The Strip
The 2.5-mile-long central section of Las Vegas Boulevard, which runs through the city from northeast to southwest, known as the Strip, is lined with huge entertainment palaces, many built with a defining theme and home to performance venues, luxury hotel rooms, and fine dining. The Strip is particularly impressive at night, when the city is illuminated by an endless succession of glittering neon signs.
Fremont Street Experience
In old downtown Las Vegas, Fremont Street is a pedestrian-only area with all kinds of unique sites. A five-block section of Fremont Street is covered over with a canopy of LED lights that illuminate the sky in a spectacle of different colors and designs as you walk below. Known as the Fremont Street Experience, each night a fantastic music and visual show takes place overhead. Street performers and special entertainment acts often perform outdoors in this area. Fremont Street is in downtown Las Vegas, a few kilometers from the Strip. It is best to take a taxi to reach this area. Or, if you want to truly experience Las Vegas at night, take the 3.5-hour Las Vegas Lights Night Tour, which includes the Fremont Street light show and highlights along the Strip.
Helicopter at the Grand Canyon
For a great aerial view over Las Vegas, or even the Grand Canyon, visitors may want to take a helicopter ride. Las Vegas has a number of companies providing helicopter tours that take visitors over Las Vegas and the Strip, or as far away as the Grand Canyon. This is a great opportunity for anyone with limited time to see not only Vegas, but the surrounding landscape and one of America’s most impressive and famous natural attractions. If you have a full day for exploring, try a 6.5-hour Grand Canyon 4-in-1 Helicopter Tour.
Venetian Hotel and Gondola Rides
The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas is located on the Strip, across from Treasure Island. It is one of the city’s finest resorts and has many interesting tourist attractions. Inside is a themed shopping arcade built to resemble the city of Venice, complete with blue skies, canals, and gondoliers. The hotel also features recreations of the main attractions found in Venice, such as the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs, along with many others.
The Venetian Gondola Rides are a fun way to see the complex. Situated out in front of the Venetian Hotel, near the sidewalk, boats await passengers who are then taken on a ride by their personable gondolier through the shopping arcade inside the hotel.
Paris Hotel and the Eiffel Tower
Located on the Strip, Paris Las Vegas is one of the most easily recognized resorts in the city. Out front is a scale model of the Eiffel Tower, and down the way is a recreation of the Paris Opera House. Forty-six stories above the city streets, the Eiffel Tower Experience is an observation deck with incredible 360-degree views. One story below this is posh and romantic Eiffel Tower Restaurant, with fine views out over the Strip and across to the dancing fountains of Bellagio. Also on the property is a mock hot air balloon festooned with neon and flashing lights.
Bellagio Resort and Fountain Show
The Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas is a massive, high-end hotel complex, with a wide variety of attractions, including the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, a spa and salon, and some of the finest restaurants in Las Vegas. Beyond the lobby is a showroom area with changing themes that range from spring botanical displays to fascinating shows of art. The most impressive and famous feature is the fountain show. In front of the Bellagio, along the Strip, the dancing fountains perform a beautiful display of water set to music.
Mirage Hotel: Erupting Volcano and Secret Garden
The Mirage Hotel is easy to identify while walking along the Strip. In front of the resort is a volcano, which erupts at regular intervals. At night, the glowing red fire shooting out is one of the most unique sites visible from the sidewalk. Inside the Mirage is the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. You can see a wide variety of exotic animals, including white lions. The Dolphin Habitat contains a large number of trained dolphins in its 2.5-million-gallon pools.
High Roller Ferris Wheel on the Linq
The High Roller Ferris wheel is at the far end of the Linq Promenade, just off the Strip. This huge Ferris wheel stands 550 feet high and takes thirty minutes for one full rotation, providing outstanding views over the strip and surrounding area from the capsules. Each cabin, as they are called, can hold up to 40 people. Views are particularly outstanding at night with the city lights in full glow.
New York-New York Hotel
The New York-New York Hotel in Las Vegas is across the street from both the MGM Grand Hotel and the Excalibur Resort Hotel. Visually stunning, the hotel is designed to appear like New York’s skyline, complete with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. A huge roller coaster circles in and around the hotel.
Caesar’s Palace and The Colosseum
Perhaps one of the best known of all the Las Vegas hotel resorts, Caesar’s Palace continues to evolve. Currently Caesar’s Palace is a massive complex in the middle of the Strip, complete with every imaginable entertainment option. The hotel is closely associated with shows held in its huge concert venue known as “The Colosseum.” Top performers (which have included Celine Dion and Elton John) perform here for extended periods, and shows are often booked out well in advance. Visitors planning a trip and hoping to see a performance here will want to check out dates and ticket availability as early as possible.
Mandalay Bay and the Shark Reef Aquarium
Mandalay Bay Resort is at the southwest end of the Strip, near the Luxor hotel. One of the key highlights at this complex is the Shark Reef Aquarium. The massive 1,300,000-gallon tank holds a wide variety of sharks, fish, rays, reptiles, and marine invertebrates. About 100 sharks from 15 different species and more than 2,000 animals in all are on display. The Shark Tunnel is the most impressive feature. Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Shark Reef works with wildlife biologists to preserve endangered lake and marine populations as well as rehabilitate injured animals.
Luxor Hotel
Another distinctive theme hotel, at the far southwest end of the Strip, is the Luxor Hotel. Designed in an ancient Egyptian theme, the hotel is shaped like a pyramid, with a sphinx proudly gazing out over the street. The Luxor, like all the major resorts, offers a wide variety of restaurants and shopping opportunities. One of the standout features of this hotel is the beam of light that projects from the highest point of the pyramid and shoots up into the night sky. It can be seen from throughout Las Vegas.
Stratosphere Tower
The Stratosphere Tower is an unmistakable sight on the Las Vegas skyline. The tower rises up 1,149 feet, and on the rooftop of the tower are a variety of heart pounding thrill rides, including the SkyJump, Big Shot, X Scream, and Insanity. For those looking for a little less drama, there is an indoor and outdoor observation deck with great views over the city. The Stratosphere Tower claims the “tallest freestanding observation tower in the USA.”
MGM Grand Hotel and CSI: The Experience
The MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas is across the street from the New York-New York Hotel and kitty corner to the Excalibur Resort Hotel. The MGM Grand Hotel has all the amenities visitors would expect to find at a luxury hotel including above average accommodations, an exceptional pool area, a multitude of restaurants, and plenty of entertainment options. One of the hotels popular activities is CSI: The Experience, based on the popular CSI TV series, where participants can test out their detective skills.
Vegas Indoor Skydiving
Vegas Indoor Skydiving offers a truly unique experience. Here, visitors will get to experience what actual skydiving is like, without an airplane or parachute. Qualified instructors escort participants to a vertical wind tunnel where they are suited up in special gear. Once the fan is turned on, anyone can float effortlessly in the air. No experience is necessary.
Madame Tussaud’s
Madame Tussaud’s in Las Vegas is near the escalators leading up to the Venetian Hotel on the Strip. Here, visitors can see their favorite stars preserved forever in wax. In many cases, the figures are so lifelike it is almost eerie. Figures range from Elvis to Bradley Cooper and Sofia Vergara. The overall focus or theme of Madame Tussaud’s is on people who are associated with Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Fans of fast cars will want to head over to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Located in Clark County 15 miles northeast of the Strip, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 1,200-acre complex of multiple automobile racing tracks just right for the speed-freak in you. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is home to NASCAR races, as well as a number of other racing events. Several speed records have been set at the track. The Speedway features multiple restaurants, and for those wishing to stay overnight, camping is available. Check the website for the latest upcoming events and pricing.
Excalibur Hotel
The Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas is another theme hotel on the Strip. Decked out in medieval character, the hotel features some wild architecture, complete with turrets. The hotel has all the amenities a visitor could possibly imagine, with varied entertainment, a huge pool area, and a good assortment of restaurants.
