There’s no doubt that Las Vegas is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. The city was once considered a playground for adults-only, with a narrow scope of activities. It has grown into an entertainment wonderland complete with so many activities, attractions, and events that visitors of all ages are able to create the ideal custom vacation experience. Everything from touring the Hoover Dam to a roller coaster ride on the top of a highrise building is right at your fingertips, and it's all in the Entertainment Capital of the World.
Museums
The Discovery Children's Museum is a three-story tall, 58,000 square foot facility, located in downtown Las Vegas. It's a vibrant and interactive learning center that was founded to inspire young people to learn. The museum has a variety of featured exhibits covering different themes including sustainability, inventors, water, and more. The museum also offers classes and programs that dig deep into topics showcased by the exhibits. The museum is ideal for families and groups, and it's not far from many downtown restaurants and activities.
The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, also known as The Mob Museum, is the perfect attraction for any history buff. The museum showcases the full story of organized crime and law enforcement in Las Vegas and America through a series of period specific exhibits, artifacts, and first-hand accounts. One popular exhibit (Hollywood and the Mob) shows how crime and law enforcement influenced popular movies and television shows. If you’re interested in learning more about major crimes from the past century, 100 Years of Made Men will be perfect for you.
The Neon Museum was founded in 1996 to showcase and preserve old signs from various Las Vegas establishments. The La Concha Visitor’s Center is a newly refurbished building, originally designed in the 1960’s, that contains educational and research facilities. The Neon Boneyard is an outdoor gallery that holds a majority of the museum’s signs. Guided tours are the only way to explore the boneyard, and you can catch them periodically throughout the day.
Theme Parks and Rides
The Big Apple Arcade is a carnival-inspired arcade/amusement park located above the casino floor in the New York-New York Hotel and Casino. It contains hundreds of new and vintage video games, a roller coaster that wraps around the outside of the casino, and hands-on games like laser tag and free throw shooting. The arcade is open Monday through Saturday and offers a variety of ticket packages for individuals and families.
The Adventuredome Theme Park is located at the Circus Circus Casino. It’s the ideal location for families with a variety of rides including roller coasters, bumper cars, pirate ships, and more. Patrons will find a variety of fun and activities such as laser tag, rock climbing, mini golf, carnival games, and video games. No trip to the park would be complete without taking a trip on one of the premium rides like the Pacific Rim Motion Movie Experience, which incorporates videos and other stimuli into the ride experience. There are even a series of rides and games for younger children like Frog Hopper and Miner Mike.
The Stratosphere Hotel contains the most adventurous and extreme rides in the entire city. The rides are located on the roof of the hotel, which is 829 feet above the strip. Sky Jump is the World’s Highest Controlled Decelerator Descent, which means you drop from the top of the building in a special harness that lets you fall at speeds up to 40 MPH until you slow and land safely. Big Shot is a catapult style ride that takes passengers on a 160-foot trip up a tower, that reaches a total height of almost 1,100 feet. The rides are for the brave of heart, but also present visitors with unmatched views of the city.
Locations of Interest
The 18b Arts District is an 18-block zone of downtown Las Vegas set aside to encourage the creation of art and to motivate artisans to move to the city. It’s filled with a variety of unique areas including antique shops, clothing stores, bistros, art galleries, and more. The Arts Factory is located in the heart of the ever-growing district and is the ideal place for visitors to experience new art coming out of the community. An art walk is held the first Friday of each month that can attract up to 30,000 people. It’s the ideal time to explore the area’s unique stores, galleries, and restaurants.
Red Rock Canyon is the perfect place for a break from all the hustle-and-bustle of The Strip. It was the first National Conservation Area in Nevada, and is located about 15 miles west of downtown. The Canyon contains a cross section of the wildlife, vegetation, and rock formations found in the Mojave Desert. Visitors can tour the park via automobile on a 13-mile trail that highlights the most beautiful sections of the park. The park is also ideal for mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, photography, and more.
Hoover Dam is one of the most recognizable man-made objects on the planet and it's located 36 miles southeast of The Strip. The impressive structure took five years to build and towers 726 feet above the Colorado River Valley. It was constructed to tame the Colorado River and to provide power to people in the region. Tours bring guests deep into the dam’s inner workings and end with panoramic views of the area from the top of the structure. The Dam has a visitors center that filled with maps, photographs, and displays.