Vegas trip... a little overwhelmed

[sam_gordon]

DW and I are making our first "vacation" trip to LV. I've been 3(?) times for work, but this will be the first time it's all vacation.

Staying with my aunt, who has health issues (she insists, believe me). She has said she'll join us on some tourist things, but not all.

Now to figure out what to do. We arrive about Noon on a Saturday in April, and leave at 10P the following Friday night. So we have ~ 6 1/2 days. We will have a rental car.

We'll probably definitely do a tour of Hoover Dam & Grand Canyon. Still need to decide if full day, half day, include something else(?).

I'm sure we'll do a show or three, but don't know which ones (this is REALLY overwhelming). The only one it WON'T be is Blue Man Group since we've seen them elsewhere.
I'm sure we'll do Freemont Street Experience and walk the strip/Bellagio Fountains.

DW is not very adventurous.

Any thoughts/suggestions on what to do/avoid?

TIA.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Drive east and stay in Springdale, Utah and visit Zion National Park. April would be a great time of year and the scenery is amazing.

 

[soccerdad72]

One of my favorite (non casino) things to do in the area is Red Rock Canyon. We did an eBike tour with our boys a few years back and it was a lot of fun. A few years later, my older son and I went back out there to do more hiking / climbing. Nothing overly adventurous, though.

 

[Skippy918]

Definitely see some of the cirque du soleil shows. O is great!

 

[Kae]

Mob Muesum, and down the stret is Triple George great cocktails and food.

 

[Shellsbutt]

Last time I went was 2016 with my husband, so not sure if these are still there-Mob museum and Pinball hall of fame museum. Those were a lot of fun! My son and daughter in law went last month and enjoyed the Museum of Illusions.

 

[Kae]

Hemenway Valley Park​

 

[kdonnel]

We have done some great day trips out of Las Vegas and also some great split trips.

For the day trips we did Death Valley(Went back a second time as a split trip), Red Rock Canyon, and Grand Canyon West.

If you are willing to do an overnight trip, Antelope Canyon and Zion can be done with a single overnight away from Las Vegas and are well worth it in my opinion.

As for shows I am a big fan of the variety shows. Absinth is the king of them but I actually enjoyed Atomic Saloon Show more. On the cheaper side is V - The Ultimate Variety Show which is also great. Mad Apple is a cirque/variety show that we also enjoy.

On the magic side I really enjoyed Sin Lim at the Venetian. I am still not sure how at the end of the show I watched him performing on stage, yet he ended up in the seat directly in front of me. Or how the group card trick worked.

During the day we like to leave the strip. Since you have a car you can go to the Seven Magic Mountains and take a drive up Mt Charleston.

If your wife is not very adventurous, you might want to avoid Freemont street on the weekends late at night. It can get a little rowdy. During the day or early evening (before 11pm) on a weeknight is much calmer.

Another great activity for both daytime and night time is the Neon Museum. In April it should still be cool enough to enjoy a daytime visit but the night time visit with the Brilliant Jackpot show is the best experience.

I think you are close in age to me, so you might enjoy some time at the Pinball Hall of Fame. A very short drive down from Mandalay Bay and my wife and I can easily kill a couple hours here for $10.

I have yet to go but the Mob Museum gets great reviews.

The Sphere is an amazing experience if there is a concert going on you are interested in or you want to see their version of The Wizard of Oz.

You didn't mention food but my wife and I enjoy the views from the rooftop of Brew Dog, and from The Top of the World rotating restaurant at The Strat. Time your visit there to start just before sunset and you can get views of the strip before and after dark.

The same advice holds for The High Roller wheel. There are advantages to riding it during the day and night. In the past they sold a ticket that was good for one ride at each time.

I know you have sailed with Royal Caribbean before. Not sure if you have enough status to matter but if you do you can status match to MGM Gold and get free self and valet parking.

April is a great time to be going! Should be warm enough for the pool during the day and likely warm enough at night that you only need a light jacket or no jacket at all.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I'm sure we'll do a show or three, but don't know which ones

Definitely see some of the cirque du soleil shows. O is great!

The Cirque shows are fabulous. If you attend a Cirque show, don't get the highest price tickets. Too close to the stage. Typically the second highest priced seating is the best seating at Cirque shows.

 

[TwoMisfits]

See a Cirque show (or two).
If you like museums, the Mob Museum and the Atomic Museum are fun (and very on point for Las Vegas).
Since you have a car, go to The Black Sheep for apps/drinks/desserts one night. Top Chef Jaime owns it and often cooks there (I got a pic with her when we went) - very good value and amazing creative food for Vegas.
I also loved China Poblano by Jose Andres for another great value, great foodie meal.
Another fun side trip (other than Hoover Dam, which yes, go), was the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden (you can do this when you go to Black Sheep) - amazing and free botanical garden of all the plant life in the area...plus chocolates.

 

[_19disnA]

Good to have a car to get around Vegas, virtually all of the casinos are too far apart to be convenient for walking and by driving you can avoid the various dubious/pushy individuals peddling adult literature or selling drugs. There are some trams/monorails linking a few of the casinos, so check out the various online maps to decide what works best for the places you intend to visit. Frankly, I would NEVER go back to Fremont street (day or night). We were there a couple of years ago during the day with friends who thought it would be fun to see. There is very limited metered parking in that area and you have to navigate past all of the homeless/sketchy people laying around begging for money. All of the casinos are tiny compared to the major ones nearer the airport. Doubt you would miss anything by not going there.

My impression is that many in Vegas are up late and then sleep in the next day, so during the day casinos tend to be less crowded. Driving the Strip during the day is no problem, since it tends to be less crowded. However, in the evening it gets to be like a big parking lot with wall-to-wall traffic that barely moves. Choose one casino where you want to spend the evening to avoid large/slow-moving traffic jams. The freeway that runs parallel to the Strip is a good way to exit IF you know the right exits to take. Many of the local street do NOT connect or you end up on some dead-end street that goes nowhere. Good to have GPS to help you navigate where you are going.

I would choose a show based on something within your price range and of a subject of interest. Some care for the shows with nudity, while others do not. Shows tend to be pricey in Vegas since I assume there are more people willing to spend top dollar compared to other cities.

Every casino has a number of restaurants from casual to fine dining with prices to match. Choose those also based on your food interests and budget.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

by driving you can avoid the various dubious/pushy individuals peddling adult literature or selling drugs.

It has been a long time since that was an issue. In 2009 when I went there yes you saw that especially the cards given out for escorts. By 2017 which was the next time I went no and the subsequent travels since then no.

You will however see homeless persons as unfortunately that is the reality there.

Driving the Strip during the day is no problem, since it tends to be less crowded.

It can still be full of cars and traffic most especially if there are any construction going on at any parts of the Strip. Driving on the Strip is normally not recommended if you can help it if you're not used to the area. The OP would need to pay close attention to parking garages as very few of them are free anymore. You can drive from casino to casino but you can also pay a lot of money in parking fees just to do so. We often find ourselves in Bellagio parking garage because it's location is around halfway in, it still requires driving on the Strip so the OP would want to pack their patience and pay close attention to signage.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

One of my favorite (non casino) things to do in the area is Red Rock Canyon. We did an eBike tour with our boys a few years back and it was a lot of fun. A few years later, my older son and I went back out there to do more hiking / climbing. Nothing overly adventurous, though.

We just went back to Red Rock Canyon in August, last time we had been there was probably 2017. It's a fun drive and plenty of spots to get out stretch your legs and see some of the natural landscape without actually having to hike around in it. The driving path allows for that easily

 

[TiggerTrigger]

The last time we were in Vegas, we tried to hit Hoover Dam and the line was insane. I'm not sure if it was because it was middle of the day or right around Christmas but we ended up skipping it. We were told that going first thing in the morning (which was not an option in our itinerary) would have been helpful.

Another vote for Death Valley. We drove there as a day trip. No, it wasn't enough to really see a ton of the park, especially since we had a dinner reservation in Vegas that evening and couldn't stay as late as I would have liked. Still, it was a great day trip and a nice place to visit when it's not the heat of the summer.

We usually keep it pretty casual with dining but if there's something you have always wanted to try, make a reservation ASAP. In our case for our last visit, we have a kid who is a big fan of Gordon Ramsay. We ended up booking Hells Kitchen just because we thought it would be neat but there are literally tons of options, especially if you want a treat and have a celebrity chef you enjoy.

As for shows, I feel like you can't go wrong with Cirque du Soliel. We've seen several but Mystere at TI still remains my favorite. O at Bellagio and KA at MGM are also very good. We also saw Penn and Teller ages ago and I was really excited to see how they greeted audience guests in the lobby after the show. One of the more iconic acts we've seen is Wayne Newton. I have mixed feelings on it if he happens to have show dates that coincide with your dates. On one hand, he is Mr. Vegas and it's cool to say we've seen him. We saw him in a different venue (he's now at the Flamingo) but we have all of these pics of him coming by our table to sing to us several times. I have close ups of his jewelry. That being said, it was over 20 years ago that we saw him and even then, we thought his voice was really starting to go.

If you like a low key exploration approach, we also like a monorail and tram day. We take the actual monorail, which is a paid service, but also the freebies between some of the resorts throughout the strip. The line on the right side is the paid monorail but all the smaller ones on the left are the freebie trams.


Also check conditions at the Grand Canyon due to the water related closures. It's a worthwhile visit but definitely a challenge when things aren't fully operational.

Hope this helps. Have a great trip!

 

[_19disnA]

We were just in Vegas a few months ago and all of those things are still a factor. We have always rented a car and driven around Vegas with no issues. If you pay to park at one MGM facility, you get free same day self-parking at all other MGM properties. I believe Caesar's property work the same way.

Tram/monorail chart show above is a good way to plan your visit.

 

[hardcorestitch]

DW and I are making our first "vacation" trip to LV. I've been 3(?) times for work, but this will be the first time it's all vacation.

Staying with my aunt, who has health issues (she insists, believe me). She has said she'll join us on some tourist things, but not all.

Now to figure out what to do. We arrive about Noon on a Saturday in April, and leave at 10P the following Friday night. So we have ~ 6 1/2 days. We will have a rental car.

We'll probably definitely do a tour of Hoover Dam & Grand Canyon. Still need to decide if full day, half day, include something else(?).

I'm sure we'll do a show or three, but don't know which ones (this is REALLY overwhelming). The only one it WON'T be is Blue Man Group since we've seen them elsewhere.
I'm sure we'll do Freemont Street Experience and walk the strip/Bellagio Fountains.

DW is not very adventurous.

Any thoughts/suggestions on what to do/avoid?

TIA.

For the shopping, definitely check out Las Vegas North Premium Outlets at some point. They have a real Disney Store!!!

My advice for restaurants is try to find something you don’t have in your local area, even if it’s a regional chain like Jack in the Box or Port of Subs.

I would go to Hoover Dam as early as possible and come back to Las Vegas in the early afternoon as well.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We were just in Vegas a few months ago and all of those things are still a factor. We have always rented a car and driven around Vegas with no issues. If you park at one MGM facility, you get free same day self-parking at all other MGM properties. I believe Caesar's property work the same way.

Yeah no haven't experienced the clacking of the cards (that would be for the escorts) any time we've been (some years were multiple trips in those years) in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 and the numerous times my husband has been for work including multiple times this year (early November was one of his most recent ones). Fremont Street is different and IMO has gotten wackier as the years have gone on, it was fine enough in 2017 but any time my husband has ventured there while on work trips he's always wondered why he went back. Weed has been legal since 2017 and you will smell that a lot but it's not legal to be smoked out in public. I can say I've never see anyone approach anyone for drugs on the Strip nor have seen it, that doesn't mean I can't easily smell the weed off someone because you can for sure.

As far as the car I'm talking about the OP, the traffic on the Strip is often horrible at night but that doesn't mean you're in the clear during the day. Earlier this year my husband was stuck for 1 1/2 hours on the Strip at 2pm in the afternoon, no event nothing to cause traffic but it sure was busy. When we've driven on the Strip there's ups and downs to traffic but you'd still want to expect traffic than assuming it's no problem, use navigation to gauge if you're better off going on the side streets as much as you can when you're wanting to go on the Strip or if you're better off traversing the Strip. There are multiple casino owners in Vegas so you just mentioning avoid walking do driving that should be mentioned about parking in garages at different casinos. Walking really isn't this scary thing you've depicted.

 

[sam_gordon]

I have been to the Mob museum, DW hasn't. Will probably gamble a little (<$200 maybe) just to say we did.

I'd like to go eat at Golden Steer. Been there for work and LOVED it.

I know people have said to drive to Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam. Thoughts about an organized tour? Like this: https://www.viator.com/tours/Las-Ve...ay-Trip-W-Lunch-from-Las-Vegas/d684-132218P75

We've never seen a Cirque show (even when we've been at Disney haven't made the time. ), so that will probably be one. Variety shows intrigue me, as do the magic shows. That's part of my problem, interested in SO much, but nothing that's "must do" if that makes sense.

ETA: Familiar with the monorail, and would probably use it more if we were staying in a nearby hotel.

 

[sam_gordon]

My advice for restaurants is try to find something you don’t have in your local area, even if it’s a regional chain like Jack in the Box or Port of Subs.

I do this when I travel for work. DW is fine with the chains because she knows what she likes.

 

[TwoMisfits]

For the shopping, definitely check out Las Vegas North Premium Outlets at some point. They have a real Disney Store!!!

My advice for restaurants is try to find something you don’t have in your local area, even if it’s a regional chain like Jack in the Box or Port of Subs.

I would go to Hoover Dam as early as possible and come back to Las Vegas in the early afternoon as well.

My son, the fast foodie, wanted to do the fast food we couldn't get...so we alternated best value Top Chefs with bottom of the barrel fast food fun...

In N Out was great. Worth always going.
Carl's Jr was decent. Not sad we went, not worth a trip.
Jack in the Box was the worst fast food I've ever seen (and I had a reaction to their allergy safe stuff, so double plus bad) - I and my fam wouldn't go back if you paid us.

But it was fun trying 3 chains we didn't have here.

We also tried Cinnaholic - great AND great for allergies (and again a car ride)...