Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada can be described in one word: excess. This is a dreamscape where hotels bring to life past civilizations like Camelot (at the Excalibur), the Pharaohs (at Luxor), ancient Rome (at Caesar's Palace), and many other themed hotels that bring more than 35 million visitors a year to the Las Vegas Strip. Las Vegas is a playground for those wishing to explore life on the wild side. Gambling, musical revues, excellent food at rock bottom prices, kitschy museums, and numerous outdoor activities like swimming and even surfing are all a part of a Las Vegas vacation.
In the late 1980s, Las Vegas tried to market itself as a family oriented theme city that could rival Orlando, Florida in family style entertainment. By the late 1990s the city realized it needed to market what it does best: gambling. Make no mistake, this city lives and breathes on casino and sports betting. From opulent gaming palaces to less extravagant mom and pop arcades, gambling brings in over 100 billion dollars a year to the Vegas economy.
Locals in Las Vegas seek out the less traveled casinos that are away from the mega-centers and offer excellent parking, smaller crowds, and a less formal atmosphere. One of the most popular of these is Showboat. This riverboat-type casino is one of the few casinos that have survived under the deluge of the huge themed hotels. Boulder Station is another intimate gaming facility that has some great food at reasonable prices and even a "Boulder Station Kids Center," a nursery for the little ones.
If you get tired of the casino and want to stock up on your silk suits, designer sunglasses, or your diamond studded earring collection, be sure to shop at the stores in Caesar's Palace. Here, you can easily find $700.00 sunglasses, $1000.00 sandals, and designer garments touching the middle four figures. "The Palace," as it is called by locals, is also a great place for seeing some of the famous Las Vegas spectacle that permeates the Strip. Another prime shopping spot is the Grand Canal Shops at The Venetian. This exclusive mall was designed to resemble a street in Venice, Italy, and is full of upscale shops catering to those who just won big at the tables.
Even though Las Vegas is shedding its family oriented image, there are still plenty of ways a family can enjoy this desert oasis. Of particular note is the 33-acre MGM Grand Adventures Park behind the MGM Grand Hotel, the largest hotel in the world. The park has four main rides, numerous children's rides, fast food restaurants, and retail shops. The big thrill is the Sky Screamer, a combination bungee jump and swing set.
Very quietly, Las Vegas is becoming one of the top golf destinations in the Southwest. Desert Pines Golf Course has been labeled "the Pinehurst" of Las Vegas and was designed by famous golf architect Pete Dye.Angel Park has two courses designed by Arnold Palmer while Bali Hai Golf Club is considered the Rolls Royce of Vegas golf courses.
When in Las Vegas, you owe it to yourself to head east about 30 miles to Hoover Dam. Built during the Great Depression, the Dam, at 726 feet high and weighing more than 6,600,000 tons, was the largest dam in the world for a long time. It took thousands of men, working round the clock for 5 years, to tame the Colorado River.
A vacation in Las Vegas is a veritable funfest of lights, sounds, and activities. Billion dollar light shows, circus performances, intimate lounges featuring A-list entertainers, pirate battles, medieval knight jousting contests, and gambling casinos of all description are all a part of the Vegas experience. When visiting Las Vegas, bring your energy bars since Vegas is a continuous party and you are invited. You can sleep when you get home!
Pets are welcome in many Nevada destinations. See these links for a complete list of Nevada pet friendly vacation rentals.