Las Vegas Highlights
See also:Las Vegas for families
Las Vegas nightlife
Sports & activities in Las Vegas
Cheap & free Las Vegas
Lions, pyrotechnics and a roller coaster are among the indoor spectacles. Outside are sea battles, a volcano and a Sphinx. Here are the must-see attractions of the desert resort:
Las Vegas Spectacular
Spas
Pools
Thrill Rides
Las Vegas Spectacular
There are many dazzling highlights in this city of extremes. Be sure to see:
The Fremont Street Experience
Around 2 million lights become a free night-into-day extravaganza.
Between Main Street and Las Vegas Boulevard South in downtown, the street is lit up after dark (on the hour, every hour). 208 speakers blast a ten-minute movie show across the latticework ceiling, projecting streams of jet fighters, thundering herds of buffalo, a tropical jungle with exotic birds and flora, morphing into a space odyssey, a cartoon orchestra, thunder and lightning, and rows of dancing s kicking to a samba beat.
Cirque du Soleil
The astonishing O show is staged in a purpose-built theatre with a lake, at Bellagio, a $1.8 billion replica of the Italian lakeside town.
Fountains and water are the theme of the spectacular, and spectacularly expensive performance. It takes 74 actors to mount this melange of acrobatics, theatrical effects, diving and swimming, which takes place on, in and under an indoor lake. Tickets for the show are scarce since it gets booked as early as six months ahead. Plan ahead, as it's worth it.
(Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 693-7111 / 888-987-6667; www.bellagioresort.com)
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The Arc de Triomphe, Montgolfier balloon and Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas
The hotel casino is led on the 800-year-old Parisian Hotel de Ville, the Paris City Hall.
It is distinguished by one of the city's - and the world's - most famous landmarks, a 50-storey replica of the Eiffel Tower, thrusting through the roof of the casino and rising 165 meters into the sky, accompanied by neon copy of the Montgolfier balloon.
(Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 946-7000 / 888-266-5687; www.paris-lv.com)
The Colosseum
Caesars' 4000-seat Colosseum is designed to recall the ancient Roman arena, and was built specifically to showcase the talents of Canadian pop singer,Celine Dion (Elton John fills in on her nights off).
Following Dion's wishes to match the spectacle of the Cirque du Soleil show at Bellagio, a 22,000 square-foot stage was built for her performance, designed by Franco Dragone, who was also responsible for Bellagio's "O" show (Caesars' Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 731-7110 / 800-634-6661; www.caesars.com).
Bellagio's lobby
Dale Chihuly's 50-foot (15-meter) high chandelier of stained glass in the shape of a flower literally tes the entrance to the hotel. Chihuly was the first person from the USA to be accepted by Venice's Murano community and his work truly merits the overworked adjective "gorgeous".
(Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 693-7111 / 888-987-6667; www.bellagioresort.com).
The Las Vegas Strip by Night
The spectacular nighttime view of the Strip from the observation platform on top of the Stratosphere Tower.
The Tower is the tallest building west of the Mississippi River and the tallest freestanding tower in the country. It is owned by wheeler-dealer Carl Icahn, one of the world's richest men. Speedy elevators whisk visitors to a height of 345 meters in an ear-popping 30 seconds, where on a clear day California and Arizona are visible.
(The Stratosphere Tower, 2000 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 380-7777 / 800-998-6973; www.stratlv.com).
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Circus Circus
Acrobats hang from the rafters day and night at Circus Circus, Vegas's most aggressively successful downmarket, family-oriented resort.
With free circus acts and a midway lined by carnival concessions, ample opportunities for inexpensive food, a vast family amusement park, bargain deals for hotel rooms, and 5,100 parking spaces, some making up an RV park called Circusland with its own pool, laundromat, and general store, Circus Circus always seems crowded.
(Circus Circus, 2880 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 734-0410 / 800-444-2472; www.circuscircus.com).
New York-New York
Opened in January 1997 (i.e. old in Las Vegas), New York-New York was Nevada's tallest casino at 160 metres high. Its 2,035 rooms were filled even before it opened, by previewers excited by the appeal of staying in the Big Apple without actually having to go there. Visitors can admire the world-famous skyline and visit replicas of landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, a 47-storey Empire State Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge.
(New York-New York, 3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 740 6969 / 800-693-6763; www.nynyhotelcasino.com).
Imperial's Legends in Concert show
For the past 13 years, John Stuart's show has been presenting a glittering galaxy of superstar turns at the Imperial Palace, featuring impersonations (of varying verisimilitude) of luminaries such as Liberace, Michael Jackson, Madonna and, of course, Elvis Presley.
(The Imperial Palace, 3535 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 731-3311 / 800-634-6441; www.imperialpalace.com).
World Series of Poker
4,000 stony-faced and slow-eyed heavyweights square up for big money at the Horseshoe every April to May. For a $10,000 stake anybody can join in, and the match has so far spawned around 25 millionaires.
Gradually the tournament has broadened so that now some competitions cost less than a dime to enter. Would-be world champions beware, though, the value of money is always down-sized by gamblers: a "dime" means $1000, a "nickel" refers to a $5 chip and a "quarter" equals $25. A "dollar straight" is a $100 bill.
(Binions Horseshoe, 128 Fremont Street, tel: 382-1600 / 800-237-6537).
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Liberace Museum in Las Vegas
The brochure for this rhinestone glitter-fest museum says that "though the Strip may sparkle and the neon may shine, nowhere in Las Vegas can be found a more dazzling spectacle than the museum".
Even today, the idea of somebody wearing a five-tiered violet cape of ostrich feathers with lavendar sequins - as Liberace did for a 1985 television show - is an extravagance that's hard to beat. Here though it's just one of a roomful of outrageous items on show.
(Liberace Museum, 1775 East Tropicana Avenue, tel: 798-5595, Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1-4pm; www.liberace.org/).
The Tropicana
Promoted as the "island of Las Vegas", the concept began in 1986 when a 22-storey tower opened on a landscaped island among flamingos, parrots, atoos and swans.
Over the years, more wildlife, more towers, and a walkway link were added, and the pool area expanded, even including a pool-side blackjack table. The hotel's main attraction is its long-running Folie Bergere show, which has two performances daily: one at 10pm with bare on stage and alcohol served, and another "family" event at 7pm without either.
(The Tropicana, 3801 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 739-2222; www.tropicanalv.com).
Lance Burton at Monte Carlo
With more magic in Vegas than you can wave a wand at, Lance Burton's show at the Monte Carlo is still voted the best.
Burton is a long-time Vegas headliner, who has been starring in his eponymously named theatre at Monte Carlo since 1996. His magic act includes ducks, Elvis the parakeet, and a seemingly endless flight of white doves.
(Monte Carlo, 3770 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 730-7777 / 800-311-8999; www.monte-carlo.com).
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The Guggenheim Hermitage
Works by Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Matisse, Renoir and other major artists at this highly regarded art gallery, whose streamlined textured metal body is intended to evoke the velvet walls of the St Petersburg original.
The state-of-the-art gallery space was designed by architect Rem Koolhaas. Its exterior and interior walls are covered with panels of Cor-Ten steel, never before used as the structure of a museum gallery.
(The Guggenheim Hermitage at The Venetian hotel, 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 414-2440; open daily 9am-11pm; www.guggenheimlasvegas.org/).
The Luxor
The huge atrium of the Luxor hotel is lined with reproductions from the ancient temples of Luxor and Karnak in Egypt, including portraits of Tutankhamun and Nefertiti.
The 30-storey, glass-panelled pyramid's atrium is said to be spacious enough to park nine Boeing 747s and the beam of light from its summit shines 16km up into the night sky, running up an electricity bill of $1 million a year.
(The Luxor, 3900 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 262-4000 / 800-288-1000; www.luxor.com).
The Venetian
The Doges Palace, the Campanile and the Piazza San Marco, all in one view, with gondolas, at the Venetian. Why go all the way to Italy?
Viewed from the Strip, the lavish Venetian really does look like Venice, from the Campanile Bell Tower soaring 98 metres above the Grand Canal to the gondolieri in striped shirts. Like their Italian counterparts, they serenade their sometimes embarrassed passengers, but at least these gondola rides are cheaper than the originals. Adding to the realism, thousands of pigeons have been trained to fly out and swirl around the Piazza at least twice a day.
(The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 414-1000 / 888-283-6423).
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Spas
Canyon Ranch SpaClub
The huge leisure club at the Venetian is the largest spa in the US. With gorgeous roof-top pools, the spa offers over 30 types of massage, and a variety of treatments.
The luxurious complex has enough marble-and-stone flooring to cover a dozen football pitches; it adjoins a pool deck led after a Venetian garden (The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 414-1000 / 888-283-6423).
Spa Bellagio
At the Bellagio, this spa offers hydrotherapy treatments and fine waxing. Massages include aromatherapy and tandem (Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 693-7111 / 888-987-6667; http://www.bellagioresort.com/).
The Spa at the Four Seasons
16 treatment rooms, a hydrotone capsule and eucalyptus steam, Balinese and Javanese body rituals, facials and massages are all on offer at this opulent hideaway on the top five floors of Mandalay Bay - the only major hotel on the Strip not to feature gambling (Four Seasons, 3960 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 632-5000 / 877-632-5000; www.fourseasons.com).
Oasis Spa at the Luxor
Partake of luxurious Egyptian rituals at the Oasis Spa, though presumably mummification isn't one of the services on offer (The Luxor, 3900 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 262-4000 / 800-288-1000; www.luxor.com).
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Pools
Bellagio's pools, set among gardens of vines, offer cabanas with a dressing area, lounge chairs, TV, phone, air mister and a stocked fridge (Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 693-7111 / 888-987-6667; www.bellagioresort.com).
Caesars' Garden of the Gods pool area has 4.5 acres of marble statues, shrubs and umbrellas. Three pools and two outdoor whirlpool spas (Caesars' Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 731-7110 / 800-634-6661; www.caesars.com).
The Hard Rock has a two-acre pool area and beach club, complete with beaches, wave pools, underwater music and private cabanas. Beach parties most Wednesdays (Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Road, tel: 693-5000 / 800-693-7625; www.hardrockhotel.com).
Thrill Rides
The Stratosphere Tower hosts the world's three highest rides by erecting them on the tower's landmark needle:
- Big Shot catapults riders at high speed to the top of the tower's mast, 1,000 feet
above ground.
- High Roller whirls them above the observation platform.
- X Scream dangles frightened guests in the air more than 800 feet above ground.
(The Stratosphere Tower, 2000 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 380-7777 / 800-998-6973; www.stratlv.com).
Manhattan Express at New York-New York: as well as the usual flips and loops, this roller coaster twists and spins dizzyingly around the replicated towers of Manhattan (New York-New York, 3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 740 6969 / 800-693-6763; www.nynyhotelcasino.com).
Canyon Blaster at Circus Circus gives a 60-foot drop, a spiral spin around a mountain and three upside-down spins as it whips riders around and up to 45 miles per hour. All of the ride is indoors (Circus Circus, 2880 Las Vegas Boulevard South, tel: 734-0410 / 800-444-2472; http://www.circus.com).
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