HELP! Going to Vegas!

[tlgoblue]

OK Guys, here it is. My most wonderful, thoughtful, considerate, fun, loving, sexy, (you get the picture) DH, has announced to me over Margaritas, that he is taking me, (only me. No kids) to LV for my birthday! Yeah! ( I'll be celebrating my 39th for the first time. ) Here's the problem. We don't gamble. So...what else does one do in Vegas when they don't gamble? Well, we'll definately see some shows, but chances are, we'll be EATING!!!

So, I really need to stay on track 'til then (mid June), and was wondering if anyone had suggestions about other activities to keep us out of the food venues. Thanks for the help!

Keep the Faith!
Tracy

 

[Luvinit]

The Shopping in Vegas is GREAT!!!..if you can drag DH along. You can spend 2 days between the Belligio and Caesar's, and the Aladdin. There really is ALOT to see and do...the hotels are magnificent!!. I spent my honeymoon there...and didn't gamble one bit...I was only 19...and that was 13 years ago..before all the really cool stuff went up!!!

PS...If you go to the Rio...they have the most awesome Wicked salad in the whole world..its loaded with fruits...and its to die for!!!


Have fun

Tracy

 

[Bichon Barb]

Oh mannnnn you lucky dog! DH and I had a business trip in LV a few years ago. I thought "Geez, a few days alone without kids, and this meeting has to be is Las Vegas? I don't even gamble!" Well guess what? You couldn't pull me away from those nickle and quarter slot machines .

Anyway, enjoy the pool. Make sure you walk down the main drag and go into all the fancy hotels (Venetian, Mirage, Bellagio, etc.) There is lots to do.

Rob and I called it our "FoodTV trip". We ate at Emeril's restaurant which, I believe, is in MGM. He has lots of low carb stuff. Another night we ate at the restaurant owned by the Two Hot Tamales ladies. Lots of low fat choices there. Everything was great -- just expensive!

Another think Vegas is famous for is buffets. How about a seafood buffet? I know that would be good for the WW plan.

Have a great time.

 

[TigH]

Woo-hoo! That is an AWESOME birthday present (sniff sniff, I want a margarita! )

Well, you can go DANCING and shopping and DANCING and swimming and hang out at the pool and read a book and go DANCING and exploring. You can walk THROUGH the casinos and tour all the different hotels and then GO DANCING!!!!

So bring your comfy dancing shoes. Even if DH doesn't like to dance, he can hold the bar up while you go out and shake your groove thang! If only I was joining you.... *sigh*

 

[BedKnobbery2]

There is SO MUCH non-gambling stuff to do in Vegas, its crazy!! You could spend a week there and never gamble a dime, and be busy from morning to night every day. Several casinos have theme-park type rides or attractions--the casinos themselves are attractions, you simply MUST walk through the Venetian and take a gondola ride...and several casinos have free shows right out front, Treasure Island has a Pirate show, the Bellagio has these amazing water fountain shows....trust me, you will NOT be bored!!! I'm going in July and I can hardly wait!!!

BK

 

[Dodie]

Heck. You can spend hours and days just visiting each of the different hotels/casinos and walking through looking at the architecture and theming.

Don't let the fact that you "don't gamble" stop you from finding those nickel slot machines (usually tucked back in the back somewhere). You can play a LONG time on a $2 roll of nickels!

 

[Kitty 34]

We're going mid June, too but we're taking the teens with us!! They wanted to try Vegas versus Disney!


Hope you have a great birthday trip!!!

 

[tlgoblue]

BK,
Thanks for the reminder about the Venitian! Unfortuantely, the other suggestions are nighttime shows, (I have been there before, but it was such a whirlwind trip, that I'm certain I missed a ton of stuff!) and we pretty much have our evenings booked. The TI show we intend to get an early seat at the bar so as not to fight the crowds. Hope that works. I'll probably just drink my dinner that night!

Kitty,
We took the kids with us 18mos. ago and they loved it. They are really disappointed! HEE! HEE! HEE! Mine were 8 and 11 at the time.

TigH,
Dancing! I have that little black number hanging on my closet door for inspiration! And no, DH isn't a dancer, but can be pursueded into just about anything if properly motivated.


Thanks for the input!
Keep it comming. I know there's lots to do besides gamble and eat. Hey, how 'bout those creeps in front of the casinos passing out "escort" cards to the gentlemen? Maybe we could collect them! Parents beware!

Tracy

 

[Jeafl]

The Treasure Island free show is either closed down, or soon will be. They are remodeling it to make it more adult friendly (in other words, they are adding skimpily clad women).

My DH is in accounting/finance so he HATES gambling--figures it is a bad investment . We always find tons to do there. Last time we spent 5 days just visiting the other casinos/hotels on the strip and the malls at the Aladdin, Caesars and the Venetian.

Our favorite restaurant was Emeril's New Orleans Fish House which was in the MGM Grand. EXCELLENT food and the best service I have ever had in my life--we felt like royalty!

For very good food with a spectacular view of the Bellagio fountain show, try Olives at Bellagio (the service there was a bit snobby, but the view was worth it).

Kokomos at the Mirage was excellent as well.

The breakfast buffet at Paris is very good. The made to order fruit crepes are to die for! The most romantic restaurant was definitely the Eiffel Tower restaurant with an awesome view of the strip.

The best advice I can give you is BRING COMFORTABLE WALKING SHOES!!! You will walk more than you ever have in your life, including WDW.

We're going at the end of July, when are you going?

 

[perfectmatch300]

WALKING!!!!

Be prepared to do a lot of it! We made 2 trips to Vegas last year & walked our feet off. There are also some great pools in Vegas, & a lot of the resorts have great spas.
My best hint would be to avoid the buffets. While they are good for me they tend to lead to over eating because I want to try everything. We ate a lot in coffee shops, had great food for reasonable prices, & didn't overdo it. There's also a lot of really nice restaurants to enjoy.
Neither DH or I are gamblers, but we found plenty to keep us busy. It's a really romantic place. Be sure to see the fountains at Bellagio, & have a great time.

 

[ripleysmom]

Take a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon. It is definitely a must-see once in your life.

 

[bekkiz]

I wasn't voted "most likely to pick a great restaurant" for nothing!

We love to try restaturants, here were out favorites:

Top-notch was Delmonico's (Venetian) Emeril's steakhouse. It was AWESOME!!!

My fiance loves, loves, loves Boarder Grill (Mandalay) It's better (and cheaper) at lunch, but a must do for us

Bellagio Buffet: Also awesome, and cheaper at lunch

Paris Buffet: Great Breakfast

Aurole (Mandalay): Not cheap, but if you like wine, it's a must do. The food is very good

Spago (Ceasars) is always a good bet

Grand Luxe (Venetian) Slight more upscale Sister of the cheesecake facotry. Huge portions, not to expensive. I think it's open 24 hours

 

[Carl]

Take one of the side trips to Red Rock Canyon, Grand Canyon or one of the other ones. Beautiful scenery.

 

[adamak]

http://www.unlv.edu/Tourism/lvbuff.html

Check this out. All you ever need to know about all the LV restaurants and their reviews.

I'm going in June too! So, don't win all the money when you're there.

 

[Gary M]

tlgoblue I sent you a pm that you want to look at.

Gary M

 

[Minnie824]

Go see a lot of shows! Both Cirque du Soleil shows are excellent! As for eating...theres a restaurant called Dive that is in the Fashion Show Mall next to Treasure Island. They have awesome food (and drinks!!). Bellagio buffet is really good too. Have fun!

 

[lynniepooh]

You can take a raft trip (calm water) down the Colorado River. They put in right below Hoover Dam...what an awesome sight! It takes several hours and is a wonderful leisurely trip.

 

[tlgoblue]

Thanks Guys! I would love to do the river stuff, and maybe a foot trip over the Dam. Anything to keep me away from the yummy stuff! Last time I was there was only for one day, so there wasn't much time to get into trouble at the restaurants. Now were going for 5 days, and that is a long time to hold out. I appreciate the help.

Tracy

 

[Fire14]

I leave in a week and I'm going to the Disney Store!!!! Oh and I'm going to see carzilla, world of coke cola, world of M+m's. Let's just say I don't like the casinos but want to see Vegas.

 

[LuvTigger]

I go to Vegas at least once a year since BFs dad lives there, and I still haven't seen everything I would like to! They keep putting up all these great hotels and attractions!

You can also drive up to Mt. Charleston (if you have a car), it's very pretty there. We did a little bit of exploring there and Red Rock Canyon. I've heard the Valley of Fire is beautiful too, though I've never been. If you like the water, you can also rent a boat and/or jet skis on Lake Mead.

At the Mirage, they also have a dolphin tour and Gardens of Siegfried and Roy (I think that's what it's called) with tigers, lions, elephants, etc. I did it years ago, I think it was about $10. We are animal lovers, so we enjoyed it.

If you like rides, you'll be able to find them. In Caesar's Forum, there's a "Race to Atlantis" simulator 3D ride, a rollercoaster at New York New York, a rollercoaster and freefall ride on top of the Stratosphere, a Star Trek Adventure at the Hilton (never been to that one though), and I'm sure I'm missing other things too. There's also a monorail between MGM and Bally's if you want to give your feet a rest.

If you have a car, you can also drive out to Primm on the NV/CA stateline, about a 45 minute drive. There's an outlet mall and a rollercoaster called the Desperado at Buffalo Bills, which is HUGE.

Many, many things to do, you'll have a great time!