Things to Do in Las Vegas [Updated 2022]
Things to Do in Las Vegas [Updated 2022]
In Nevada’s Mojave Desert there is a vibrant little resort city with 24-hour casinos, incredible shows, beautiful hotels, and some of the best restaurants in The United States. Las Vegas is known as The Entertainment Capital of the World for good reason! The city’s tolerance for all sorts of adult entertainment has also earned it the title of “Sin City”… hey, what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas, right?! Well, not in this post.
Las Vegas, Nevada
The City of Las Vegas is a major internationally known resort city known first and foremost for its mega casino-hotels, dining and entertainment. Las Vegas is one of the most visited destinations in the entire world, and it has more AAA Five Diamond hotels than any other city in the world. It is the Entertainment Capital of the World.
Las Vegas was founded by ranchers and railroad workers, but in the 1940’s became a haven for the mob. Money from drugs and racketeering is what the city was then built on. Las Vegas, became known as “Sin City”, due to its tolerance for adult entertainment, including legalized prostitution.
Hotels and casinos began opening along what came to be known as “The Strip”, the first of them backed by mobster, Bugsy Siegel. He promoted a swankiness and booked top talent, such as the Rat Pack, led by Frank Sinatra. Siegel was killed in 1947, but building of casinos and hotels continued without him with money from organized crime.
These days, mega casinos have replaced the old mob-built ones. All along The Strip now you can find massive hotel/casinos built in the style of Paris, Venice, Rome and New York.
Time and Money Saving Pass
Save time and money on sightseeing in Las Vegas with the Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass. This Pass will save you money even if you’re only visiting 2 of the attractions.
Things to Do in Las Vegas
Walk The Strip
First of all, if you’re in Las Vegas in the summer, you’re going to want to skip walking… it’s HOT as hell! Truly unbearable. However, if you visit any other time of the year there is nothing better than walking The Strip and popping into all of the amazing hotels and casinos along the way.
Free Walking Tour
To learn about the city as you walk, take advantage of a free walking tour. The tours last about 2 hours and they begin in front of the Mirage Hotel’s volcano. You’ll hear all about the mob influence in the city, and get great tips on the area from your local guide. These tours are free, but please tip your guide what you feel the tour is worth or whatever you can afford after gambling your money away! The suggested tip is $10-$15 per adult per tour. Find out tour times and book your free tour here.
Casinos
Michael and I are not gamblers, but if we were we’d spend most of our time in the amazing casinos! They are really beautiful, and so exciting! From the oldest, The Golden Gate Hotel and Casino on Fremont Street, to the newest one, Circa Las Vegas, you’ll have more than enough places to gamble away your hard-earned money! See a list of all casinos in Vegas here.
Visit Stunning Hotels
Don’t just limit yourself to the hotel in which you’re staying! While in Vegas you’ve just got to go check out all of the gorgeous hotels and the great shopping they offer. If you don’t have time to see them all, some of our favorites to walk through are The Venetian, Bellagio, The Wynn and Encore.
Catch Some Amazing Shows
You just cannot beat the shows in Vegas. We have not yet seen ALL of the shows in Vegas, but we’ve seen quite a few. These are in order of our favorites, but they are all pretty freaking amazing!
O: The Aquatic Cirque du Soleil
O is an aquatic Cirque du Soleil show at the Bellagio Hotel. This show was inspired by “infinity and elegance of water’s pure form”. It’s been showing at Bellagio since 1998.
There is over 1.5 million gallons of water inside the pool at the Bellagio. A cast of 85 synchronized swimmers, world-class acrobats and divers entwine a combination of artistry into the beauty of theater. Some of these cast members are actually former competitors of the Olympics.
This is one of the most beautiful shows in Vegas! Performances take place twice a day at 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm. Get your tickets here, or spend a little extra and enjoy a VIP meet and greet experience. Please note that photography is prohibited in the theater.
Le Reve – The Dream
The Wynn has another really beautiful show called Le Reve – The Dream. In fact, this show has been voted the best show in Vegas for the last nine years… for good reason! This show takes you into an amazing acrobatic world of fantasy set inside yet another aqua theater. The difference between this aqua theater and Bellagio’s aqua theater is that this one is in-the-round, so there’s not a bad seat in the theater.
Shows take place each Friday through Tuesday (no shows on Wednesday and Thursday) at 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm. Get your tickets here. Again, please note there is no photography allowed in the theater, but I did manage a few of this show!
The Beatles LOVE
All you need is LOVE… Who doesn’t love the music of The Beatles!? The Beatles LOVE show has been taking place at The Mirage since 2006. This show is also a Cirque du Soleil show, but without the water. It is more of a circus-based athletic performance accompanied by The Beatles’ music.
The show traces The Beatles’ history and their rise to stardom, their psychedelic and spiritual years, and also their break-up in 1970. And, the characters of the show are taken from the lyrics of The Beatles’ songs, such as Sergeant Pepper, Eleanor Rigby, and Mr. Kite. This is a really fun show that you’ll definitely find yourself singing along with. In fact, most people in the audience wind up getting up and dancing!! You can find tickets for The Beatles LOVE here.
Stars in Residency
A lot of musical stars have residence in Las Vegas. This basically means that a star is holding a series of concerts in one location. Some of the current “residents” are Aerosmith, Billy Idol, Diana Ross, Keith Urban, and my absolute personal favorite guy of all time… Rod Stewart! Click here to find a current list of Stars in Residency in Las Vegas.
In the past we were fortunate to get tickets to see Elton John at Caesar’s Palace while he was in residence… what a fabulous show! But, the NUMBER ONE show for me was Rod Stewart.
Rod Stewart
Okay, I have a confession to make… I have seen Rod Stewart now 28 times, but always in a huge arena! I love the man, and his fabulous performances! My best friend, Ann Marie is also a huge Rod fan. So, when she and I found out he was in residency in Vegas, we planned a long weekend just to see him in a smaller venue.
Our husbands were not real thrilled about seeing him, but we dragged them along anyway. We were fortunate to secure fantastic third row seats at Caesar’s Palace for the show. But, somehow we ended up standing at the very front of the stage… woohoo. It was phenomenal, and even our husbands had to admit they loved it! He performed for three glorious hours… we were in heaven!
Rod Stewart always does a special thing in his shows. He kicks out autographed soccer balls. For a span of over 40 years, and 27 concerts, I had never once gotten one of those balls. But, this time I got lucky! In fact, both Ann Marie and I each got one Rod’s signed soccer balls! You could not wipe the smiles off of our faces for days! Get your tickets for Rod Stewart at the Caesars website or at Ticketmaster.com.
ShowTickets.com provides great discounts and and exclusive offers for the biggest shows in Vegas. Purchase your reserved seat ticket here and then pick it up at the box office.
Fremont Street
If you’re interested in seeing something different, grab an Uber (there’s no need for a car in Vegas) and take a short ride to check out the “old” strip at night on Fremont Street. This place is hopping with music outside, a zip line down the middle of the street and some OH SO INTERESTING people watching! Oh my… but, it is fun!
Road Trips Out of Town
There are some great day trips from Vegas, as well! Here are some suggestions if you want to rent a car and get out of the city for a day.
Red Rock Canyon
Beautiful Red Rock Canyon has some stunning scenery, and is just about a 20 minute drive from The Vegas Strip. Here you can go rock climbing, hiking, or just capture some fantastic photographs.
A really fun thing to do is take a tour with Pink Jeep Tours. They will pick you up from your hotel in Las Vegas and take you out to the stunning landscape of the Red Rock Canyon for some absolutely beautiful scenery. Pink Jeep also has a really fun off-road tour through the canyon. We did one of their off-road tours in Sedona, Arizona. It was freaking awesome.
Hoover Dam & Lake Mead
The Hoover Dam is about a 40 minute drive from Las Vegas The Strip. Pink Jeep Tours also provides pickups from your Las Vegas hotel and takes you to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. Your tour guide will take you to the Arizona side of the dam to see the amazing spillway, and you’ll also get to check out the power plant!
Death Valley
The unearthly Death Valley is about a two hour drive, but it’s totally worth every mile. See my post on Death Valley for more information about this amazing National Park. As with the Hoover Dam and other Las Vegas tours, the Death Valley tour with Pink Jeeps is the best way to go!
Top Tours for Las Vegas
See all Viator tours for Las Vegas, Nevada.
Annual Festivals and Events
Plan a trip around one of Las Vegas’s annual festivals and events.
The Best Time to Visit Vegas
First of all… stay away in the summer months of June through August! It is has hot as hell. I remember walking out of a show at just after midnight in August and it was over 105 degrees. They say, “oh, but it’s a dry heat, so it’s not so bad”… YES, it is!
The best time to visit Vegas for the weather is from March through May, or from September through November. The winters get cold, the summers get brutally hot.
How Many Days Do You Need
Three to four days is the perfect amount of time to spend in Vegas. This is just enough time to see a few shows, have some great meals, and gamble a little. It also gives you time to take a road trip through Death Valley National Park and/or Red Rock Canyon.
Where to Stay in Vegas
Michael and I have been to Vegas three times, and we don’t gamble. We go for the restaurants, the shows and the day trips from Vegas. Another thing we go for is to see and stay in the amazing hotels.
The Wynn
Michael and I, as well as the rest of our family, ALWAYS stay at The Wynn. This hotel is so beautiful and clean, and the rooms and bathrooms are huge. The Wynn was developed by Steve Wynn and covers 215 acres, it has 45 floors with beautiful views, a huge casino, convention center, an upscale shopping mall, and a beautiful theatre with some of the best shows in Vegas. This hotel also offers some great deals, especially during the week.
The guests at The Wynn tend to dress a little nicer, are a little more sophisticated and are not as loud and rowdy as places like Caesars or MGM Grand. The rooms have incredibly comfortable beds with comfy linens, and the bathrooms have deep soaker tubs… love this! And, yes, they offer free WIFI.
Interior
The interior of The Wynn is absolutely gorgeous. As you walk into the main entrance, you feel as if you are in a floral fantasy! The lobby’s glass floral sculptures and giant bouquets hanging from the ceiling are amazing. There is even a floral carousel in the midst of beautiful trees. It is a perfect place for photographs.
Lake of Dreams
The Lake of Dreams at The Wynn is so cool! Sit outside at night and have a cocktail while watching as the Lake comes alive with music and imagery created by thousands of lights, holographs and puppetry.
There is no better place on a hot Vegas day than by this gorgeous pool sipping cocktails at the outside bar, or hanging out in your private cabana. They even offer massages or facials in your private cabanas. This place is perfect… they offer so much and the restaurants are great! It’s actually pretty reasonable for what you get, especially compared to most of the hotels in the area.
The Wynn has a gorgeous spa. Ann Marie and I spent a day here while the boys played golf. The services are top-notch, but I have to say… it’s quite expensive!
Encore, Bellagio & The Venetian
The sister resort to The Wynn is Encore. We stayed in this beautiful hotel a few years ago, and while it’s a perfectly lovely hotel, we still love The Wynn more.
Even though we have only stayed at The Wynn and Encore, we have visited and eaten at several others. A couple that are our favorites are The Bellagio for its gorgeous fountains and The Venetian for a gondola ride through “Venice”. These hotels have some of the most beautiful interiors, shops and restaurants in the area.
For all other lodging options, including hotels, B&B’s and rental properties, see Booking.com.
Save Money on Vegas Hotels
There are several ways to save money on accommodations in Las Vegas, including:
- Visit in the middle of the week. Weekend prices will cost you up to 3 times as much as weeknights.
- Stay in the same place each time, and get on their mailing list. Since we stay in The Wynn, we get great offers by mail… some of them saving us hundreds of dollars on a room.
- Be patient and flexible. If you have the freedom to take off whenever you want and are not held to one certain weekend or week, you can save a bundle. Be patient and wait for the right offer, and be flexible with your time.
Finding and Booking Accommodations
Lodging is one of the most important aspects of planning a trip. You want to find the right place for the best price. Our favorite resource when making reservations for lodging is Booking.com. They really seem to have the best deals on hotels, B&B’s and rental properties. Read more about finding and booking accommodations.
Where to Eat
Here we are at our favorite thing to do in Vegas… EAT! Here’s a list of our absolutely favorite restaurants in Vegas in the order we prefer:
-
for the best meatballs of your life (Paris) (Caesar’s Palace) (The Venetian) for small plates (The Wynn) (Freemont Street) (Caesar’s Palace) (Caesar’s Palace)
While these restaurants are all of our favorites, I don’t think there’s bad food anywhere in Sin City!
How to Get Here
McCarran International Airport (“LAS”) is in the town of Paradise, Nevada. This is the main airport, and it’s used for military and for civilian air travel. It’s only about 5 miles south of downtown Las Vegas. Once you get here, just call an Uber. See how to get the best deals on flights.
Getting Around
You don’t need a car in Vegas unless you’re planning on taking a road trip through Death Valley or other parts of Nevada. For downtown Vegas, you just need walking shoes and your Uber app. Uber is much less expensive than a taxi, and so much easier!
Watch This
There have been hundreds of films made in Las Vegas, including The Hangover (love this movie!), Casino with Robert DeNiro, Rainman starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, and, of course, Viva Las Vegas with Elvis Presley. But, there’s one that I love… one that a lot of people missed back in 1995. It is called “Leaving Las Vegas”. The movie stars Nicholas Cage as an alcoholic who is bent on drinking himself to death in Vegas. It had a very low budget and they could not afford to shut down The Strip to make the movie. This makes the movie’s authenticity, including the street scenes, very, very real. It’s a little depressing to watch, but it’s a very good movie.
Share Your Travel Tips & Comments
As always, if you have any of your own travel tips to add to this post, any remarks on the article, or if my information needs an edit or addition, please leave your comments below. I value all of your input.
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