Is your first trip to Vegas? There’s so much to do in Las Vegas besides gaming, but everywhere you turn, there’s going to be something bright and shiny that grabs your attention. We have put together a list of our top 10 things you don’t want to miss when you are in Vegas.
Take a photo at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada sign
Created in 1959, the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign is an iconic symbol of Sin City. People once risked their lives running through traffic to pose next to the famous sign, located on the Strip near Mandalay Bay. Thankfully, a small parking lot was built next to it in 2008, transforming the sign into a tourist trap instead of a death trap. Oh, and it’s free.
Don’t miss the Bellagio Fountains
One of the flagship attractions in Vegas is the one and only fountain show at the Bellagio. Every half-hour between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and every 15 minutes from then ’til midnight, an 8.5-acre lake in the middle of the desert explodes with 1,214 spritzers shooting water up to 460 feet in the air — the water rockets and dances, perfectly choreographed to Frank Sinatra or Gene Kelly or “One Singular Sensation” from A Chorus Line. If you really want a bird’s-eye view of the Bellagio Fountain show, get yourself a pair of tickets to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You won’t be able to hear the music from the observation deck but the view is out-of-this-world.
Dinner in style
Las Vegas is a foodie’s died-and-gone-to-heaven-dream-come-true, so bite the bullet and see what all the fuss is about. Vegas features a restaurant lineup of who’s who in celebrity chefs. There are so many, it’s like reading their names out of a celebrity phone book: Andrés, Batali, De Laurentiis, Fieri, Gagnaire, Mina, Puck, Ramsay, Robuchon, Savoy – you get the picture, now make the reservation.
If you’re nervous about running up the tab, hit Fiamma Trattoria & Bar at the MGM. It’s one of the few Italian restaurants whose main courses are as good as the pastas, and one of the few restaurants in Vegas that isn’t overpriced.
For the thrill seekers
Conquer your fear of heights and your fear of falling while earning a ton of street cred on SkyJump Las Vegas at the Stratosphere. After suiting up in a branded jumpsuit and harness, you will ride an elevator to Level 108 of the tallest building west of the Mississippi, then step off a platform 855 feet above the Las Vegas Strip on this controlled free fall.
Or for something not as wild, there is the roller coaster at New York-New York. This one goes right through the New York-New York hotel and takes only a few minutes. The hotel is worth seeing for its brilliantly compressed version of Disneyfied Manhattan, and the roller coaster is a better way to tour it than walking through.
Visit the Shark Reef Aquarium
The Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay is unlike your average aquarium visit. It is half-outdoors, half-indoors, with rays, sea turtles, crocodiles, lots of sharks and, as of recently, a komodo dragon. If you’re staying at the Mandalay Bay, you can turn to the Shark Reef channel and watch sharks live 24 hours a day on TV, which is pretty awesome at 4 a.m. when you’re totally wasted.
Enjoy a sunset gondola ride
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie…oh sorry, don’t mind us. We’re just floating along, lost in the moonlight, enjoying an Italian serenade. Venice/Vegas same thing, right? OK maybe not. But where else can you see the glittery lights of the Las Vegas Strip in a boat? You’ve got to take a gondola ride at the Venetian at least once.
Spring for a show
It’s no secret that Vegas has world-class entertainment. But you really haven’t experienced all that we have to offer until you’ve seen one of our shows. We’ve got what you want – from mind-boggling acrobats to big name entertainers and even a whole lot of nakedness (probably from both you and the show). If you’re one of the lucky ones who gets pulled out of the audience, you’ll even become one of the stars. Move over Broadway, cause our productions are unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
One show you don’t want to miss is Cirque du Soleil. Even though it’s expensive, cuts three hours out of your evening and sounds really boring, it’s actually really cool and totally Vegas, despite its French Canadian origins. The Cirque hires former Olympic gymnasts to catapult themselves all over the stage, risking their lives in outlandish costumes just for your amusement. All the Cirque shows are similarly good — and pricey, at up to $165 a ticket — but Love at the Mirage is the best.
Stumble through the Fremont Street Experience
A whole new meaning to “shock and awe,” the Fremont Street Experience is a lot different than you may remember it. This is the land of ultimate debauchery where the once glittery and glamorous meets the just plain weird. Lined with vintage hotels, restaurants and bars spanning the four-block corridor and covered by a giant digital screen, this downtown Las Vegas destination is the ultimate block party. There is a lot to do and see, including shopping at specialty kiosks, riding zip lines and watching free concerts and costumed buskers of various levels of sobriety.
Be a High Roller
The High Roller in Las Vegas isn’t your average Ferris wheel. There’s nothing average about it. And it’s not really a Ferris wheel; it’s an observation wheel — the biggest in the world at a staggering 550-feet-tall. Yes, you read that right: 550 feet. That’s nine feet taller than the Singapore Flyer and 107 feet taller than the London Eye. It currently holds the Guinness World Record for largest observation wheel. With panoramic views of the Strip, the valley and the mountains, there’s something to see from every angle.
Dance like a stripper
Las Vegas offers plenty of opportunities for the girl next door to dance like a stripper. Whether taking a stripping class like XBU – X Burlesque University or Stripper 101 or gyrating on the stripper pole in your VIP Party Bus, you too can feel the unsatisfying allure of glassy-eyed detachment and daddy issues while.
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