Seeking geeky entertainment in Las Vegas

Cafe Society
1

My husband and I have won an Amazon sweepstakes which includes a trip to Las Vegas. We’ll be there from September 18th, 2012 through September 23rd, staying at the Rio (3 nights) and the Vdara (2 nights). We may rent a car if it seems necessary, but would rather not, since we are tightwads.

We are delighted to have won the trip, of course, but since we aren’t very interested in gambling or “adult” entertainment, our choices are going to be limited. We are major geeks: think Sheldon Cooper & Amy Farrah Fowler, but much older (mid-sixties) and with a sense of humor. On the agenda already are the iHeartRadio Music Festival (tickets provided by the sweepstakes sponsor), Blue Man Group, Penn & Teller, Hoover Dam tour.

We love anything related to the sciences, science fiction, and fantasy. Interested in all types of music except rap. Cheap food is eagerly sought. We are poor old folks, so we can’t spend a bundle, but we’re still hoping to have a blast.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received. No bazingas, please.

2

For the Hoover Dam tour, get there early. Last time I was there (it’s been a couple years) there were two tours; one just takes you into the diversion tunnel and powerhouse, the other then continues into the actual dam. You get to look out one of the ventilation holes in the face of the dam, and see the internal tunnels. The first time I went, that tour had already sold out for the day.

Also for science-minded types, there’s the National Atomic Testing Museum.

For eats, check the website menu for the Hofbrauhaus. It will be much cheaper than travelling to Munich.

3

I dont think youll be limited in fact i suspect you will run out of time. The mob exhibit at the Tropicana (33$), mob museum downtown(18$) Fremont street experience (free). Check out the coupon books in taxis and newspaper cabinets you can get deals on everything. I hope you’re doing the Rio first because while it’s nice I suspect Vdara is going to be a whole different experience in room.

Just walking through the casinos is an experience, the ceiling and gardens at the Bellagio (oh and the fountains), the tower at the Paris, roller coaster at NYNY, lions at MGM and tigers at the Mirage.

Sorry for the stream of consciousness, posting on the phone today and editing is a pain.

4

Congrats on winning a trip here!
Rio should be fun, but a tad far to walk to The Strip - you might want to splurge for a taxi over the freeway.
The Vdara is on The Stip, so walking will be fine.
I don’t think you will need to rent a car - so much to see and do by foot that you will find yourself walking and walking and walking.
For that reason, do bring very comfortable shoes.

The advice so far is great, and I am sure others will chime in with some great hints and suggestions.

My website might help you with a few other tips.

Have fun and report back! I love hearing what others think, and what they found interesting or not so interesting, and the overall impressions. Oh, and I don’t think you will have any problem finding ample food for good value - the Rio has a buffet that is decently priced and, well, I think you will probably both want a nap shortly after going there. The place is huge, with a wide selection. For newbies, it is a perfect starting point - so good that is your first place to stay!

5

Pinball Museum

Have lunch at Lotus of Siam

6

There’s the Bodies exhibit at the Luxor. (It’s pretty much the only good thing at the Luxor.)

7

You might like the Liberace Museum (if it is still around). Valley of Fire, Redrock and Mt. Charleston to get out of the smokey casinos, but you’ll need a car.

8

I think secretly camping out on SenorBeef’s patio while siphoning off of his outside outlet to power a laptop to post to the Dope is in order.

9

Alas, the museum has closed due to inexplicably declining levels of Liberace interest.

10

This is a very good suggestion. I was quite delighted.
Never underestimate the entertainment value of simple people watching in Las Vegas. It is world class.

11

To be clear, the Pinball Museum is more than just a velvet rope type place–bring plenty of quarters, because you can play lots of different machines.

The 1 lb hot dog deal downtown.

The Crystal Palace has a good car collection.

The dancing waters at the Bellagio, of course.

I went to a bird show (Tropicana?) ~ 15 years ago and it was great.

YMMV

12

If Cirque’s “O” is still playing try to catch that. If you want to be geeky about it, try to figure out how all the floors, cranes and pools work. There’s a LOT of stuff going on behind (and above and below) the scenes and if you pay attention you can figure a lot of it out. It’s friggen amazing. Seeing people run across the pool then a second later dive in from 30 feet up (because the floor lowered). At one point I realized that a lot of the performers were staying under for a few minutes at a time. At the end, they brought the floor all the way to the top to reveal SCUBA divers with extra respirators for the actors. I assume there’s either lights or sound or windows with a director so they get their cues.

13

I went to a presentation, open to the public , on dimensional space at the U.of N.

14

In case anyone is interested, I just learned of the ultimate geeky event in Las Vegas: the local Mensa chapter has a rocket science SIG that meets every Saturday morning at a Barnes & Noble.

I am so envious. My local Mensa chapter tends to meet at Panera Bread to tell dirty jokes.

15

I very highly recommend Cirque Du Soleil’s Ka, which is certainly at least a distant cousin of fantasy-themed. It’s not cheap, but if you can afford it it’s definitely worth it.