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Las Vegas Travel Tips

It is known as Sin City but there is plenty of good clean fun you can have in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is a city of excess. Everything is artificial and designed to distract you from real life. It's sort of like Disneyland for adults. Las Vegas is so over-the-top that its gaudiness becomes kind of cool. Where else can you gamble in a make believe Monte Carlo, ride in a fake Venetian gondola and watch a fountain with dancing water, and have a genuinely good time? There is no other place quite like Las Vegas in the world.Written by Kent Ninomiya

Planning a Trip to Las Vegas

Las Vegas started out as a gambler's hideaway but evolved into much more. It is now a popular convention site, an entertainment destination and a great place to take the kids. Gaming is still the biggest draw, but there are all sorts of things to do for people who don't gamble. You can see a live show, watch a sporting event, dance at a club or ride a roller coaster. You can do all of this any time of the year. Much of it you can do 24 hours a day.

The Las Vegas Strip

When To Go To Las Vegas

Las Vegas is in the desert. That means it gets very hot in the summer and can get rather chilly in the winter. Temperatures often top 100 degrees but there is very little humidity and every building is air conditioned. It is rare for temperatures to drop to freezing but it can happen on winter nights. Las Vegas has a booming convention business that attracts crowds year around. Holidays are very busy, especially New Year's Eve. The best time of year to go to Las Vegas is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The weather is mild, the crowds are very small and hotels offer deep discounts.

Getting To Las Vegas

More than 3 million people visit Las Vegas every month. A vast majority of them fly there. As a result, there a lot of flights in and out of McCarran International Airport. This competition keeps airfares low, especially if you book months ahead of time. Southwest Airlines is especially strong in Las Vegas. They offer "no frills" discount flights for ridiculously low prices.

Getting Around Las Vegas

Most visitors to Las Vegas do not need a rental car. Taxis are abundant and cheap. A cab from the airport to the strip costs $10 to $13. There are also shuttle buses that run 24 hours a day. A taxi ride from one Strip casino to another costs just a few dollars. There is also a trolley and several monorails linking hotels. Better yet, walk to your destination. The Strip was designed with pedestrians in mind. It is lined with interesting sights, pedestrian bridges and movable sidewalks in places.

The Wynn Casino Hotel

Where To Stay in Las Vegas

There are more hotel rooms in Las Vegas than in any other city in the country. The 13 largest hotels are located in Las Vegas. Yet, despite all these rooms, Las Vegas still sells out several times a year. Other times you can find a room but it costs much more than at another time. The key is to avoid holidays and times when there are lots of conventions in town. Book early for the best selection and the cheapest prices. When there are many empty rooms you can get amazing deals like $39 per night for a luxury hotel room. Resorts don't mind doing this because they expect you to lose a lot of money in their casino. Deals are available at every hotel but naturally expect to pay more at nicer properties. Here is a sampling of popular hotels on the Strip:

Nice - Bally's, Circus Circus, Excaliber, Flamingo, Harrah's, Imperial Palace, Stratosphere, Tropicana
Very Nice - Caesar's Palace, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Mirage, New York New York, Paris
High End - Bellagio, Trump, Venetian, Wynn

Arriving and Departing Las Vegas

There is no need to waste a day's worth of fun waiting around when you arrive or depart Las Vegas. If you arrive before check in time, leave your bags with at the baggage check and go have a good time. Come back when your room is ready. If you have a late flight out of town, check out and leave your bags at the bell desk. Swing by and get them on your way to the airport. The service is free. Just tip the guy who brings you your bags.

Comps

Comps used to only be for high rollers. Now they are for everyone. Casinos want you to gamble in their establishment, so offer incentives to get you to stay. Sign up for a player's card at every casino where you gamble. They will usually give you some coupons or a free slot machine spin just for signing up. When you play a slot machine, insert the card. When you play a table game, give the card to the dealer. The casino will track how much you bet and how long you play. The more you bet and the longer you play, the more incentives they offer. These can include free meals, merchandise, shows and rooms. Keep in mind that they expect you to lose a lot of money while earning these incentives. Don't play for the comps. Just consider them a small bonus for losing your money.

What To Do in Las Vegas

Las Vegas offers plenty to see and do to distract you while not gambling. The distractions are also for spouses and children of gamblers so they will leave them alone while they are in the casino. Some visitors only come for the activities and never gamble at all. This can be fun and save you a lot of money.

Gaming

The casino industry prefers to call gambling "gaming." It is the same thing, just a less ominous word. Most inexperienced players head for the slot machines. Unfortunately they offer the worst odds in the casino. Slot machines pay you a little back periodically to encourage you to keep playing. In the long run most people lose all the money they put in the machine. If you want to play slots, look for casinos that offer "loose" machines with payouts of 95% to 99%. These are usually the smaller casinos. Also play maximum coins on every spin to take advantage of improved payout odds. Experienced gamblers can make money playing blackjack and poker if they know how to play. These are games of both skill and chance where a player's decisions about the cards greatly influences their ability to win. Craps and roulette are much more about chance. The odds are significantly in the casino's favor, so if you play long enough you will lose. The bottom line is that the house always wins. Gamble if you enjoy it, not to make money. Designate an amount that you are willing to lose and when it is gone, stop. There are plenty of things to do in Las Vegas that are more fun than losing money.

A Gondola at The Venetian

Shows

Las Vegas has some of the best shows in the world. Top name entertainers perform there. If you want to see a big name production like Cirque du Soleil, Bette Midler, David Copperfield, Penn and Teller or Blue Man Group, book your tickets at least 3 months before your visit. The same goes for special sporting events like boxing, mixed martial arts or ice skating. If you just want to see a decent show and don't particularly care which one, get discount tickets on the day of the performance. There are several half price ticket shops on the Strip. Just stand in line in the morning and you can watch a show that night.

Free Entertainment

There is plenty of free entertainment in Las Vegas. Walk up and down the Strip at night and you will find something interesting on every block. Each casino has its own theme, so walking around them is fun. Paris has a French patisserie with real French pastries served by real French women. Venice has gondoliers who sing from their gondolas in the canal. Circus Circus has real circus acts throughout the day. Mirage has a jungle inside, huge tropical fish tank and white tigers. MGM has lion cubs. Much of the free entertainment is outdoors. Treasure Island has a pirate show full of explosions and acrobatics. The Mirage will soon unveil its new and improved eruping volcano. The Bellagio has a spectacular fountain with water that dances to music. For a $10 taxi ride you can head downtown and watch the Fremont Street Experience. The ceiling of the pedestrian walkway is covered in video screens. There are shows every hour in the evening.

The Fountain at the Bellagio

Clubs and Bars

Las Vegas is known for its nightlife. Clubs and bars can be a lot of fun but also crowded, expensive and difficult to get into. There are many types of clubs and bars that appeal to a broad range of tastes. Here are the hot nightspots right now:

Pure at Caesar's Palace
Voo Doo Lounge at Rio
Parasol Up Parasol Down Lounge and Tryst at Wynn
V Bar at the Venetian
Fontana Bar at the Bellagio
Forty Deuce at Mandalay Bay
Jet Nightclub at the Mirage
Studio 54 at the MGM Grand
Rain in the Desert at the Palms

Las Vegas for Kids

There is plenty for the kids to do in Las Vegas. Several casinos have amusement park rides. These include New York New York, the Stratosphere and Circus Circus. Circus Circus also has carnival games and free circus acts all day long. The Tournament of Kings show at Excaliber is a kid friendly jousting show. Gameworks is a huge video game complex that will keep children occupied all day long. Kids also enjoy walking around and seeing all the cool buildings and free entertainment listed above.

The Southern End of The Strip

By Kent Ninomiya

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Mgm Grand Hotel Deals Coupons

Las Vegas Travel Tips

Planning a Trip to Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Strip

When To Go To Las Vegas

Getting To Las Vegas

Getting Around Las Vegas

Where To Stay in Las Vegas

Arriving and Departing Las Vegas

Comps

What To Do in Las Vegas

Gaming

Shows

Free Entertainment

The Fountain at the Bellagio Clubs and Bars

Las Vegas for Kids

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