Things to Do in Las Vegas

Last update:  October 24, 2023 (prices last checked: 2021)

Prices listed are the starting, per-person prices for non-local adults before any real discounts. (more...)

The Basics


🎰 Gambling

While gambling is the obvious Vegas activity, don't think you have to just because everyone else is.  First off, not everyone else is!  One in four Vegas visitors don't gamble.  If you do want to try gambling, then start with our Ways to Be a Smart Gambler. β€’ Gambling lessons @ the Fashion Show Mall ($20)

🎭 Shows & Concerts

Seeing a show is one of the best experiences you can have in Vegas.  Budget shows run as little as $15, and the breathtaking production shows are often over $100.  There are a few shows that are actually free.  See our tips for getting the best price.

🍲 Dining

Veg*n travelers should see my Vegetarian Survival page (and won't want to miss the vegan offerings at Ronald's Donuts), and those on a budget can check out the Cheap Eats article, which also has a list of the cheapest buffets.

πŸ₯ƒ Drinking

Play any game and soon the cocktail waitress will come to take your order.  Standard tip is $1/drink.  Some casinos are stingy with the drinks, but many will serve you even if you're playing penny slots, a penny at a time, slowly.  The cheaper casinos (esp. downtown and off-strip casinos) are more likely to serve you with minimal play. β€’ See exquisite bars β€’  Pub crawl ($40/person, 6p min.)

πŸ›οΈ Shopping

There are lots of sizeable shopping malls right on the strip, both upscale and mainstream.  And souvenir and specialty shops abound.  See my page about Las Vegas Shopping.


πŸ•Ί Night Clubs

This is my weak spot, so I refer you to the articles on other sites about Vegas Nightclubs 101 and a list of Vegas nightclubs.

🏝️ Pool

This is not your Holiday Inn pool!  The pools at strip hotels are downright elaborate.  The hotel made you pay the resort fee, you might as well use the resort offerings.  If your hotel doesn't have a great pool, you can often visit another hotel's pool for an entrance fee.  Vegas also has a number of European-style (topfree) pools. β€’ Planet Hollywood has FlowRider surfing (price not listed)

Things to See


πŸ“· Free Sightseeing

These are all free, and are detailed on my list of free things to see page.  Welcome to Vegas sign β€’ Luxor pyramid, Sphinx β€’ Eiffel Tower at Paris β€’ Bellagio fountains β€’ Bellagio conservatory β€’ Flamingo Wildlife Habitat β€’ Mirage Volcano β€’ Pirate Ship at TI β€’ Fremont St. Experience β€’ Free bus between downtown & the strip

βš›οΈ Quirky Museums

Strip/Near Strip: Aviation Museum, at the airport (free) β€’ Classic cars at Shelby Heritage Center (free) β€’ Burlesque Hall of Fame ($15) β€’ Erotic Heritage ($19) β€’ Wax museum ($27) β€’ Shark aquarium ($29) β€’ Punk Rock Museum ($30)

Downtown:  β€’ Neon Museum ($20) β€’ Mob Museum ($30; use the free Downtown Loop bus) β€’ Haunted Museum ($48)

Elsewhere: Atomic Testing Museum ($22)

🚌 Vegas Tours πŸ›΄

(Note: Tour guides expect tips! 5-20%) β€’ Tour the Strip and downtown in an open-top bus ($40), or a pink jeep during the day ($69) or night ($86), en EspaΓ±ol ($50 or $119) β€’ Arts District tour ($45) β€’ Do a Segway tour of Downtown Vegas. ($89) β€’ Tour the Strip on a 2-seater motor trike ($99) β€’ Haunted Ghost Tour or the Vegas Mob tour. ($100 ea.)

☁️ See Vegas from above

Rooftop bar at Delano. (free admission) β€’ Take in the view from the observation deck of the Strat tower*($20) or the Legacy Club lounge at Circa (free admission, drink prices not listed) β€’ Ride the huge ferris wheel. ($21) β€’ Ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower. ($22) β€’ Take a helicopter tour of the strip. ($89) β€’ Skydive off the Strat tower. ($124) β€’ Ride in a hot air balloon ($139)

   *(The Strat's revolving restaurant is notable for serving the especially cruel foie gras and veal, "which even most enlightened carnivores avoid".)

🎸 Music

Lots of casinos have free lounge shows, where the bands are actually quite good. β€’ Free bands or DJs downtown on Fremont St. every night (bring earplugs, too loud) β€’ Big-name acts play Vegas all the time β€’ Concerts at the Sphere are unlike anything you've ever seen bofer

πŸ… Animals

Flamingo Wildlife Habitat.  Flamingos, ducks, pelicans, swans, koi fish, and turtles. (free)

🎭 Unusual Shows

Tournament of Kings (medieval jousting on horses) ($61)

πŸ€ Sports

UNLV Rebels: M/W Basketball, M/W Soccer, W Volleyball, M Football ($6) β€’  Las Vegas Aviators (baseball) game ($13) β€’ Las Vegas Aces, WNBA ($30)

πŸŽ„ Other

minus5Β° Ice Bar: everything made of ice, 90 tons of it, at Linq, Venetian, Mandalay Bay ($24) β€’ Christmas lights at the LV Motor Speedway ($25; line can be >1hr. at peak) β€’ Titanic exhibit ($32) β€’ Watch car racing ($35) β€’ Largest movie screen in the world at MSG Sphere ($49) β€’ Allegiant Stadium tour ($59) 

By price


πŸ†“ Free Things to Do

See my huge list of free things to see and do in Vegas.  Don't let the free cost fool you, lots of these are actually worth paying for, but you don't have to.  The most popular are the Bellagio Fountains and the Fremont Street Experience. (more...)

πŸ’΅ Cheap Things

Drink for only the cost of a tip ($1).  (See "Drinking".) β€’ See the Strip from the top of the Deuce bus for $6-8. β€’ Try the $1 massage chairs at Flamingo, Linq, and Strat. β€’ Get your picture taken with a street performer. ($1-5 tip) (more...) β€’ Scour this page; all items in each box are sorted by price.

πŸ’° Expensive (>$500)

β€’ Crush a car ($625)

β€’ Dive with the sharks at Mandalay Bay ($650)

β€’ Fly a 6-axis flight simulator. ($749/hr)

β€’ Blow up a car ($2000)

β€’ Buy something pricey in one of the upscale shops.

Medium-priced

Almost everything else on this page.

Excitement


🎑 Thrill Rides 🎒

Vegas has a number of world-class roller coasters and thrill rides, including three different terrifying ones on the top of the Strat tower, and of course there's the enormous ferris wheel at the Linq.  See our list of Vegas thrill rides.

β€” Zip Lines

The Linq zipline flies right into the huge ferris wheel. ($22)

The Voodoo Zipline at the Rio is the highest in Vegas at 500 ft. ($30)

Slotzilla, 7 stories high ($29) and Zoomline, 11 stories high ($49) fly you right under the Fremont Street Experience, above the pedestrian mall.

Haley's Comet at Area 15 is a combo zip line / roller coaster / hang glider.

In the desert outside Boulder City ($99)

🚁 Flying ✈️

"Flying" VR experience w/o a headset (they use a massive, curved video screen).  Not real flying but feels like it.  In the Showcase Mall. ($34) β€’ Experience indoor sky diving. ($75) β€’ Take a helicopter tour of the Strip. ($89) β€’ Skydive off the Strat Tower ($130) β€’ Skydive out of a plane ($185) β€’ Fly in a 2-seater combat/stunt plane with simulated dogfights, and operate the controls yourself. ($399)

πŸš” Other

Army of the Dead interactive VR adventure ($24) β€’ Car police chase as either the cop or the suspect ($199)

Fun


🀩 Experiences

Paint splatter room ($25) β€’ Take a gondola ride in the canal at the Venetian ($29) β€’ Do circus training ($30) β€’ How to be a showgirl class ($45) β€’ Smash room, suit up and smash things with big hammers and baseball bats ($45) β€’ Ride in a limousine. ($69/hr) β€’ Meet the Pawn Stars cast. ($100) β€’ Take a helicopter ride. ($104) β€’ Do the Haunted Lockdown in a vacant saloon. ($149) β€’ Ride on a yacht and see Hoover Dam by helicopter ($149) β€’ Fly a 6-axis flight simulator. ($749/hr)

🀣 Unique

Axe Throwing ($38) β€’ Comedy party bus, 1 hour, up to 15 people ($975)

πŸ‘½ Area 15

Area 15 is a massive art and entertainment complex (free admission) offering: Emporium video+game arcade & bar (21+), Oddwood bar with huge digital maple tree, Brainstorm (creates art from your brainwaves on a huge LCD screen) ($5), wacky retail shops (including a unique toy store) Particle Quest (augmented reality) ($8), "fly like a bird" VR experience ($14), sound & light show ($17), combo zip line/ roller coaster ($18), psychedelic art funhouse ($18), VR golf simulator ($25), axe throwing ($35), the jaw-dropping Omega Mart ($45), "free roam" VR ($55), full-body VR gaming ($100)

🏁Drive exotic cars

Track driving: Drive a race car (e.g., Corvette, Lamborghini, Porsche) at the SpeedVegas track ($69) or the Las Vegas Exotics Track Speedway ($199). β€’ Drag racing with real dragster ($399)

Rentals for road driving: 
Motor trike, 2-seater ($199) β€’ Polaris Slingshot ($75) β€’ Vanderhall Venice, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Corvette, McLaren Spider, etc. from Exotic Driving, Royalty Exotic or Diplomat. ($349)

🎀 Other

Ice skating at Cosmopolitan in winter ($35) β€’ Kamu Ultra, rooms that have to be seen to be believed, at the Venetian ($70/hr)

πŸ’ͺ Macho stuff

β€’ Exotic car rental (see other box, above/left)

β€’ Shoot guns (see "Off the Strip", below)

β€’ Operate heavy machinery like excavators. ($169)

β€’ Car police chase as either the cop or the suspect ($199)

β€’ Drive a monster truck ($250)

β€’ Secret agent or SWAT training ($369)

β€’ Crush a car ($625)

β€’ Blow up a car ($2000)

🏎️ Games/Competition

Pinball Hall of Fame, hundreds of machines, including video games.   Here's an incredible virtual walkthrough of the floor.  (25Β’-$1.00) β€’ Bowling at Gold Coast ($8) and South Point β€’ Mini golf, KISS or Twilight Zone ($12) β€’ HyperX Esports Arena, 30k sf! ($15) β€’ Race Go-Karts ($35) β€’ Paint ball battles ($56) β€’ Game centers (arcade, bowling, billiards, darts, rock climbing, rides): See the Things for Kids page β€’ Golf: Off-strip ($19), Wynn ($550)

πŸ§’ Things for Kids

The strip has a decent number of thrill rides & roller coasters.  β€’ Visit the Wet'n'Wild water park ($35), though Cowabunga Bay in Henderson has better reviews ($43) β€’ Drive a Go-Kart ($30) β€’ Video arcades, Children's Park, the Children's Museum, and Kid-Friendly attractions are detailed on my Things for Kids page. β€’ Many kid-friendly attractions such as the Bellagio fountains and Fremont St. Experience are detailed on my Free Things and Cheap Thrills pages.

Exercise


πŸƒβ€β™€οΈ Running

There are no good places to run on or next to the Strip.  Best bet is is the UNLV campus:  take a taxi to the Lied Library (2 miles from the Strip), or drive and pay to park in the Tropicana parking garage (also 2 miles from the Strip).

πŸ‹οΈ Workouts

The resort fee your hotel forced you to pay might give you free access to its fitness center. β€’ Pole fitness ($15) β€’ Circus Bootcamp workout ($25) β€’ Indoor rock climbing ($25) β€’ Lyra, (hoop), rope, aerial silk, or aerial straps workouts ($30) Tennis at Bally's ($35)

🧘🏿 Yoga

Antigravity yoga ($15) β€’ Hot yoga at the Neon Museum in summer months ($18) β€’ Yoga with beer ($20) β€’ Clothing-optional yoga ($20)  β€’ Yoga on the big ferris wheel ($75)


Outside Vegas


🚌 Hoover Dam

(Note: Tour guides expect tips! 5-20%)

Budget tours by Paradise Found ($57) and Mr. Las Vegas ($60) β€’ Walk on the top tour from Comedy Tours ($90) or Pink Adventure ($109) β€’ Dam, Red Rock Canyon, 7 Magic Mountains, & Boulder City ($134) β€’ Private tour ($145) β€’ On a motorized trike ($179) β€’ Bicycle tour from the Strip, 7hrs ($191)

⛰️ Grand Canyon 🚁

This is just a summary; see my full article on Grand Canyon tours.

Note: The South Rim is the more beautiful, iconic part of the GC.  The West Rim isn't nearly as impressive, but it's much closer to Vegas.

West Rim:  Bus (12 hrs, hotel to hotel) ($114) β€’ Bus En EspaΓ±ol ($149) β€’ Airplane ($210) β€’ Private tour ($275) Helicopter (4hrs) ($299)

South Rim: Rent a car and drive (4.5 hours one-way to either the North Rim or South Rim). β€’ Bus tour (15hrs, hotel to hotel) ($78) β€’ Bus + open-air Hummer (14hrs) ($200) β€’ Small airplane ($372)

⛏️ Gold Mines & Ghost Towns

Self-tour the Ryolite ghost town, a 2-hr. drive from Vegas (free) β€’ Guided tour of Tour of unspecified ghost town + Red Rock Canyon($81) β€’ Tour an abandoned mining town (Nelson) and its famous gold mine (Eldorado) ($119) β€’ Private tour of Eldorado ($149) β€’ Tour of AZ+NV mining ghost towns ($240)

🏜️ Art installations

Seven Magic Mountains (free) β€’ Wheel of Misfortune (map) (free)

🏜️ Nature

See large section, below.

πŸ’§ Water adventure, wet

Aqua Park ($22), Kayak ($32),  Paddleboard ($35), Cable Park ($71), or Flyboard ($79) at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson β€’ Scuba diving: already certified ($80), dive at Hoover Dam ($149), or get certified ($285)

β›΅ Water adventure, dry

Dinner cruise on Lake Mead ($79) β€’ Motorized raft to Hoover Dam ($69) or on Colorado River through Black Canyon ($72: 2hr, $114: 6hr) β€’ Kayak Emerald Cave ($119) β€’ Kayak, paddleboard, or hydrobike tour of Emerald Cave, or Colorado River, or Lake Mead ($133), or Hoover Dam ($199) β€’ Electric Boat rental ($199)

🏎️ Offroad Driving

Driving: Racing ($149) β€’ Nellis ATV ($114) β€’ Mojave desert on an ATV ($148/2 people) β€’ Hidden Valley on ATV ($169) or a dirt bike  ($309) β€’ ATV through El Dorado Canyon & Techatticup Gold Mine ($169) β€’ Tour of Hidden Valley and Primm Valley in an RZR ($163) β€’ Dune buggy chase ($194) β€’ Rent a Jeep for wherever you want to go ($199)

Riding: ATV in the Valley of Fire ($99)

πŸ”« Shoot Guns

Shoot guns in the desert ($140), with an optional machine gun add-on ($100). β€’ Note that a 9-year-old girl accidentally shot and killed a shooting instructor with an Uzi submachine gun at one of the Vegas ranges in 2014. β€’ Read US Blasting News' comparison of the top 10 shooting experiences near Vegas.

🚐 Other

Chocolate Factory Tour (free) (Note: Most chocolate is made with child labor, and much of that is slave labor. (WaPo) Your editor buys only Fair Trade chocolate.) β€’ See the entrance to Area 51 and Death Valley ($395) β€’ For hiking and nature outings, see below

Nature


⬆️ In other blocks

See blocks above for Grand Canyon, Water Adventures, and Offroad Driving/Riding

🐴 Animals

Horseback riding, morning ($120) or sunset ($90) β€’ Camel encounter (riding no longer available) ($189/2 people)

πŸšΆπŸΏβ€β™€οΈ Hiking

Various hiking trails (free) β€’ Valley of Fire hiking tour by SW Adventures ($95) or  LoveHikes ($119) β€’ Bowl of Fire or slot canyon ($111)β€’ Guided hike of Antelope Canyon ($229) β€’ Private hiking tour of Death Valley ($265)

🏜️ Red Rock Canyon

About the canyon β€’ Hike ($15) β€’ Guided tour ($75) β€’ Tour of RRC + Ghost Town ($81) β€’ Electric bicycle tour, 20 miles, 2.5hrs ($79) β€’ Scooter tour ($99) β€’ Tour of RRC + 7 Magic Mountains ($103) β€’ Horseback riding ($132) β€’ Guided tour of RRC, 7 Magic Mountains, Boulder City, & Hoover Dam ($134) β€’ Pink Jeep tour ($138) β€’ Road bike or mountain bike tour, 4hrs. ($140) β€’ Motor trike self-guided tour ($165) β€’ Climb a mountain ($295)

πŸ•ΆοΈ Other Outdoors

Cactus Garden in Henderson (free) β€’ Learn mountain climbing ($75) β€’ See Mt. Charleston ($97) β€’ Valley of Fire guided hike ($100), private tour ($245) β€’ Valley of Fire + Lost City Museum tour ($120) β€’ Antelope Canyon + Horseshoe Bend tour ($169) β€’ Skiing or Snowboarding ($167) β€’ Zion Natl. Park + Bryce Canyon tour ($190) β€’ Tour Horseshoe Bend & Peekaboo Slot Canyon β€’ Death Valley tour ($239), stargazing + winery tour ($319) β€’ Private tour of Kanarra Falls Slot Canyon ($245), or Antelope Canyon ($365)

Adults only

What did I miss?

Let me know!

How I picked which companies to link to above

In general, I picked the cheapest offerings from companies that have good reviews on Yelp.  When pricing was similar, I picked the company that had the easiest website (e.g., upfront pricing, doesn't require a gazillion clicks to find the info.)  I'm not currently making any advertising commissions on these links.

Things not open yet that we're keeping an eye on

Play Playground (Luxor).  Families by day, adults only at night.  14,000 square-foot playground, enter on a slide.  Physical, memory, puzle, word games. (early 2024)

Coming next to this page

  • Karaoke
  • Witness a wedding
  • Things to Not Do
  • More museums
  • Video game arcades
  • Miniature golf
  • Spas
  • Special bars:  Chandelier lounge

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