Going to Vegas for the first time next month. Any must-sees/must-dos? Restaurants, shows, attractions, etc. Oh, and any definitely-don'ts are appreciated too!
Definitely go to the Gold and Silver pawn shop in Vegas. I'd really be curious if Chumlee is really that dumb And of course you got to get a picture of yourselves out in front of the place http://www.gspawn.com/
Take a break from the gambling and take a tour up to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. We enjoyed Vegas (and DH won some $$), but that was the highlight of our trip by far.
Don't... pay any attention to the people on the street handing stuff out. Its all for strip joints (unless thats your thing anyway). Rollercoaster at NY/NY was fun, fountains at Bellagio is worth seeing.
Go to Paris, ride to the top of the Eifel Tower at night. You will enjoy that but once you get up there you can see all the lights in the valley and also see the light show at Bellagio's from the top. Go to Fremont Street at night and see the light or laser show. You are in the older part of Vegas and besides the casinos, there are street venders and bands playing. Go to Valley of Fire. Go to Tule Springs---there is an old western village with a show--a melodrama--in the saloon. I think you can get a cold beer there but not sure but you can get a sasperilla. Liberace Museum. At one time you could go where they kept the animals for the Siegfried & Roy show. You can ride a trolley up one side and back down the other side of the Strip for a buck or two. Nice way to just look at it. They have some good museums there. Play a couple Wheel of Fortune Slots. I love them. What do you have in mind to see? We can go for that. Where are you staying? Light show at the Mirage, Pirates fights Treasure Island or Treasure Bay or some such thing.
The Hoover Dam tour is very interesting and they now have that new huge bridge over the dam. That in itself is something to see.
We are staying at the Venetian. We thought about seeing Cirque du Soleil one night. Any good restaurant recommendations? I've heard that the restaurants at the Venetian are good, but I have no idea.
Almost any restaurant is good. There is so much competition. The buffets are "sumptuous". If you want a nice meal with wait staff, etc., most any hotel has a more upscale restaurant but be prepared to pay well for it. Let me ask for you and I will get back to you on that one. Things change regularly out there. Are there any kids going with you? How much you want to pay for food?
Even just walking through the hotels can be fun and interesting. Ceasars Palace has a fountain in it that the figures "come alive", which was fun.....the Dancing fountain, the Pirate Show (both free), the wax museum was fun when we were there. When we were there, we were told that a lot of the shows it is best to book them in advance for they sell out quickly. You can go on Stand By, just in case there are any cancellations, but 9 times out of 10, there aren't. There really is a lot to see....and I agree with wed2x, don't take any fliers from the people on the street and the other thing, if people are offering a free gift to "just listen to a presentation", ignore them. It is for timeshare and they get very pushy when you tell them no and most of the times, the gifts they are offering are not worth it. It has been several years since we were in Vegas, we stayed at the Westward Ho, but it is no longer there. It was tore down and I don't know what is in it's place. It was over by Circus Circus, which we had fun at. Have fun!!!
Not a gambler and like quite every now and then, so I always stay at a Marriott chain, typically the Residence Inn (near the Hard Rock), Mormons don't approve of gambling and so the Marriott does not allow it. That way if you want it go to the Casino, when you don't head to your hotel room! Heard the Beatles Circ Du Solay (or however it is spelled) is a great show.
Terry Fator at the Mirage Terry Fator is awesome, he won Americas Got Talent a few years back. He is at the Mirage. He is a ventriliquist and comedian. And he can sing anything. He has a website: http://www.terryfator.com/ We bought his DVD from WalMart and it is great.
Thanks for all the information so far! I knew you guys would have some good ideas! To answer hhicshg, we are not taking kids and we're not opposed to spending a good deal of money on food one night. We are foodies! I can't stand the idea if going out to dinner in Vegas (somewhere we may only go once) and ending up somewhere that isn't great.
For one nice meal, check out Bellagio's. When it was built, the idea was to try to take visitors there back to the old days when people really dressed up to go see the shows or just to go out on the Strip particularly. It probably didn't happen but that was the idea. When I was young, everyone "'frocked out" to go to some of the places for a nice dinner or a show. If all else fails, ask the concierge. If y'all will be gambling, you may want to get the cards at the service desks. Your time that you gamble builds up as does the input on the slots. If you gamble enough, you may wind up with enough to comp your room or pay for a nice night out. You might check out the shows that are playing by seeing if they are in the newspapers online. The local papers are the Review Journal and Las Vegas Sun. If you have anything that lists hotels, you can go online and look at the schedules at the individual hotels for the time you will be there. I wasn't impressed when I just googled what to do in LV. I do not care what anyone tells you about Vegas having dry heat and it is different than what we experience here. Sometimes it is but with a larger population and so many pools now, the humidity is not like it was. When it hits 108-110 degrees, IT IS HOT!! Do be sure to take some good comfortable walking shoes. I read in just the last few days, the Sahara is being done away with. If it is still there when you go, you may want to go there just to say you were there where the "Rat Pack" did some of their ratting. That was one of the first hotels out there but many have already been imploded or whatever.
Go to www.vegasmessageboard.com for lots of good info. For shows, check out Goldstar: http://www.goldstar.com/events/browse/89109 Also, they have ticket places there w/ good deals. Tickets 2Night, Tix4Tonight? One bought out the other, so I'm not sure which is the one left standing. TravelZoo.com usually has some deals on tickets there, too. The Rick Thomas Magic Show is a good one if you can get discount tix, as is Nathan Burton. I saw The Scintas at the Rio, but I believe they are gone from Vegas now.
