Traveling Adventures

There are many fabulous things to do besides gambling in Las Vegas.  Whether it be a show or shopping, you can always find something to do if you look for it.
The hotels are the best attractions in Las Vegas.  Hotel hopping can take the better part of a week to see them all.  That is just a simple walk through from one side to the other.  Plan on at least a day in your favorite ones just to see all the sites.  But be forewarned, some that look small on the outside are huge when you get in the door.
Shark Reef at Mandelay Bay Hotel will take about one to hours to visit.  Here you will see all kinds of sea life and reptiles.  They have everything from crocodiles, pirahna, jellyfish, sharks and even some baby rays you can touch.  They also have an underwater tunnel you can walk through to see the sharks and other fish swimming above you.
Star Trek:  The Experience and Borg Invasion 4-D is definitely worth a visit if you are a hard core Trekker.  You may even run into some Klingons, Borg, or an Andorian.  They have a behind the scenes tour where you can see a bridge used in the television series “The Next Generation.”  They also have you “beam” from a cargo bay onto the bridge.  The tour also includes viewing of some of the paraphernalia, props and clothes used in the series.
The Stratosphere Thrill Rides are not for the faint of heart.  They are located up on the 109th floor of the hotel.  They have the High Roller, a roller coaster, The Big Shot, a free fall ride, and the X-Scream, which is a dangling teeter totter that suspends you off the side of the building.

For the best shopping experience, your best bet is to start out at the Forum Shoppes at Caesar’s Palace.  It is a huge shopping mall covering three floors at one end of the hotel.  They have every kind of shop you can think of plus a few more.  You can go from Houdini’s, a magic shop, to Gucci for clothes.  They have a Planet Hollywood inside and several other chain restaurants.  There are also some living statues that come to life every hour to tell about a Roman myth.  They have seats so if you are tired from shopping, you can rest a while.
Next up is the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian.  Head to the second floor and take in all the amazing scenery.  The second floor is made to look like outside in Venice complete with gondola rides.  High and medium-end brand names are found here as well some expensive trinket shops.  There is everything from Banana Republic to Ann Taylor.
Fashion Show Mall which is almost right across the street from the new Wynn Las Vegas Hotel is a much more fitting Vegas type of mall.  It holds 250 shops, restaurants, and service stores.  They have valet parking and will even offer to hand wash your car while you are having fun shopping.  Some of the stores in this mall include Sak’s, Nordstrom’s, Macy’s, and other high-end retailers.  You can’t miss the place either, it has a huge circular object on top of it that looks very much like an UFO.
Boulevard Mall was the largest around until Fashion Show Mall came along.  With its 144+ stores, it took up 1.2 million square feet.  It has several anchor stores likes Sears and JC Penney as well as Dillard’s and Marshall’s.  You can find almost anything you are looking for at reasonable prices.  It it a medium-end mall and has several eateries you can eat and take a few minutes to rest.

The two most identified area of Las Vegas are the Strip and Downtown.  The strip is the most famous four mile road in the US.  Most first time visitors will spend most of their time on the Strip getting to know the way it works.  It has the most top hotels of any other road in the US.

The South strip is that portion of the Strip that has the MGM Grand, Mandelay Bay, Luxor, and Monte Carlo.  Don’t overlook the New York New York with its Manhattan skyline.
The Mid strip has Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, The Mirage and Treasure Island.  There is also the Venetian and the Wynn Hotel.
The North Strip has Circus Circus, the Stratosphere, and the Sahara.
The East Strip has grown up around the Convention Center and Las Vegas is a top convention center.  The major hotel located here is the Las Vegas Hilton and the Hard Rock Hotel is becoming a major hotel.
Between the Strip and Downtown, there is a bunch of wedding chapels, pawnshops, and cheap motels.  The area is called the Gateway District.  It is making a name for itself as an artist retreat.  Other signs of life are sprouting up such as coffee shops and small cafes.
Downtown is also known as Glitter Gulch. The neon lights become brighter down here because of the narrow streets.  This area is a lot more casual than the Strip itself.  The people are more friendly and it is not as snobby a place either.  With the start of the Fremont Street Experience, the downtown area has been coming out of the ditches.  Don’t overlook this area, you may be surprised at what you can find down here.  It is a little distance from the strip, but it might make the difference in your trip.

Barring any of the national chain hotels, there are several hotels on the strip to stay at during your visit.  This will also allow you the convenience of not having to rent a car and being able to ride the buses or trolleys down to the next hotel you want to visit.
The Circus Circus is a great place to stay especially if you brought the kids.  This hotel has a lot to offer such as the circus acts and the Adventuredome and Midway.  The Adventuredome is located on the second floor and is an amusement park filled with all kinds of rides, a mini golf game, and its own roller coaster.  The midway also located on the second floor has dozens of video games and simulators.  Both of these attractions are for kids and adults.  There is a wedding chapel on the third floor and the circus acts perform right over the casino floors.  So if you are waiting on the kids from the park, you can watch these acts as you play the slots or blackjack.  Rooms at this hotel run $59 a night.
The Orleans is about two blocks off the strip and has nothing around it.  However, it does have its own food court, day care center, bowling alley, and 12 screen movie theater.  It also has a brand new 9,000 seat ice rink for minor hockey games.  They have a shuttle that runs back and forth to the strip every fifteen minutes.  The rooms are nice and have that New Orleans French feel to them.  They are supposed to representative of a warm Victorian parlor.  Rooms run $39 a night.
The Fremont Hotel in 1956 and Wayne Newton got his start here.  Right outside the front door is the Fremont Street Experience.  The only bad thing is if you go to bed before midnight, you will hear the sounds and noise of the Fremont Street Experience.  This hotel has a breakfast buffet and RV park.  Rooms here run around 35 a night.

In 1997, the New York New York opened and led a new challenge in for others to keep up with them.  Nobody did for almost eighteen months.  You can tell the hotel by the 150 foot Statue of Liberty   in front of it.  You can also see a bit of the Manhattan skyline – The Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building.  To top it off, it has a huge roller coaster built around it as well.  Inside, you can enter the casino through the Brooklyn Bridge, and you will end up in Greenwich Village afterwards.  The main casino and gambling areas are done up to look like Central Park.
Caesars Palace was opened in 1966.  It was built to showcase Roman History.  The Coliseum, the baths, the staff dressed in gladiator outfits all serve to remind us what this hotel is about.  It has four towers of rooms that have wall to floor windows with the most breath-taking views you will ever find.  The Forum Shops occupy three floors and has stores for every taste and interest.  From a Houdini magic shop to FAO Schwarz’s toy store, you can find a wide variety of shopping available.