Things to Do in Las Vegas
Last update: October, 2020.
Prices listed are the starting, per-person prices for non-local adults before any real discounts. (more...) β’ Items in italics are temporarily suspended due to COVID-19; not italics doesn't mean definitely open, though.
The Basics
π° 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.
π 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.
π² Dining
The biggest draw, the buffets, are closed due to COVID-19, but other options abound. β’ 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.
π₯ 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.)
ποΈ 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.
πΊ 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.
ποΈ Pool
This is not your Holiday Inn pool! The pools at strip hotels are downright elaborate. 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. What's great about your hotel's pool is that don't have to spend any extra money for this activity. The hotel made you pay the resort fee, you might as well use the resort offerings.
Things to See
π· 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
βοΈ Quirky Museums
Strip: Wax
museum ($27) β’ Erotic
Heritage ($19) β’ Shark
aquarium ($29)
Downtown: β’ Haunted Museum ($48) β’ Mob Museum ($30; use the free Downtown Loop bus) β’ Neon Museum ($20)
Elsewhere: Atomic Testing Museum ($22)
π Vegas Tours π΄
(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.)
βοΈ See Vegas from above
Take in the view from the observation deck of the Strat
tower.* ($20) 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".)
π
Animals
Flamingo Wildlife Habitat. Flamingos, ducks, pelicans, swans, koi fish, and turtles. (free) β’ Dolphins & Tigers at the Mirage: admission, ($25) meet the dolphins ($50), behind the scenes tour ($120), train the dolphins ($400) (Critics oppose poor conditions for the dolphins, noting 12 of them have died, and that captivity itself is cruel. One visitor reported poor conditions for the tigers.)
π Other
Christmas lights at the LV Motor Speedway ($25) β’ Watch car racing ($35)
π Hoover Dam
Hoover
Dam is currently closed.
(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)
β°οΈ Grand Canyon π
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)
π Other outside Vegas
El Dorado Canyon Gold Mine tour ($155) β’ Private tour of Route 66 ($215), AZ+NV mining ghost towns ($240) β’ Hollywood + Santa Monica Pier ($160) β’ Hollywood & Beverly Hills ($375), the entrance to Area 51 and Death Valley ($395) β’ For hiking and nature outings, see far below
By price
π Free
Things to Do
See my huge list of free things to see and do in Vegas. Don't let the price 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...)
π΅ 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...)
π°
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.
Excitement
π‘ Thrill Rides π’
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.
In the desert outside Boulder City ($99)
π Flying βοΈ
Take a helicopter
tour of the Strip. ($89) β’ Skydive
out of a plane ($185) β’ Fly in a 2-seater
combat/stunt plane with simulated dogfights, and operate the
controls yourself. ($227) β’ Experience indoor
sky diving. ($75) β’ Skydive
off the Strat Tower.
π Other
Car police chase as either the cop or the suspect ($199)
Fun
π
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)
πͺ
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)
ποΈ Games
Pinball Hall of Fame, hundreds of machines, including video games, (25Β’-$1.00) β’ Race Go-Karts ($35) β’ Golf: Off-strip ($19), Wynn ($550)
π€ Sing karaoke
Kamu Ultra, rooms that have to be seen to be believed, at the Venetian ($70/hr)
π€© Experiences
Take a gondola ride in the canal at the Venetian ($29) β’ How to be a showgirl class ($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) β’ Do circus training ($30)
π§ Things for Kids
The strip has a decent number of thrill rides & roller coasters. β’ Visit the Wet'n'Wild water park. 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
πββοΈ 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).
ποΈ 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)
π§πΏ 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) β’ Yoga among the dolphins at the Mirage.
(price not listed) (Note: Critics
oppose poor conditions for the dolphins, noting 12
of them have died, and that captivity
itself is cruel.) ($75)
Off the Strip
π§
Water adventure, wet
Aqua Park ($22), Kayak ($32), Paddleboard ($35), Cable Park ($71), or Flyboard ($79) at Lake Las Vegas β’ Wet'n'Wild water park ($35) 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)
βοΈ
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)
ποΈ
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)
π« 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.
ποΈ
Art installations
Seven Magic Mountains (free) β’ Wheel of Misfortune (map) (free)
ποΈ
Nature
See next section, below.
Nature
β¬οΈ
In other blocks
See blocks above for Grand Canyon, Water Adventures, and Offroad Driving/Riding
πΆπΏββοΈ
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)
π΄
Animals
Horseback riding, morning ($120) or sunset ($90) β’ Camel encounter (riding no longer available) ($189/2 people)
ποΈ
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)
πΆοΈ
Other Outdoors
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
- I have a separate page of adults-only items.
- Here's 10 reasons to not hire a prostitute in Las Vegas.
What did I miss?
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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