Highlights of the Vegas Strip

Quote: A trip to the Famous Las Vegas Strip is like none other. Love it or hate it, the Strip is going strong—offering everything from endless 24-hour buffets, thousands of slot machines, and exciting live shows, to street performers, roller coasters, and wedding chapels. We had several days to explore the sights, which ended up to be a little too much time in this city, and we decided the best way to see Las Vegas was just passing through on a road trip. We stayed in a timeshare just a couple blocks off the Strip, and spent several days of our week-long vacation on day trips to nearby sights, such as the Grand Canyon, Zion Park, and Hoover Dam. The days we stayed in Vegas, we got a good overview of what the city has in store! We ate in some great restaurants and had fun taking photos of all the colorful signs at night. We took in a wonderful live show and watched street performers and Elvis impersonators. Overall, it was nice to see this famous city, but it was a "been-there-done-that" kind of sight for us!

Quick Tips:

One myth that was dispelled for us during our week on the Strip was that food is cheap. Not being fans of buffets, we ended up spending quite a lot of money on food when we ate out. Also, being vegetarians made dining out even more difficult. We recommend looking online before you go at the many dining options, which many of the restaurants have menus online as well. This website, as well as Vegas.com can offer many suggestions of fun restaurants to choose from.

If you are easily offended, never look down at the street or take flyers from anyone while walking the Strip. Pornographic promo materials are everywhere, and since prostitution is legal in NV, you're bound to see ads all around, on sides of vans that drive up and down the boulevard and many strip club/adult store marquees throughout the city. Be prepared.

Best Way To Get Around:

One great thing about Vegas is that the airport is literally in the middle of the city! We rented a car and were just around the corner from our timeshare and the Strip. Although there are taxis and buses to take around, many people opt to rent a car because of the many nearby sights outside of the city. The traffic on the Strip gets quite heavy through the day, as does the interstates and highways that cross the city center. Get a map and study the side streets that are parallel to the major Strip, and you'll be happy to buzz by the stand-still traffic only one block away. Check to see if your hotel/resort offers a shuttle service to the major casinos. Many places offer this for free and it saves the headache of finding your way around, although parking is normally free at the casinos/hotels if you can find a space!

Quote: When we began planning for this trip, we knew that we wanted to see many of the natural sites that surrounded the Las Vegas area, and so we decided to make Vegas our "homebase" for the week and use a timeshare for our stay. Although our timeshare company offered several places to choose from in the area, we chose Club De Soleil because it was a couple miles off of the strip and was a newer 5-star facility with spacious rooms and, most importantly, availability! Las Vegas was very crowded around the time we went and so rooms were hard to come by in our timeshare. My husband and I had a studio room with kitchenette and pool view. It was spacious with a small dining room table and nice whirlpool tub! My parents stayed down the hall in a 1-bedroom suite which had a balcony overlooking the pool and a full kitchen which we used throughout the week to cut down on our food costs.

The location was very central to anything we needed - just a block from a shopping center with a grocery store, drugstore, and several specialty shops and restaurants. The pool area was meticulously cleaned everyday. We were in Vegas one of the 2.5 days in a year that it rains, and as soon as the rain stopped, we observed a maintenance man scooping the leaves out of the pool and checking the chemicals. There is also a nice whirlpool and miniature golf course on the complex.

The staff was very friendly and helpful, including the concierge, who supplied us with info on tours, restaurants, reservations, and popular sights. We lost one of our card keys in the middle of the week, and the front desk immediately re-programed our room lock and issued us 2 new keys with no additional charge.

Quote: One of our most favorite sights on the Strip was the frequent water shows in the front of the Bellagio, with its synchronized fountains, music, and lights! A walk down the famous Strip is a mad-house of flashing signs, crowds, flyers, and performers - so the spectacular show of dancing water is a relaxing change of pace from the hustle! Performed every 1/2 hour from mid-day to 8pm, and every 15 minutes from 8pm to 12am, you're bound to catch a glimpse of the forty million dollar fountain show while strolling past the extensive pool in the front of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino.

The first night we ventured onto the Strip, we walked by the Bellagio pool just as Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas" began to play from the speakers - and a couple seconds later...WOW! It sounded like canons as the water was shot a hundred feet in the air! The show was so much fun to watch; and even the mist from the swaying streams of water was a nice cool-down on the humid night. Of course, the Bellagio is one of the most prestigious casinos on the Strip and, the meticulous details of the buildings and grounds exude this. The sidewalk in front of the pool transports you to an Italian citywalk with ornate lampposts and iron benches under the shade of trees.

We stopped and heard, "This Kiss" by Faith Hill during the daylight hours and it was still a sight to behold! During a visit to the Famous Las Vegas Strip, this free attraction is a "must-see"!

Quote: After making reservations over 3 months in advance, one of the most anticipated activities on our Vegas vacation was a night at the Bellagio to see Cirque Du Soleil's "O". One of the newer, Cirque Du Soleil shows, "O" is a spectacular mix of water, lights, fire, acrobats, live music, and comedy! From clowns, high divers, and synchronized swimmers, to trapeze artists, contortionists, and dancers, this show is an overload for the senses! With so much to watch and listen to at once, you'll never come off the edge of your seat during the entire performance.

This elaborate theatre, built exclusively for "O" cost over $100 million and holds over 1.5 million gallons of water. The stage is transformed from a pool, to an inch-deep puddle, to a completely dry platform throughout the acts. High divers jump from over nine stories above the stage, while divers constantly help with the logistics beneath the surface. We sat in the upper level and had a great view of the show.

Even with over 1800 seats, and 2 shows per night (7:30pm and 10:30pm Wednesday through Sunday), tickets still sell out several months in advance. It is recommended that you reserve early, and there is a stand-by line that is first-come, first-served at the will call desk in case you want to chance an open seat coming available. Tickets are $99, $125, and $150 based on seating and there is a boutique outside the theatre with plenty of souvenirs to take home from the show, including clothing and CDs.

If you've never been to a Cirque Du Soleil performance, (or if you been to many), "O" is a unique, breathtaking show for all ages—and well worth the ticket cost for a night on the town!

Quote: For a fun treat while walking around the famous Strip, stop in the New York New York Hotel & Casino for a ride on the thrilling Manhattan Express Roller Coaster. Located on the second floor of the Coney Island game room, the roller coaster begins and ends inside the casino building for a quick look down onto the casino floor. The cars are built to look like old-fashioned NYC yellow cabs, and the ride takes you over the outdoor replica of the New York harbor, complete with a Statue of Liberty over 150 feet tall.

For $12.50 per person you get a 3 minute thrill ride, and an escape from the bustle of the crowded Strip sidewalks or casino floors. With drops over 200 feet, loops, twists, and turns, this roller coaster is fun and worth the price. There are discounts offered for multiple rides ($6 for an extra ride or $25 all-day ride pass), or a four-pack for $49 includes 4 tickets and 2 photos! Look for the lockers outside the waiting line, and be sure to put all loose articles in the keyed lockers (50cents), because no cameras, wallets, sunglasses, loose jackets, etc are allowed on the ride.