From the talented to the absolutely amazing, Las Vegas offers the best in magic, theater, dance, song and comedy. The gaming areas themselves provide sufficient entertainment for many guests. Gambling draws the majority of tourists and Las Vegas houses a variety of games in each venue. Every casino is vying for the tourist; to set themselves apart, the casinos build creative themes that dazzle your imagination.
One of the first casinos to use its architecture as a billboard was Caesars Palace. While impressive during the day, this building is stunningly lit at night to accent its Roman columns and beautiful fountains. Next door, you will find the Mirage, which boasts a towering, exploding volcano. Combine music and water and you have the breathtaking performance of the Bellagio Fountains. It is a small world in Las Vegas, so visit the New York-New York Hotel and Casino complete with a scale model of the Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty. Or visit the Venetian and take a Gondola Ride along the canals. Travel to ancient Egypt with the pyramid-shaped Luxor. If you want to go to France, try the Paris Las Vegas and take a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. If you are a fan of towers in general, ascend the 1,149 foot Stratosphere Tower for an excellent view of the city, day or night. Many of the first hotels in Las Vegas were located on Fremont Street and built too close together to allow for the addition of flashy new themes. The Fremont Street Experience was devised to draw tourists to this older but still vibrant area of the city.
The attractions do not end at the door. The Excalibur Hotel and Casino invites you to be King Arthur's guest for dinner where you can eat with your fingers and enjoy the Tournament of Kings. Many of Vegas' stages are technical wonders, but none can compare to the presentation area for "O" in the Bellagio, a 1.5 million gallon tank of water used by the performers of Cirque Du Soleil.
There is always entertainment for music buffs at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino presents great entertainment in an intimate setting. The Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, located adjacent the Las Vegas Convention Center, offers a trip to where no man has ever gone in Star Trek - The Experience. Perhaps you came to Vegas with a need for speed. Head out to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway either to watch a race or to get behind the wheel of one of those rockets yourself.
Las Vegas has worked hard to reinvent itself as a family destination, so bring the kids along. There are lots of great entertainment venues built with them in mind. The first child oriented hotel-casino was Circus Circus, complete with a Circus Midway full of carnival games and trapeze acts. The Circus Circus Adventuredome is a theme park built under a large (pink, of course) dome, so that the kids can ride the roller coaster year-round in climate-controlled comfort. For educational fun, visit the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary and Orchards. For hands-on education, the Lied Discovery Children's Museum can not be beat. Kids will love learning about science, medicine and math here.
History stays alive at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum where the dinosaurs move and sharks swim up to greet you. Las Vegas history extends further back than the flashy casinos. Visit a slice of early history at the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort Historic Park, the first non-native American structure built in the city. Modern Las Vegas history was built on neon advertising. The Neon Museum provides a look at some of those historic signs. Not to be forgotten are the great performers who made the city famous. To that end, The Liberace Museum houses a large collection of the performer's personal effects and outlandish stage props.
The arts have always been an important part of this city's culture. The Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery shows works by local artists as well as national figures in the art world. More contemporary pieces can be found in theLas Vegas Art Museum. For live theater, check out the oldest running small theater in the valley, the Las Vegas Little Theater.