Attractions
Venetian Hotel and Casino
No expense was spared creating the Venetian Hotel, in fact $2 billion was spent recreating Venice in the Nevada Desert and the result is fairly spectacular. Guests can travel around the hotel in a gondola - real canals run through the hotel - and a replica of St Mark's Square and the Basilica turns from night to day every three hours; visitors have to look carefully to notice that the sky is actually a vast fresco. The only thing missing are the pigeons and the backpackers. The casino itself is massive, featuring 2,500 slot machines and 125 gaming tables. For guests taking a break from the tables, there are five swimming pools, a fitness centre, and 17 restaurants - mostly pizzerias. One of the main attractions is Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, a wax museum presenting some of the world's biggest icons including stars, politicians, record-breaking athletes and legends.
Address: 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard
Opening times: Daily 24 hours. The art gallery opens daily 9am to 10pm.
Admission: Free (hotel and casino); $15 (£7.50) (fine art gallery)
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The Mirage
Another MGM mega-casino, the showpiece at the Mirage is a Volcano that shoots flames 30m (100ft) into the night sky every 15 minutes (6pm to midnight), spewing smoke and transforming a tranquil waterfall into spectacular streams of molten lava. As you'd expect of Las Vegas, it's all quite naff, but great entertainment. Siegfried & Roy's White Tigers are the other signature attraction at the Mirage (unfortunately the Siegfried & Roy show has been cancelled indefinitely due to the near-fatal attack on Roy Horn by one of the tigers during a performance). Unlike conventional tigers, which have black and gold markings, the white tiger is white with black stripes, pink paws and ice-blue eyes. There are only a few dozen white tigers in the world, which makes them rarer than the panda bear. The open-air Tiger Habitat features a swimming pool with fountains and simulated mountain terrain for the tigers' enjoyment and the public's entertainment. Another popular attraction is the aquarium located behind the Front Desk. This 20,000-gallon saltwater aquarium is home to angelfish, puffer fish, tangs, sharks and other exotic sea creatures.
Address: 3400 S. Las Vegas Boulevard
Telephone: +1 (702) 791 7111
Website:www.mirage.com
Opening time: Daily 24 hours
Admission: Free
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The Luxor
The Luxor is themed on ancient Egypt and is one of the most prominent sights on the Strip. It is a massive black-glass pyramid containing 36 floors of hotel rooms, and shining through it up into the night sky is the world's most powerful light beam, which they claim can be seen by planes circling Los Angeles. The ground floor of the hotel is given over to a massive casino, which stands beneath a recreation of Tutankhamun's Tomb. Other than gambling, entertainment at the hotel includes an IMAX theater, gyms, swimming pools and shows by the spectacular Blue Man Group.
Address: 3900 S. Las Vegas Boulevard
Telephone: +1 (702) 262 4000
Website:www.luxor.com
Opening time: Daily 24 hours.
Admission: Free
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Liberace Museum
The Liberace Museum was founded in 1979 by the late entertainer and features "Mr Showmanship's" dazzling jewellery, outfits and other memorabilia. Liberace was a massively popular musician in America and best known for his outrageous outfits and stage sets. He was a regular visitor to Las Vegas. The museum houses his vast collection of pianos and cars, which include a custom-made Rolls Royce covered with tiny mirrors. His costumes, stage props and jewellery can also be seen. His "crown jewels" include a spectacular piano-shaped watch with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, and a piano-shaped ring containing 260 diamonds in a white- and yellow-gold 18-carat setting with ivory and black jade keys. Proceeds from the not-for-profit museum support scholarships for the performing arts.
Address: 1775 E. Tropicana Avenue
Telephone: +1 (702) 798 5595
Email:info@liberace.org
Website:www.liberace.com
Opening time: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm; Sunday 12pm to 4pm.
Admission: $12.50 (£6.25); concessions available
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Imperial Palace Auto Collection
With more than 250 classic antique cars on display (all are available for purchase), the collection is an absolute must for all car buffs. It is actually part of a larger collection and cars are rotated in and out of the showroom on a regular basis; once a car is sold it is replaced by another. Exhibited are rare models, race cars, muscle cars, touring roadsters and dozens of vehicles once owned by the rich and infamous.
Address: Imperial Palace Casino, 3535 S. Las Vegas Boulevard
Telephone: +1 (702) 794 3174
Email:info@autocollections.com
Website:www.autocollections.com
Opening time: Daily 9.30am to 9.30pm.
Admission: Free entrance vouchers are easily available at the Imperial Palace casino, otherwise tickets are $6.95 (£4)
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Fremont Street Experience
The downtown area of Las Vegas is where it all began and is known as the Fremont Street Experience or "Glitter Gulch" for the bright neon signs and thousands of flashing lights that line the streets - this is where you'll find Vegas Vic and Sassy Sal, two of the nations best-known neon icons. Some of the city's most famous vintage casinos are found here, including the Golden Nugget and the Gold Spike, as are most of its strip clubs and stage shows. Most entertainment is on, or just off, the Freemont Street Experience Mall.
Address: 425 Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas
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Roller Coasters
There are four roller coasters on The Strip: the Manhattan Express at New York, New York, the Canyon Blaster at the Adventuredome, the roller coaster at MGM Grand Adventures and the High Roller at the Stratosphere. The MGM theme park is probably the best, although for sheer terror factor head for the High Roller. At 350m (1,149ft), the Stratosphere Tower is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States and the tallest building west of the Mississippi River, and thrill seekers can enjoy excitement more than 100 stories above the ground on the Big Shot thrill ride and the High Roller roller coaster. There is also a revolving restaurant at the top of the Stratosphere, which offers great views, but pretty average food.
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The Grand Canyon
A mile deep, 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide the breathtaking grandeur of the Grand Canyon is so impressive that pictures or words simply cannot do it justice. One of the great natural wonders of the world, it was formed by the cutting action of the Colorado River over millions of years, the harder rock formations remaining as great cliffs, pinnacles and buttes, and the different layers of rock possessing colours that range from purple, fiery red and pastel pink, to yellow, brown, gray and soft tones of blue. Whether by foot or on horseback, from a plane or helicopter, aboard a raft down the mighty Colorado River or by merely gazing in awe from the rim, the canyon's seemingly infinite depths can be experienced in a variety of ways and is a landscape not to be missed, however one chooses to see it. The park receives hoards of visitors from around the world, who cannot fail to be transfixed by the sculpted rock shapes, the shifting colours that change with the light and a tiny glimpse of the Colorado River far below. The Grand Canyon National Park comprises two separate areas, the South Rim and the more remote North Rim. Separated by the 10-mile width of the canyon, it is a 215-mile drive from one visitor centre to the other and the South Rim, being the most accessible and possessing more facilities, sees more than 90 per cent of the park visitors. The North Rim is higher in elevation and wetter, with thicker surrounding forests; it is further to get to and is usually closed by snow from October to May, but many people prefer the comparative peacefulness of its less crowded lookouts. At both rims there are several drives and walkways along the edge with numerous lookout points for views from different angles, as well as a few hikes down into the canyon where one can overnight at Phantom Ranch on the canyon floor. The impact of more than four million visitors a year to the South Rim, especially during the busy summer months, has its negative influences on the park, with overcrowding and traffic congestion, but despite the hoards it is a positively memorable experience to have visited one of the most spectacular examples of erosion in the world.
Telephone: +1 (928) 638 7888
Email:info@grandcanyonchamber.org
Website:www.nps.gov/grca
Transport: It is possible to reach the Grand Canyon in a full-day excursion from Las Vegas, but ideally travellers should stay overnight unless flying there. Scenic Airlines (tel: +1 702 638 3300; email: info@scenic.com) offers various tours, including overnight stays and two-day hikes.
Opening time: South Rim is open 24 hours daily, all year; Information Plaza 8am to 5pm. The North Rim is open from May 10 to October 14 8am to 6pm.
Admission: $20 (£10) per vehicle, $10 (£5) for pedestrians and cyclists, valid for seven days on either rim
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Hoover Dam
Stretching 1,247ft across the Colorado River, the Hoover Dam holds back the waters of Lake Mead and is a fine example of the engineering of its time. One of the world's most famous dams, the Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression in the 1930s - one of many vast public projects commissioned by the US Government to get people back to work. The dam employed thousands of men from all over the country, and its hydroelectric power generator supplies Nevada and its neighbouring states with electricity. The Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a popular with water sports enthusiasts as well as those just after a bit of sun and relaxation.
Telephone: +1 (702) 293 8321
Website:www.desertusa.com/colorado/lm_nra/hoover/du_hoover.html
Transport: The Hoover Dam is an hour's drive from Las Vegas. Coach tours can be arranged through most hotels and tour operators.
Opening time: Daily 9am to 5pm (visitor centre).
Admission: Hoover Dam Discovery Tour: $11 (£5.50); Lake Mead Recreational Area: $5 (£2.50) per vehicle, or $3 (£1.50) per individual, for five days
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Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon is a dramatic valley ten miles west of Las Vegas and is a good excursion to escape the neon lights and jangle of the slot machines. Its defining feature is the steep Red Rock escarpment, which rises 3,000ft on its western edge. Today the dramatic landscape is peppered with cactus and Joshua trees and is a good spot for walking, rock climbing, cycling or simply a scenic drive. The Mojave Desert is not barren as you might think; it teems with life and beauty that is rare and unique - waterfalls cascade into the canyons and high above red tailed hawks search for their next meal.
Telephone: +1 (702) 515 5350
Transport: The park has a 13-mile scenic drive. Coach tours can be organised through most hotels.
Opening time: Visitor Center: 8am to 4.30pm. Scenic drive: 6am to 5pm (November to February), 6am to 7pm (March and October), 6am to 8pm (April to September).
Admission: $5 (£2.50) per vehicle
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Cirque du Soleil
The world famous Cirque du Soleil - a riot of costumes, colours and contortionists - brings its unique magic to Las Vegas with several immensely popular shows, including Mystère, which has been honoored as "Las Vegas' Best Production Show". Other shows include the aquatic show O at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, K&A; at the MGM Grand and the latest The Beatles - Love at the Mirage.
Address: Various venues
Website:www.cirquedusoleil.com
Admission: Show times vary Ticket prices vary
