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Just booked a 5-day trip to Vegas in December. This will be our first "non-business trip" (meaning no machines to load at the end of the trip!) in several years so I am very excited! Looking for some family (me, Darrell, and 14yr old daughter) things to do, things to see, things to avoid, etc.  I booked a suite so we could have some extra room for down times and relaxing, as I know the standard rooms are not exactly "spacious"...

So now, tell me, what's your favorite thing to do/see/eat/enjoy in Las Vegas?

Thanks in advance!

Roslyn

For some machine play, it's fun to head north up to the Santa fe for some more liberal payout reel action.  :-)  Enjoy your trip, youi deserve it!

You may want to check out Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay ...
http://www.mandalaybay.com/shark-reef/?ef_id=khRQTmYJ5nYAAFXb:20120910221329:s (http://www.mandalaybay.com/shark-reef/?ef_id=khRQTmYJ5nYAAFXb:20120910221329:s)
Amazing to find this awesome place in the Mohave desert .

Pinball Hall of Fame if pins and classic arcade games are your cup of tea.

Jason

Awesome ideas!

@CommTech - Perfect! Daughter is an animal nut, so she will love the sharks, We were already planning on checking out the MGM Lions and the Mirages White Tigers, so the sharks are now ON THE LIST, as well.

@Jason - Pinball Museum sounds exactly like Darrell's cup of tea...great idea! Also let me know of any place with any gaming, casino, or arcade stuff. Always on the prowl for cool signs, memorabilia, etc....He can't get enough, literally, CANNOT get enough of that kind of stuff.

Ok, we're doing good, KEEP IT COMING!!!

Roslyn  :71-

In 2000, quite a long time ago, wife and I took our then 21 yr old son and 16 yr old daughter. Had a room at the Luxor and a rental car. Trying to gamble and keep the daughter entertained was a chore but it worked out pretty good. Went up on the Stratosphere and rode the Bigshot. Drove to Fremont Street and watched the Experience. Rode the roller coaster at New York, New York. Dolphins at the Mirage, Ceasers shopping mall, etc. So much to see and so much has changed since then!
Can't wait to see the observation (ferris) wheels that are being built now.

For me, a rental car was always a must.

National Landscapes:
The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Nevada. Over a million visitors a year enjoy the scenic driving, hiking, biking, horseback riding, picnicking and climbing in and on the brightly-colored sandstone canyons. Visitors universally enjoy the 13-mile scenic byway, which offers abundant access to climbing areas, hiking trails, picnic areas, and scenic turnouts. Many visitors spot the herd of wild burros, but other wildlife in the Red Rock Canyon area include mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, coyotes, kit foxes, and bobcats. Many birds of prey, songbirds, and migratory birds also flock to this desert oasis.

HIking is permitted on all the designated trails in the area, and pets are allowed on a leash. Mountain biking is permitted in Cottonwood Valley and not on the byway. OHV use is permitted on designated roads, except the byway. A visitor center offers exhibits, cultural background, and plenty of information on the wildlife, geology, and native plants that make Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area such a special and beloved place.

Fees and Permits : $7/ day per car, $3/day per bike, pedestrian, or horse. Annual passes are available, America the Beautiful, Senior passes, and Access passes accepted.

How to get there :West of Las Vegas. Take Charleston Blvd west to the recreation area. OR from south Las Vegas Strip, take I-15 south to NV 160, then west to NV 159 north (Blue Diamond).

Check out The Max King Comedy/Magic show at Harrahs I think. Very very funny and inexpensive

Also doing the zip lines down at fremont street are pretty fun!

Excellent Ideas!!! I am adding them to the list and will start checking out reservations for some of the events soon. I understand some of the attractions require same-day reservations be made, so I need to be armed with contact info on them all beforehand.

Thanks a ton for the new ideas! By December, we'll have quite a list! Good to know these are tried and true spots!  :89-

p.s. The Comedy/Magic show is perfect, as that was actually one of my daughters only requests! That and a concert of some sort, doesn't really care who she says...but we'll see about that one depending on who's there at the time.

My only must in Las Vegas is Capriottis sandwich shop. my stomach thanks me every time.

Now we're talking....I'm a sandwich freak!  :225- :150- :167- :225- :150- :167-

Red Rock as mentioned before truly is amazing and you can end your day at Red Rock Station casino.  There's a Caprioti's in the casino too, plus movie theatre.

If you're up for a longer day, you can hit both Red Rock and Mt. Charleston in a day.  In December, you're most likely to see snow at Charleston.  Lots of fun if you're not used to seeing/playing in it.  As recommended earlier, you could visit Sunset Station after Mt. Charleston (it's on the way) - also a movie theater, etc.

A tour of Ethel M's at night in December is also pretty cool because of all the lights, and everyone likes the the free chocoloate at the end of the tour.  While you're there, might as well drive through Sunset Park for more lights.

Note that the free "Show in the Sky" at The Rio has become pretty risque for children.  Kids used to really love it to try and get beads, but you may be disappointed.

If your daughter liks birds, there are Flamingos and penguins to see near the pool and in the hallways (in cages) at The Flamingo, plus lots of ducks and other birds.

Every casino has something.  Watch bull riding at South Point, Mermaids at Silverton, Sharks at Mandalay, Tournament of Kings at Excalibur, Bellagio fountains and conservatory, etc., etc.

Have fun!  :-)

Hmmm....we were thinking of maybe one of the Grand Canyon tour things, or jousting driving ourselves so that we can stop when and wherever we choose. Is this Red Rock place in that direction? With 2 recommendations, it's hard to pass it up now. Don't think I can talk the family into any real hiking, but maybe just an afternoon to enjoy the scenery!

Ethel M's is a definite stop, as i have heard they have quite a display. I need to map it out I think, so that we can end up somewhere with lights at night!

Penguins and flamingos are in!

Man, you guys are REALLY helping out! It's really hard to determine if someplace is worth going based on reviews. Like the restaurants and buffets, the reviews are all over the board, people give a 1 star just because they didn't have what they liked, or the opposite, a 5 star when for all I know they would have ate shoe leather and liked it!

Can't thank you all enough! This is awesome! A few more and I will have most of our days filled!

Roslyn

Well you'll love this place then. try the Bobby, pretty much thanksgiving on a hoagie roll.

 :183- :184- :183-

I always walk every square inch of the casino floors looking for rare S2000 titles that still may be lurking, in hopes that a tech will approach me and give me the glass and strips out of them.

Jason

Unfortunately, two different directions.  Red Rock and Mt. Charleston are on the west and Grand Canyon is east.  If you've never seen the Grand Canyon, well, that's one of the 7 Wonders, so it's a must see.  It's about a 4.5 hour drive one way.  Red Rock is 30 minutes and Mt. Charleston is 45 minutes.  At Red Rock, it's more like scrambling than hiking ... lots of rocks the size of RV's to climb all over and see if you can spot the rock climbers higher up.  Charleston is just about playing in snow under 60 foot pines.  You would never believe you're only 45 minutes from the desert and Las Vegas lights. 

Grand Canyon speaks for itself.  :-)

Awww...I was thinking the Grand Canyon was closer since they did tours out of Las Vegas....darn it, that may have to wait then!

Actually, the tours aren't bad.  You just have to get up before God and get on a bus, then go back to sleep.  The sunset across the desert at the end of the day is amazing through those large bus windows (you notice when you're not driving).  Unfortunately, when I took my mother on the trip, the bus overheated and broke down, but I would still recommend the trip.  They do all the driving, you do all the site-seeing.  It's a whole day.

Here are my suggestions with links!


I second the pinball hall of fame.  Who knows how much longer pinballs will even be around so its neat to play history.  For my wife and I, we love going there to play for hours--sure cheaper than losing your money at the casinos!  http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ (http://www.pinballmuseum.org/)

I would also check out the Hoover Dam.  If you are in to the amazing views, history, and learning about dams and how they are built, we had fun going there.  Here is one of the companies offering bus service from Vegas: http://www.alllasvegastours.com/hoover-dam-tours/hoover-dam-tours/sbc-2866?pref=02&aid=ltg1035&gclid=CPGy1ovmsrICFcZxQgodvgIAOg (http://www.alllasvegastours.com/hoover-dam-tours/hoover-dam-tours/sbc-2866?pref=02&aid=ltg1035&gclid=CPGy1ovmsrICFcZxQgodvgIAOg)

I am an offroad racer so we rented dune buggies and had a guide lead us all over the dunes north of Vegas (near the Las Vegas Speedway).  Again if you are in to that, it was fun as well.  That one is http://www.sunbuggy.com/lasvegas/ (http://www.sunbuggy.com/lasvegas/)

I like walking thru the shopping malls too--again anything to keep me out of the casinos!  Ceasars Palace, Planet Hollywood, and The Venetian all have good malls to explore.

We usually are up there during Nascar in March.  If you are in to racing, they always have racing schools running at the speedway too (I used to instruct at one).  http://www.drivepetty.com/ (http://www.drivepetty.com/)

Also if you like Brazillian BBQ, there is a place called Texas de Brazil that is pretty amazing.  Yeah its $47 a person for all you can eat, but if you and your husband are carnivore's, the Brazilian steak house is awesome and this is one of the best.  It is located on the south end of the strip sitting kind of by itself.  http://www.texasdebrazil.com/lasvegas (http://www.texasdebrazil.com/lasvegas)

My final recommendation is for transportation.  You can buy an entire day pass to bus service called "The Deuce".  They are double decker busses that run 24 hours a day and stop all along the strip and down town.  You buy 1 pass and ride it anywhere you want pretty much and get on and get off whenever (busses run like every 15 minutes).  If you are wanting to casino hop, bar hop, or just sight see--that is definitely the easiest way.  http://www.lasvegas-how-to.com/las-vegas-deuce.php (http://www.lasvegas-how-to.com/las-vegas-deuce.php)

Have fun out there.  I am only 4 hours from there so try to make it a couple of times per year.  Endless stuff to see and do and eat!

Wow, whe you said it was over 4 hrs away, I was wondering how they worked it. Good to know, good to know! We've been trying to figure out a trip to the Grand Canyon, but wasn't ready to just go direct and stay there for 3-4 days, but maybe that's what we'll have to do. That's too bad about your trip with your mother, but it must have been wroth it for you to still recommend it! Thank you!

Four racer - Very helpful, wow, links and everything! You should be a Vegas travel guide!  :89-

Hoover Dam is a must, as Darrell (huge history buff) has been before, but wants to show our daughter. So that's in.

Pinball Hall of Fame is officially IN now, as 2 recommendations from fellow NLG members definitely warrants a visit!  :133-

The dune buggies sound like a ton of fun! I'll have to run that by the Review Committee (hubby and daughter)!

Awesome recommendations for the shopping malls, as daughter is already saving  :56- :56- , and has plans to SHOP! I was wondering where some good malls were, as there are sooooo many listed.

While we are not NASCAR fans, we are extreme carnivores and welcome the BBQ recommendation, as well as any others for steakhouses, prime rib, etc.  :188- :188-

Good to know on the transportation. We were considering the tram (stops at our hotel) or the double-decker bus for days when we didn't want to roll out the rental car!

Thank you VERY MUCH!!!

There are two outlet malls in Vegas if you are into shopping. My favorite though is about 20 min south of there right on the calif border. huge place and best of all, every time I've been there no people. Seemed like we were the only one's there except for the cashiers. :208- There are some good BBQ places, Memphis championship comes to mind, but a little trick we found was to go to the Whole Foods grocery store on the south strip and go to the meat section, they do a real good bbq brisket. go to the bakery and grab a loaf of french bread and you're all set. They even have tables in the front of the store. And while you're in the area (right across the street) Hit Fryes Electronics.

Since you mentioned you wanted to check out the Pinball Hall of Fame (POH), I also learned that the POH has a satellite location located on the strip inside the Riviera casino.  Here is a link to a video of that place--havent been there but you can bet on it next time I am in Vegas!
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BRuftvDJw8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BRuftvDJw8)

So where's the Slot Machine/Gaming Hall of Fame? Or something equivalent?

The Excalibur has the tournament of kings show, have not been in years but it was pretty neat.  Also the circus circus has a indoor theme park that may be worth checking out, my kids have a blast their.

Paris Buffet

We were out there in July.  We stay downtown because we like the older feel and the party atmosphere on Freemont Street.  Trying to work out another weekend trip even now :)  The Neon Museum just about a mile north of Freemont street is cool, lots of old history, the old neon signs from many of the hotels they have torn down, its a cool place to see, need to make a reservation and there is a small fee that goes to the restoral of the signs and upkeep.

Mike

Awesome Mike! We just seen the Neon Museum on TV the other night. Thanks for the tip on the reservations...


This thread has helped immensely so far! Thank you to everyone that has contributed....My list is growing... :89-