The “Sin City of America“ is located in Nevada and surrounded by desert. The huge resort lining the famous “Strip,” with their sparkling lights, fountains, and recreated glamorous sites from cities around the world, offer a fun and exciting retreat from the desert landscape. Whether you’re here for a wild weekend or just sightseeing, we’ve got you covered. From major Las Vegas attractions to the best Las Vegas shows.
The Strip
The 2.5-mile-long central section of Las Vegas Boulevard, which runs through the city from northeast to southwest, known as The Strip, is lined with huge entertainment palaces, many built with a defining theme and home to performance venues, luxury hotel rooms, and fine dining. The Strip is particularly impressive at night, when the city is illuminated by an endless succession of glittering neon signs. Most visitors enjoy walking along the Strip and taking in the sights.
Fremont Street Experience
The Strip, in the old downtown Las Vegas, is Fremont Street, a pedestrian only area with all kinds of unique sites. A four block section of Fremont Street has been covered over with a canopy of LED lights which light up the sky in a ray of different colors as you walk below. Known as the Fremont Street Experience, each night a fantastic music and visual show takes place overhead. Street performers and special entertainment acts often perform outdoors in this area.
The shows
You are coming to Las Vegas to have some fun and submitting to entertainment is the key to enjoying yourself while you’re here. There is no easier way to let the fun flow over you than taking in a show while in town.
With eight Cirque du Soleil shows and dozens of other options around the area, hitting up one of the city’s production shows is one of the most popular activities for Vegas visitors.
There are plenty of excellent choices, including Blue Man Group’s rhythmic take on alienation at the Luxor, or Penn & Teller’s magic secrets revealed at Rio. Or catch the smash-hit Four Seasons musical, Jersey Boys—one of the city’s most enduring Broadway shows—at Paris Las Vegas.
Place a bet at a world-famous casino
With one foot in the past and one in the future, the nearly 50-year-old Caesars Palace remains an icon of classic Las Vegas history. Caesars is one of the last old-school properties remaining, and few Las Vegas casinos can match it for atmosphere. But before you hit the table games, poker room or baccarat pit, mug up on the subject.
The Gamblers General Store in Downtown Vegas has a library of “how to” gaming books, as well as gifts. If poker’s your game, head to the Bellagio, where you might see some of the world’s top players in action, or Downtown’s legendary Golden Nugget where you can match your skills with anonymous, grizzled veterans who look like they haven’t left their seat at the table in decades.
If you’d rather stick to slots or video poker, head to the Palms, where the payouts are above average, or the off-StripGold Coast or Circus Circus, both of which offer great people-watching opportunities and glimpses of Vegas’ vintage past.
Stratosphere Tower
The Stratosphere Tower is an unmistakable sight on the Las Vegas skyline. The tower rises up 1,149 feet, and on the rooftop of the tower are a variety of heart pounding thrill rides, including the SkyJump, Big Shot, X Scream, and Insanity. For those looking for a little less drama, there is an indoor and outdoor observation deck with great views over the city.
The Stratosphere Tower claims the “tallest freestanding observation tower in the USA.”
See the world without leaving Vegas
Many of the more preposterously themed hotels in Vegas pay homage to notable locales around the world that would seem tacky anywhere else than here. You want Paris and the Eiffel Tower? Try Paris Las Vegas. Venice?
There are gondolas and a St. Mark’s Square at the Venetian. Head to Bellagio for a replica of Italy’s Lake Como. The Big Apple? New York New York has the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Central Park and much, much more.
Such is the magic of Las Vegas.
