Planning a trip to the “Fabulous Las Vegas”, but don’t know what to do or where to go? From Vegas-style casino resorts to twisting roller coasters, posh nightclubs, and exciting magic shows, Las Vegas offers much more than just gambling and has no shortage of exciting activities for people of all ages. Find out about the top things to do in Vegas with the our VegasInsider page.

Casinos

The New York-New York Hotel & Casino features replicas of New York City’s Statue of Liberty, Grand Central Terminal, The Chrysler Building, and the Empire State Building.

The Las Vegas Strip is home to the world’s most extravagant casino hotels and resorts including Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and The Mirage. The gorgeous Venetian captures the spirit of Italy with canals, frescos, street performers, and gondolas. New York-New York Hotel & Casino includes towers resembling the Manhattan skyline. Gamblers will find all their favorite casino games available to play at these resorts including jackpots, slot machines, poker, bingo, sports betting, table games, and card games.

Want to know what to wear when placing bets at the casino. Check out our Vegas Fashion guide here.

Attractions

Although most people immediately think of gambling when it comes to Las Vegas, this city actually hosts some of the world’s best attractions and activities. Whether it’s the acrobatic masterpiece of Cirque du Soleil or the winding Big Apple roller coaster ride, Las Vegas doesn’t fail to deliver in terms of excitement.

Located right on Las Vegas Boulevard, the Big Apple Coaster offers a family-friendly attraction that will surely get your adrenaline pumping.

The fearless can check out the Big Apple Coaster and Arcade at the MGM Grand Casino and Resort which rises 203 feet in the air and drops 144 feet at speeds of 67 mph. Another option for those looking to take a ride in the fast lane is the Dream Racing Driving Experience. This thrilling activity lets participants drive a Ferrari F430 GT race car around 5 laps of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Many Las Vegas visitors take a day trip to tour nearby Grand Canyon. Located in Western Arizona, the Colorado River carved this natural wonder over millions of years into a one mile deep canyon that stretches 277 miles (445.78 km) long.

Click here to watch video footage of Grand Canyon tours from a helicopter.

Many famous American tourist attractions are within a short distance from Las Vegas, Nevada.  Tourists can take a sightseeing tour of the breathtaking Grand Canyon by helicopter, airplane, boat, Jet Ski, donkey… you name it! From the air, sightseers get a full panorama of jagged mountains, red rock canyons, and desert valleys.

Each year, Thousands of tourists visit Nevada’s Hoover Dam, a 726.4 ft (221.4 m) high and 1,244 (379 m) foot long concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River. Located 30 miles outside of Las Vegas, tourists can access the Hoover Dam by bus. The Area 51 military base offers visitors a tour of an alleged UFO crash site. Tourists can also explore the surrounding desert terrain by horseback, hikes, SUV, or go off road with ATV vehicles.

Las Vegas also contains some unique museums and exhibits. Owned by the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, the Shark Reef Aquarium contains one of the world’s largest shark tanks and includes different species of sharks, rays, fish, reptiles, and marine invertebrates. Sin City’s unusual museums include an erotic heritage museum as well as one dedicated to atomic testing. In addition, the Neon Museum showcases extraordinary architecture and historical “neon” signs. Meanwhile, the Mob Museum gives an inside peak to the world of organized crime.

 Entertainment

Britney Spears wears an elaborate angel costume during her “Piece of Me” show at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

When it comes to entertainment, no other city in the world can compare to Vegas. From top musicians to intriguing illusionists, Las Vegas showcases some of the biggest names in all areas of entertainment. Many come to see the Cirque du Soleil show, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment". Other popular choices in entertainment include plays, musicals, magic shows, stand-up comedy, variety shows, impersonators, hypnosis, sporting events, dance performances, and well, just about anything within with the realms of your imagination.

Get the inside scoop on Britney Spears’ lavish welcome party in Vegas.

Big name musicians often take up long-term residencies at Las Vegas casinos. In December 2013, Pop princess, Britney Spears kicked off her 2 year residency at the Planet Hollywood Casino and Resort. During the 90 minute show titled “Piece of Me”, Spears performs all of her top hits accompanied by backup dancers, extravagant costumes, elaborate sets, flying acrobats, and a live band. Other notable past and present resident performers include Elvis Presley, Celine Dion, Sammy Davis Jr., Elton John, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Boyz II Men.

Read more about Beacher’s Madhouse, a popular variety show that just returned to Las Vegas. 

Night Life

The 10,000 square feet TAO Nightclub and Asian Bistro often attracts world class DJs and celebrities like Madonna, Usher, Jay-Z, and Rihanna.

Night clubs, strip clubs, gay bars, music venues… you name it, Vegas has it. Las Vegas offers parties galore ranging from chic VIP hotspots to more relaxed venues. World-renowned musicians and DJs throw concerts and shows around the strip. Party-goers can also enjoy party bus and club crawl tours that include VIP Club Crawls, Ladies bus tours, or Boys Night Out. The Vegas Rock Star VIP nightclub tours three clubs on a party bus which includes a complimentary bar on board.

Sin City has plenty of places perfect for a night out. Some of the hottest locales include:

  • Surrender Nightclub at Encore
  • TAO Nightclub at the Venetian
  • Pure Nightclub at Caesars Palace
  • XS Nightclub at Encore
  • Marquee Nightclub at Wynn
  • HAZE Nightclub at Aria
  • Moon Nightclub at Palms

Click here to find out more about Las Vegas “Mega Clubs” that span the size of football fields.

Shopping

Need a place to spend all of your casino winnings? The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace has 160 luxury boutiques selling designer brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Versace, and Louis Vuitton. Those sniffing for a sale should check out the premium outlets located in both the north and south sections of the city. Other popular shopping destinations include the Fashion Show Mall and the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood where shoppers can find stores like H&M and Nike. Those looking for specialty stores will find lots of cute boutiques, antique shops, art galleries, or places to go souvenir shopping.

Dining

From fine dining to more affordable eateries, Las Vegas has hundreds of excellent restaurants. Choose from a selection of some of the best including the popular steakhouse, Smith & Wollensky. Celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsey, Joel Robuchon, and Wolfgang Puck all have restaurants in Vegas. Other options make the perfect night out for drinks and food at a brew pub or Irish bar.

LAS VEGAS TIPS As you can see, there are many things one must do in Vegas. Perhaps the hardest part is choosing among the many exciting options. What should you add to your Top Things To Do In Vegas Must Do List? We got in touch with leading Vegas travel blogger, Mark's Las Vegas, to get his top 3 "Must Do" activities in Vegas. Mark responded with 3 excellent suggestions to help create the perfect Vegas vacay:

 

 

Known as the Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas offers many things to do, even outside of gambling. In between placing bets and winning big at the casino, tourists can enjoy attractions such as acrobat shows, hiking excursions, roller coaster rides, romantic dinners, skydiving (for the especially brave), and much more.