9 Amazing things to do in Las Vegas
Las Vegas is one of the most AMAZING places on the planet. It does however, have one major downside. It is massive! If you go there with the thought “I’ll just hang out and see whatever I want” you are quickly going to be overwhelmed with things that you want to see.
So, I am going to try and break down some of the must sees. This list is primarily for the first or second time visitor. So if you are an old hat at Las Vegas please feel free to add some more places in the comments.
Bellagio Fountains
It’s hard to believe that the fountains have only been around since 1998. They seem to have been around nearly forever, but I guess amidst the ever changing landscape of the Las Vegas night a decade seems like forever.
The fountains run every half hour and they are free show. You have to walk up the Strip and when you see a bunch of people congregating outside the Bellagio, you know the fountains are only a few minutes away.The fountain display is choreographed to various pieces of music. Current pieces include:
* “The Ecstasy of Gold” by Ennio Morricone, part of his score for the Sergio Leone film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
* All That Jazz (from Chicago)
* Con Te Partirò (Time to Say Goodbye) – Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli
* Fly Me To The Moon – Frank Sinatra
* God Bless The USA – Lee Greenwood
* Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus – Mormon Tabernacle Choir
* Big Spender (from Sweet Charity)
* Hoe-Down – Aaron Copland
* Luck Be A Lady (from Guys & Dolls) – Frank Sinatra
* My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
* One (from A Chorus Line)
* Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – Rachmaninov
* Singin’ in the Rain – Gene Kelly
* The Star Spangled Banner – Whitney Houston
* Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley
* Your Song – Elton John
* This Kiss – Faith Hill
* Santa Baby – Madonna
(source Wikipedia )
Fremont Street
To me this is the closest you will get these days to old Vegas, in fact I think that the next Monster Casino on the Strip should be dedicated to just that Old Vegas. But, I digress. Fremont Street is everything that the Strip is not. It is small (compared to the Strip), friendly and inviting. Not to mention the fact that it has one of the best light show anywhere on the planet. Did I mention that the light show is free??
Caesar Palace
I don’t know what it is about Caesar’s but I just love this place. The architecture is unreal, I have never been to Rome but I imagine the buildings are fairly true to the source. To be honest, Caesars does not offer anything you can’t get a half dozen other places in Las Vegas. It has great shopping, amazing restaurants, a HUGE casino, and stunning designs. But, there is something about the place that just feels right… You have to experience it I guess.
The Strip
Ok this is kind of a no brainer. I mean you go to Las Vegas and you see the Strip right? Not necessarily. The last time I was in Vegas I never made it out on the Strip, and what I mean by the Strip is outside on the street. There is something that is so unreal about the Strip that you just have to experience it. There are million dollar cars being paraded around, there are beautiful people everywhere, unbelievable neon lights blazing everywhere. Admittedly, it is not all good. The crowds can be overwhelming and the guys handing out stripper cards every 20 feet are a real pain in the neck. But,there is no place else that you can see the Fountains or the Treasure Island Sirens or the Volcano (that is finally back at the Mirage).
A Cirque
I think for a lot of people the Cirque Du Soleil’s have become synonymous with Las Vegas. If you have not seen one, please take the time to check them out. Yes, they are an investment as they are not cheap entertainment but I think that they are worth every penny. I did a post a while back on the Cirques but I think that I will have to update it as it is quite old now and there are more of them.
Stratosphere
Ok the fact that the Stratosphere stands out in a city like Las Vegas should be reason enough to visit it, but if you need more. How about this:
- Rides galore including The Bigshot (checkout a video here),X-Scream, Insanity just to name a few.
- Dining at “Top of the World” – eating in a revolving restaurant 800 feet above the Strip (enough said)
- Bite- I don’t know, but topless vampires just kind of works for me
Buffet
Mmmm food! Yes the days of eating for free in Las Vegas are gone, but you can still find some jaw dropping buffets to satisfy your snacking needs. A few places to mark on your list are The Rio, Stratoshpere and Ballys’ to name a few. I started a series on buffets a while back that should be revisited I suppose.
Gamble
Ok I know this one will not sit well with everyone but… Las Vegas is about enjoying yourself and any which way you slice it Gambling is fun. I won’t bore you with a rant on how you should be budgeting your spending money, if you don’t know that by now…
Dining
I have specifically kept this separate from buffets as there is no comparison between a nice restaurant and a buffet. There are so many amazing restaurants in Las Vegas that this post would never end. I did make a suggestion on steak house on this posting.
So that is it. Do you have any to add? Please make a comment if you do.
Popularity: 1% [?]
More about a Vegas Fathers Day
I have been meaning to get back to this post for a while now but….sometime life happens.
Anyways, as you can tell it has been a hectic week and one of the things I and most Fathers need at the end of a long week is a good drink. So why not take your Dad on a good old fashioned pub crawl through Vegas?
Actually you may not want to use the word "old" this weekend and the word "pub" hardly applies to some of these place but you get the idea.
To say Las Vegas has a lot of bars is definitely a huge understatement… So to make things a little easier I decided to group this post according to drinks. So in no particular order here are the best places ( by drink) that you can take Dad.
Vodka
The Red Square at Mandalay Bay is amazing. Not only was it voted the best bar in America by Playboy it is known as the best vodka house in town. With over 200 vodkas, you are virtually guaranteed that they will have Dad’s drink.
Wine
The Vox Lounge is my favorite. Not because they are going to have the largest wine list but.. because they offer the best wine with the least amount of snobbery possible. In fact, if you have an interest in wine they offer "classes" on Saturday that will help you learn more about wine and cuisine. Great place.
Beer
You can get a beer anywhere, so what you are looking for here is a beer drinking room. And I have not found a better place to drink a beer than a good pub. My favorite? Quinn’s Irish Pub at the Green Valley Ranch Casino. They have great beer, a great band( Darby O’Gill and the Little People) and Wednesdays beer games.
Martini
The "it" drink for the new generation is martinis and they have become as popular as cocktails. The only problem? Most bars can’t make a martini to save their life. Not so, at Firefly. They have some of the best bartenders in the world, so if you think there isn’t a difference when it comes to a martini, I dare you to give them a try.
Scotch
Scotch is a drink that you acquire a taste for. A once you have it, you a very particular.Therefore, if Dad likes scotch you better make sure you can get his brands wherever you take him. Ironically enough the best place I know of is in a french place. Napoleon’s Bar in the Paris offers an impressive list even by the most discerning scotch drinkers standards.
Trust me when I say you can get a drink ANYWHERE in Las Vegas, make sure you make father’s day special and take Dad to one of the places I have mentioned.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Free Las Vegas Coupons
Last week I wrote an article on Las Vegas coupons and coupon books. One of the topics that I failed to address is where all the good FREE coupons are.
If you have ever been to Las Vegas, you know that it is not necessary to pay full price for just about anything. Coupons abound at just about every corner. Most of them are free, but also most of them are junk.
Here is a list of place you might find coupons that are actually worth something.
Popularity: 29% [?]
Las Vegas Coupons
Las Vegas is about debauchery, wealth, excess and savings. Savings? Yes, that’s right savings. With the average price of a burger hovering in the $15 mark, it is quickly becoming essential to have a good spending plan in place before heading off to Sin City.
Coupons and coupon books are becoming increasingly popular. But, the market has become so saturated with them that it is very hard to know if you are going to get any value at all out of the coupons.
Popularity: 54% [?]
5 tips to save money during NASCAR Las Vegas
Are you going to NASCAR in Las Vegas this weekend? At first I wasn’t going to post, mostly because I am jealous, but I figured a few tips would come in helpful this weekend.
First off, if you haven’t noticed already hotel prices skyrocket in Las Vegas for any major sporting event. So, ya it’s going to be expensive. Your best bet is to search for a smaller hotel at either end of the strip. Hotelscombinesd.com will help you find something more in your price range. Hotels.com is another option.
Another option is using a tool like tradingplaces.com or destinationvillas.com that way you can rent a condo. The upside here is that you can get a kitchen and prepare your meals there, the downside is that you have to prepare your meals. If you do decide to eat most of your meals out, I wouldn’t recommend eating all your meals on the strip. That can get awfully expensive awfully quick.
Plan your weekend ahead of time. I am terrible for this, I always “fly by the seat of my pants” and end up spending way too much. The most obvious is on show tickets, spending a few minutes on a website like www.PurchaseTix.com can save you hundreds of dollars.
Take full advantage of hotel comps. Every major casino in Las Vegas is more than happy away a free beer to a casino patron. This one can be a bit tricky to get a handle on though. If you are going to gamble $100 and drink 2-3 beers, go to the bar instead. If you are only gambling a few bucks instead get the waitress in the casino. One word of advice, if you want more than one drink an hour, look after your server. A couple bucks tip will go a long way.
Lastly, know your way around. There appears to be nearly as many taxis in Las Vegas as New York and just like in the Big Apple they are not the most economical way to get around. I wrote a post awhile back on ways to get around Las Vegas. I reomment taking a few minute to read it before you go.
There you have it. A few tips to save you a buck or two. Do you have any that you would like to share? Please add it to the comments section.
Popularity: 19% [?]
