I enjoy an occasional craps game and the shows in Las Vegas are top notch and truly is there more to life than laying by a pool being served drinks by a hunky guy. A girl only take so much. Really....
So what else should you do? Well, there are actually things to see in Vegas that don't include a casino and if you have a car, getting out of the city can be very rewarding.
Within Las Vegas, there are a few museums including the neon museum. The museum I visited was the Mob Museum. Las Vegas was a city developed by the New York mobs in the 1940s, to launder money from drugs and racketeering along with increasing their wealth through prostitution and gambling. Legends like Bugsy Siegel built the The Flamingo Hotel & Casino. You can learn the history of the city and its colorful characters at the Museum. There is also the Neon Museum right off Las Vegas Blvd. that offers 200 neon signs. Some of which have been restored. This is on my list for our next trip.
Having been to Las Vegas many times, I really wanted to get out of town and do some day trips. So we headed out to Hoover Dam. The drive is between 40 and 50 minutes. They offer two tours. A short overview and the longer tour where you can walk through the middle of Dam and look through the air ducts. We did this one. It was very interesting. You can also walk across the top, which was closed to vehicle travel after 911. I marveled at engineering feat created to manage our water resources, both water and the electricity the Damn produces. Many people died building the damn during the short five years of construction opening as Boulder Damn in 1936.
The next day, we headed north-east 60 miles The Valley of Fire. The juxtaposition of seeing the man-made Hoover Damn and comparing it to the natural beauty of this state park was not lost on me. Both are equally impressive. The Valley of Fire is a rainbow of color offering pink sandstone nestled within gray and tan limestone. And, yes it was hot. I wouldn't go there to hike in the summer and the rest of the time, definitely take water. We walked to Rainbow Vista, about a mile total, to see the different colored lines contrasting against the clear blue sky's. Just driving through the park was well worth the 45 minutes or so it took to get there. I would suggest stopping by a grocery store and the way there to pick up a picnic. There are so many places to park, hike and enjoy. You can spend the entire day there.
So back to Las Vegas. A few more tips. There are two sides of the City. The Strip that is known for the large hotels. These include the MGM; Paris; Venetian; NewYork, New York and many others. Downtown Las Vega is less expensive, older hotels and more laid back. I love going to Freemont Street and just hanging out watching the people.
If this is your first trip, definitely just walk around the hotels. Caesars Palace will always be my favorite with its large fountains. Last time we ate at Carmine’s. They serve food family style and the lasagna and chicken scarpriello was to die for. Another must is the Bellagio Fountain show. It’s free, outside on the Strip and there is a show every half hour from 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. and every 15 minutes from 8 p.m. – midnight. Lastly, don’t ignore the smaller shows. They are less expensive but can be just as fun. Good Luck!