When I went to Vegas years ago, I went to a topless burlesque show and it was great. I’m a cis hetero woman and I enjoyed it. I’m pretty sure the venue offered the same show with the tops covered, earlier in the day. Honestly it was just amazing gymnastics and dancing with really skilled performers who happened to be topless. The opening act was a dude who did a routine with a bouncing ball and it was also good.
I don’t remember the show I went to being overtly sexual to be honest, but I could be mis-remembering.
I would definitely recommend finding a burlesque show to attend, topless or not! (They probably require you to wear a shirt tho )
I’ll add my thumbs up for the Mob Museum (I’m a member) and the Pinball Hall of Fame, if you’re into pinball.
OTOH, the Pawn Stars pawn shop is heavily overrated, if you ask me. There is a halfway decent BBQ restaurant (Rollin’ Smoke) near there, however.
The Liberace museum used to be across the street from the PHOF, but it closed in 2010.
Other places to consider:
The Neon Museum, located near downtown; it includes a number of neon signs from Vegas’s past.
If you’re into the M&M “museum,” Hershey’s has one that is literally across the street (the street in this case being the Las Vegas Strip). Keep in mind that what both charge for candy is significantly more than what you can get for pretty much the same stuff at any supermarket. There is also a Coke “museum” next to the M&M one.
The closest thing I can think of to an “unusual restaurant” is Hell’s Kitchen, which is supposed to be patterned after the one on the TV show, but, like pretty much every “name” restaurant (especially on the Strip - even Guy Fieri has one), it’s somewhat expensive.
Well, unless you count Dick’s Last Resort (inside Excalibur), but that’s a chain.
I did see this post, but I’m going to make this rec anyway: get in touch with the folks at Desert Adventures and rent a kayak for a day. The price will include the boat, a PFD, a paddle and the necessary permits and admission so you can spend the day on the Colorado River.
They will drop you off early (7a or 8a, usually) and pick you up mid-late afternoon at Willow Beach, about 14 miles downriver. The current is about 3-3.5 mph, so you don’t really have to do any work to get to Willow Beach, you just have to be in the boat on the water and not going upstream. I’ve done this trip at least 2 dozen times now and it’s always fun and interesting. There are a few hot springs you can visit, if you don’t mind some light hiking/climbing. Mostly, the river time is relaxing with constantly changing views. (There’s also a high probability of seeing big horn sheep: I have pics of a family of about 2 dozen that I saw one time, with a few of them less than 10 feet from me at the water’s edge.)
Sunday and Monday are the best days to go as motorized traffic is restricted on that stretch of river: no speedboats, no jet skis, just a couple of commercial party barges that will cruise thru.
Of course, when you’re back in town, don’t forget to visit the Pinball Hall of Fame, one of my favorite places in my own town.
If you’re downtown, I’ve never had anyone tell me they were sorry they went into The Beef Jerky Store unless it was because they spent a shitload of money they were’ intending to; I do it myself every time I go there.
This is not gonna happen. All I want to do is tool around town with My Beloved and see the sights-neither of us are in the best of shape, she cannot hike and climb, and such an “adventure” would be followed by my taking her to the emergency room.
Seriously considering this one, along with the trifecta of overblown merchandising-Hershey, Coca Cola and M&M World. Will definitely hit the Pinball Hall of Fame(The Black Knight and I have a long history), the Burlesque Hall Of Fame, and The Erotic Heritage Museum.
The Heart Attack Grill on Fremont is a fun experience, and the burgers are pretty tasty to boot.
There’s a place in the Cosmopolitan called Secret Pizza that does absolutely delicious New York slices and is open late. The Peppermill, across the street from where the Riviera used to be, is 24 hours and has massive breakfast platters. The seafood buffet at the Rio is quite nice, but I haven’t found a buffet in Vegas that isn’t.
There are also a number of southern CA chains that have locations around town - In-N-Out, Tommy’s, Roberto’s, Tacos El Gordo, and Hash House A Go Go come to mind.
Secret Pizza is OK, but there are several Grimaldi’s locations around town, including 2 on the Strip. Better pizza. For that matter, eat/drink your way through Downtown. It’s become a hot spot for new and inventive comestibles and beverages.
Working South to North, casino by casino, cheap or fun stuff to see/do/experience:
Mandalay Bay - Shark Reef
Excalibur - Tournament of Kings
New York New York - Manhattan Express roller coaster
Park MGM - Eataly
Bellagio - Conservatory, fountains
The Linq - High Roller wheel
Venetian - gondola rides
Circus Circus - the circus, duh
Strat - thrill rides for crazy people
If you haven’t seem them yet, I’d also recommend the aquarium at Mandalay Bay, and the Siegfried & Roy tiger & dolphin habitat at the Mirage. Luxor has an exhibit of artifacts from the wreck of the Titanic as well as a “Bodies” exhibit of preserved dissected human remains which is very interesting if a bit gruesome. Mme. Tussaud’s at the Venetian is pretty cool, and most of the wax figures you’re allowed to walk right up to and touch and get selfies with.
The rides at the Stratosphere have been mentioned, but if you’ve got the stomach for it I recommend trying the SkyJump - they dress you in a flight suit, attach you to a tether, and you jump off the observation deck for an 835-foot controlled freefall that slows you down as you approach the ground so you land safely. It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done, and one of the most fun as well. For a little extra they’ll even strap a GoPro to your wrist and give you a flash drive with a recording of your jump - here’s mine.
Every time I’ve gone to Vegas to visit my father, Penn and Teller aren’t there. I hate Las Vegas. I hate casinos. I hate the environment, but I love my dad, and I always console myself that at least I can see Penn and Teller, but they’re never there. :mad: The last time I saw them must have been some time in the 1990’s in Detroit. It was an awesome show.
I like to go to Red Rock, as already suggested. Not just drive, but actually hike there. Make sure you have a lot of water if an anxious father is watching you from the car. And if you’ve already been to Red Rock and don’t want to go again, go again anyway, and visit Bonnie Springs, which is really close. Yeah, a bit hokie and a bit touristy, but it’s something to do, and it’s pretty neat.
You can easily spend a day trip going through Death Valley, and there’s actually a lot to do there, and there are a lot of beautiful sites. Take a look online, and plan a trip. I don’t ever get tired of going there when I can’t see Penn and Teller.
China Ranch Date Farm is also a really neat diversion. They grow dates, and make date milkshakes, and have some old farm equipment. I love it, and it’s a great pastime.
My dad hates Las Vegas but ended up there for work. I hate Las Vegas because it’s a big city, and also because it’s a big city with nothing to offer, but at least there’s a lot of really cool, natural stuff to do nearby.
Although I’ve not done this yet, there are some exotic car track day things you can do. I want to look into this more carefully myself.
Last time I was there we didn’t gamble, went to a lot of shows, including the Cirque at Treasure Island. Went from casino to casino checking out whatever they had going, Dolphin habitat, Sigfried & Roy’s tigers, Titanic, Marvel. The Venetian has a lovely pretend outdoor plaza, perfect for sitting down with a coffee and a cookie. Caesars has a huge pretend outdoor mall with an aquarium and a free show every hour.
We also really enjoyed a day trip to Hoover Dam. Parking was not too difficult on the Nevada side, you pay but you don’t have a long walk. If you’re renting a car, you can stop at the iconic Las Vegas sign for a hokey picture. They built a little parking lot there, and folks line up for their turn. When we went, we actually had a nice time, it was a relatively friendly experience, musicians playing off to the side, an Elvis impersonator getting a few bucks to take pictures with folks on line.
Just a reminder: I am looking for experiences in the city of Las Vegas, not hiking, mountain climbing or river rafting excursions, and I have already been to the dam and the canyon.
How are you on Cirque du Soliel? There are at least 50 bazillion Cirque or Cirque-esque shows currently playing in Vegas. Start with “Love” and “Ka” and go from there.
The VOID at the Venetian is a VR type attraction where you walk around a room the size of a garage but it feels much larger due to you wearing a VR helmet.
Takes about 30 minutes, costs about 40 dollars. The have different themed ones. We did the Star Wars one where you go raid an imperial base. I loved it.
Doesn’t fulfill the “cheap” aspect but definitely weird, we enjoyed our visit to The Haunted Museum. Maybe not for a family trip, I think you need to be at least 16 to visit.
Neon Museum is interesting but you need to book ahead of time
There’s also Container Park near Fremont Street for food and light shopping, often free concerts
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