15 Best Things to Do in Las Vegas
Las Vegas is easier to dismiss than it is to actually use well. I went expecting a neon slog and found a place that rewards a bit of planning, whether you want the Strip spectacle, the shows, or the desert right outside the city limits. I split my days between indulgence and escape and it worked perfectly. Here is the list I would walk again.
Walk the Full Length of the Strip at Night
Do not drive it. The Strip at night is a walking show, with the fountains of the big casinos, the volcano that erupts on the hour, and the golden Eiffel Tower all competing for your attention. It is loud and absurd and completely worth the miles on your feet.
See an Eruption at the Mirage
Outside the Mirage casino a fake volcano actually erupts on a schedule every evening, shooting fire and water into the air. It is gloriously campy and the whole crowd cheers. Time your Strip walk to catch it.
Go Inside the Grandest Casino Lobby
Even if you never gamble, the walkways between the big resorts are an art installation in themselves. The Bellagio’s glass ceiling, endless flower displays, and the conservatory garden are free to wander. It is the most beautiful interior on the Strip.
Watch the Bellagio Fountains
The fountain show in front of the Bellagio runs every half hour and is choreographed to music with the water-jet patterns set to the beat. It is simple, surprisingly graceful, and the perfect free thing to do at either end of the day.
Ride the Monorail Between Casinos
The Las Vegas Monorail runs a few stations along the eastern Strip, elevated over the traffic. It is a cheap way to get your bearings, with great views down onto the madness, and you can hop off whenever something catches your eye.
Catch a Big Production Show
Las Vegas has some of the best shows in the world, and they are worth the ticket. I saw a famous acrobatic circus-style show and it was genuinely astonishing, a level of athleticism and staging I have not seen elsewhere. Book ahead; the good nights sell out.
Take a Day Trip to the Grand Canyon
If you can spare one day, the Grand Canyon is about a four hour drive away and absolutely worth it. A guided day tour handles the driving and the crowds, and standing on the South Rim edge with the layered canyon opening below is the single most impressive thing within reach of Vegas.
See the Hoover Dam
Closer than the canyon, the Hoover Dam is a marvel of 1930s engineering on the Colorado River an hour from town. The dam visitor center, the walk across the top, and the sheer scale of the thing make for an easy half day out of the city heat.
Wander Fremont Street at Night
Fremont is the busiest, most chaotic pedestrian street in town, a circus of live music, street performers, and vendors under a massive canopy of screens. It is the closest thing Vegas has to a neighborhood main street, and it delivers exactly what it promises.
Eat a Buffet at an Old Favorite
Vegas is famous for its huge buffets, and they range from bargain to world class. I had a seafood-heavy spread at a Strip casino that was the highlight of my trip’s eating. Check the lunch prices and go early to beat the rush.
Take the High Roller for a View
The High Roller is the giant observation wheel on the Strip, and a slow rotation gives you a full 360 degree view of the city and the desert beyond. Do it in the evening when the lights come on. It is the best elevated look at the whole spectacle.
Walk the Downtown Container Park
For a break from the Strip, the Container Park is made of shipping crates and has a small live space, shops, and a giant metal praying mantis that shoots fire from its antennae at night. You enter through a maze made of doors. It is the artsiest corner of the city.
Explore the Neon Museum at Night
The Neon Boneyard collects old signs from across Vegas history, displayed in an open air lot outside downtown. At night the signs are lit and the whole place glows orange, pink, and green against the desert dark. It is one of the most atmospheric free histories of the city’s visual culture.
Get a Cheap Seat to the Downtown Area Shows
Beyond the big casinos there are smaller venues downtown with affordable live music and comedy. I caught a talented quartet in a tiny room for a fraction of a casino show ticket and enjoyed it more. It added a real, human layer to the noise.
Escape Into the Desert at Sunrise
My favorite part of Vegas was leaving it for one morning. Drive or ride out to Red Rock Canyon, an hour west, where the desert cliffs glow red and orange in the first light. A quiet hike on the empty trails with the city a distant smudge on the horizon put everything in perspective.
Vegas is a contradiction, and the trick is to take it on your own terms. Do a little of the spectacle, a little of the art, and a little of the desert, and you will leave with real memories instead of just a hangover.
