas next month. What should I check out first?

Answer 1

Sandy’s Vegas Guide

Things to remember:
1.Drinks are free when you’re gambling. Sitting at a bar and playing a few dollars in a poker machine will get you a free drink. Sitting at a machine in the casino will get you the same. Tipping the waitress or bartender a dollar or two will keep her coming back. If you walk up to the bar and order drinks, you’re going to pay lots more, even for soda or bottled water.
2.Player’s Cards: Before you begin gambling, get a player’s card. Most places offer sign up deals (a coffee cup, a free meal, assorted coupons). If you get a card where you’re staying and you use it while you’re gambling, you can “save” the points and use then toward your room when you check out. Some casinos will combine accounts for married couples, some don’t. I always get a card in my name and ask for a second card. I play with one and my husband plays with the other. That way all the points are going to one card, and accumulate faster. Plus … you’ll get offers in the mail for your next trip!
3.Beware of time-share people! As you walk through the hotels and along the strip, you’ll be approached by people who want to give you free show tickets, free tours, free meals, etc. These are time-share sales people. They promise freebies in exchange for an hour of your time. I warn everyone about this but some people just don’t listen. A friend of mine decided an hour of her time was worth giving up in exchange for a show. So her and her husband accepted, were put on a bus and taken to a “presentation” and weren’t bought back for SIX hours. Their only escape would have been to take a cab back to the strip but that would have been expensive and they wouldn’t have gotten their “free” show tickets. The best way to get these people to lose interest in you and move on to the next person is to say, “Thanks, but we’re leaving tonight.”
4.Free Pulls: Some of the casinos offer “free pulls” on a special slot machine as you walk in the door. There are usually no strings attached, you pull the lever and win something. Usually it’s a key ring or a hat; sometimes it’s a free buffet. Sometimes it’s a coupon for a “fun book” (a book of coupons for that casino). To get the fun book, you can be sure you’re going to have to walk to a far, far corner in the casino. They want to get you WAY inside.
5.$40 for $20: Some casinos offer $40 in slot play for $20. What they don’t tell you is that it’s on a bank of “special” machines, and you can’t cash out for cash. Instead, you play the $40 and then choose a prize based on the credits. So before you hand over your $20, take a look at the prizes being offered. If there’s something in there that’s worth paying $20 for – have fun. If not, keep walking.
6.Valet: If you’re going to be renting a car while you’re there, valet parking is the way to go. For a $2 tip, you can park at a hotel or casino and visit the nearby hotels and casinos.
7.Bus: If you use the busses that run up and down the strip, put your wallet in your front pocket. Vegas is the favorite vacation spot for pick-pocketers, too.
8.Cabs: Cabs are more expensive than a bus, but faster and less waiting. Almost all hotels have a cab line outside one of their doors, a line of cabs waiting for the next fare. A hotel employee will whistle for the next cab in line when you ask for a cab.


Things to see (and most are FREE!):
1.The Freemont Street Experience: Every night there is a light and music show that stretches for blocks. It’s an amazing thing to see … and it’s FREE. Freemont Street is in downtown Vegas, you’ll need to take a cab if you don’t have a car. The street is blocked off from traffic and you can stand in the street and look up and watch the show. (Another place to keep a close check on your wallet.) There’s a different show every 30 minutes, beginning at 8:00 or 8:30 PM. Show times and pictures can be seen at: http://www.vegasexperience.com/ Be sure to check out the video! Freemont Street also has performers and kiosks all along it. Lots to see and worth a trip. Downtown used to be nasty and scary, but they’ve cleaned it up and it’s clean and safe now. Just don’t wander too far off Freemont on any of the side streets. You probably wouldn’t want to anyway, most of the action is right on Freemont.
2.The Fountains at Bellagio: Don’t miss this! It’s a 900-foot long row of fountains that “dance” to music. The songs change, and it’s awesome to see. More info at: http://www.vegas.com/attractions/on_the_strip/bellagiofountains.html While you’re there, go inside and check out the conservatory. Very impressive!
3.Caesars Forum Shops: If you feel like strolling through Rome, check out the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. This is also where the talking statues live. More info on the shops and a link to info on the talking statues at: http://www.vegas.com/shopping/forumshops.html
4.The Canal at the Venetian: This is pretty amazing and a MUST see. You feel like you’re in Italy as you stroll along the canal and visit the shops. You can even take a gondola ride. Check out the Canal Shoppes at: http://www.venetian.com/shoppe/index.cfm and get information on the gondolas at: http://www.vegas.com/attractions/on_the_strip/gondola.html?f=m0at&t=stripat
5.The Volcano, The Tigers and The Aquarium at The Mirage: If you go up the moving walkway and through the front door at the Mirage, you’ll see the white tiger. Pretty cool to see. Head through the foliage to the front lobby and check out the wall behind the check-in desk. It’s a HUGE salt-water aquarium. In front of the hotel there is a huge waterfall that turns into an erupting volcano (loud, bright, and hot!) at night. A trip to Vegas without seeing the volcano erupt just wouldn’t be a trip to Vegas. http://www.themirage.com/
6.The Wildlife Habitat at The Flamingo: An outdoor habitat located within the Flamingo. You can watch the penguins play and see the live flamingos (still haven’t figured out how to kidnap one) plus lots of other birds, fish, and turtles. http://www.vegas.com/attractions/on_the_strip/wildlifehabitat.html
7.Masquerade Village at The Rio: Masquerade Village is inside the casino at the Mirage. There is a parade in the sky with music and dancing and lights that’s pretty cool to see. This is located off the strip, too far to walk, but there is a free shuttle that goes from Harrah’s to Rio and back. More info and a video at: http://www.harrahs.com/our_casinos/rlv/entertainment/entertainment_detail_07.html
8.The Eiffel Tower at Paris: You can take a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. http://www.vegas.com/attractions/on_the_strip/eiffeltower.html?f=m0at&t=stripat

Other Info:
You can find a map of the strip and downtown Las Vegas here: http://www.vegas.com/map.html

You can find a show guide here: http://www.vegas.com/shows/index1.html?key=show01 This site has a search engine that allows you to enter the dates you’ll be in town.

More GOOD Las Vegas info:
http://www.visitlasvegas.com

Answer 2

Vegas is a desert... very dry and hot. So picture an oven.
If you are flying taking a taxi to your hotel will easily cost you $10-15. Try to get there very early or really really late (like after midnight)... or you'll be stuck in traffic with a meter running.

The first thing you will notice is the lights and the different hotels along the "Strip" the main drag of Vegas. Some of the hotels on the strip banded together and built a monorail. The monorail links these hotels but its not free. you can get an all day band for $15. Not sure if its worth it, but since you don't have a car, I would try it at least.

If you like to gamble, take your time doing it. You have all day. Some hotel/casinos have higher miniumums than others. They also offer classes if you don't know how to play a certain game. Ask the front desk for information. Usually the free classes are early in the morning.

There's shopping in Vegas, ranging from the Outlets to the high end stores like Gucci, Coach, etc. The outlets have a shuttle and you can get information from the hotel front desk.

Dress casually, and light. Bring a sweater/sweatshirt in case it does get cool (ie: restaurant/hotel).

If you want to catch a show, you can get 1/2 price tickets at the Coca Cola store on the strip. Not all shows are discounted, but its worth a try. If you want the more popular shows like Avenue Q, Barry Manilow, etc, go directly to the resort for tickets.

Always have a few bucks on you to tip... whether its the drink girl, the valet (if you decide to rent a car) or even the bellhop.

And yes, what goes on in Vegas does stay in vegas!

Answer 3

I have relatives who live in Vegas so I've been there many times. It kind of depends on what you are interested in. If you are into gambling and want to see how much you can win, go to the older smaller casinos like Nevada Palace, Imperial Palace and Sahara first as they tend to have looser slot machines. They also sometimes have lower minimum bet live tables too. In fact, Sahara had $1 blackjack tables and single deck $5 blackjack tables when I was out there earlier this June. Another good place to win is Sams Town.

If you want to check out the neat rides some casinos have, the first stop to make is the Straosphere. You probably haven't ridden rides that scary before. Its also the tallest building in town so you get great views. One called the Big Shot, shoots a ring of seats up a pole on the very top of the building so fast that you feel the g forces and on the way back down, you float in your seat. Another one swings you out over the side of the roof and spins you really fast while you hang upside down facing the street. There is also a rollercoaster that circles the roof.

Other casinos have rollercoaster too such as the Sahara, New York New York and MGM Grand. If less dangerous looking rides are your speed, you can check out motion controll movies at several places. The best one, especially if you are a Trekkie, is at the Hilton. I won't spoil the surprises but I will say that they have converted part of the hotel to look like the promenade from Deep Space Nine and the ride itself has you transition from the hotel part to the Enterprise with sets that look just like the ones on the Next Generation TV series. Another challenging one is at the Sahara where they have a NASCAR theme. On this one, you and several other people race around a video game track in scaled down models of real NASCAR race cars. It's a true racing simulator with the steering wheel having force feedback and even the whole car moving around on a gimble in responce to the race on the screen.

If you want to see comedy, maybe even some famous comedians depending on the week, go to An Evening at the Improv at Harrahs. A lot of the other casinos have famous singers performing depending on who is booked.

If you are into the Dark Ages and find going to renassance fairs fun, you need to go to the Excalibur first. They made it look like a real castle and have people going around in period costumes. The best part is the jousting tourney where you get to eat cornish hens and loaves of bread with your fingers and yell at the knights in armour as they put on a real jousting tournament. They ride real horses in an arena and everything.

If you are into cars, you need to see the museum at the Imperial Palace. They have a lot of cars there. Some are very rare and some are even famous like the cars used in the Back to the Future movies. You also need to go to the Sahara and check out the Test Drive attraction behind the casino. For only $10 you get to drive some really expensive sports cars around on a test track. They even have an "off road" track where you can drive a Hummer or a Land Rover.

If you are hungry and want a really impressive dinner go to the Bellagio and eat at Emrils place. Its pricey but really cool. If you want a great steak without a high price the steakhouse in Sams Town is excellent.

There are a lot of cool things to do there but these are among my favorites.

Answer 4

Make sure you go downtown to Freemont Street at night to see the light show -- it runs every hour. Check out the ceiling of the Bellagio lobby. Visit the Forum Shops at Ceasar's Palace. Ride the rollercoaster at New York, New York. Have the buffet at the Rio. Visit the Venetian because it is beautiful inside. The wax museum at Paris is neat too.

Answer 5

This is EASY!! GO inside the shopping area of The ALL EDEN!! IS SO COOL! ( or it may be Plannet Hollywood by now) IT IS ONE OF THE BEST EVER!!! Then go see the Pirate show at Treasure Island--and see the Dancing Waters.(forgot the name BUT!! you can't miss it) SEE Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.. DO HAVE FUN and ENJOY!! we will be back in Aug and Nov...and Dec for the RODIO!!! YEE-HAWWW!! .....

Answer 6

If you plan on seeing any shows, ie. Cirque, Penn & Teller, Magic shows, Celine, anything you would like to see you should call the box offices now or in lieu of that call the concerge desk at your hotel and get them going, and when you arrive they know your name already.....and one more thing there is a lot of crime near Freemont, so be weary.

Answer 7

Well, if it is food you are after the best best buffet in Vegas is the Spice Market Buffet in the Aladdin. Plan to go early or the line ups are long.

Answer 8

If you don't have one try getting a guide book. What I would recommend is going to the dolphin habitat at the mirage hotel or the shark reef at Mandelay bay.

Answer 9

There are several different things besides the casinos like the hoover dam, and the indoor and outdoor(some hotels have outdoor shows like the mirage and treasure island) shows.

Answer 10

Your bank account! Good Luck!! :)