Things to Do in Las Vegas

You are not likely to run out of things to do in Las Vegas, even if you're not a gambler. But gambling certainly plays a central role in financing the magnificent man-made Las Vegas attractions, and draws much of the large volume of visitors that make building huge hotels and charging reasonable room fees cost effective. So whether you gamble or not, there are plenty of ways to enjoy this gigantic playground called Las Vegas, and this guide will get you started.

Okay, you are not likely to avoid walking on the Strip altogether, but what I'm talking about is walking the whole Strip. This walk is especially amazing if you've never been to Las Vegas before. There are so many things to see along the way and you might not be able to do it all at once. If your hotel is on the Strip you might want to walk either north or south (the south side is more interesting), and then walk the opposite way some other time. If you're staying off the Strip, start on the south side, and walk north. The northern part of the Strip is a bit sparse, but it ends with the Stratosphere tower, which has many rides and attractions. If you get tired you can always hop on a bus or ride a monorail. The busses can be very slow at times, though, due to heavy traffic. Also, in the paragraphs below I recommend some must visit hotel resorts on the Strip.

The Strip is a whole different experience at night of course, when all the flashing neon lights are visible, so you might want to save your walk for after sun-down. During the summer, because of the heat, a nightly stroll might be the only viable option.

Any Star Trek fans out there? The Hilton Las Vegas, located a few minutes walking east of the north part of the Strip, offers a Star Trek Experience. This includes a Star Trek museum, a bridge experience complete with live actors, and a simulator ride. A large section of the hotel is decorated as a Star Trek Deep Space Nine promenade, and even includes a restaurant called Quark's. Check out the Star Trek Experience Web site. You can also buy tickets there on-line.

The Stratosphere Tower is the major Las Vegas attraction at the northern end of the Strip. Aside from observation decks with magnificent views of the city and surrounding mountains and canyons, the Stratosphere also includes some amusement park style rides. The High Roller roller coaster is world famous for being on top of the roof of the high Stratosphere Tower, but offers little in terms of a thrill. No Great American Scream Machine here, but hey it's almost 1000 feet in the air which certainly counts for something. The Big Shot is a shoot up and free-fall ride along the apex of the tower. It accelerates 16 passengers up at 45mph and then commences a free fall. Riders experience up to 4G's of force. The X-Scream is an open vehicle on a track that propels riders over the tower's edge and then back again. Now this is scary! In order to get to the observation decks and rides you will have to buy tickets, and lines are considerably shorter on weekdays. You can find more information on the Stratosphere Tower Web page.

Located at the Center Strip, the Venetian Hotel is constructed with a streets of Venice theme, complete with canals and a ceiling that's painted and lighted to give an open sky feeling. And while you won't be fooled that you're in Venice, Italy, the hotel's decor gives off an amazingly romantic aura. While you stroll through the streets, you'll encounter restaurants and some 70 retail stores. You can also take a gondola ride on the canals and catch some "street" performances at St. Mark's Square. The Venetian Hotel also houses some Goggenheim museum art collections.

The Luxor Hotel is located at the southern end of the Strip and has an ancient Egypt theme. One of the hotel buildings is a huge black pyramid with an extremely bright beacon at its tip, and is one of the most noticeable landmarks in Las Vegas. The pyramid itself is mostly hollow and has hotel rooms all around and against the walls. Officially, only hotel guests can go up the pyramid to their rooms, but if you manage to convince the guard to let you though anyway (because it's such a beautiful view and you have to see it before you die, etc.) you are in for quite a treat. The elevator ride is also an interesting experience, even tough it's opaque, because it crawls against the wall at a 45 degree angle. Once you're high up, you'll be able to view the pyramid from the inside. Don't take the elevator all the way up because very top floors are enclosed. As a further point of interest, the Luxor Hotel also includes some motion simulator rides, and a large IMAX 3D theater, all of which operate 24 hours a day.

Las Vegas offers a large number of tours you can take either out of town or within the city. From bus trips, to jet ski and helicopter rides, Las Vegas has it all. See the Las Vegas Tours and Trips section for more details.

In Las Vegas you'll also find a vast number of different shows to choose from. For more information about shows see the Las Vegas Shows and Entertainment page.

For more up to date information and ideas on things to do in Las Vegas, you can pick up one of many Las Vegas visitor guides that are distributed freely and made available at hotel desks, tourist information centers, etc. These guides keep up to date information on dining, shows, recreation, tours, special activities and events, and many other things of interest to Las Vegas tourists. Many guides also have various discount coupons. One such guide is Today in Las Vegas, and one good thing about this one is that you can order it for free before your trip to Vegas. See the Today in Las Vegas Web site for details.