Las Vegas
Strip Must-See Attractions
As a frequent visitor to Las Vegas, I am amazed
when friends
and acquaintances return from a first trip to this interesting city
having missed seeing much of the "good stuff". My goal in writing
this article is to provide you with my views on what Las Vegas Strip
highlights to see
first. If you are in town only one day and
take in at least these attractions (most are free), you will
have made a decent sight-seeing trip to tell your friends and family
about. Last
update August, 2008.
This article is limited to
must-see attractions on the Las Vegas Strip and downtown areas at this
time. My original Las
Vegas Attractions article included both must-see
and nice-to-see attractions but it got too long. So I
separated the information into two
separate articles with this one being the most helpful to you.
Just because a particular
attraction is not mentioned (it may be added in the future) doesn't
mean it may not be worth seeing. You can use this article as a guide
and add
other attractions you want to see as your time permits. I recommend you
bookmark this site and stop back from time to time to see what may have
been added. And tell anyone you know that may
be planning a trip to Las Vegas about this site.
What I recommend as
a first-day
strategy
for you is to:
Spend
most of
the day visiting "must see" sites (mentioned below) on Las Vegas
Boulevard (also known as the "Strip"), go downtown in
the evening to see
the sites plus take in the sound-and-
light show on Fremont Street. Top
off your day by driving down the Strip to see the lights at night.
The
Las Vegas Strip is about four miles long from the Stratosphere on the
north end to Mandalay Bay
on the south. Driving and parking can be a hassle. So your
best bet is to limit these to a few locations and do
most of your site-seeing on foot (wear comfortable shoes!). With some
free trams along the way plus above-street walkways (with escalators or
elevators), this is not as bad as it sounds. Other transportation
options include the Las
Vegas
Monorail, Deuce
and Strip Trolley
(you will find information on these elsewhere on this site). To make it
easier for you,
I have divided the Las Vegas Strip into an
upper section and a lower section.
Upper Las
Vegas Strip Attractions
If you are
not
staying on or near the upper strip and have a car, there is a nice
open-air parking lot
between the Tropicana
and Hooters Casino
Hotel (the old San
Remo).
Otherwise, MGM Grand
has a
nice indoor ramp. You can start your tour wherever you want but for the
first of your must-see attractions I
recommend you start at Luxor.
You can
walk or take the free tram which runs between the Excalibur and Mandalay Bay. (One
tram stops at
the Luxor,
and one doesn't).
Watch for the
tram signs. If you are traveling by taxi, get dropped off at the Luxor front
door. My
suggested tour of the Upper Strip takes
you down
the west side of the street to the Bellagio.
You will then cross the street and go back up the other side until you
reach MGM
or the Tropicana.
Luxor
 This
30-story pyramid is one of the best
themed hotel/casinos
(Egyptian of course) and one of my favorite. The Luxor's
atrium (or lobby
if you prefer) is advertised as the world's largest and is wonderful -
be sure you have your camera at the ready. Take time to stroll if you
enjoy classic Egyptian statues and monuments. For a fee, you can also
see a replica of King Tut's Tomb and Museum. If
the weather is nice, you can do a quick
tour of the Luxor's
outside
grounds (and take pictures of the 10 story sphinx). If
you happen to be in the general area at night, you will see
a powerful light
beam atop the Luxor that can reportedly be
seen by aircraft 250
miles away. >>>>>Next
- tram or
walk
(inside or outside) to:
Excalibur
 The
Excalibur
is well known for its castle-like appearance and
medieval theme. If you
are bringing the family on your trip, consider the Excalibur
family-friendly. The
rooms are nothing fancy but they are reasonably priced, and the second
level Food Court is easy on your wallet. Take a quick stroll through
(past the suits of armor and maybe even medieval performers), but
don't spend too much time here. There are better attractions to come.
NOTE: Although the Excalibur
is modest compared to many other
hotel/casinos on the Strip, one of the largest machine payoffs I am
aware of
happened here in 2003 - a cool $39.7 million on a Megabucks slot
machine ($3.00 a pull). >>>>Next
- take the overhead (outside) walkway to:
New York-New York
 The
outside of New
York-New
York
is spectacular. You can even ride
on the Manhatten Express Roller Coaster if you dare. I consider the
outside a must-see and the inside a nice-to-see (unless you are really
into the New York City theme. Then both are a must-see). If you are
doing okay on time, I suggest you
take a short walk through New
York-New York to see
what they did to achieve a New York
theme. Even Nathan's Coney Island hot dogs are served here. (Great
Chinese
food at Chin Chin Cafe too). >>>>>Next
- walk across the street-level Brooklyn Bridge to:
Bellagio
 The
"crown jewel" of the strip. With its Italian theme, eight-acre
lake and water show, this is my #1 pick
of places to see in Las Vegas.
When you enter this hotel casino, check out
the unique ceiling
decoration in the lobby. Walk straight in from the lobby and
you will see
The Conservatory, a seasonal flower garden. Take the time to see this.
It is an absolute treat even if
you aren't into flowers and greenery. The Fountains at
Bellagio water show
takes
place in the lake out front and is truely a "gift" to
the Las Vegas visitor. There are a total of 1,214 fountains in the
"show" and, as of this writing, there are 28 different shows. So
you may want to take in more than one. The Bellagio
is classy and elegant and I am not, but I have never
felt out-of-place spending time here. >>>>>Next
- take the overhead (outside) walkway across the street to:
Paris
Las
Vegas
 I rate
this a must-see because of its enjoyable
replicas of Paris landmarks,
most notably the 540 foot tall Eiffel Tower (with
wonderful views from its observation
deck). You can see three of the Eiffel Tower's legs from inside the
casino which adds a nice "touch". Don't miss the Streets of
Paris
walkway (toward the back) with its shops and restaurants. The walkway
eventually leads into Bally's,
but you don't have to go that far. One
minor annoyance is the Streets of Paris walkway is interesting
but narrow and can be hard to get through when even a medium
size crowd is present. >>>>>Next
- walk (OR
save time and take the $5 Monorail from Bally's) to MGM Grand.
MGM
Grand
 The MGM Grand,
with its emerald green glass and 45-foot bronze lion, is HUGE. It takes
a while to walk from
the front entrance to the registration area in the
back. The MGM Grand
has changed significantly since it first opened. Gone are the lion's
paws which you could walk thru from the street to enter the casino. The
Wizard of OZ themed display by the entrance has disappeared also.
The must-see attraction I recommend for your first-day tour is in the
front - the Lion Habitat. This popular attraction allows you to see one
or more lions "up close and personal" with its glass walls and
see-through tunnel. Don't miss it. Also, the Rainforest Cafe (also near
the front) has a gift shop that you might enjoy browsing in. If you
have more than a day in town, you can always stop back and see the MGM Grand's lobby
and shopping
areas.
By now you have seen some great must-see attractions and maybe got some
great
photos too. It's time to travel down The Strip and see more wonderful
must-see attractions.
Lower Las
Vegas Strip Attractions
Your next
recommended
must-see attractions are in the mid to lower end of The Strip. If you
are not
staying in one of these hotel/casinos and have a car, you can park in a
nice, free ramp behind Treasure
Island. Most of the attractions mentioned below
are within walking distance. If you are staying at a hotel/casino in
this area, start your morning tour in this area first and move to the
upper strip attractions after you have finished. I am assuming you
are not staying
in this area and are either parking in Treasure Island's ramp or having
the taxi drop you off at the Mirage
front
door.
Mirage
 The
Mirage
is a must-see
stop. As you enter this Polynesian-themed hotel/casino through
the front door, go to the right and see what's in
back of the registration desk.It is
worth seeing and one many people seem to miss on their trip. There is
also a nearby tropical rain forest which you may find of interest. The Mirage is host to
two "habitats" -
the White Tiger Habitat and the Dolphin Habitat. See the Dolphin
Habitat if you are doing okay on time. You MUST see the White Tiger
Habitat. Go back to the
front entrance and keep walking (inside) in the opposite direction from
the registration desk. As you near
the south entrance/exit the White Tiger Habit will be in the
glass-walled area on your right. There are usually
one or more of these magnificent animals on display and you can get a
good view. The Mirage
also features an outdoor, night-time attraction - a 54 foot volcano
that erupts every 15 minutes from dusk till midnight. >>>>>Next
- walk outside (street level) to:
Caesars
Palace
The glory
that was
Rome is on display in this casino/hotel  which
has been around since 1966. Caesars
takes up a large amount of real estate
on The Strip - it is HUGE. You will not have time to see all there is
to see on this first-day trip. My recommendation to have you enter Caesars from the Mirage side (as
opposed to the Bellagio
side) takes
you to my must-see attraction for you - The Forum Shops. You can stroll
through this ancient
Roman marketplace
setting and enjoy the sights of nearly 100 interesting shops. There are
also two shows in this area - the "Rise and Fall of Atlantis" and a
moving Roman "statues" at Festival Fountain. If you can
catch one of these shows without waiting, take it in. Otherwise take it
in another time. As you leave this shopping area and walk through the
casino keep your eyes open for the replica of Michelangelo's David.
This casino can be a little confusing to get through so you may miss it
and have to come back another time.>>>>>Next
- cross the street (outside) to:
Venetian
 The
beautiful Venetian
is home to a number of attractions - the Grand Canal with its gondolas,
Madame Tussauds, the Guggenheim
Hermitage Museum, The Grand Canal Shoppes. I hope you are staying more
than one day as you will want to come back and tour the quarter-mile
Grand Canal (inside) with its shops, street performers and Venetian Living Statues.
For your
first pass I recommend you take in the outside Grand Canal (and the
gondolas and singing gondeliers) from the arched bridge. The last
must-see Venetian
attraction for today is the lobby with
its beautiful ceiling paintings. >>>>>Next
- walk outside (street level) to:
Wynn
 Your
last must-see stop on The Strip, Wynn,
was opened in spring
of 2005 at a cost of $2.7billion. The recent opening of the Palazzo
has replaced Wynn
as the newest hotel/casino on the strip. Built on the site of
the old Desert Inn
(1950-2000) no expense was spared in
the construction of the 50 story Wynn
and it shows. From the
Esplanade with its high-end shops (Dior, Cartier, Chanel, etc.) to the
lobby to the on-site Ferrari/Maserati
dealership. It can be a little over-whelming. Highlights
for me are the bright colors, flowers and plants, waterfalls and the
Parasol Down Lounge. Despite its high construction cost some visitors
say the Wynn
is missing the "WOW factor". I recommend you stroll
through and decide for yourself.
Next stop - downtown Las Vegas.
From Wynn
to downtown Las Vegas is approximately four
miles. You can either take The Deuce, Las Vegas Trolley,
a taxi (under $20) or
drive. Don't even think of walking any part of the area between the end
of The Strip (Stratosphere)
and downtown. If you have a car there is a nice, handy parking
ramp across the street from the Golden
Nugget (on South 1st Street).
Downtown Las
Vegas Attractions
You
may hear some
people say "don't bother going downtown Las Vegas - there is nothing
down there to see". That is NOT true. There are some must-see
attractions and more nice-to-see ones. My favorite
places downtown are the Golden
Nugget
and the Las Vegas Club but
I've been to most all of them -
Binions,
Fitzgeralds, Fremont, Lady Luck, Plaza, Main Street Station (another
great micro-brewery on-site),
Four Queens, California, Golden Gate, etc. You will notice
the
downtown casinos have a different
personality from those on The Strip.
Golden
Nugget
 This well
known downtown hotel/casino has a must-see
attraction that a surprising
number of people know nothing about. The largest gold nugget
on public display in the world, 875 troy ounces (approx. 61 lbs., 11
ozs.), is in a glass case just off from the lobby. The
Hand of Faith nugget was found in 1980 in Australia and sold to the Golden Nugget in
1982. It can be a little tricky to find and if you have trouble, ask an
employee. I think it is well worth seeing.
 The
Golden
Nugget recently
completed a major
renovation ($30-million) to their pool
area they call The Tank. The
renovation includes a 200,000-gallon shark tank set up
so you can be swimming close to the sharks. How close? This
unretouched photo shows Kevin, Jessica and my grandson Charlie Jack
just
inches away from one. He loved it! You can also take the plunge thru
the shark tank via the three-story waterslide.
A downtown must-see.
Fremont
Street
Experience
The
sound-and-light show on Fremont Street is one you  won't
want to
miss. The Fremont Street Experience is a four-block, pedestrian-only
section of downtown
that opened in 1995. In addition to its famous sound-and-light shows
there are other forms of live entertainment for you to enjoy. The
sound-and-light shows, usually about four of them a night, start at
dusk and go
until midnight. They do not last too long but are pretty awesome. If
you take in one, you'll want to see the others as they are all
different. If you walk out any
of the Golden Nugget's
north doors you are on Fremont Street and the
show is right there.
Nine other casinos front Fremont Street in the
four-block stretch and they all turn out their outside lights as the
show starts. One of the best free attractions Las Vegas has to offer.
Please NOTE you will see some real characters on Fremont Street. Like
any place where large crowds gather not all are there to watch the
show. Use a little caution and you will be all right.
Well there you have
it. My list of recommended must-see Las Vegas Strip Attractions for you
to see on your first day (okay, a long day). No matter where in the
world you
come from, I hope you find this information useful. And be
sure to visit
Source1LasVegas
again. I will be adding more articles about Las
Vegas in the future that you may find of interest.
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find what you were looking for? Try another search.
Disclaimer:
I
have
made every reasonable effort to produce an informative and helpful
article on Las Vegas Must-See Attractions based on my
research and experiences.
However, I make no representation or warranties of any kind with regard
to its completeness, accuracy or suitability for any specific situation
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