Things to do in Las Vegas?

[rico]

So my girlfriend and I are hitting up Las Vegas in three weeks. Aside from the obvious gambling and touring the strip, can anyone recommend some interesting, overlooked activities? (Flashlight related or not )

One thing that I really want to do is to visit a gun range and shoot off a few rounds. Can anyone recommend a tourist friendly range?

 

[macforsale]

...

 

[Manzerick]

Just remember _ what goe son in Vagas... stays in Vagas!!!

 

[raythompson]

Try the top of the Stratosphere hotel for some real scary amusement rides. The towershot at night is impressive and frightening. Then have dinner at the rotating eatery for an outstanding view of Vegas. It will not be cheap but for a one shot meal highly recommended. Reservations are required.

 

[shakeylegs]

I know the mention of Cirque du Soleil can make some squirm. But their production of "Ka" at the MGM is an amazing spectacle. Price will make you squirm but if you can afford, you might consider it.

 

[Empath]

A Cirque Du Soleil performance.

Hula Hoops

 

[abvidledUK]

We had a brilliant helicopter ride, 20 mins, up and down the strip etc, which just happened to be part of our holiday package.

Bellagio at night does a (free) water spectacular, with music, stay for a couple of shows, seen from the roadside, amazing. About every 20 minutes I think. After one show, people move off, so you can move forwards, but only 1 deep when we were there.

Go inside every hotel, and other entrance you can along the strip, lovely and cool, and spectacular ceiling murals.

We liked the M&M shop for it's silliness.


Venetian is especially spectacular


If you're into photography, take a tripod for night-time, I use small DX type $1.50, just right.

We stayed at the Luxor, very nice, nice location at the end of the strip, open balconies inside a bit scary though.

We found a nice little cafe near the Eiffel Tower, not the one on the front, on a corner nearby.

Quite a nice factory outlet shopping centre off strip, can't remember what it was called. B&D shop sells torches !! (2005)

Watch out your GF doesn't steer you towards the White Chapel, unless you want to.

Downside...As you walk along the Strip, you are badgered by touts every few yards, promoting the seedier side of LV. Especially at night.

And there's CSI T shirts everywhere !

Photo's removed now.

 

[SCEMan]

The Beatles LOVE show at the Mirage - unbelievable!
Best kept secret: Lake Las Vegas

 

[nerdgineer]

There are a couple of services which sell same day Vegas show tickets at half price. You can find their locations online. They located at several spots on the strip, open at 11 and are a great deal.

They have some really grand (and some really not grand) buffets for relatively low prices. I would recommend: breakfast buffets at Paris and Bellagio. Lunch Buffet at Bellagio. (Not lunch Buffet at Paris). Champagne Sunday brunch at Mandalay Bay.

Probably lots of others, too.

Also: I liked the small Beatles show (Fab Four?) much more than the Cirque du Soleil "Love" show, and it was like 1/5 the price at the half price outlets. We saw Phantom of the Opera, the Producers, and Mama Mia on discounted tickets and enjoyed all of them. They are Broadway level productions, often the actual Broadway cast members, although they are trimmed to run in less than 2 hrs (all song included, some dialogue edited...).

There's a shuttle bus which runs up and down the strip called the Deuce. Fancy double decker bus, $10 for an all day pass - saves a lot of effort if traffic is heavy, which it usually is.

Enjoy.

 

[rico]

Thanks guys! Keep the suggestions coming!

We are there for 5 days, 4 nights, so hopefully we have enough time to see everything.

We hadn't considered getting cheap tickets in Vegas as I assumed reservations were required ahead of time. Thanks for the idea!

abvidleduk: Phenominal pictures!

 

[Ras_Thavas]

Rent a car and drive to Death Valley. Get a National Park Service pamphlet from the hotel, there are a lot of different things to do there.

I loved the hard hat tour of Hoover dam, but I don't think they let you do it anymore.

There is a marshmallow factory that has tours and free samples at the end. It is just outside Vegas along the same route that will get you to the dam.

 

[bitslammer]

If this is your first trip leave your schedule open and treat it as a recon run.

As a Penn & Teller fan I was thrilled to go see them. I remember telling my wife that I felt that I had now lived a complete and full life having seen them live.

http://www.pennandteller.com/

We also very much enjoyed the Pink Jeep Tour we took to some of the desert/park areas. Being from Ohio it was nice to see the different terrain, plant (or lack of) and critters out there.

http://www.pinkjeep.com/jeep-tours/lasvegas/

And of course there's nearly any kind of food/drink you could ever want or imagine. We make it a point of always trying something new that we can't find back home.

As far as getting around take a look into the Monorail too. It's a good deal if you are going to places along its route. The casinos are mind bogglingly huge and it could take you the better part of 2 1/2 days to meander through them all. We started at the MGM end of town, and after hitting the Luxor and nearby only made it back to New York New York, but that was a casual pace stopping for lunch, ice cream, some light shopping and tossing a few quarters away.

 

[Lumenz]

One thing I remember fondly from my last Las Vegas trip was the indoor skydiving. Actually, I didn't do as much skydiving as I did being thrown against a padded wall, but it was still a lot of fun!

It is on 200 Convention Center Drive, right off the main strip.

Edit: It's called FlyAway Indoor Skydiving, by the way.

 

[louie]

Rollercoasters? Circus Circus has an indoor one ( http://www.adventuredome.com/ )and NYNY has an outdoor one. MGM has some thrill rides.

Liberace Museum? You may not be old enough to know him!

Star Trek The Experience at the Hilton? (motion simulator ride)

Pinball Hall of Fame http://www.pinballmuseum.org/

Gun ranges - I did go to one - it was a cab ride from the strip. It was like most indoor gun ranges - not too fancy, not too bad. They didn't care who you were if you had money and full ID. It wasn't crowded with tourists. Rented HK MP5 full auto. Was accompanied by a rangemaster and admonished to not burst too long or the gun might overheat. This was maybe 8 years ago, I have the business card at home (tonight). I think there were a couple of choices in the phone book, so Google it. Edit: It was The Gun Store http://www.thegunstorelasvegas.com/

Neon Sign Museum? http://www.neonmuseum.org/boneyard.html

 

[Greta]

Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. I went for the first time just this past August.... (mind you, I only live 150 miles from Vegas and go there often just to shop)... Shark Reef is WELL worth the money (adults $15.95) and you are on your own schedule. I do plan on going again sometime soon. Did I say it was well worth the money? Petting the rays was the highlight, of course, but being under the water and having sharks and rays and all manner of underwater life swimming around you... :wow:... we literally sat for about an hour and just watched... incredible!! :wow:

 

[BIGIRON]

Rent a car and get out of town.

Hoover Dam, Yucca Flats, Death Valley. Maybe even take the Extraterrestial Highway.......

Some really spectacular things to see after you've gotten your fill of Vegas.

 

[bobisculous]

I'll be in Vegas somewhere around December 20-21 as well. I will be celebrating the 21 birthday a little late, but gonna be in Phoenix for Christmas and before and figured we'd make a stop there as well. I've been there once, but only a drive through. Really looking forward to seeing sights. Definately gonna make a stop wherever ya'll say as well. See you there perhaps. Gonna stay in the Luxor,

A Flashaholics dream
-Cameron

 

[beach honda]

Las Vegas is a horrible and vile place, in my opinion. Full of all that is wrong with the world.... However, I do recommend everybody goes once, just to see the decadence and depravity. If it were me, I'd spend the rest of the time sipping rum and letting my .44 magnum rip somewhere out in the desert. Maybe hit the mint gun club if you don't feel like wandering aimlessly out in the desert.



Go as close as you can to the Area 51 site and take a picture of the no trespassing sign. Show those cammo wearing *******s you take no guff!

 

[PhotonWrangler]

+1 on the dancing fountains at Bellagio. See them at night, and stay for a couple of performances. It's beautiful.

My favorite spot there is Red Rock Canyon. It's only a 30 minute drive from the strip and the scenery is amazing, so completely different from what everyone thinks of when they hear "Vegas." I've been to RRC two or three times and I'll probably go again if I have the opportunity.

 

[abvidledUK]

I'll be in Vegas somewhere around December 20-21 as well. Gonna stay in the Luxor

A Flashaholics dream
-Cameron

Our bedroom was around the lit room, just below and left of the vertical beam.

(That was me trying out my new P3D !!)

Great views of the strip, and airport, and mountains.

I've thought of another "downside".

We are so sad, now when we watch CSI, we look out for aerials of our hotel, the Luxor !!