Going to Las Vegas...?

Question

I am going to Las Vegas in October, what is there to to besides gamble? Any tourist sites to see besides casinos?

Answer 1

People go to Vegas to sightsee as well as gamble. You can see most of the stuff on the Strip by walking, so you don't need a rental car. There is a free monorail between Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay. The one on the opposite side of the street which runs from the MGM to the Hilton you have to pay to ride. There is a free bus between Harrahs Hotel to the RIO Hotel that runs every half hour. There is also a free bus that you can get outside the Barbary Coast Casino that will take you to the Orleans and some other off strip casinos.

Plan which hotels/casinos you want to visit each day so you can make the most of your walking and the free monorails and scuttles. When you get to Vegas you will probably have in your hotel room a free guide to the city called either "What's ON" , “Showbiz”or "Las Vegas Today". These are helpful guises as they have a map of the Strip and city with the hotels marked, current hotel shows and prices, plus useful coupons. Some coupons will give you a free souvenir from certain hotels; you just have to take the coupon to the hotel. They also list hotel restaurants and buffets time sand prices.

JOIN PLAYERS CLUBS: Do join ALL of the players clubs because they are your ticket to lower priced return trips. The hotels will email you, or send by regular mail, specials on room rates and shows. The players clubs are free; all they want to see is your driver's license. You can join some of these clubs online before you go.

SHOPPING: There's shopping at Fashion show mall right next to Treasure Island Hotel (across from the Wynn Hotel), or you can drive or take a taxi or the bus south on the Strip (just past the airport) to the outlet mall. For more shopping, drive south on I-15 to Primm, NV (at the Calif border ... about 45 miles) and there is a big outlet mall and some casinos. There is also a mall that locals use about a mile east of the Strip on Maryland Parkway (take Flamingo Rd East to Md PKWY, turn left (north) and go about 3 blocks to Boulevard Mall. Then just north of downtown on I-15 and W. Charleston BLVD is the Las Vegas Premium Outlet Mall.

DINING: The hotel coffee shops and buffets are now much more expensive than they were years ago. So, if you want to eat for less go to the food courts located in many hotels and also try one of the several Denny's restaurants on the Strip (one in the Casino Royal hotel/casino). There are also a number of McDonald, Burger King, and other fast food places on the Stip. You can get breakfast and dinner buffets a few dollars less at the Imperial Palace hotel/casino and at the Gold Coast hotel/casino. Buffets also cost less at the Circus Circus hotel/casino and in Fremont St hotel/casinos. There is an Outback Steak House in the Casino Royale Hotel. There is a Cheesecake Factory and a Planet Hollywood in Caesars Forum shops. There is a Margerittaville in the Flamingo hotel. I recommend Tony Roma’s, a ribs and chicken restaurant; one on Fremont St and another on Sahara Ave near Paradise Rd.

MOVIES: There are movie theaters in the Palms (multiplex) and also another on the Strip across the street from the Monte Carlo hotel, near the MGM hotel.

BOWLING: If you like to bowl, there are alley's in The Gold Coast Hotel/Casino (beside the RIO) and in the Orleans Hotel Casino. .

ACT LIKE A KID: If you like roller coasters, there are roller coaster rides at the NY, NY hotel/casino, at the Sahara Hotel/Casino, and, for those with a strong heart, three rides at the top of the Stratosphere Tower. The Circus Circus Hotel/casino has arcades and an indoor amusement park. There is a place called Game Works below the Coke World experience that has all type video games. In addition, many hotels have an arcade area.

OTHER THINGS:

RED ROCK CANYON: Its about 20 miles west of Las Vegas out Charleston Blvd (you can
pick up that street at the north end of the Strip) It’s a scenic drive-through park. Go early, not in the heat of the day; there's no shade.

HOOVER DAM: Drive about 30 miles southeast of Vegas and go to Hoover Dam; the National Park Service offers tours there (@ $15.) and its interesting stuff. Go on past Hoover dam to Boulder City and then to Lake Meade for a swim and/or to visit the new casino there. Also, there are tour companies that will take you on a cruise of the river below Hoover Dam. Check the Vegas web sites.

VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK: Drive about 35 miles north of Vegas on I-15 and go to Valley of Fire State Park, another scenic park area.

ZION NATION PARK: It’s a long drive (about 2-3 hours), but you can drive North on I-15 to Zion National Park and back in one day.

DEATH VALLEY: If you like to visit National Parks, drive about an hour and a half south of Vegas on I-15 and take RT-127 to Death Valley National Park (total drive may be 3 hrs each way).

GRAND CANYON: The drive to the Grand Canyon is 5 long hard hours on mostly two lane roads with trucks and campers (only a short way on I-40). You can drive there and back in one day if you leave early morning, like 6:00-7:00 AM. That will put you there about noon and you will have 4 or 5 hrs before starting back and getting back to Vegas about 11:00PM. I recommend staying overnight at the Canyon (there are plenty of motels near there, like Best Western, Ramada, Quality inns) and drive back the next day.

When you go to Las Vegas these usual things you will want to see for FREE, especially the first 5 of these:

1. Number one on my list is to watch the fountains displays in front of the Bellagio hotel. It usually runs every 15 minutes in summers starting at 3:00 PM; runs continuously until about midnight. Each show is different (there are more than 20 different tunes choreographed) so stay and watch at least 2 or 3. ALSO, go inside the Bellagio hotel to its lobby and view the beautiful glass sculptured ceiling AND the seasonal floral arrangements in the Atrium.

2. The “Sirens of TI” show (spectacular) in from of the Treasure Island Hotel; it runs every 90 minutes starting at about 4:30 PM. Simply stand on the sidewalk in front of the TI Hotel.

3. The volcano erupt in from of the Mirage Hotel; starting at dark until midnight. Again, just stand on the sidewalk in front of the hotel.

4. Go down to Fremont Street and see the light shows. There are usually 3 or 4 different shows, starting after dark (about 8:30PM) and lasting about 5 or 10 minutes each.

5. Go to the RIO hotel to see the Masquerade in the Sky show. It is like Mardi Gras parade, only suspended from the ceiling over the gambling floor. It runs every 60 minutes starting about 3:00 PM; the last show starts at 9:30 PM..

6. Go to the MGM Grand hotel to see the Lion habitat. This is better then the tiger habitat at the Mirage Hotel because there are usually trainers in with lions to keep them active.

7. Go to the Mirage hotel to see the white tigers that Siegfried and Roy show used. This is kinda passe because the tigers rarely do anything but sit and stare.

8. Go in Caesars Palace and walk through the Forum shops to the first fountain (its spectacular) then take the first fork to the left to go see the aquarium. Then continue on through the shops to the second fountain and wait for the show to start.

9. Go into the Flamingo hotel to see their animal habitat with flamingos and penguins.

If you are a Star Trek Fan, go to the Hilton (off the strip) for "Star Trek The Experience"; it cost about $30.

Answer 2

You can see any of the shows, go to the clubs, be sure to check out the amazing restaurants and buffets the casinos have. The casinos are all a tourist attraction themselves and some have rides in them, most have shops...be sure to go shopping at Caesars Palace. You can also go off the strip and check out 'old Vegas' its kind of a neat experience, Im sure there are other tourist things to do outside of Vegas...like the Hoover Dam...but Ive never had a need to leave!

Answer 3

The city itself is centered around gambling, unfortunately.
If you'd like to summon the roller coaster lover within you, there are several good ones in and around Las Vegas.
There are fantastic shows all over town.
Be nice to see the leaves change color up at Mt. Charleston. (a 35 minute drive)
If you want to brave construction traffic, Hoover Dam is pretty cool.
There's great golfing in Vegas.
And, I know this is going to sound cheesy, but, walking the Strip in the evening, looking at all the intricate designs of the Hotels, the lights, the water show @ Bellagio, and the 1 billion candle power beam eminating from atop the Luxor....
Quite awesome.

Answer 4

Hoover Dam
Red Rock Canyon
Take a ride south on 15 about 40 minutes to the outlet centner
the new springs perserve on Tropicana - 20 minutes eas of downtown.

Answer 5

Go to this web site for things to do besides gambling.

http://local.yahoo.com/results?p=best+buy&csz=las+vegas%2Cnevada

Go any where to find a good show. But I doubt you will get a better deal than VEGAS.com.

Make sure you buy for show as much in advance as possible. If you wait until you arrive in Las Vegas it is probably too late to buy tickets.

Answer 6

bonnie springs,hoover damn,valley of fire,red rock canyon,mt charleston.....they have the adventure dome inside circus circus,, shark reef at mandalay.. the dolphins at the mirage if you choose to go to a casino

Answer 7

Boulder Dam. It's really something to see!!!!!!