This would just be for my wife and me. We don’t gamble. We don’t mind paying ridiculous prices for show tickets. We would be open to driving to any place within a few hours.
How hot will it be?
Is there enough to do without gambling?
Pinball Museum was cool.
A friend and I blew about 3 hours there.
I went with a few friends last July for four days, mainly just to relax and unwind. None of us gambled much (maybe 3-4 hours total), and we still managed to find lots to do. It was very hot, so we spent a lot of time poolside. We did quite a bit of shopping, went to see Elton John, people watched, and ate a lot.
Didn’t do any day trips - we stayed on the Strip. I’m going again at the end of July, and may venture a little farther afield this time.
Well, there’s a Dopefest the weekend after the 4th of July. 
It will be very hot. Very Very hot.
There is so much to do without gambling! Where will you be staying? On last year’s trip, I took a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, and this year I kayaked the Colorado River. Both were awesome, but the better value for the money was the kayak trip. I used Evolution Expeditions and they were fantastic. We had no kayak experience at all and now we are looking to buy our own.
A lot of the tours will pick you up from your hotel so you don’t have to drive. There is tons of shopping. I love shopping in Vegas. (Window shopping, but there are so many high end boutiques!) The salespeople don’t know if you have a wad of cash or not so they are very attentive, but not pushy.
People watching in Vegas is amazing. So many different walks of life represented.
I hope you have a great time!
I went to a conference ther in June or July (The World Series of Poker was running at the time - main event) two years ago. I stayed at Treasure Island and the conference was at the Venetian, which requires a walk of about 100 yards on an overpass from one place to the other.
Leaving the conference at five and opening the door onto the walkway was like someone put a running hairdryer in my face. It was so freaking hot. Then going over Las Vegas Blvd. with the heat radiating from the pavement was even worse. I saw a woman put her hand on a metal sign and get burned.
Just don’t plan on doing much of anything outside in and around Las Vegas proper. This was during a time of near record heat, so it may not be quite so bad. Temps were in the hundred-teens.
If you have a dirtbike, you could live there at least six years and never gamble.
Eh, okay. Go see Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, hit the thrift shops, eat like a pig, drink like a fish, swim like a… swiming thing. Golf. Hike. Eat and drink (do that every day)
You could fill lifetime in Vegas without gaming. But please don’t. I like not paying taxes.
Plan on going to the pool area early in the morning, or early in the evening - not while the sun is directly over you!
Lots of shows to see.
Plenty to do besides gambling - roaming the great shopping areas, people watching, great restaurants and some upscale buffets; of all the people I have had come and visit - some gamblers, other not - there hasn’t been a single one who complained of boredom!
I don’t gamble and it was a bore. Every show makes you wade through miles of casino maze, watching pathetic old people like zombies intent on losing all their life savings at something more mindless than Wheel of Fortune. Not the tux and gown crowd from the Bond films.
And all the “name” acts were on Ed Sullivan and have lost most of whatever they had then.
An hour of an old name comic is torture. Also, parking and walking is a forever job. The pyramid casino put its parking lot two blocks away.
Hmm…bored, eh?
They intentionally make you walk through the casinos to see the shows so you will gamble - but I hardly think you only saw “pathetic old people” at the machines along the way. One of the fastest growing segments of visitors to this town are the 20-somethings who come here in groups and party all weekend.
The tux and gown people disappeared ten minutes after the last concert with Frankie, Dean, Joey and Sammy. You can still find a few at the very upscale restaurants if you are looking for them.
Sure, some of the resident performers are not exactly “cutting edge” - Bette Midler, Cher, Barry Manilow - but if you go to Hard Rock or the Palms, you can see the newest acts and performers. Plus, any big name performer on tour will most certainly show up at the MGM Grand or Mandalay Events center during their tour. Not my taste, but Britney Spears and Miley Sirus (sp?) will both be performing here in different locations, on the same nights, this September.
And yep, parking is a good walk from the casino/hotels - but in case you didn’t notice, the casinos are gigantic and where exactly would you put those parking lots? I always warn people that you will walk more in Las Vegas than you have probably walked in the last year…and it is absolutely true that to walk from the MGM Grand parking lot to their arena, you need to pack a lunch. I walk really fast and I doubt I could make it in under 20 minutes.
Sorry you were bored, but most people find enough to see and do here to make it interesting - and as others have mentioned, a quick drive in any direction will take you to national parks, museums, lakes - and a whole different environment.
Each to their own.*
*I went to Maui and was bored out of my skull. Granted, it rained pretty much non-stop the entire week, but still - there was not a lot to do if you couldn’t hit the beach or take boat rides, hike etc.
I have two show recommendations:
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Comic/Magician Mac King. Don’t go expecting David Copperfield or anything. This is a decidedly low-budget (and reasonably priced) show. Mac’s a pretty decent magician, but he’s first and foremost a comedian. You will laugh your ass off. Afternoon shows at Harrah’s.
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Peep Show at Planet Hollywood. A fun and modern take on the old topless-showgirl theme. The girls are sexy, the dancing is much hotter than a high-kicking chorus line, and there’s not a feather headdress in sight. And there are some famous people in it too; when I went it was Kelly Monaco and Mel B (of the Spice Girls). If your wife is hesitant, tell her not to worry - most of the audience was couples. The show is a blast!
Anybody who gets bored in Vegas isn’t even trying. No sympathy.
QFT.
I went for a week last August with my ball and chain. Mac King was an excellent show, particularly since you can probably get free or reduced tickets for signing up for a card at Harrah’s. (You don’t have to do any actual gambling.) We also went to see Defending the Caveman and spent an afternoon at the Atomic Testing Museum.
Thanks so much. I’ll keep checking back in case there are more ideas.