Well I decided to go to Vegas for a weekend in September. Now I have no interest in gambling and was wondering what other non touristy things are there to do. Any neat or cool suggestions would be much appreciated.
TIA
The, oh heck, I can’t remember the name of it; well, it’s an observation tower that’s the highest thing in Vegas. It’s worth it for the view and it’s got an incredible ride on top. They lock you in a chair and shoot you waayyyy up in the air and gravity finally prevails and you fall back down.
Also, the roller coaster at New York, New York is fun.
It’s the Stratosphere Tower.
Glad you asked! I’ve been living here for about two years just love it when someone comes out here for reasons other than gambling.
Red Rock Canyon is a conservation area just 15 minutes west of town. There’s an approximately 15 mile drive through some really fantastic desert scenery. The wife and I refer to it as “Wile E. Coyote country”. You can hike trails of all difficulty levels or stay in the air conditioning and still have a great view. The area has a herd of wild burros that escaped from the Spanish umpty-ump years ago. You’re technically not supposed to touch them, but they’re slightly less tame than your average Lab. Entrance is around five bucks per car. There are also a number of ranches in the same area. If you want the whole John Wayne experience, hire a horse and guide and spend a few hours.
The Liberace Museum is not to be missed. Words fail me.
The Imperial Palace (casino) has a nice car museum that’s reasonably priced and has some amazing cars. Wanna see an actual Tucker? How about the Baghwan Sri Rajneesh’s lace covered Rolls Royce complete with gun ports and tear gas dispensers?
Lastly, make sure you actually go to Las Vegas. The strip (Las Vegas Blvd.) is actually located in the county. Head downtown to Fremont street to see old Vegas. If you’re looking for really good food in huge quantities at low prices, head downtown.
Ringo,
The Big Shot on the Stratosphere is great. Took me half an hour to get the grin off my face afterward. Didn’t think too much of the New York New York rollercoaster, though. Too jerky and crude.
Cool, some great suggestions, I may have to spend a little more time there than I was planning.
Many thanks
If you like Star Trek at all, your Mecca is the Hilton, near the convention center. The Star Trek Experience is worth it.
Visit Luxor and take their Tomb ride. If you have the bucks, see Blue Man Group.
Go to Excalibur and hit the killer buffet, or go to the dinner theater.
There is a place where you can “skydive” in a wind tunnel, I’m not sure of the name. If you are not afraid of heights, go to the Stratosphere and ride one of the thrill rides- a free-fall and a roller coaster are up there.
See the outdoor shows at Treasure Island, the Mirage, and Bellagio.
Some of these are touristy, but almost everything there is geared toward it. There is a theme park at the MGM Grand, and a water park somewhere around there.
Legal prostitution.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the Paris-themed casino/hotel - Paris Las Vegas? Like the Venetian and the Luxor, it has a fabulous interior “streetscape” with faux sky and weather and amazing shops and restaurants (not that I could afford anything in the shops).
Stroll around in air conditioned comfort, have a cafe au lait and a pain au chocolat in a cafe, visit the Eiffel tower, and then play the slots under a “Parisian sky”.
The Bellagio is definitely worth a visit, as are the Luxor and the Venetian. You can skip Ballys - if you don’t gamble there’s nothing there.
If you want to see any of the shows, especially the most popular like the Cirque du Soleil extravaganzas e.g. “O” (or is it “Eau”?) try to book a ticket with a travel agent or over the internet before you go. The shows are booked months in advance, and walk-up tickets are few, unless you like standing in long lines with no guarantee of getting in.
Thanks, these suggestions sound like fun. Now can anyone recommend a good hotel to stay in?
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson has some high-quality suggestions about what to do and where to go while in Vegas.
I’ve always stayed at the Excalibur. Decently priced rooms, the aforementioned buffet and it’s got a decent location towards the south end of the strip. Then again the only thing I do in my hotel room there is sleep and shower.
And on preview:
Vastard, while I love Thompson, that’s a cruel thing to do to someone. 
My family is planning a trip to Vegas on Christmas Break - so, I really appreciate this thread. Thanks for Zap for starting it, and everyone else for responding!
I recently spent 10 days in Vegas, as a visiting UK tourist, and did more or less everything. I oculd write out an ‘Ianzin guide to Vegas’ that would go on for pages and pages. Email me if I can help you with specifics.
Hotel accommodation. In theory you have several options - stay at a hotel on the Strip, stay at a hotel downtown, stay at a hostel blah blah zzz. In reality, you want to stay at one of the hotels on the Strip. Why? Because everyone will be able to find you. Because you will be able to find everything. Because everything is much further apart than it looks on the maps and in the guidebooks. Because that’s where the buzz and the action is. And so on. Trust me.
So you just go to vegas.com and check availability and prices for all the different hotels. Nicer costs more, less nice costs less. Central costs more, less central costs less. So you just try to find the optimum balance between price, location and quality. I ended up choosing the Boardwalk:
- very central, in North-to-South terms as you look at the Strip
- everyone knows where it is
- reasonably comfy, reasonably priced
- has two big stores (Walgreens etc.) right next door
- has a good mini-mall right opposite, including a good little booth run by Jennifer in the white sun hat for booking any tours you may want to go on
- close to many major attractions, but doesn’t host any special attractions itself i.e. it isn’t swamped with tourists and visitors
But your tastes and preferences may vary.
Aside from any more specific info you may want, allow me just to offer a few points.
I don’t gamble at all. There is plenty to do in Vegas even if you want nothing to do with the gambling.
Best tour: there is an all-in-one-day trip to the Grand Canyon that goes like this: coach collects yu from your hotel; drives to Henderson airfield; light aircraft to the Canyon air terminal itself; helicopter ride from rim to bottom (1 mile) in 2 minutes! ; riverboat ride along the Canyon; helicopter back to rim; coach ride along rim to Guano Point with a few stops along the way for photo ops; lunch; coach back to air terminal; light aircraft back to Henderson; coach take you back to your hotel. It’s the BEST trip or tour you will ever take in your life. For the best price or deal, go see Jennifer in the white sun hat in the little booth opposite the Boardwalk (whether you stay there or not). She will remember me as ‘the English guy’!
Best shows: anything by Cirque du Soleil, Penn & Teller, Ronn Lucas, Mac King, Lance Burton. For Cirque, yes, book in advance. For the others, booking in advance can’t hurt but you should be able to get tickets on the day or while you’re there. Worst: Siegfried & Roy (utter crap).
There are lots of free printed guides to What’s On. Get them, read them, use them. They are up to date. For example, it’s no use schlepping over to Trasure Island to see the outdor public ‘pirates’ show if it isn’t on that day. I think they are either closing it down soon for a revamp or may have done so already.
All the online and phone systems for booking hotel rooms or tickets for shows… yeah, I was skeptical too but they all seem to work, honestly and reliably, and I never had any problems, so I think they can be trusted.
Best place to eat (classy): go to Olive’s restaurant in Bellagio, mid-afternoon, and ask for a table out on the patio overlooking the water show. Wait a while if you have to or drink at the bar until a table is free. Shouldn’t have to book in advance. Wonderful food, great service, great show.
Best place to eat (cheap): the fast food gallery in Caesar’s and in Bellagios.
Plan you visit in advance as much as possible. Pre-planning works well for Vegas. It’s a busy city and vegas.com is a great site for information.
Do remember that it’s much vaster than it looks. Each major block on the Strip takes 15-20 minutes to walk. When you first arrive, you’re fresh and you don’t mind if your hotel is a 30-40 minute walk away from the Strip. After one or two days, this gets tiresome. Another reason to book room s somewhere nice and central.
It’s hot! Be extra careful with the sunscreen and drinking plenty of water etc. because it is relentlessly baking hot.
Walk around the Bellagio even if you don’t stay there. It’s like paradise.
If you want a taxi, get the doorman or valet at the hotel to get it for you.
If you want any local information or recommendations, ask a taxi driver. Best source of info on the planet.
Internet Cafes: if you plan on keeping up with your emails while you’re on the road, you might think of using internet cafes. In Vegas they are all hellish expensive - you have been warned. The computer terminals in the hotels are even more expensive. There’s no cheap way around this.
Hotel complexes definitely worth seeing and wandering around: the Venetian, the Luxor, New York New York, Ceasar’s.
The Rio is a separate complex, a little way off the Strip. You get to it using the free shuttle (just ask). Worth visiting in itself, and lots of good shows and attractions.
Over and out, all for now.