What are some fun things to do while visiting Las Vegas, Nevada?

Question

I will be visiting Las Vegas in the future for a 3 day stay and am interested in some activities to do while I was there. I am not much on spending hours in front of a slot machine just wasting money.

Answer 1

** ATTRACTIONS. The casino that predated the ill-conceived rush to theme-park motifs was Circus Circus, with its pink big top and circus performances. It still has an amusement park, a five-acre indoor layout called Adventuredome. Rides range from the gentle Frog Hopper to bigger-kid stuff, such as Canyon Blaster with double corkscrews and the like.

As much for adults as children is the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. This elaborate homage to the TV- and big-screen sagas of the Starship Enterprise should appeal to anyone with an appetite for science fiction. The main draws are two motion rides, the Klingon Encounter and the Borg Invasion. Kids have to be 42 inches tall. There's a museum of Star Trek props and a restaurant called Quark's. Tickets that include both rides are sold online for $36.99, $31.99 (Nevada residents) and $33.99 (seniors and kids under 12).

At the Luxor, there's an IMAX theater and three film rides, including one that takes you through a video-game world, another on an adventure archaeological dig, a third through a haunted castle. There are also three IMAX movies, including a Tom Hanks-produced moon walk. Tickets for each are $11.99.

At the Venetian, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum presents replicas of the famous. While little ones might be bored, older children may get a kick out of posing for pictures with Hollywood stars and historical figures.

** ANIMALS. Most children probably will enjoy several animal attractions along the Strip. Some are free. The MGM Grand has a free lion habitat where adult lions and cubs often loll around and play. The Mirage has a free white tiger habitat, a vestige of the Siegfried and Roy magic-animal act that ended when Roy Horn was injured by one of the cats. Toward the back of the resort are a dolphin habitat and the Siegfried and Roy Secret Garden. Combined admissions are $15 for adults, $10 for children 4 to 12, and free for children under 3 with an adult.

** SPLASHING. If you're in town in swimming weather, May through mid-October, the hotel pool will be a favorite spot for young ones. The most expansive is at Mandalay Bay, with a wave pool, beach, and lazy river ride. However, Mandalay Bay is one of the pricier hotels. Families on a more modest budget should consider the Monte Carlo, which also has a wave pool and river ride; the Flamingo; and the Tropicana.

** DINING. Buffets are a mixed bag for children. The upside is that kids get to pick what they want and there's often a price break. The downside is that they have to get the food from the buffet back to the table. A rare dinner-show geared to children is the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur. The food is a capon dinner you eat with your fingers. The entertainment is a medieval adventure with jousting, swordplay and acrobats. There are two shows a night, except for Tuesdays.

** ARCADES. These are dotted all over town. The Excalibur has a game arcade called Fantasy Fair Midway, and Circus Circus has its own midway that is close to the casino, some might feel too close. On the south end of the Strip is a noncasino-attached arcade, Gameworks, with all the latest video whiz-bangs, including shoot-'em-ups and sports games. The Sahara has a tie-in to NASCAR with a ride simulation arcade called Cyber Speedway, a restaurant, and a thrill ride. The simulation rides have a 48-inch height requirement.

** RETAIL. With the opening of upscale malls, shopping has become a major part of the Vegas experience. While kids probably won't be impressed with Gucci and Fendi, they'll probably enjoy the FAO Schwarz toy store at the Forum Shops and M&M World on the south end of the Strip near Gameworks.

** THRILL RIDES Several screamers along the Strip might be for the young-at-heart but not the faint-of-heart. New York New York has its Manhattan Express roller coaster with a "heartline" twist-and-dive maneuver. The Sahara has Speed, the Ride, which accelerates from 35 to 70 mph in two seconds. And the Stratosphere Tower has three rides atop what, at 1,149 feet, is the tallest building west of the Mississippi. The most recent addition is Insanity -- the ads say riders experience "the thrill of being flung over the edge of the Tower and literally facing downward at the city of Las Vegas below."

Answer 2

In town, there's not a lot. Hopefully, you'll have a car. Hoover Dam is about an hour and a half out of town. It's really neat. Red Rock Canyon is about the same distance in the other direction.

If you don't have a car, there's always the nightclubs. People tell me those are a lot of fun. Most of the shows, especially the Cirque du Soliel ones, are very, very good, but can be very expensive also.

Answer 3

I'll suggest places that are fun without making you feel like you have to be "trendy" . Harrah's outdoor bar(Local call it the Carnival)........good drinks and live music. Caesar's forum is an unexpected place to meet people, Margaritaville on the strip by the Flamingo Hilton is fun and has live music on Fridays or Saturdays and you can order food there too, off the strip you could go to Moose's Beach house across from UNLV and meet lots of coeds, Blondies in the Aladdin and the ESPN Zone are popular too.

Answer 4

Go to the Shoe-shining Museum

Answer 5

I liked going to the top of the Stratosphere .. no matter what anyone else thinks ... read below

Answer 6

It's Vegas baby!!!! OK you don't feel lucky on the machines BUT
what more than, drinking and strip clubs do you need???
" it is called SIN CITY , so...............SIN TO YOUR HEARTS CONTENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

just go hotel hopping.seeing the lobbies and the stores