Overview: For many of us when we think “Las Vegas,” our minds drift toward old-school Elvis impersonators, the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas, drive-up wedding venues, and even scenes from “The Hangover.” In reality, Sin City offers so much more than just a trip along the Strip these days. While Vegas’ nightclubs and glitzy casinos continue to draw weekend party seekers, the city’s more recent influx of gourmet restaurants, art venues, and Cirque du Soleil and headliner shows also attract music lovers, foodies, and culture hounds. Sitting alongside the likes of the MGM Grand, the Bellagio, Wynn, the Stratosphere, and the Venetian, some newer hotels on the Strip have taken the focus away from gambling and put it on stylish design. And downtown Las Vegas has come back to life with innovative development, hip spots such as the Downtown Container Park, a treasure trove of antique shops, and the resurgence of Fremont Street with attractions like the Fremont Experience. The city also pleases art enthusiasts with the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, and the Neon Museum. Plus adventurers looking to visit other Nevada attractions can take advantage of Vegas’ proximity to Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead, and the Grand Canyon for day trips into nature.

Language: English
Currency: USD $
Time Zone: UTC (-08:00)
Country Code: +1
Best Time to Visit: Spring, Fall

When to Visit: With temperatures reaching more than 100 degrees in the summertime, spring allows Las Vegas travelers to enjoy the warmer weather while dodging the unbearable heat. Fall’s weather averages highs of about 67 degrees, which is perfect for outdoor activities such as golf or going to a minor league baseball game in Downtown Vegas.

Getting Around: Las Vegas’ can be easily covered by the city’s RTC bus routes, but if you’re sticking to the main drag, the Las Vegas Monorail runs adjacent to the Strip, and the inexpensive Las Vegas Deuce runs from the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas all the way to Mandalay Bay. Taxis and Uber are both efficient if you don’t mind the Vegas traffic, although Vegas taxi drivers, like those in other big cities, tend to drive a longer route to raise fare. If you hop in a cab, say you’re from the area and not to long haul you.

Tipping: If you’re gambling, give the dealer a toke (aka tip) of $5 for every $30 you've won from them, or if you’re at the slots, make sure to tip your cocktail server $1 per drink. Other than that, it’s recommended to tip 15–20% at restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.

You Might Not Know...If you’re looking for something more family oriented or unexpected, hit up the Pinball Hall of Fame on East Tropicana Avenue, and then grab pizza and an old-fashioned milkshake at Metro Pizza

1) Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip is an All-American road show, home to the most famous hotels and casinos in Las Vegas. With famous spots like Paris, Treasure Island, the Venetian, Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace and the MGM Grand, it’s no wonder that the strip is the most popular destination in Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Strip houses entertainment, bright lights, other-worldly architecture, and the city's trendiest clubs and nightlife. It's a Disneyland for adults, a place where fun and fantasy meet. Watch Elvis impersonators or avant-garde performances by Cirque du Soleil, or try your luck on a slot machine. There’s something for everyone in Las Vegas.

2) Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam is one of the largest public works projects in the USA - it's been called the 'Greatest Dam Ever Built.' Hoover Dam is a National Historic Landmark and stands as a testament to the thousands of men and women (and their families) who came to a harsh, barren land and, in less than five years, built a structure that changed the future of the west. The dam also created Lake Mead, named for the man who oversaw the project. From Las Vegas Hoover Dam is a convenient day trip.

3) Fremont Street Experience

The Fremont Street Experience chronicles the legendary history of Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. Believe it or not, the setting is fairly awe-inspiring. Spanning four entire city-blocks, the Fremont Street Experience is a massive outdoor mall built inside of a barrel vault canopy. Featuring concerts, lights shows, and multiple casinos, it is one of downtown’s biggest attractions.

Fremont Street housed the first casino in Las Vegas, and you could say that the Fremont Street Experience changed and illuminated Vegas in the same ways that the original did.

The Fremont Street Experience offers free concerts and live entertainment, with multiple show performances each day. Ten different casinos have games and tables inside of the Fremont Street Experience, so you can get an idea of what they are all about. The famous canopy is now lit up by an LED Screen, projecting thousands of different color combinations and images all day long.

4) Stratosphere Tower

The Stratosphere Tower is attached to the Stratosphere Hotel and offers 360 degree views of Las Vegas, thrilling amusement park rides, restaurants, and nightlife perched at the Top of the World.

The Stratosphere Tower is the tallest freestanding tower in America, at 1,149 ft (350 meters) above ground. Enjoy panoramic views from the observation deck or explore the amusement park, taking a ride on the Big Shot and Insanity roller coasters or the Sky Jump, a controlled free-fall ride.

Then there’s the romantic Top of the World restaurant and the Air Bar. Both have signature cocktails that you can enjoy while overlooking the city lights and the strip.

5) Downtown Las Vegas

Once the thriving gambling district of Las Vegas, the downtown area used to be the city’s busiest locale until the late 1980s, when an entrepreneur gathered the crowds to the Strip – which remains the city’s main thoroughfare today.

Nevertheless, downtown Las Vegas hasn’t been forgotten. For starters, it is now home to the sought-after and historic casinos of Fremont Street, including the Moulin Rouge, the first racially integrated casino-hotel in the city, as well as the Fremont Street Experience, the world’s largest audio-video system which consists of a multisensory light and sound show connecting over two million lights. Downtown Las Vegas also has its own Arts District, encompassing several art galleries, studios and stores offering a vast selection of collectibles. Not to mention the many museums scattered around the neighborhood, like the Natural History Museum, the Mob Museum, the Neon Museum and the Art Deco-inspired Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

6) Fountains of Bellagio

For a romantic evening showered in lights, music, and of course, water, check out the Bellagio Fountains in front of the Bellagio Hotel on the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. With choreographed musical numbers ranging from Andrea Bocelli to Madonna, you’ll never see the same show twice.

The fountains are set inside of a man-made lake modeled after the Lake Como Resort in Bellagio, Italy. With the old-world elegance of the Bellagio Hotel as its backdrop, the fountains are an impressive display of beauty and technology.

7) Madame Tussauds Las Vegas

It isn’t everyday that you get to take a photo with a celebrity, or what looks like one. At Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, you’ll find wax figures of everyone from George Clooney to Cameron Diaz, with over 100 wax figures on exhibition at any given time. Each of the wax figures takes several hundred hours to make, and the artistry behind each is impressive. With human hair wigs, fiberglass eye balls, intricate, painted details, and elaborate make-up, you’ll see Bette Midler, Elvis, Elton John (and many more) like never before.

8) High Roller Observation Wheel

One of the most anticipated Las Vegas attractions, the massive, 550-foot rotating observation tower known as the High Roller has arrived. Far from your normal carnival Ferris wheel, the High Roller is so big that it takes a full 30 minutes for the wheel to complete a 360-degree rotation and is known as the world’s largest observation wheel.

Each 44,000-pound, glass-enclosed pod can hold up to 40 people, includes music and video displays and has been decked out with thousands of LED lights. This big-time attraction serves as a sparkling focal point at the LINQ, one of Vegas’ newest shopping districts.

9) LINQ Hotel and Casino

One of the nicest additions to the Las Vegas strip in quite some time, The LINQ is an upscale outdoor mall district, hotel and casino next to the Flamingo that boasts excellent shopping, dining and even free Wi-Fi for those strolling this expansive promenade. The spot's main hotel, once known as the Imperial Palace before going by the Quad, has undergone one more fitting name change and is now known as The LINQ Hotel and Casino. The namesake hotel provides access to the new glittering jewel of Las Vegas: the High Roller, which is known as the world’s largest rotating observation wheel (a technical term for Ferris wheel) and stands a full 550 feet high.

While enjoying your stay in Vegas, take in the hotel's shows, which include offbeat options that can't be found anywhere else: Jeff Civillico: Comedy in Action and Divas starring Frank Marino.

10) A Special Memory Wedding Chapel

Talk about a wedding to remember! The Special Memory Wedding Chapel offers memorable wedding ceremonies in true Las Vegas style: in packages and with Elvis Presley, but minus the grub associated with chapels typically found on the Strip! The chapel is most popular for its famous drive-through weddings, which continue to gather hordes of visitors even today. Visitors wishing to tie the knot should expect all the Las Vegas wedding elements: Elvis impersonator, limousine transportation, rose presentations, photo tour packages in the city and more.

An attraction in its own right, the off-Strip and classy chapel is featured in a dozen guided tours around Las Vegas, and should please even the non-Vegas wedding types.

More things to do!