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Viva Las Vegas!
Las Vegas is the fastest growing city in North America, and one of the most popular travel destinations. Here are some tips to guide you through the wide range of casino, hotel, resort, golf and other entertainment attractions offered for the whole family.
Shown here, the Paris Hotel and Casino, with its replica Eiffel Tower.
Plan Your Sin City Trip Before You Get There
advice for saving time, money and personal energy
The distractions of Las Vegas are vast, so it can often be very helpful to get an idea of what you want to do and where you want to go before you get there.
If you're going for business, remember... you're going for business! When I work and play at the same time, I count backwards from important meetings, adding up time needed to eat, get dressed and get adequate sleep before work. Then I make myself a set shut-down time when I stop having fun and go back to getting some work done.
If you're going with the kids, work in activities that are fun for both parents and children, and let everyone share in picking what goes into the schedule. Also don't plan to do so much in one day that everyone just gets cranky and tired from running around.
If you're going for gambling, set a budget and stick to it. If you walk around Vegas and keep your eyes and ears open, you'll find it doesn't take long to come across people who've just lost so much, they aren't sure how they're going to get home. And that's just no fun at all.
If you're going for business, remember... you're going for business! When I work and play at the same time, I count backwards from important meetings, adding up time needed to eat, get dressed and get adequate sleep before work. Then I make myself a set shut-down time when I stop having fun and go back to getting some work done.
If you're going with the kids, work in activities that are fun for both parents and children, and let everyone share in picking what goes into the schedule. Also don't plan to do so much in one day that everyone just gets cranky and tired from running around.
If you're going for gambling, set a budget and stick to it. If you walk around Vegas and keep your eyes and ears open, you'll find it doesn't take long to come across people who've just lost so much, they aren't sure how they're going to get home. And that's just no fun at all.
Las Vegas Logue
news and happenings in Sin City
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Surviving Sin City
Take care of your self during your visit to Las Vegas
A visit to Vegas can actually be kind of exhausting as there is so much going on, it's easy to get distracted and not take proper care of yourself. Here are a few simple tips that can up the comfort level and make it easier to extend your energy levels so you can keep having fun.Good shoes - This is the classic trick for almost all travel. The Strip can be like a parking lot on a busy night, so be ready to walk, a lot! It's cheaper than cabs and helps you work off all those buffets too. Pick something with a flat sole and good support. Lacing shoes let you adjust for swollen feet.
A little trick from folks who work on their feet all day is before you go out at night change to a fresh pair of socks that are a little thinner than what you wore all day.
Water - Unless you live year-round in a desert, Las Vegas is going to dry you out. The heat outside and the air conditioning inside both leech out a lot of moisture. So do the free drinks.
Carry a water bottle with you if you're going to do any walking around. If you're parked at your fave blackjack table or poker machine, make every other drink you order be water.
Smoke - Non-smokers can have a rough time in Vegas, as it's a town that caters to smokers. Or as one waitress asked a friend and I once, "Would you like smoking, or second-hand smoking?" She'd realized when she asked smoking or non from our stunned faces that she was dealing with Californians and made a cute joke that's also very true out of it.
If you are a non-smoker going to Las Vegas, you can get non-smoking hotel rooms easily, but being in public space is going to be hard. You may want to limit your indoor casino activities during peak hours. Carrying water and eye drops can also help.
A "layer" - Going from the heat outside to the brisk air conditioning inside can be shocking, especially in those scorching Sin City summers, so taking along an extra shirt or sweater to be able to adjust is a great idea. If you're susceptible to summer colds, it's mandatory.
Ear plugs - Once I finally learned to travel with ear plugs, there were a whole range of low-level hotel hassles where I became self-sufficient for dealing with them. Noisy neighbors. Being put in a room over the hotel's main showroom. Having a room right on a busy street. And especially that rattling but life-saving air conditioner. Plus, there's no telling if you'll stay on regular day/night hours or not once you start running all over town having fun.
Need Some Specific Las Vegas Advice?
These travel guides help you find cheap eats, or guide you to some of the more fun and underground things to do in town. The girls and guys guides are great for those planning a bachelorette or bachelor party in Sin City, and there's even a book for those of you who are wedding-bound.
Elopements and Shotgun Weddings
What happens in Vegas might follow you home if it was a wedding
Las Vegas doesn't require a blood test or a waiting period for weddings, so once you and your sweetie get your marriage license, you are good to go. After decades of having a graveyard shift at the Clark County Marriage License Bureau, Sin City is changing that. As of September 1, 2006, you can only get marriage licenses from 8 a.m. to midnight. So while you can still get married in the middle of the night, you will have to have taken care of that one little detail ahead of time.
- The Las Vegas Candlelight Wedding Chapel
- On the world famous Las Vegas Strip
- A SPECIAL MEMORY WEDDING CHAPEL
- A Special Memory Wedding Chapel offers a New England setting in Las Vegas.
- The Little White Wedding Chapel
- Weddings and Marriages in our Little White Wedding Chapel located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Graceland Chapel
- Wedding in Las Vegas is possibly the most sought after wedding ceremony in the world today. Elvis services available.
- Las Vegas wedding services and chapels at Bridal Spectacular
- Plan your Las Vegas wedding via Bridal Spectacular bridal show, wedding planner and web site
- Venetian Weddings - Las Vegas Wedding Chapel
- Las Vegas wedding chapel and marriage packages from Venetian Weddings at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.
- Chapel Wee Kirk o' the Heather
- Wee Kirk o the Heather is the destination for weddings in Las Vegas. From Scottish to Elvis weddings to wedding vow renewals.
- Garden of Love Wedding Chapel
- Wedding chapel in Las Vegas with Garden and Waterfall theme. Just seconds from the Strip.
- Star Trek: The Experience - Weddings
- Get married on the bridge of the Enterprise while Borg and Klingons watch, then go party at Quark's. No word on if Betazoid weddings are permitted. (those are the ones where everyone's naked, remember?)
STAR TREK: The Experience
Sin City's mecca for geeks, nerds and those that love them
A good friend said one thing to me before I went to Vegas for the first time as an adult. We are both Star Trek fans and she knew I would go see the Star Trek Experience. She looked me right in the eye and said, "You know, the part where they beam you up? When you get to that part, that's the part I couldn't figure out and I never ever want to know." She stared at me pointedly. "It was perfect."Damn right she was too. I can't figure out how they did that part either, and I don't ever want anyone to tell me. That part of my inner Trekker would much rather stay blissfully ignorant.
The Star Trek Experience has something for Trekkers of all eras, shows, ages, and levels of fandom. You can stroll the promenade of a space station, argue minutia in the museum, get space sick on a virtual shuttle craft, or eat at Quark's. Be on the lookout for "real-life" Klingons or Borg walking the Promenade too.
Shown here are Worf and Jadzia's red leather Klingon wedding clothes, part of the costume display.
Sin City For The Underaged
How to have fun in Las Vegas with children
- Seeing Cirque du Soleil in Vegas: Which of Cirque's six shows will you see when you go to Vegas?
- Many people who travel to Las Vegas want to try and see a Cirque du Soleil show. Here are some suggestions for picking a show before you go.
- Las Vegas Kids
- The premier Las Vegas family portal, including listings for kid-oriented hotels and childcare options.
- Las Vegas with Kids
- Las Vegas with Kids by Elaine Sosa
Although Las Vegas has worked hard to shed its sin city, high-roller image and package itself as a family-friendly destination, one question remains -- is this really a good place to bring your kids? The answer, somewhat surpri - Lied Discovery Children's Museum
- Lied Discovery Children's Museum, an interactive children's museum for children of all ages!
- Circus Circus Las Vegas Hotel Resort and Casino
- Visit the Circus Circus Las Vegas hotel resort and casino, features a family theme park, live circus acts, wedding chapel, gaming and RV park.
- Las Vegas for Kids
- Finding things to do in Las Vegas with with your kids... las vegas activities for kids and adults. Your las vegas kids one stop vacation planner!
- Guide to Vegas: The Teenager
- Vegas.com's guide to attractions, theme parks and thrill rides in Las Vegas.
The Vegas View
The rapidly evolving Las Vegas Strip and skyline. So much new construction goes on there, people rarely don't see entirely new buildings and hotesl each time they visit.
The front of the Wynn Hotel
Paris, Las Vegas
Las Vegas Boulevard
The Strip at Las Vegas
Un hotel de Las Vegas visto desde la torre Stratosphere.
Gondola ride at The Venetian
Las Vegas Blvd., March 25th 2006.
Las Vegas - Nevada
Tower of Gold (Wynn Hotel)
at the Rio Hotel
The Museums of Sin City
From high art to high kitsch, there something to look at for everyone
- Guggenheim Hermitage Museum - Past Exhibitions
- Located inside the Venetian Hotel and Casino. Exhibits, hours and info.
- Truly Virtual Web Art Museum
- Truly Virtual Web Art Museum-lastplace.com established in 1997.......Art for
Cyber sake! - Savage Ancient Seas Coming July 2006
- The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is a private, non-profit museum that features dinosaurs, live sharks, Nevada, wildlife from around the world, an Africa savanna and rainforest, and prehistoric primates.
- Atomic Testing Museum - In Association with the Smithsonian Institution
- See our Hours and Location
- Liberace Museum in Las Vegas
- Effective June 1, 2006 Museum is closed on Mondays
- Neon Museum
- "The Neon Museum's mission is to collect, preserve, study and exhibit neon
signs and associated artifacts to inspire educational and cultural enrichment
for diverse members of our international community." - Las Vegas Museum
- The purpose of the museum is to illustrate, for the public benefit, the dynamic history of Las Vegas and its relationship to the Santa Fe Trail, the Rough Riders and the development of New Mexico and the United States.
- Elvis-A-Rama Experience
- A fast-paced tribute to Elvis. Covering the 50's, Movies, '68 comeback Special, and Jumpsuit years, we really put on a show fit for The King.
It began as it has for many: as a burning passion for the King of Rock and Roll. Founder Chris Davidson, the King of Elvis memorabilia, owned his first Elvis album at age 7, saw his first live concert at age 10 (at the Las Vegas Hilton, in 1975), and ultimately parlayed his collecting hobby into the world's largest private collection of Elvis owned memorabilia. - Auto Collections at the Imperial Palace
- The Auto Collections is the world's largest and finest selection of antique, classic, muscle and special interest automobiles available for sale. There is $100 million worth of inventory.
All vehicles displayed in the collection, unless noted, are for sale. - Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame Pinball Museum, Nevada
- The Pinball Hall of Fame is an attempt by the members of the Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club to house and display the world's largest pinball collection, open to the public. A not-for-profit corporation was established to further this cause. The games belong to one club member (Tim Arnold), and range from 1950s up to 1990s pinball machines.
Place Your Bets!
You can read on the plane as you fly in, or review a few pointers in your hotel room before you go out. Poker is the hottest game at the moment, so be sure to read up on that one before you play. Wil Wheaton blogs about poker a lot, so go see what he says too.
Stuff to See for Free
A few good ways to stretch or conserve your budget
Trying to keep expenses down while in Sin City? Most of the hotels have something to see for free that's pretty interesting. If you're walking from place to place, the distances are great enough you can easily spend a whole day just trying to catch a few of these sights.
- Aladdin - There is an indoor rainstorm several times a day, over a small but functional lagoon, located right in the middle of their desert market.
- Bellagio - There's the foyer with the ceiling by glass artist Dale Chihuly, and the Conservatory has rotating exhibits seven times a year with animatronic displays and dancing water jets.
- Caesar's Marketplace - You can catch the sinking of Atlantis several times a day.
- The Luxor - You can't go up in the "inclinators" unless you are a registered guest, but it's still pretty fun inside the giant pyramid. Good gift shops and their video arcade has the best old 80s games.
- Mandalay Bay - You have to pay to see the sharks, but the interiors of Mandalay Bay are funky and free, as is the monorail between there and the Excalibur.
- Mirage - The volcano erupts multiple times a night outside the hotel. The show is short but you can feel the intense heat if you are standing close-by.
- Treasure Island - The Sirens of TI and the pirates battle it out a few times a night. Guests of the hotel get preferred standing room.
- The Venetian - You can watch other folks taking the indoor or outdoor gondola rides for free, along with listening to the singing gondoliers. Their Venetian plaza has people posing as statues. You can watch for free, but if you take a picture, good etiquette dictates you leave a tip.
Vacation Hot Spot or Too Over-The-Top?
Official Las Vegas Info
- Watch Traffic Cameras (Official City of Las Vegas Web Site)
- Requires a high-speed internet connection. Traffic cams are provided by the Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation (FAST).
- Official Guide to the Buffets in and around Las Vegas, NV
- Most complete guide of hotel and casino buffets in and around Las Vegas Nevada also check prices on rooms, shows and make restaurant reservations.
- LVCVA.com - Official Site for Las Vegas Meetings and Travel Professionals
- Welcome to the official Las Vegas Business site brought to you by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor's Authority.
- Las Vegas BikeFest
- September 14-17, 2006m Brought to you by the Las Vegas BikeFest Partnership
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
- One of the hottest TV shows around, set in Las Vegas.
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Public Relations Department will be providing weekly construction updates as the speedway undergoes its multi-million dollar facelift, which will result in a new fan interactive garage area, a pit road closer to the grandstands, resurfaced and re-banked racing surface and state-of-the-art media center.
- Las Vegas Marathon: Las Vegas Marathon
- Race history was made on December 4, 2005 when the New Las Vegas Marathon became the first race to run the world famous Las Vegas Strip and through the Fremont Street Experience. The New Las Vegas Marathon will return December 10th 2006 with two major develpments that speak to the appeal of the event. First, The Race will be capped at fifteen thousand participants. Second, a Half Marathon which also runs the strip has been added by popular demand.
