What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? That's old news. These days, you can take your memories with you and share them with the world on your favorite social media. This Mojave desert city is home to family-friendly attractions travelers will proudly talk about long after their trip.
Considered by many as the world's most entertaining city, attractions in Las Vegas offers more than large hotels, landmark replicas, and overstated casinos. Things to see include architectural marvels like the Sphere and natural wonders at the Valley of Fire State Park.
The glamour of the Las Vegas Strip hasn't escaped the attention of movie makers. Some of the more prominent ones include Jason Bourne, a production that closed the Strip for a car chase, and Ocean's 11. Beyond the attractions, the city offers world-class luxury shopping that rivals any other major city on the planet. It also has popular entertainment offerings like Cirque du Soleil. Time your trip right, and you'll catch a major sporting event like the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Things to do & See
Fremont Street Experience
While the Las Vegas Strip with all its hotels and casinos, is the best known place in the city, the Fremont Street Experience is an iconic Vegas attraction you shouldn’t ignore. This pedestrian mall’s main appeal is the 90-foot-high barrel vault canopy. The Viva Vision LED Canopy screen is the largest in the world, and with its recent upgrade, it offers light shows you may not find anywhere else.
Fremont Street also plays host to live music and free concerts and is home to SlotZilla. SlotZilla offers the zipline (Zip-Zilla) and the Super-Hero Zoom (Zoomline), which has the illusion of flying like your favorite Marvel hero. Both let you 'fly' from one end of the canopy to the other in what you'll find to be a unique experience that allows you to enjoy views of the mall and other downtown Las Vegas attractions, including the famous dice and martini glass. But don't let all that flying stop you from walking through the five-block-long mall. That's a key part of the experience. Take some time to watch our Vegas tour video above to see how much fun you can have at SlotZilla.
High Roller Ferris Wheel
One place that should of interest to all visitors is the High Roller Observation Wheel/Ferris Wheel. Opened to the public in March of 2014, with a height of 550 feet, it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel until the Ain Dubai came along. Ain Dubai was closed from March 2022 to December 2024, so the High Roller regained the status for that period but Ain Dubai is now open again, so the High Roller has once again lost the title.
Regardless of its world record status, so long as you're not scared of heights, the High Roller's 30-minute ride in one of the 28 large cabins offers 360-degree views of the city and the desert beyond city limits. This may be the best way to see all the city has to offer.
Lake Las Vegas
Lake Las Vegas is a 320-acre man-made lake built 16 miles outside the city. The area has three resorts, giving people who prefer a quiet stay a better option than the crowded city center. There are several hotels and high-value homes spread around the shores of the lake.
The lake was created thanks to a dam that stands 18 stories high. It is claimed the dam has the same amount of dirt in it as the Hoover Dam has concrete. This part of Las Vegas has seen less success when compared to the city center, and parts of it have been abandoned. However, its serene environment should be given a try by tourists. It's worth noting that the lake is a 30-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip, so if you plan to be at the strip often, this may not be the ideal place for you to stay.
Helicopter Tours of Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam
Many companies in Las Vegas offer helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam. Looking down from a helicopter at two of the most iconic places in Nevada is an experience you won't forget anytime soon.
The Grand Canyon is more than a four-hour drive from Las Vegas. However, travelers can get to the site in no time via one of these tours. Some companies offer a full-day trip that takes customers to the Grand Canyon and drops them off at the Colorado River. Guests can take a boat ride down the river and have lunch near the landmark.
Although Hoover Dam is just a 40-minute drive from the city center, aerial views of the structure must be seen live to fully observe the structure's beauty. The helicopter tour takes guests over the dam and around Lake Mead and the Black Canyon.
Dream Racing
The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is home to the Dream Racing driving experience. The company offers the world's largest selection of sports cars to choose from for a great experience on a race track. Beyond the wide range of supercars, you'll also find an unrivaled collection of GT race cars. The ready-to-race program takes it to the next level by allowing guests to take part in a racing program under the watchful eyes of real race car drivers. If you've always wondered about what it's like to drive on a track, you must visit Dream Racing.
Exotics Racing
Exotics Racing is another high-quality driving experience that will leave adrenaline junkies satisfied. Drivers can choose from several supercars to race around a purpose-built race track at Speed Vegas. The driving experience offers customers a long list of cars to choose from, and new cars are frequently added to the fleet. The company also has a racing school program that allows students to learn the ins and outs of being a real race car driver.
Since joining forces with Speed Vegas, Exotics Racing has become a lot more than just about exotic cars. Now, you can enjoy karting and awesome off-road experiences. For a brief period, they had a battle tank driving experience, but unfortunately, it's no longer offered. However, there's still more than enough here to make your Las Vegas trip memorable.
Adventuredome
The Adventuredome is an indoor theme park located at the Circus Circus Hotel directly opposite the Las Vegas Convention Center. Contained in a large glass dome covering a 5-acre area, it may not be as large as other well-known theme parks, but it does offer plenty of rides to keep you happy, and you won’t have to worry about the weather. The park also has the added benefit of not needing to travel out of town as you would with most large outdoor theme parks.
While it’s not Disneyland or Universal Orlando, don’t let the small space fool you. The park has enough rides to appeal to visitors of all ages. Popular ones include the rotating B.C. Bus, the Slingshot, the Canyon Blaster roller coaster, and the Inverter (which, as the name suggests, will have you upside-down for some time). The one that tops them all is the El Loco roller coaster. It offers excellent views of the park while doing its best to give you a thrill you won’t soon forget.
Mob Museum
Located in downtown Las Vegas, the somewhat controversial Mob Museum is a unique place that looks into the history of organized crime in the United States. This one-of-a-kind museum has exhibits and interactive displays that detail the lives and stories of some of the worst gangsters in the country's history. It details their crimes and how the justice system attempted to thwart them.
The 4-level museum includes exhibits like the brick wall from the 1929 St-Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago and an interactive crime lab that offers insights into how much work is required to gather and secure evidence needed to put the bad guys away.
Valley of Fire State Park
It's one thing to experience a man-made marvel. It's another to see natural sights that are so beautiful you never want to leave the location. One such place is the Valley of Fire State Park. Just over an hour from the Las Vegas strip, the park is known for its red sandstone rock formations through an area of about 40,000 acres. Some of these rocks have wave patterns that make it hard to believe they're natural.
Driving through this park is joyful as you soak in the beauty of the formations. Surely, it is one of the best scenic drives one can embark on. As you can imagine, the park is a great location for hiking, camping, and rock climbing. You should start your tour at the visitor's center. It is a wonderful place to learn more about the park and the surrounding regions. The center has multiple exhibits of the park's ecology, geology, and history. You'll no doubt find that the effort to get here is rewarding once you've explored this amazing natural park.
The Sphere
Every major city has at least one landmark that is synonymous with the city. Some places have so many iconic landmarks that it’s difficult to pinpoint one as the most prominent. Las Vegas falls into the latter as its numerous hotels, casinos, and other grandiose buildings make a choice close to impossible.
However, with the opening of the Sphere in September 2023, that may all change. Opened with much fanfare and captivating locals and tourists alike, the Sphere is an arena for concerts and other events. However, this isn’t just a regular event venue. The 366-foot high and 516-foot wide building boasts a wraparound 16K interior LED screen and state-of-the-art speakers to make any experience within it immersive. But its claim to fame is the display its exterior LEDs offer.
During its opening, the Sphere impressed everyone within viewing distance with a variety of images, including a basketball and the earth. Even if you don’t intend to attend an event in the building, its proximity to Las Vegas Boulevard means you have little reason not to soak in whatever is displayed on the LEDs during your visit.
Neon Museum
One thing you'll certainly get more than enough of in Las Vegas is the sight of neon signs. But if you want to explore the history of these signs, the Neon Museum is the place for you. The museum boasts an extensive collection of neon signs from the city.
With a focus on restoration, the classic signs find a home in the museum's Neon Boulevard, which displays these restorations as art. Aside from showcasing the exhibits, the Neon Museum also hosts light shows with the restored signs.
Las Vegas Monorail
Not to be mistaken for the Aria Monorail, which covers a much shorter distance within the Aria Resort, the Las Vegas Monorail is a convenient and efficient way for tourists to navigate the iconic Las Vegas Strip. Stretching 3.9 miles, it offers a hassle-free option to traffic congestion and connects various resorts and attractions to make it part of the experience of enjoying the best of Vegas.
Running from the MGM Grand on the southern end to the Sahara Las Vegas on the northern end, trains arrive every 4–8 minutes daily from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. except on Monday when services stop at midnight and Friday and Saturday when service goes on until 3a.m. The system is eco-friendly and air-conditioned for maximum comfort while navigating the desert city.
Notable stops along the route provide easy access to some of the strip's top attractions. The LINQ stop is perfect for anyone seeking to explore Caesars Palace or the towering High Roller Wheel. Midway through the journey, the Paris Las Vegas stop offers access to the resort’s famous Eiffel Tower replica. You can also enjoy some shopping at the Grand Bazaar Shops. Lastly, visitors heading to the MGM Grand have the convenience of the last stop, which is also named after the famous hotel.
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is a must-visit destination for any traveler seeking excitement, and entertainment. Stretching over 4 miles along Las Vegas Boulevard, this vibrant corridor is home to some of the most iconic hotels and resorts in the world. These include The Bellagio, Waldorf Astoria, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, and Mandalay Bay.
Each resort offers unique attractions, such as the famous Bellagio Fountains (and Conservatory & Botanical Gardens), canals at The Venetian, and lively casinos that are open 24/7. For entertainment, the Strip is unrivaled, with nightly performances ranging from magic shows to concerts by famous artists.
In addition to entertainment, the Las Vegas Strip offers a world of dining, shopping, and sightseeing. Visitors can enjoy gourmet meals at celebrity chef restaurants or more casual dining at an endless variety of international eateries.
For shoppers, the Strip boasts high-end stores like those at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace and The Shops at Crystals, which features luxury brands. For panoramic views, tourists can visit the Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris Las Vegas. It offers stunning vistas of the neon-lit skyline. Another simulated European experience is the gondola ride at the Venetian Hotel. The ride gives you a taste of what a trip to Venice would be like.
Shark Reef Aquarium
The Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay resort has a creative theme. It transports guests into an ancient temple slowly being reclaimed by the sea. The aquarium has over 2,000 animals featuring a variety of creatures, including 15 species of sharks, giant rays, sea turtles, piranhas, komodo dragons, and golden crocodiles.
A highlight and perhaps the most popular part of the aquarium is the Shark Tunnel. It is a 360-degree acrylic passage you can walk through. Here, you’ll see hammerhead sharks, sawfish, and other marine species. As the name suggests, the touch pool exhibit allows visitors to interact with horseshoe crabs, stingrays, and small sharks.
For thrill-seekers, the Shark Diving Program offers the rare opportunity to descend into the 1.3-million-gallon shark exhibit and face these predators. Wildlife lovers or anyone looking for an escape from the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip will find that the aquarium offers a great adventure.
The Shops at Crystals
Shopping in Las Vegas rivals what you’ll find at other high-profile travel destinations like London, Milan, and Monte Carlo. The Shops at Crystal is the best example of what awaits travelers to this amazing desert city. Before stepping into the mall, you can’t miss the gorgeous contemporary building, which stands out on the Las Vegas Strip even though there’s no shortage of striking structures here.
Its unique design alone merits some of your time, and you’ll have a hard time looking away. But there’s a lot more to the mall than its eye-catching design. Brands represented here include heavyweights like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Dior, and Richard Mille.
Every vacation should include some retail therapy and this mall has all the brand names the discerning eye seeks. Beyond shopping, the mall also has beautiful exhibits and fine-dining restaurants like seafood specialist Bazaar Mar by Jose Andres, Mastro’s Ocean Club, and Taco Madera, which puts a modern spin on traditional Mexican delicacies.
New York - New York & the Big Apple Coaster
New York - New York in Las Vegas is a somewhat unique hotel on the Strip. It brings the essence of the Big Apple to the Nevada desert with its exterior, which mimics New York City’s iconic skyline. It features scaled-down replicas of iconic Manhattan landmarks like the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty. The hotel’s interior recreates the streets of Manhattan, with cobblestone walkways and themed eateries like Gallagher’s Steakhouse.
Perhaps the most thrilling part of the hotel is its roller coaster, the Big Apple Coaster, which dominates the resort’s exterior. This high-speed thrill ride sends riders soaring over 200 feet above the Strip before plunging into drops and inversions, including a 180-degree twist and dive maneuver.
The coaster reaches speeds of up to 67 mph, making it one of the most exhilarating attractions on the Strip. To further emphasize the Big Apple theme, the ride’s cars are designed to look like New York City yellow cabs. In classic Vegas style, the ride has a little more: it offers virtual reality headsets that turn the ride into an immersive, high-tech adventure. Best of all, it’s not exclusive to hotel guests.
Red Rock Canyon
The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is just 17 miles west of Las Vegas. It is a stunning natural area that offers a stark contrast to the bright lights of the nearby Strip. Known for its red sandstone formations and desert landscapes, the canyon is part of the Mojave Desert and is a designated National Conservation Area.
Red Rock Canyon draws visitors from around the world, offering a variety of outdoor activities like hiking and rock climbing. The 13-mile scenic loop is a popular way to explore the park, offering many spots to stop and take in the views.
Some of the most popular trails include the Calico Tanks and Ice Box Canyon trails, which include canyons, waterfalls, and panoramic views of the Las Vegas Valley.
Beyond outdoor recreation, Red Rock Canyon holds historical and cultural value. The area is home to petroglyphs and ancient rock art left behind by Native American tribes who once inhabited the region. Visitors can learn about the history and significance of the canyon at the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center.
Airport
Transportation
- Bus: The T1 bus stop is located on Level Zero while the T3 bus stop is located at the Departures curb on Level 2.
- Taxi: The taxis are usually more expensive than Uber and Lyft. You can find the taxi queue next to the baggage claim in Terminal 1 and Level 0 just outside Terminal 3
Ride Hailing
Uber, Lyft, Blacklane
Las Vegas doesn’t have to be about gambling. The city offers so much more to holidaymakers these days. The desert city may have been made famous by its casinos and extravagant hotels, but it’s definitely the best holiday destination in the world for a car enthusiast.
Popular Local Cuisine
Chicken Fried Lobster
If you want something uniquely Las Vegas that has been exported to other locations around the United States, then head to Binions for chicken fried lobster. The dish's popularity has now seen it become available at a variety of dining establishments in Las Vegas.
The dish is a large lobster tail deep-fried into a crunchy piece of heaven on a plate. Chicken fried lobster is served with baked potatoes, biscuits, and other fixings. It is a massive meal that will leave you feeling full. What makes the dish so good is the crunchy fried chicken batter it is dipped in before being plunged into the fryer.
Best Time to Visit
Like many other desert cities, Las Vegas is unbearably hot during summer. Winter is the best time to visit as the weather is more temperate, and it hardly ever snows. However, one thing to look out for is convention dates. Since the city hosts a variety of these, it's best to check with your hotel before booking your trip. If you end up arriving on a day when a large convention is being held, you may have to wait hours in the check-in line. We've experienced this in the past, and it's certainly not the way to start a vacation.
Historical Weather by Month
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Films/TV references
