Las Vegas Boulevard, otherwise known as the Strip, encompasses 4 miles (6.5km) of casinos, hotels, and giant neon signs from the Four Seasons hotel in the south to the Stratosphere Tower hotel in the north.
Casinos in Las Vegas are centered around two main areas: the Strip and downtown. The Las Vegas Strip is home to some of the area’s best known hotels and casinos, each of which features its own collection of unique and extravagant attractions. No matter what time of year you are visiting Las Vegas, the Strip offers things to do at all hours of the day or night. The Las Vegas Strip is absolutely stunning at night.
Unlike the Strip, downtown Vegas isn’t all wall-to-wall resorts, even though it does still offer plenty of casinos and showmanship. Freemont Street located in downtown Las Vegas is home to many of the original hotels. The Freemont street highlight is a 4 block long, barrel vault canopy. Several times a night the casinos will shut off their signs for the light and sound show that plays across the screen.
from jwrultimateadventure.com
Las Vegas contains eight of the 10 largest hotels in the world. MGM Grand is the largest in Las Vegas with nearly 5,700 rooms. Others on the list include Mandalay Bay, Luxor, The Venetian, Excalibur, Bellagio, Circus Circus and Planet Hollywood.
Many casinos feature exquisite architecture in an attempt to recreate other parts of the world. This creates a unique atmosphere on the Strip as you can travel from ancient Rome (Caesars Palace) to modern-day Venice (The Venetian) or Paris by walking across the street. Some of the most popularized casino designs include Luxor, which is contained within a pyramid and New York-New York, which recreates the New York City landscape with Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building.
Located directly next to Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino features an on-site mall, The Miracle Mile Shops, outfitted with approximately 170 stores and 15 restaurants. Each of the hotel’s guest rooms offer a theme stemming from a specific movie, often times outfitted with items related to the film.
The latest fashion trends at a live runway fashion show are presented by stores in the Fashion Show Mall. Models walk down the 80-foot runway and model designer wear from Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Dillard’s, Macy’s and many other boutique stores. The live runway shows take place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday near Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. Show times are every hour from noon to 6 p.m.
Located in the heart of The Strip, The Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino sits upon 60-plus acres of land and models itself after the Northern Italian city. The hotel offers gondola rides through recreated Venice canals, complete with singing gondoliers. Indoor rides float along the Grand Canal Shoppes, the hotel’s lavish mall featuring gelaterias, Italian restaurants, fresco ceilings and street performers.
Las Vegas casino magnate Steve Wynn opened his namesake property, Wynn, to rave reviews in 2005 and quickly built a second property beside it called Encore. Both feature large rooms with luxurious furnishing with floor-to-ceiling windows that provide picturesque views of the Strip. The casinos might remind you of the Bellagio, which was also built by Wynn.
Donald Trump got in the game in the 2000s, as well, by opening his Trump tower about a block off the Strip. Absent a casino, this property includes dozens of condos that are rented by the property owners to city tourists. If you want to feel like you’re at home, this could be your best bet.
Treasure Island presents its Sirens of TI production in front of its casino three to four times every evening, depending on the season and weather.The show features song, dance, seduction and danger as sexy sirens lure a band of renegade pirates to their cove. A captivating battle ensues, complete with cannons and fire.
Bally’s features the last classic showgirl revue in the city, as well as the largest tennis complex. At the pool, you can rent a private cabana with TV, refrigerator, phone and services of dedicated staff.
Rio presents “Masquerade in the Sky at the Rio” show. Women toss beads at you as you try to pump a slot machine full of nickels, and the music is really loud. You’re at the Rio Suites and the show in the sky is on, it’s free and the drinks are free as long as you continue to play those machines!
The Volcano show still draws plenty of people to the front of the Mirage every night. Prepare yourself, though, it is only at the top of the hour and the show lasts just over 5 minutes. According to Vegas.com, the eruption sounds are recorded from actual volcanoes, and the sound system has been designed to allow the audience to feel the vibrations of the volcanoes as they burst into flame.
Paris Las Vegas recreates “The City of Light” with Parisian landmarks dotting the exterior, including replicas of the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower. The latter features an elevator ride to the top, as well as the Eiffel Tower Restaurant located on the 11th floor. More about Paris Las Vegas can be viewed here.
The Flamingo dates back to the days of gangster Bugsy Siegel, and it boasts a wild animal park that includes ducks, swans, turtles and naturally, a flock of live flamingos. Opening its doors in 1946, the Flamingo Hotel ranks as the only resort that has survived since the 1940s. Originally operated by famous mobster Bugsy Siegel, the Flamingo has changed management and undergone construction numerous times throughout the years. Even so, the ornate pink and white, flashing Flamingo sign has survived since 1967.
The world-famous Caesars Palace celebrates the opulence of ancient Rome with glittering decor and larger-than-life architecture. Centrally located on The Strip, Caesars Palace features a sprawling mall, The Forum Shops, which includes more than 160 shops, 15 restaurants and an indoor music and light show. The massive hotel also features six swimming pools nestled amongst the Garden of the Gods setting, the 4,000-seat Coliseum, home to resident live musical acts, a central fountain showing lasers and moving statues every hour, and a 50,000-gallon saltwater aquarium.
Bellagio is designed with a Tuscany, Italy, theme and is perhaps best known for the dancing fountains in front of the large building. The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art hosts traveling exhibitions. The conservatory features a lavish display of flowers, which changes with the seasons.
Just beyond the hotel lobby in a 14,000-square-foot atrium blooms an indoor botanical garden. The conservatory includes rare plants from around the world, as well as flowers and trees arranged around bridges, ponds, gazebos and water features. Floral displays change to reflect the season or holiday. The conservatory and botanical gardens is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Walking through the casino at Belagio.
Upon entering the Bellagio lobby, your eyes are immediately drawn to the amazing glass flowers suspended above. Look up to see 2,000 colorful glass blossoms on the 55-foot ceiling of the conservatory.
The Stratosphere is located at the end of the Northern part of the Strip and famed for its 1,149-foot tower, which you can ascend to the top of and even by tickets for thrill rides that send you over the edge and back to safety again. My previous post on Stratosphere can be viewed here.
New York-New York, located at the southern end of the Strip across the street from the MGM Grand, not only duplicates many of the city’s famous skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty and the harbor on its exterior, but its interior also represents the greenery of Central Park and the quaint shops of Greenwich Village. Visitors will find a roller coaster that climbs 20 stories high. And, in true Las Vegas fashion, wedding ceremonies can be performed during the exhilarating ride; 15-minute ceremonies aboard the roller coaster are available seven days a week and must be booked in advance. Here is a replica of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Statue of liberty replica.
New York skyline and the rollercoaster.
Located one block north of the Luxor and one block south of the New York-New York, Excalibur is a large, medieval-themed hotel compete with two replica castles on its facade. Once inside the hotel, however, you will find Merlin’s Magic Motion Machines offering 3D and 4D rides, including SpongeBob SquarePants 4D. If you are looking for a live show, head on over to King Arthur’s Arena to watch the Tournament of Kings dinner show. For nightlife-goers, there is the Octane Lounge nightclub as well as the Dick’s Last Resort bar. There are also two pools, one of which features a waterslide, as well as the 13,000 square foot Royal Treatment Spa.
The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino is at the south end of the Las Vegas Monorail circuit. The Monorail station is connected to the hotel, so guests can access other areas of the Las Vegas Strip without ever setting foot outside. This hotel is opposite the Tropicana, and visitors can take the elevated walkway over Las Vegas Boulevard to reach New York New York, Excalibur and Luxor hotels. The MGM Grand offers dining options such as its Rainforest Café and CraftSteak, and is home to Cirque du Soleil’s production of “KA.”
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino features 6 ½ acres dedicated primarily to five swimming pools, private cabanas and the longest lazy river in Las Vegas. Rooms located in the hotel’s West Wing include bathroom mirrors with implanted televisions. My post on MGM Grand can be viewed here.
The Luxor is one of the most signature hotels in Las Vegas. Located on the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard just south of Excalibur, this hotel features a large, black pyramid to go along with its Egyptian theme. At night, this pyramid of glass shoots a powerful blue light beam from the top of its pyramid, and this light beam has been seen by astronauts in space. Inside the Pyramid is the world’s largest hotel atrium.
If you are looking for some nightlife, the Luxor offers the LAX Nightclub and Flight and the Noir Bar. Also, make sure to check out the Titanic Exhibit as well as Bodies – The Exhibition. The hotel also offers a five-acre pool area and the Nurture Spa. Ask for a room in the pyramid rather than the tower if you want the novelty of slanting walls.
Inside the Luxor hotel sits a 25,000 square foot exhibit dedicated solely to the Titanic. The exhibit features more than 300 artifacts from the ship, including luggage, floor tiles, a piece of the ship’s hull, whistles and an unopened bottle of champagne, dated 1900. In addition, visitors can explore a full-sized replica of the grand staircase and an outer promenade deck, as well as authentic, fully-furnished re-creations of the first and third-class guest rooms.
Upon entering the exhibit, each visitor is given a ticket which features the name and personal information of an actual Titanic passenger; at the end of the exhibit, a special memorial wall will reveal whether or not the passenger named on each ticket survived. Further adding to the personal element, tour guides and staff members recall the stories of Titanic passengers to the exhibit’s visitors.
Just south of the Luxor, there is Mandalay Bay. This hotel, which is themed after the tropics of Southeast Asia, is complete with numerous fountains, waterfalls and tropical flora throughout its property. The biggest attraction at this hotel is the Shark Reef, an aquarium holding more than 100 species. Mandalay Bay includes 100 cabanas, a lazy river with inner tubes available for rent, three swimming pools and a wave pool with a sandy beach positioned at the shore. My previous post on Mandalay Bay can be viewed here.
Recommended Activities:
Not-to-be missed free attractions include:
- M&M’s World;
- the circus acts at Circus Circus;
- CBS Television City at the MGM Grand;
- the Fall of Atlantis and Festival Fountain at Caesars;
- the Gallery at City Center;
- the Flamingo’s Wildlife Habitat;
- the Bellagio fountains;
- the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens;
- the Sirens of TI at Treasure Island;
- an hourly volcanic eruption show at the Mirage.
Other attractions:
- Check out the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas. Ride to the top, 460 feet above street level, and check out the views. Night viewing costs more, but the neon lights along the Strip are worth the extra cost.
- Travel via elevator to the top of the Stratosphere, the northernmost casino on the Strip and the tallest free-standing observation tower in the United States. Check out the 360-degree view. Get the blood pumping with an 855-foot controlled free fall from the tower or shoot into the air on the Big Shot thrill ride.
- Strap in for a thrill ride on the Manhattan Express roller coaster at New York New York, which drops 144 feet at one point.
- Travel 55 miles per hour on the indoor double-loop, double corkscrew roller coaster at Circus Circus’s Adventuredome.
- Visit the Sahara’s NASCAR Cafe, which hosts Speed, a roller coaster that rockets passengers along its track at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. Once passengers have reached what seems to be the ride’s end, the coaster climbs a 224-foot tower and then runs backward along the track.
- Stop at the Imperial Palace and check out automobile history at the Auto Collection on the fifth floor of the parking garage. Print a coupon and get in for free.
- Visit Mandalay Bay’s Shark Reef Aquarium.
- Dolphin lovers can view their favorite sea mammals at Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat in the Mirage.
- Visit Madame Tussauds wax replicas of celebrities.
- Visit the Bellagio’s art gallery hosts rotating artwork exhibits. The gallery offers 45-minute guided tours on a first-come, first-served basis, and Bellagio offers half-price admission to Nevada residents every Thursday.
- Take a night helicopter ride over the Vegas Strip.
The pulsating, colorful neon lights of Las Vegas are best seen at night and from the air. We had a night helicopter ride over the Strip on the way back from the Grand Canyon with the Papillon tour agency. The approximately 10-minute flight offered a spectacular view of the glamorous Las Vegas hotels & casinos.