Most people come to Las Vegas either for the gambling or to get married, but if neither of those appeal, or if you just want a rest from them, there is still plenty of other things to see and do both in Las Vegas and within easy driving distance.
Las Vegas has two daily newspapers: the Las Vegas Journal, which prints an accompanying guide entitled Neon every Friday listing all the major shows and restaurants, and the Las Vegas Sun. There are also a number of free tourist magazines including the Vegas Visitor and Today in Las Vegas which carry listings. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau also provides a free guide to the city's shows.
You should also look out for Funbooks - collections of coupons, deals and freebies produced by the hotels offering discounts at restaurants, shows and car rental companies.
The Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard South) comprises of three and a half miles of extravagant theme hotels, casinos and express marriage chapels and is now one of the richest streets in the world. The majority of the city's super hotel-casinos are located on The Strip; places such as the New York New York, the Luxor; the Bellagio and the MGM Grand - the world's largest hotel. During the day you’ll be able to enjoy all the fantastic architecture of the hotels and casinos, including the Luxor’s pyramid, a New York City skyline, the dancing fountains of the Bellagio, the Roman columns of Caesar’s Palace or the erupting volcano at The Mirage. By night, everything is totally transformed as each and every building is illuminated by thousands of multicoloured neon lights.
Fremont Street was the centre of attention before the advent of The Strip, and where all the smartest hotels were located. It went into decline over the past few decades, but was totally revived in the mid-90s with the creation of the ‘Fremont Street Experience’- a sound and light extravaganza projected every hour or so after dusk onto a five block long neon canopy. Today, Fremont Street is the best place to visit to soak up a little old time Rat Pack atmosphere and to see what the city's casinos used to look like. The city's oldest casino El Cortez, which first opened for business in 1941, is worth a look.
Gambling - Las Vegas is the undisputed gambling capital of the world, and 9 out of 10 visitors will gamble at some stage during their trip. Most casinos are open 24-hours a day, air-conditioned and have a relaxed dress code. Everyone is catered for whether you just want to gamble with loose change in the slot machines or for bigger stakes on the card tables. You must be 21 or over to gamble though. The casinos are there to make money and employ a number of methods to entice people to gamble away such as no clocks in the gambling areas, fresh oxygen pumping through the air-con systems to keep people alert, and serving people with free alcoholic drinks whilst they’re playing. For novices, most of the big casinos offer free gambling lessons whilst experienced gamblers should always check the specific house rules and the table’s minimum bet before sitting down to play. There are a variety of games and slot machines to play and many places also offer a betting shop where you can place bets on sporting events around the country.
Getting Married - For those of you who want to get married or even renew your vows, Las Vegas is the wedding capital of the world. Getting married in Las Vegas is easy; there’s no waiting period, no minimum-stays, no blood tests needed and your marriage is legally recognised in the UK. Many chapels also offer live Internet coverage, so friends and family back home can watch you exchange your vows live! All you need is proof that you’re both over 18. A marriage license costs $55 and other costs vary depending on where you want to get married and whether you want Elvis to marry you! You can get married practically anywhere you want, with any theme you want, but there are plenty of wedding chapels for those of you who want a more traditional style ceremony. For further information on marriage licenses, contact the Clark County Marriage License Bureau (001 702-455-4415). http://www.co.clark.nv.us/CLERK/Marriage_Information.htm
Musical Entertainment - The big name entertainers here play regularly to packed out theatres. Stars who have made it big in Vegas range from divas such as Celine to rockers such as Tom Jones, one of Vegas's most successful crowd pleasers of all time. Many other international bands and singers can be found at any time along the strip. Top venues include The Sunset Outdoor Amphitheatre which has a wide bill of rock and pop, while the legendary Stardust Ballroom is popular with jazz fans.
Showtime - As well as being the world capital of gambling and weddings, Las Vegas is also the ‘entertainment capital of the world’. The biggest Broadway musicals and their stars are always on somewhere along the strip. Every night thousands of performers take to the city’s stages, putting on a whole range of extravagant shows, including magic, comedy, circus , adult revues and much more. The vast majority of all this is provided by the casinos. The larger casinos such as the MGM Grand spend literally millions of dollars on their entertainment, with massive sets, casts of thousands and the most awesome sound and light shows found anywhere in the world. Top shows can cost over $100 - often including dinner - but the performance is invariably worth it.
