(vainness) Looking for FReeper tips for fun stuff to do in Las Vegas in December

10/24/05 | marty fierro

[martin_fierro]

Hi all;

Mrs. F & I are gonna be in Vegas in the week before this Christmas and wanted to tap into FReepers' recent experiences there.

We're consulting all the travel guides, but also wanted to get some FReepers' feedback as to what they thought was fun/not.

Here's a partial list of stuff we're considering doing:

ON THE STRIP

• Caesars Palace Forum Shops
  • Animatronics every hour on the hour

• Stratosphere

• Night flight over Vegas

• Bellagio
  • Fountains
  • Gallery of fine art
  • Botanical gardens

• Treasure Island
  • Sirens of TI nightly at 7:00 PM, 8:30 PM, 10:00 PM, 11:30 PM.

• Wynn (3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South)

• Venetian
  • Grand Canal Gondola ride
  • Blue Man Group

• Paris Eiffel Tower

• Luxor
  • IMAX theatre

• New York New York

• Mirage
  • white tiger exhibit
  • volcano

• MGM Grand: lion habitat

DOWNTOWN

• Fremont Street/Penny slots
  • Fremont Street Experience

• Golden Nugget - Tony Bennett

SOUTHEAST

• Hoover Dam Discovery tour

• Grand Canyon tour

• Ethel M Chocolates, Henderson NV

• Green Valley Ranch/Fado

NORTH

• Area 51

WEST

• Rio Suites Masquerade Show in the Sky daily 3p, 4p, 5p, 6:30p, 7:30p, 8:30p, 9:30p

Are any of these things especially worth doing/avoiding? What have we missed?

[martin_fierro]

Excellent points!

Please advise if anything more comes to mind.

[HitmanLV]

Christmastime is a fun time to visit LV. It can be cool though - ranging from pleasant in the afternoon, to windbreaker - leather jacket weather later and in the eves, so pack accordingly.

Don't rent a car - you won't need one. Bring walking shoes and plan days around casinos at the distinct parts of the strip - North, Center, South. Take advantage of free shuttles that will take you from Strip locales to offstrip casinos. The Barbary Coast I think has a shuttle to the Gold Coast, which is across the street from the Palms, so you can get to those locales for nothing. That's relatively close to the Rio, also, but a bit of a hike. I am pretty sure Harrahs has a free roundtrip shuttle to the Rio if you want to visit that.

I'm a buffet guy - eat light breakfasts/brunches and go for main event early dinners. Some great buffets are at The Wynn, The Mirage, The Aladdin, and the MGM. A big early dinner gives you a chance to satisfy yourself for the day, breaks up the day nicely with a nice sitdown/eating session to recharge batteries, and walk it off in the eve.

Either Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon are an all-day affair (with the GC being a much longer day). Take a bus tour to either (discount coupons are near all concierge and in the free 'Las Vegas' magazines). The bus tours usually stop off for a pitstop on the way back at Ethel M for some tasty free samples and for you to buy some goodies, so you can hit that as part of one of those trips.

I vote for Hoover Dam - it's really fun and will keep you busy and interested all afternoon, won't wipe you out, and you still have the whole eve/night ahead when you get back.

I'd skip the night flight over LV. I have a problem getting in a helicopter with some those guys. It's just me.

Fremont Street is fun but not an all-day event. It's a great place to visit a weekday evening just after sunset when the lightshows start. Christmastime has many live music acts playing on Fremont and a live Santa (with some pretty, buxom & leggy 5'7" lady elves), and a small shopping area dedicated to Christmas stuff. Still, it's no more than a 3-4 hour visit unless you plan to hit some of the low limit tables. Be sure and grab a $3 shrimp cocktail and soda at the Golden Gate.

The Las Vegas bus depot is right next door to the Plaza - I like it there cause there are plenty of lowlifes and I'm a gruff guy and I like to swat away beggars, lowlifes, & stuff. Reminds me of my hometown of NYC. Stay away from there, though.

The only palatable buffets on Fremont, if you ask me, are at The Golden Nugget and Main Street Station (just north of the Plaza, it's a safe short walk but don't wander off. In fact, don't wander off anywhere when on Fremont Street.

Hit the Stratosphere either on the way to, or on the way back from, Fremont Street. Nice enough place, has a distinct personality, a little divey. About a block away is the Sahara - which reminds me and Freeper durasell a lot of divey oldschool NYC.

DO NOT WALK FROM THE STRATOSPHERE TO FREMONT STREET, OR BACK. Take a cab.

The no-mans land between The Sahara and the Wynn is kinda cool and worth a peek - maybe part of a nice afternoon stroll. Slots of Fun is kooky and lowbrow, The Riviera & The Stardust are quirky and a taste of older LV. The New Frontier is across from the Wynn and also a taste of older LV. I'd make that an afternoon.

Build an evening in the area around Ceasers - Cesars Forum Shops is a nice 90 minute stroll. Cesars is an awesome place to hang around in. The animatronics are fun. Check out the small luxury car museum - it's free, unlike the Masarati/Ferrari museum at the Wynn. Me & Freeper Mr. Jeeves routinely get in trouble at Ceasers!

The Bellagio is awesome and right across the street from Ceasers and worth a nice couple of hour visit. Say hi to Alecs the bartender and tell him Vinnie Vegas sent you.

I'd spend some quality time at Harrahs (across from Ceasers) and walk through the Flamingo netdoor. Stick your head into The Paris & Ballys either before or after a longer visit to the Bellagio (across the street), but truly unless you are staying at either it's a 20 minute total 'stick your head in, bum around, and walk out.'

Build another evening/night around TI. It's fun but the Sirens Show isn't that good and not as good as the old TI Pirate show. I'd see it if I happened to be there but I wouldn't make a point to see it. The Wynn & the Venetian are across the street from TI, and the Mirage is nextdoor. All are worth a look and a great centerpiece to build an evening around.

Build another evening/night around the South end of the strip there are a number of cool places. I suggest putting on your walking shoes and taking the trams down to Mandalay Bay, check that out, and work your way back - through the Luxor, through Excalibur, into NYNY, and then to the MGM. Take your time and enjoy - consider either the Mandalay Bay or MGM buffets.

Don't try to do everything, but you can hit most places if you center days or nights around distinct portions of the strip, so you aren't running around from one end to the other.

Don't eat at the Boardwalk buffet.

Enjoy! Too bad you will be arriving just after the Rodeo Finals end!

[martin_fierro]

We went there, too (in 2000)!

Had a great time, but I dunno if father-in-law is gonna be into it this trip.

While there I saw store management just verbally REAM some poor S.O.B. customer who had made some dumb safety error.

[martin_fierro]

YOU DA MAN

Thanks for the tips!!

Let me know if you think of any more.

[randog]

I found out a few months ago that you can go on a tour of the NV Test Site, including the repository. IIRC, there's a tour bus that goes out once a month. I can get the details if you're interested.

[mikrofon]

Note to Mrs. F: Take lots of (incriminating) video...

[martin_fierro]

So is that whole Area 51 thing overblown?

Something about visiting it appeals to me, but I'd have to talk up a blue streak to convince the other 2/3 of my troika to go.

It looks like a loooong-a$$ drive to get there, so it's gonna take more than just a visit to some cheesy tourist trap to make it worthwhile.

[durasell]

My favorite hotel there is the Venetian, which is a good example of extreme architecture. The Grand Canal is on the second floor.

My favorite clubs are the one in the venetian (sorry, can't remember the name); O.P.M. in Caesar's and the Voodoo lounge on top of the Rio. There's also a club on top of Palms, which has a pretty neat glass window in the floor you can jump up and down on thirty stories up.

[HitmanLV]

All good places!

[durasell]

p.s.

The thing you want to do in Vegas, if you have a couple of bucks -- is upgrade your car requirements. You can pretty much get a limo outside of any of the big hotels, but you have to negotiate a cash price on the spot, which can get dicey after seven or eight cocktails.

There are also specialty car rentals where you can rent a jazzy sports car or Harley.

[durasell]

I'd also advise that anyone going to Vegas should dress neatly. Sport coat, slacks, and actual shoes. Showing up at a nice restaurant in flip flops, cut offs, and a t-shirt that reads: "Welcome To Lost Wages, Sucker!" will provide a significantly different experience than what you had anticipated.

[Mr. Jeeves]

The Star Trek Experience at the MGM Grand hotel is fun if you're a fan of the series.

It's at the Las Vegas Hilton, and it's not under construction (though part of the hotel is).

HitmanNY likes it, but, IMHO, Fremont Street isn't worth the trouble of visiting, especially if you haven't been to Vegas for a while. No need to waste your time in Lowlife Central.

I have a few more recommendations for you:

SHOPPING: Caesar's Forum Shops, the Venetian Grand Canal Shops, the Desert Passage Shops at the Aladdin, and the Fashion Show Mall are all outstanding and highly recommended. Any one of them could keep you busy for half a day.

SHOWS: Go and see Cirque du Soliel's "O" at Bellagio. Don't argue, just go. The other Cirque du Soliel shows "Ka" at MGM Grand and "Mystere" at Treasure Island are good, but not as good as "O". "We Will Rock You" at Paris is a great show, especially if you like the music of Queen. Lance Burton's magic show at Monte Carlo is well worth seeing. If your wife is not put off by topless shows (and she shouldn't be - in Vegas, it's just part of the costume and plenty of women are in the audiences), La Femme at MGM Grand is truly exceptional. Cirque du Soliel's "Zumanity" at New York, New York, and "Jubilee" at Bally's are also very good, "Jubilee" being kind of a throwback to the classic 50's/60's style production show.

BUFFETS AND RESTAURANTS: Aladdin, Wynn, Bellagio, Paris and Bally's all have very good ones. Avoid MGM Grand's. Other restaurants I've tried and liked are the Tilted Kilt at Rio, Ah Sin at Paris, Royal Star at the Venetian, and Wolfgang Puck's at MGM Grand.

NIGHTCLUBS: I'm not really an expert here, but rumjungle at Mandalay Bay is a lot of fun. The MIX lounge on the 64th floor of The Hotel at Mandalay Bay is worth checking out at night - the view up the Strip is superb.

ATTRACTIONS: Try to see the Stratosphere Tower observation deck, the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton, the Eiffel Tower at Paris, the lions at MGM Grand, Siegried and Roy's animals at the Mirage, the roller coaster at New York, New York, and the gondola rides at the Venetian. Go to the Palms and watch for celebrities. Avoid Circus Circus - a tacky, aging property that's too child-oriented.

LOUNGES/FREE MUSIC: Mandalay Bay has the best lounges and bars, and is the best place to just go and relax for a while after a tiring day of walking around.

You just won't have time to do everything you want to do, but as long as you are willing to walk, you should be able to at least see it all.

[Mr. Jeeves]

I'd also advise that anyone going to Vegas should dress neatly. Sport coat, slacks, and actual shoes.

Very true. The town is getting so upscale that visitors need to keep up - and dressing like just another frat-boy college loser from LA is the quickest way to get treated poorly by the staff.

[HitmanLV]

Yes, dressing a bit nicer, especially if you will be dining out, is a definite plus.

[martin_fierro]

I'd also advise that anyone going to Vegas should dress neatly. Sport coat, slacks, and actual shoes.

Great tip -- will definitely keep in mind.

[HitmanLV]

Great advice all around! I do like a short visit to Fremont, though. The lowlifes make me feel all comfy and at home! :-)

[Mr. Jeeves]

Well, I see enough of them on Market Street in San Francisco every day...don't need more when I'm on vacation!

[HitmanLV]

Fair enough! They get me nostalgic for my old hometown, though!

[dakine]

Great stuff all, thanks...bookmarked...

[bert]

Call a Las Vegas FReeper and invite them to lunch.