Things to do in Vegas

In My Humble Opinion
1

Inspired by Asmovian’s thread about Vegas hotels but not wanting to hijack it…

My company is whisking us away to Vegas for our annual meeting this year in recognition of our banner sales last year. I’m taking the ladyfriend along but, aside from being excited about going, neither of us has been nor has much idea of “what to do” besides the generic gambling. We’re all staying at the Mandalay Bay and our schedules are pretty open: We arrive Valentine’s Day morning at about 10am, have the entire day and night to ourselves, day to ourselves on Wednesday until a company dinner that evening and then Thursday is ours but only until noon or so when we’ll have to prepare to leave.

Neither of us is much of a gambler. I only barely know the rules to most games and I’m not stupid enough to try to remember how to play poker or blackjack in Vegas. I doubt she’s lifted a hand of cards in her life outside of playing Uno. So, aside from wandering the Strip and looking at the pretty lights, do any veterans have any “you really should see this” suggestions, ideas of where to go to eat, etc? Moderately priced – I’m making sure I have cash set aside and earmarked for the trip but we’re not rich folk :wink:

In any event, a free trip to Vegas should make for a memorable first Valentine’s Day together so we’re both looking forward to it.

2

People can’t say.

You know the rule.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

:slight_smile:

3

My choice would be to get on the next plane anywhere, but then I hate the damn place. I got nuthin’.

4

We didn’t do anything in Vegas when we got married because we were in and out of town so quickly. But we want to go back to Vegas for our 10th anniversary, and I really want to take that helicopter trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. There was some discussion in a recent thread, and it sounds like a really memorable sight-seeing event.

I’d also like to see a big boxing match. It sure isn’t what it used to be, but it would be fun to see one live.

5

Well, it’s a company trip so there might be issues with me opting to go someplace else instead :smiley:

Just curious if people knew of any non-obvious things or things completely not worth the time, money and effort. I’m sure there’s a cubic bajillion things to do but I’d hate to just pick random stuff without having any idea.

6

The one thing I always make sure to do is make at least one trip to Lotus of Siam for dinner.

If you have time for a day trip and haven’t yet seen a big-ass dam up close and personal, a trip to Hoover Dam might be interesting.

7

Wnader the Strip and people-watch, ride the nut-rides atop Stratosphere, watch the Bellagio fountains, see the Fremont Street Experience, always split aces and eights, take the odds in craps, and stay away from the Big Wheel.

8

The best people-watching on Earth. Rent a machine gun, ladies seem to love that for some reason. Catch a comedy show. Watch the pirate ship show at Treasure Island.

Read the local papers (there are two of them) always lots of amusing stuff (want ads for strippers) and alarming stuff (gang shootings).

Am I the only one that goes to the UNLV bookstore?

9

I think it’s Mandalay that has that large shark tank/aquarium. House of Blues is there as well, so there may be a worthwhile concert happening while you’re there.

There’s like 27 Cirque du Soleil shows at various hotels. Do Penn & teller still have a LV show? Hard Rock often has concerts.

Most of the newer hotels have a shopping mall.

Go down to the local AAA office and pick up their guide for LV. If you don’t have AAA I think they will still sell it to you.

10

When I went to Vegas, I was escorting two teenagers, so gambling was out (their mother was getting married).

We literally spent 2 days walking the strip, walking through all the casinos, shopping malls and riding roller coasters. Two days wasn’t nearly enough time, just to see the sights.

Every casino is different and very elaborate, so it’s worth it just to walk through. There’s lots of malls. Caesar’s Palace had an IMAX ride in the mall.

Circus Circus has an amusement park in the hotel. If you like roller coasters, go to the Stratosphere and up on top, 100 stories or so over Las Vegas, they have a roller coaster on top of the building plus a ride I think they call the “Big Shot” that shoots you up into the air and then drops you. New York, New York also has a big roller coaster.

Drop a nickel or quarter in a slot machine in every casino you walk through, so you can say you’ve gambled in every casino in Las Vegas. :wink:

11

Although it is primarily directed at selecting hotels and stuff, this site, Cheapo Las Vegas is an excellent guide to the city. I really enjoy renting a plane and seeing the city from on high. Lots of flying schools will rent you a plane, and a pilot if you need one.

The dam is well worth seeing. This time of year you might want to rent a car and go find snow in the mountains.

12

We went there for a bachelor party. We basically spent the entire time eating in restaurants and going clubbing until morning.

13

The fountains at the Bellagio! Have to see them at least once, preferrably at night. They come on every 1/2 hour until, I think, 11pm when it’s every 15 min until midnight when they stop for the night.

Have fun! It’s a great city for just hanging out and seeing the sights.

Oh and the Strip is HUGE. Like miles long. Unless you take a cab everywhere, there will be lots of walking. Don’t forget to bring comfortable shoes. And even if you do take cabs, the casinos themselves are huge and there’ll be lots of walking inside. Spikey heels are fun for going out to dinner, but the rest of the time I really really recommend comfort over fashion.

14

The ladyfriend lives in heels so I’ll be sure to pass along your warning. Thanks!

15

Just random thoughts, as I am not a Vegas expert, have only been there and in the environs 3 times.

They have a good public transit system downtown (buses). Personal cars downtown are not really a problem, but I prefer to park and walk/use the bus or whatever.

The Gold Nugget has the best Sunday Champagne Brunch I’ve ever had. There may be better ones, as I’ve said, I’m not an expert here. But I was impressed.

The gold nugget bracelets that almost every Vegas jewelery store has are usually of high quality and are really well-received as gifts. Pretty reasonable, too. Can’t say the same about the diamonds.

It doesn;t sound like you have the time for touring outside Vegas, but if you do: There is Death Valley, Scotty’s Junction, Furnace Creek, etc., etc., etc. I hesitate to mention visiting a legal bordello (ranch) and geting a souvenir T-Shirt, so I won’t.

In any case, have fun!

16

When I went to CES last year, I wore a pedometer and I walked ~30 miles in 4 days!

And if you go there in the summer, dress accordingly! I drove into Las Vegas one year (with a couple of friends) and it was 45 degrees celcius! I stopped at a gas station, my buddy was reading a magazine, he put the magazine on the dash to go in and buy a water, 5 minutes later when he picked the magazine up, all the pages fell out! The glue had melted from the heat! I think I saw a guy in orange robes burst into flames!

MtM

17

[QUOTE= We’re all staying at the Mandalay Bay and our schedules are pretty open:(…) In any event, a free trip to Vegas should make for a memorable first Valentine’s Day together so we’re both looking forward to it.[/QUOTE]

First, Mandalay Bay itself is huge. You could probably spend all your free time there without ever hitting the Strip or downtown. [They have pools, an aquarium (which isn’t free, no matter what the guide books say), many, many places to eat and enjoy shows, etc.]

I’m assuming from your post that you both are first-timers to Vegas. While I love the outside activities (Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Red Rock Canyon, Mt. Charleston, etc., there’s more than enough on the strip to entice you without taking the time (and money) to go elsewhere. Noted in previous replies to your post - and free, are: Bellagio fountains, Treasure Island ‘pirate battle’, diversity of individual casinos, etc. I would suggest buying a one-day bus ticket (I don’t know how to transfer the link here, but Google “las vegas, nv”, click on ‘visitor’, then “Citizen’s Area Transit” (CAT). For $5 you can get a day’s worth of on, off privleges on all the town buses. You may have the energy to walk from casino to casino, but with not much time, it might be worth the bus ticket. (Most casinos take up at least an average city block, with much of that space devoted to parking.) And the Fremont Street Experience downtown is, um, hokey, at best.

The newer and more innovative casinos are mostly at the southern (airport) end of the Strip. (OK, I think the newest BIG casino is the Wynn, which is midway or towards the north, but still…)

Depending on your likes, a couple of relatively unsung Vegas attractions that I’ve enjoyed are the Nascar Cafe in the Sahara, kitty-corner across the street from the Stratosphere (at the north end of the strip), the auto museum in the Imperial Palace (they used to have a great Chinese buffet, but I haven’t been there for years, so I can’t account for it now), and Sam’s Club, a Henderson (suburban) casino which is the venue where all the locals (used to) hang out. It was remodeled a few years ago, and is quite wonderful now. (My sister used to live a few miles from the old Sam’s Club and loved it - she hasn’t been there since the remodel, and I’m not sure how she’d feel about it.

My bona fides: I’ve been going to Vegas 2-10/year for the last 20 years. Usually it’s not a destination, we’re on our way to/from LA to points east. But sometimes we spend 2-3 days there (especially when the visit involves a midwestern relative.

I hope you have a great time.

'Cuda (I realize this says movingfinger but I didn’t notice I was under his name until I was almost done (Barracuda’s my name)

18

The Wynn is a joke. Don’t waste your time. If you are going to casino-hop, spring for a monorail pass and ride it up and down the east side of the Strip.

19

I just got back from there and it was 45 degrees…Fahrenheit. We were at a soccer tournament and the wind was blowing at 50 MPH. That was pretty fucking cold.

I’ll second the Penn & Teller recommendation. They’re always fun.

20

lots of good suggestions. one thing that should be stressed is do not, under any circumstances, walk off the strip. The area around the strip is not the greatest during the day, and downright dangerous during the night. Take a cab or the bus.

if you like watersports, you can go to lake mead. redrock has rock climbing if intersted. Mt. Charleston is good for hiking, and has a small ski area, which is not open as of yet. Hoover dam is only a 30-45 minute drive away, so it shouldn’t take all day. The Grand Canyon visitor center in AZ is a solid day trip 4 hrs or so away.