Las Vegas attraksjoner

Once the thriving gambling district of Las Vegas, the downtown area used to be the city’s busiest locale until the late 1980s, when an entrepreneur gathered the crowds to the Strip – which remains the city’s main thoroughfare today.

Nevertheless, downtown Las Vegas hasn’t been forgotten. For starters, it is now home to the sought-after and historic casinos of Fremont Street, including the Moulin Rouge, the first racially integrated casino-hotel in the city, as well as the Fremont Street Experience, the world’s largest audio-video system which consists of a multisensory light and sound show connecting over two million lights. Downtown Las Vegas also has its own Arts District, encompassing several art galleries, studios and stores offering a vast selection of collectibles. Not to mention the many museums scattered around the neighborhood, like the Natural History Museum, the Mob Museum, the Neon Museum and the Art Deco-inspired Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

The Stratosphere Tower is attached to the Stratosphere Hotel and offers 360 degree views of Las Vegas, thrilling amusement park rides, restaurants, and nightlife perched at the Top of the World.

The Stratosphere Tower is the tallest freestanding tower in America, at 1,149 ft (350 meters) above ground. Enjoy panoramic views from the observation deck or explore the amusement park, taking a ride on the Big Shot and Insanity roller coasters or the Sky Jump, a controlled free-fall ride.

Then there’s the romantic Top of the World restaurant and the Air Bar. Both have signature cocktails that you can enjoy while overlooking the city lights and the strip.

Red Rock Canyon is a network of impressive canyons and surreal rock formations inside the Red Rock National Conservation Area. If you're looking for opportunities to hike, bike or rock climb within easy striking distance of Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon is just what you're looking for.

One of the more popular destinations for climbers here is Keystone Thrust, made up of towering red sandstone peaks and walls that reach as high as 3,000 ft (910 meters). Then there’s La Madre Mountain (8,154 ft / 2,485 m), a moderate climb and an optimal spot for mountain biking.

Other highlights include Icebox Canyon (to get here, you start hiking an easy trail through the canyon and then boulder-hop and climb to reach the top) and the Pine Creek Canyon oasis (a running creek surrounded by pine trees).

Planet Hollywood is home to about ten restaurants, a 100,000-square-foot casino and a handful of theatres including V Theatre. In addition to a few low-on-the-radar shows, Planet Hollywood usually has at least one legendary artist performing on a short residency (Meat Loaf, The Jacksons and CeeLo Green have been past artists) and is now home to pop star Britney Spears and her show “Britney: Piece of Me.”

Wrapped around Planet Hollywood is the Miracle Mile, a shopping mall with 170 stores and 15 additional restaurants. Stores feature known brand names such as H&M, Urban Outfitters, Puma, Diesel and American Apparel. Despite the fact that Bellagio is just across the street, the Miracle Mile has its own fountain show, which features lighting effects, color-changing fog and water that shoots 50 feet in the air.

Battlefield Vegas is a five-acre military-style compound just one block from the Las Vegas strip that gives visitors the chance to both interact with military history and experience the largest collection of weapons available for personal use in the United States. Everything from weapon selection and training (82 percent of employees are veterans with combat experience) is designed for an immersive experience.

On the grounds are both a 25-yard indoor firing range and a 200-acre desert training facility. Over 350 guns are on site, some of which date from World War I or were used recently by NATO forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is also a fleet of 25 military vehicles ranging from jeeps to helicopters from both historical and present wartime. All weapon use is instructor-led, and experiences are arranged by weapon type and country or historical place of origin.

Bringing sophistication and elegance to the Las Vegas Strip, the Wynn Hotel stands out against the bright lights and flashing sign. With its golden, concave structure, and perfectly groomed trees out front, you’ll forget that Las Vegas is where all of the action happens, and instead is where the relaxation happens.

Surrounded by lagoons, waterfalls, and terraced landscapes, the effect of the Wynn Hotel and Casino is a peaceful one. The inside of the Wynn is marked by boutique hotels and the finest in restaurant offerings. With restaurants with the acclaimed fare of Daniel Boulud, Masa Ishizawa, and Mark LoRusso, you’ll enjoy a feast of the senses.

A refined take on nightlife and entertainment, the Wynn Hotel offers shows by Cirque Du Soleil and secluded nightclubs like Blush and Tryst that are surrounded by lagoons. Then, there’s the window shopping at the Wynn Esplanade, offering high end clothes by designers like Chanel and Dior.

One of the most anticipated Las Vegas attractions, the massive, 550-foot rotating observation tower known as the High Roller has arrived. Far from your normal carnival Ferris wheel, the High Roller is so big that it takes a full 30 minutes for the wheel to complete a 360-degree rotation and is known as the world’s largest observation wheel.

Each 44,000-pound, glass-enclosed pod can hold up to 40 people, includes music and video displays and has been decked out with thousands of LED lights. This big-time attraction serves as a sparkling focal point at the LINQ, one of Vegas’ newest shopping districts.

Open since 1989, the Mirage is perhaps best known for Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, which features rare breeds of large, white-colored cats as well as several bottlenose dolphins. The resort’s volcano is also well known with more than 150 specially designed fire shooters that blast fireballs choreographed to music nightly every hour on the hour from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Inside the Mirage, guests enjoy more than 100,000 square feet of gaming space including hundreds of slot machines and video poker and a dozen table games. The resort’s 20-table poker room hosts games 24 hours a day, and daily no limit Texas hold ‘em tournaments up the ante for serious players. Those who are new to poker may want to take advantage of the Mirage’s complimentary poker lessons, which are available anytime. Ask inside the poker room about where these lessons are taking place and learn about all aspects of the game.

With more than 5,000 guest rooms, MGM Grand is one of the largest casino hotels in Las Vegas, and part of its draw is the gaming floor. The resort has more than 170,000 square feet of gaming space, which includes more than 2,500 slot machines and video poker. Denominations on these games range from 1¢ to $1,000. Majestic Lions and Lion’s Share are both custom machines found only at MGM Grand; a $1 million payout is the top reward.

Table games include blackjack, craps, baccarat, mini-baccarat, roulette, European roulette, Pai Gow poker, Pai Gow, big six wheel, let it ride, war, crazy for poker and three-card poker. MGM Grand’s race and sports book has seating for 104 guests with several television screens from which to watch the big game. This is also the first race and sports book to offer “skyboxes”—four rooms that host eight to ten guests in 300-325 square feet of space. Each is equipped with 42-inch plasma television, surround sound and CD systems.

Though once outfitted with a tropical theme, Mandalay Bay is currently undergoing a makeover that will include an update to shows, dining options and nightlife opportunities. There have also been room renovations and a rebranding of the property’s boutique hotel, soon to be Delano Las Vegas.

Mandalay Bay’s casino, which has 135,000 square feet of gaming space, will be getting new carpet, chairs and music, but the gaming opportunities will remain similar to what has been offered in the past. The property has more than 1,700 slot machines ranging from 1¢ to $100 per play. Table game favorites such as baccarat, blackjack, craps and roulette can be found throughout the casino. A variety of poker games are available as well, and free lessons are available for beginners Monday through Thursday at 2:00 p.m.

One of the nicest additions to the Las Vegas strip in quite some time, The LINQ is an upscale outdoor mall district, hotel and casino next to the Flamingo that boasts excellent shopping, dining and even free Wi-Fi for those strolling this expansive promenade. The spot's main hotel, once known as the Imperial Palace before going by the Quad, has undergone one more fitting name change and is now known as The LINQ Hotel and Casino. The namesake hotel provides access to the new glittering jewel of Las Vegas: the High Roller, which is known as the world’s largest rotating observation wheel (a technical term for Ferris wheel) and stands a full 550 feet high.

While enjoying your stay in Vegas, take in the hotel's shows, which include offbeat options that can't be found anywhere else: Jeff Civillico: Comedy in Action and Divas starring Frank Marino.

Opened in 1990, this re-creation of a medieval castle with its matching interior was a popular draw in its heyday, especially for families. As bigger, brighter and fancier resorts have opened up and down Las Vegas Boulevard, Excalibur has lost a bit of its luster, but it has managed to stand the test of time for those who are time-honored fans or traveling with kids.

Though it’s a bit rough around the edges, the 100,000-square-foot casino offers several table games and more than 1,700 slot, video poker and video keno machines. Excalibur’s casino truly excels in catering to the new gambler by offering several lessons each day (excluding holidays): poker at 11:00 a.m., roulette at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., blackjack at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., and craps at noon and 8:00 p.m. The resort’s race and sports book offers wagering on every major collegiate and professional sport including football, hockey, basketball, baseball, mixed martial arts, auto racing, golf and tennis.

If there’s one thing that sets Rio apart from all other Las Vegas resorts, it’s the fact that its casino plays host to the annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). Guests are welcome to play in Rio’s poker room, the only one in the world that features 100% certified WSOP dealers, where just about every poker game is available, from classics like hold ‘em and seven-card stud to 2-7 triple draw and badugi. There are five poker tournaments held in the poker room daily, with a variety of buy-ins at different times.

Beyond the poker room, Rio’s casino floor has dozens of tables featuring popular games including blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat. The vast majority of the resort’s 1,200 slot machines are in a masquerade-themed, 100,000-square-foot space, where a series of floats glides over the crowd several times each Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening.

Inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino is the Shark Reef Aquarium, showcasing more than 2,000 animals displayed in 14 different exhibits and almost 1.6 million gallons of water.

The Shark Reef Aquarium was designed to be a “total sensory experience,” and part of that is achieved by leading visitors through an acrylic tunnel with water nearly surrounding them. This exhibit alone includes 15 different species of sharks along with all the other sea life in the tank.

Other species in the aquarium include golden crocodiles, sea turtles and piranhas, none of which are included in the touching pools where visitors can find out what some of the other sea creatures feel like.