Las Vegas!!! When you hear Las Vegas, you start imagining yourself in the stylishly luxurious casinos, grandeur hotels, live shows, attractive exhibits, fancy streets of colorful lights, and of course, the crowd. Yes, Las Vegas looks surreal and seems like a fictional glamorous movie setting. Las Vegas is a large, strangely superficial glamorous city, in the state of Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally eminent major resort city, known primarily for its lavish mega hotels and casinos, live shows, shopping malls, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife. The famous city sits in the middle of the desert surrounded by distinct desert mountains. The city creates an atmosphere of fantasy where you can travel around the world famous cities of New York, Venice, Paris, ancient Egypt, and medieval England in just one night. The colorful and vibrant valley of Las Vegas serves as the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for the state of Nevada.
Click on the links below to see the glory of Las Vegas city. These photos are from our visit to Las Vegas during the last week of November 2011.
Quick Facts and Tips
- Best time to Visit: March to May and September to November
- March to May: Comfortable daily temperature
- September to November: Comfortable day temperatures, but cooler evenings
- June to August: Off season but extremely hot
- Fly Into: Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
- Clothing: Feel free to dress casually. Jeans, slacks, blouses, skirts, dresses, button down shirts, casual t-shirts or tees, tank tops, shorts, light jackets or blazers, sunglasses, sunscreens, hats, nice footwears and comfortable walking shoes, few light layers might needed as temperatures cool significantly once the sun goes down.
- Midweek stays are almost always more affordable when compared to weekends and holidays.
- Rental cars are not needed in Vegas unless planning for other road trips to nearby attractions. Parking is expensive and it is no longer free in many casino-hotels.
- Stay on the Strip to save time, effort and of course for easy access to Las Vegas attractions.
- Be sure to check the resort fee at any hotels you book.
- Guests under 21 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian inside the casinos.
- Highly recommend booking in advance for popular shows.
- Las Vegas monorail is the best way to get around the Strip which runs from MGM grand to Sahara across the street of Stratosphere.
- Make a list of free as well as ticketed shows of your interest, show timings and locations. Plan wisely so that you can save time, money and not miss popular shows.
- Bring cash, you may need it for tipping.
- Food and beverages are very expensive inside the casio-hotels. Buying some essential stuff in nearby grocery stores will definitely save you more money.
- Carry water, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats and a light jacket to cover up inside the casinos in case feeling cold
- Best things to do: FREE
- Explore the Strip: The best way to explore Las Vegas is simply walking down The Strip. The “Strip” runs from Mandalay Bay on the south end to the Stratosphere casino on the north end. Visit the Strip at night to see the best lighting of all the casinos and attractions. The Strip is about 4 miles and it would likely take several hours to walk the entire distance with stops to watch various attractions. Enjoy a typical Las Vegas experience while walking through the casinos. Be sure to allow yourself more time than you have planned. Don’t forget to wear comfortable footwear that is best suited for the seasons.
- Enjoy the Bellagio Fountains Show: Embrace the beautiful performance of the soaring and iconic 200 feet tall fountains at the Bellagio Hotel. The dramatic aquatic show is choreographed with mesmerizing music and brilliant lights. Check for show timings at the Casino. Bellagio also features Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, which offer vibrant, seasonal themes composed of plants, flowers and trees. Official site: https://www.bellagio.com/en.html
- Walk around Fremont Street: Get a different experience by walking under the canopy of a colorful series of LED lights. These LEDs light up the sky in different colors and create various designs as you walk underneath. Fremont Street in Old Downtown Vegas is a pedestrian only street and features live music, visual shows, street performances, and much more. Official site: http://www.vegasexperience.com
- Get thrilled with the Volcano Show at the Mirage: Watch the flames dance to the music, feel the heat of the flames, and hear the loud blast of the eruption and the pulsating soundtrack. The volcano sculpture in front of The Mirage erupts every night, shooting flames/fire as high as 12 feet. The best view of the volcano show is right in front of the Mirage hotel and it is free. Check for the show timings at Mirage Hotel.
- See the Las Vegas Sign and photograph yourself with it for a memorable souvenir. The fabulous sign is located at 5200 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89119. Official site: https://www.mirage.com/en.html
- Get amazed by the Egyptian Themed Luxor: Take a stroll around the pyramid-shaped Luxor hotel at the far southwest end of the strip. The hotel is designed in an Egyptian theme with its mythical creature sphinx fearlessly standing out on the strip. The highest point of the pyramid shoots up the light beam and it can be seen almost anywhere in Las Vegas. Official site: https://www.luxor.com/en.html
- Enjoy the beautiful view of the medieval themed Excalibur hotel. The hotel offers lovely castle-like architecture with colored turrets. The hotel offers a high energy arcade and family friendly 4D rides. Official site https://excalibur.mgmresorts.com/en.html
- Enjoy the Wildlife Habitat at Flamingo Hotel and Casino. The Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo is home to a beautiful flock of Chilean flamingos, a variety of birds including pheasants, ducks, swans and of course, flamingos. Official site: https://www.caesars.com/flamingo-las-vegas
- Enjoy the Fall of Atlantis fountain show at Caesars Forum Shops: The show narrates the story of the Kingdom of Atlantis with an animatronic display of fire, water, and nine foot tall talking statues. The show is free and plays every hour. Check for show timings at the Caesars Palace Forum Shops. More info https://www.vegas.com/attractions/on-the-strip/caesars-atlantis-fountain/
- Have great fun with jugglers, unicyclists and acrobats at Circus Circus casino: The fun acts and remarkable stunts high above the casino floor at Circus Circus are entertaining and absolutely free. Check the show timings at Circus Circus hotel-casino and official website https://www.circuscircus.com/
- For more free attractions https://www.vegas.com/attractions/free-attractions-las-vegas/
- Best Things to do: NOT FREE
- A gondola ride at the Venetian Hotel: The traditional gondola boat ride at the Venetian Hotel-Casino makes you feel like you really are in Venice, Italy. Listening to an Italian serenade while floating in an indoor or outdoor gondola through the Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes is definitely an entertaining, relaxing and memorable experience. Tickets can be purchased at the Gondola booth at Venetian Hotel-Casino. Official site: https://www.venetian.com/
- Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris-Las Vegas: Get a feel of being in Paris by taking a 460 feet high half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower and reach the observation deck atop Paris, Las Vegas. The observation deck offers amazing views of Las Vegas and great photo opportunities. Admission to the Eiffel Tower Viewing Deck can be purchased at Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Official site: https://www.caesars.com/paris-las-vegas
- The Big Apple Roller Coaster at New York-New York: Across the street from both the MGM Grand Hotel and the Excalibur Resort Hotel, take a thrilling ride on a huge Big Apple roller coaster that circles in and around the New York-New York hotel. Enjoy the stunning views designed to appear like New York’s skyline, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. Official site: https://www.newyorknewyork.com/en.html
- Aquarium and Beach at Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort: Visit the massive Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay Casino at the southwest end of the strip near the Luxor hotel. This giant Aquarium holds a wide variety of sharks, fish, rays, reptiles, marine invertebrates, green sea turtles, and even a Komodo dragon. Official site: http://www.sharkreef.com/
- Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage: The Dolphin Habitat at Mirage casino-hotel contains a large number of trained dolphins in its 2.5-million-gallon pools. You can see a wide variety of exotic animals, including white lions and tigers in the Secret Garden. Official site: https://www.mirage.com/en.html
- Stratosphere Tower and Las Vegas Skyline: Visit the Stratosphere Tower, the tallest freestanding observation tower in the USA. The tower rises up to 350 meters to an observation deck that offers a spectacular view of Las Vegas. Take a thrill skypod ride and experience the stunning 360-degree views of the Las Vegas Valley and beyond. Official site: http://www.stratospherehotel.com/
- Enjoy unique and incredible Cirque Du Soleil Shows at Mirage, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio or Treasure Island. It is highly recommended to book in advance and check show times at respective casino-hotels.
- For more attractions https://www.vegas.com/attractions/las-vegas-strip/
- Nearby Attractions
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