[ijusluvit]

Everyone's been to Vegas - except us. We aren't gamblers but on an upcoming trip West we have set aside a day to see the sights. We have a car.

So go ahead, give us an 8-hour itinerary or at least mention your favorite places.

Thanx!

[katezbox]

Originally Posted by ijusluvit

Everyone's been to Vegas - except us. We aren't gamblers but on an upcoming trip West we have set aside a day to see the sights. We have a car.

So go ahead, give us an 8-hour itinerary or at least mention your favorite places.

Thanx!

Have been there - not a huge fan, but...

If you have never been to the Grand Canyon, it is worth the drive. If you can, stay over at the El Tovar (sp?) hotel. it is right on the canyon and just beautifully done. Rooms run from affordable to exorbitant.

If you don't want to go that far - or on your way back - stop at the Hoover Dam. Take the tour. It is amazing. If you are into "how things work" I would reserve a spot in the lengthier tour - I think it is aclled the Engineer's tour.

I did see Danny Gans (comedy) and he was very funny and a put on a good show. Nothing offensive.

kate

[Russ_Boston]

In Vegas itself I would start the day with a lunch in the revolving Stratosphere restaurant (very reasonably priced). That way you could get a layout of the surroundings.

After that I would park the car somewhat near the center of the strip (maybe near Bellagio's) and walk both north and south. 1st take in the fountains at Bellagio then go north and tour through the Caesars palace shops - then see the free outside shows at Treasure Island and the Mirage - cross the street and visit the inside of the Venetian hotel and shops - then go south on that side of the street down to MGM and see the inside show of lions etc. - then continue down towards NYNY and take some great fake photos - then head down towards the Luxor (just for the unusual shape of it) and Mandalay Bay to see the marine exhibit.

Of course you could take the car to these place as that tour is at least a four mile course.

I tried to list the best 'free' stuff. Of course if you have time they have great paid shows and I could recommend some but that would take way too much time.

For more free stuff visit: http://www.vegas.com/attractions/freeattractions.html

And of course as you are leaving LV you could visit the Hoover Dam and then on to the grand canyon. OR you could take a helicopter ride right from downtown LV to see the dam and the canyon.

An 8 hour trip could never do LV justice! My wife and I stayed for 4 days and didn't gamble once!

[KathieI]

One interesting spot is Lake Las Vegas. Its a new development outside LV built to represent the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy. The hotels are very nice and are on a big lake, the bridge is beautiful. When I was there 2 years ago, it was still very new and not totally finished yet, but it was so different from the hustle and bustle of LV, that I really loved the different atmosphere. Its only about 3/4 hour from LV, don't ask me in which direction, I'm not sure, but I'm sure you can find it on a map or from AAA.
But if you have time, I agree with Kate, nothing is better than the Grand Canyon. It is so breathtaking to see. Hope you enjoy your trip.

[Whalen]

Originally Posted by Russ_Boston

In Vegas itself I would start the day with a lunch in the revolving Stratosphere restaurant (very reasonably priced). That way you could get a layout of the surroundings.

After that I would park the car somewhat near the center of the strip (maybe near Bellagio's) and walk both north and south. 1st take in the fountains at Bellagio then go north and tour through the Caesars palace shops - then see the free outside shows at Treasure Island and the Mirage - cross the street and visit the inside of the Venetian hotel and shops - then go south on that side of the street down to MGM and see the inside show of lions etc. - then continue down towards NYNY and take some great fake photos - then head down towards the Luxor (just for the unusual shape of it) and Mandalay Bay to see the marine exhibit.

Of course you could take the car to these place as that tour is at least a four mile course.

I tried to list the best 'free' stuff. Of course if you have time they have great paid shows and I could recommend some but that would take way too much time.

For more free stuff visit: http://www.vegas.com/attractions/freeattractions.html

And of course as you are leaving LV you could visit the Hoover Dam and then on to the grand canyon. OR you could take a helicopter ride right from downtown LV to see the dam and the canyon.

An 8 hour trip could never do LV justice! My wife and I stayed for 4 days and didn't gamble once!

Have to agree with Russ, if you want to see Las Vegas, do the strip.
The Hoover Dam is a day trip all by itself, and the Grand Canyon is a day if not more to really appreciate.

[Mikitv]

Hoover dam is right near Las Vegas and is well worth the trip to view it. 2 years ago they were doing a presentation of The Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian and that was well worth the price of the tickets. Also there are so many wonderful shows to see. All the hotels are worth the trip just to see the different themes. We also did a tea at the Four Season. You will have a wonderful time even if you don't gamble. Certainly go down to the older section of Vegas too. Do use the Vegas web sites to see what is happening in town, and the different bargains that are available.

[Bonny]

One of the best shows to see is Bally's Jubilee. It is beautiful. There are some topless & the costumes are gorgeous !!
A good site to see show offerings & other activities is Vegas.com.

[Lone Traveller]

I've been to Vegas more time than I care to admit and have to agree with Russ if you only have one day. I love downtown but with only one day skip it. It trip will take to much of you sight seeeing time. There will be lots of good food available at all the hotels Russ mentioned. I also suggent you go to http://www.tripadvisor.com . Type las vegas in the search bar, then go to the forum. You'll get a lot of good information there.

[Dirigo]

Originally Posted by katezbox

If you have never been to the Grand Canyon, it is worth the drive. If you can, stay over at the El Tovar (sp?) hotel. it is right on the canyon and just beautifully done. Rooms run from affordable to exorbitant. kate

Ahhh, breakfast at the El Tovar dining room seated where you can look out of the window right into canyon...the "Sonoran Breakfast" was fantastic as well...! Been there twice in the winter...no crowds...temps in the 20s...the dry, thin air didn't feel that cold. Grand Canyon is truly one of the wonders of the world!

But I digress...

Dirigo

[sschuler1]

We were just there in February, and I was suprised to see 1/2 price ticket booths on the strip. They open at 10 am and a huge line forms almost immediately. They have 1/2 price tickets for most of the shows. The only shows that they don't have tickets for are the really big names like Cher, Donnie and Marie, Elton John etc. Everything else was available, including Phantom of the Opera. If you buy tickets to a show, they have tickets available for a 1/2 price buffet at Harrah's. They call it dinner and a show special! Definitely worth it!

Our favorite experience was in downtown on Fremont St. You have to experience it at night with the lights. Two blocks of Fremont St. is covered by an awning that is a giant screen, and they play a music video every hour on the screen. It is fantastic!!