I’m not saying don’t put a bet on when you go to Vegas, placing a bet on the strip is kind of a mandatory Las Vegas experience. However, I think you should nominate an amount you are prepared to lose, head into your favourite casino, have fun until it is gone, and then get off the gambling floor and experience some of these other amazing things Vegas has to offer.
Where to Stay in Las Vegas
First things first, you need to decide where to base yourself. If gambling is not high on your agenda, then I suggest not staying in a casino! After much indecision, we eventually decided to stay in a hotel just off the strip. Close enough to all the action but not too close! In my research for a hotel, I found some of the hotels on the strip have lots of hidden fees. Be careful and do your research! We settled on The Hilton Grand Vacations Club Elara Centre Strip (be careful when ordering taxis or Ubers as there are about 3 or 4 Hilton hotels in Las Vegas – make sure you specify which one you are in.
The hotel is above the Miracle Mile shops, very handy for grabbing a meal, easy access to the Strip with good security. The room was very spacious, with block-out curtains…. which I discovered is essential, if you are staying anywhere near the Strip.
Ok so now you have dropped off the suitcase, let’s get started on the Top 10 unique Las Vegas experiences that you can’t do anywhere else!
1. Walk the Strip
Put aside more time than you think you will need to walk the strip – it is longer than you think! Take into consideration that you will need to be crossing roads, using overpasses etc and it all takes time. The Strip itself is approximately 6 and a half kilometers long, and if you are like me, you will want to look at all the iconic Las Vegas Casinos. In the end we just picked our top 4 or 5 and looked in the foyer of those. I loved the Venetian, Excalibur and Caesars Palace, so kitsch and so very Vegas!
There is a bus that runs up and down the strip that can save your legs a little, and it is good option to take you down to the heart of the original Las Vegas, Fremont Street.
2. Explore Fremont Street
Exploring the Fremont Street district is one of the top unique Las Vegas experiences that I highly recommend you do. Located in downtown Las Vegas, this is the original Vegas! Home to the city’s most iconic casinos, bars and restaurants, many with historical significance, Fremont Street is vibrant with old school charm.
The Fremont Street Experience is a pedestrian only, canopy covered area, covering a couple of blocks, with dazzling light shows displayed above, as well as zip-lining, if that is your thing. My highlights from Fremont Street were; seeing THE golden nugget in The Golden Nugget casino, fantasizing about winning the big one by getting photographed with $1 million cash in Binion’s Casino, enjoying an enormous wine in a revolving bar while people watching below, choosing a vintage Vegas casino to lose our allocated betting pool at, and just soaking up the craziness of the whole place.
3. Have a Drink at a classic Las Vegas Bar
Whether you’re seated in a saddle or at a revolving bar overlooking the craziness below, having a drink in a bar on Fremont Street is a unique Las Vegas experience you will not soon forget! Our watering hole of choice was the Whiskey Licker Up Saloon, just because we loved the name! To say the drinks were generous would be an understatement and listening to conversations around the revolving bar as the clientele became more and more ‘liquored up’ was very entertaining!
4. Visit the Mob Museum
The Mob Museum was a complete surprise to me, and a unique Las Vegas experience I would highly recommend. Located in downtown Las Vegas close to Fremont Street, is the officially titled, National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. It is housed in an historic courthouse building and explores the history of organized crime in the United States, with a particular focus on Las Vegas’ mob ties in the early days.
The museum features interactive displays and exhibits that take visitors through the origins of the mob, the Prohibition era, infamous mobsters such as Al Capone and the law enforcement efforts to combat them. Highlights for me were seeing the St Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall (it’s the actual wall with the bullet holes), getting my mugshot taken and exploring The Underground – a speakeasy style bar in the museum’s basement offering prohibition era cocktails!
5. Visit the Neon Boneyard
While down that end of town, I highly recommend seeing the Neon Boneyard (best viewed at night). The Boneyard is part of The Neon Museum and displays signs from old famous casinos and hotels, many of which have now been demolished. Each sign tells a story of Las Vegas’ rich history. With over 200 historic signs, the museum gives you a glimpse into what Vegas was like when the Brat Pack and Elvis were regulars there.
Make sure you book on a guided tour, which is fast paced but gets you through the museum in a timely manner, gives you commentary about the history of particular signs and still provides enough time to get some photos.
6. See a Cheesy Las Vegas Show
It had to be done! I am of the firm belief that you cannot go to Las Vegas without experiencing a cheesy Vegas Show. I don’t think anything says cheese better than a Las Vegas magic show. David Copperfield is a Las Vegas institution; he even has his own theatre built and named just for him at the MGM Grand. So, when deciding on a unique Las Vegas experience with cheese, the choice was easy!
The purpose-built theatre ensured that the show was very much a theatrical experience. With objects suspending and hovering from the ceiling, and David’s timeless illusions accompanied by a well-rehearsed script, the show was one that I will remember with fondness. Was it worth the ticket price? Well, that depends on where you place your value. I would much rather throw money away to David Copperfield than to a Poker table 😁
7. See a Show at The Sphere
We were only in Las Vegas for 3 days, as a side trip between our stay in Los Angeles and New York. Therefore, we were quite limited in our availability to see a show at the very new and very big, bright Las Vegas landmark, The Sphere. Visible from just about everywhere in Vegas, this state-of-the-art Globe, that opened in 2023, is covered in over 1.2 million LED lights and frequently displays stunning visuals that can be seen for miles!
Inside, the Sphere offers a sensory 360-degree visual experience, for concerts, live performances and immersive shows. Unfortunately, timing was not on our side and our dates didn’t align with a U2 concert being performed there. All that was on offer was a 3D Earth documentary, which would have been amazing to see, but we opted for our cheesy magic show instead! If you have been inside, I would love to hear about your experience.
8.The Ultimate Las Vegas Experience – a Chopper Ride over The Grand Canyon!
Flying over and landing in the Grand Canyon, followed by flying down the Vegas Strip at night, would have to be a bucket-list, ultimate unique Las Vegas experience. It is one that will stay in my memory forever. We flew with Maverick Helicopters out of the Las Vegas airport. The pilot had a well curated music playlist that added fun to the adventure, as we took off and flew over Hoover Dam and into the vast Grand Canyon.
We landed in the canyon for sunset drinks and photo opportunities, before taking off again. There were four guests in each chopper and as we had landed, it gave an opportunity to rotate seating, so everyone got to experience the front seat.
We landed again for refueling and the opportunity to see Joshua Trees up close – not THE Joshua Tree, I believe it is located elsewhere. We took off again as night was falling, perfectly timed to fly over the Las Vegas Strip in all its twinkling dazzling glory, before landing back at Las Vegas airport.
9. Watch the Bellagio Fountain Show
Located in front of the luxurious Bellagio Hotel and Casino, on the Strip, are the iconic Bellagio fountains. Consisting of over 1200 water jets, the fountains shoot water in the air perfectly timed with a selection of ‘oh so very Vegas’ music. Find a good viewing spot, we found ours directly across the road at an outdoor bar, and enjoy the free show! No better way to view this unique Las Vegas experience than with a glass of bubbles in hand!
10. View the Bellagio Seasonal Atrium Display
Last but not least, if you head into only one casino, let it be Bellagio. If only to see their seasonal display in the Atrium. We were there a week before Christmas and so the Atrium was transformed into a winter wonderland with The Nutcracker as the theme. I have a few ballerinas in my family, so seeing this was a real treat.
The classical ballet was brought to life with thousands of fresh flowers and holiday decorations. The display featured larger-than-life characters from the ballet including Clara, the Nutcracker Prince and the Mouse King all crafted with a variety of botanicals and accompanied by a selection of music from The Nutcracker Suite. It was beautiful!
I was surprised how much I actually liked Las Vegas. I am not big on gambling, and didn’t think the city had much else to offer. However, after our short stay, and thoroughly enjoying all these unique Las Vegas experiences, I will humbly say, I was wrong about Vegas, it is a fun and interesting destination full of history and charm.
From Las Vegas, we continued our epic USA adventure, by heading to the Big Apple to experience a magical Christmas in New York! A post about our New York Christmas is coming to the blog soon. Be sure to subscribe, and I’ll let you know when it has been published.
