Viva Las Nevada
A bit of this town goes a long way - hunter s. Thompson
I’m going to be really honest here. Vegas was NOT on my bucket list for a long time. Almost everyone I knew had been to Vegas and talked about the pool parties and gambling and nightclubs… all things that don’t really interest me. So because that’s what I had thought of Vegas, it had never really been on my radar… until I started planning Kevin’s 30th birthday. I wanted to find a quick place to jet off to (Kevin hates long flights), somewhere where we could explore something new, do something EXTRAVAGANT, and eat some AMAZING food. Low and behold… Vegas surprisingly checked all the boxes! Since Kevin’s 30th, I’ve been to Vegas three times and have found some GREAT things to do that aren’t gambling, clubbing or pool parties!
EAT
My favourite thing to do on vacation is eating and Vegas is no exception. The food is honestly the reason why we love to travel to Vegas. This is a whole post in itself. So to find out all my favourite (and not so favourite) places to eat in Vegas in my Foodie’s Paradise Blog Post.
SHOWS
I think everyone knows that there are some GREAT shows in Vegas. Whether you want to see Celine or The Backstreet Boys, Magic Mike Live or one of the million Cirque du Soleil Shows… there is really something for everyone! My top 2 favourite shows in Vegas? Absinthe is a FOR SURE number one show for me. We LOVED it. The perfect mix of “wow the body can do that” and laughing so hard until you might pee (keep in mind I was VERY pregnant at this show). If you are not easily offended and enjoy getting a good kick out of some not so PC comedy… this show is MUST SEE! Tickets can be expensive, but in my opinion, it is worth it and there doesn’t appear to be a bad seat in the venue. It is a very small venue with not a lot of seats so everything appears to be in close distance to the stage. I absolutely hate being “involved” in a show so I was glad we did not buy front row tickets. Please keep in mind that if you do sit in the front row… there is a chance you might be… eeeeek! I think it’s impossible to go to talk about Vegas shows without talking about Cirque du Soleil. We have seen a few touring Cirque shows in Vancouver, but this was our first “Vegas” show. We saw lots of reviews but it was an easy choice for us to choose LOVE as it is The Beatles show. We are huge Beatles fans so having this amazing talent set and intertwined through the backdrop of The Beatles was a perfect match for us. We would highly recommend this show to any Beatles fans. There’s a ton of comedy that happens in Vegas including the new Comedy Cellar second location and The Laugh Factory Vegas. It’s great to check the lineups and see if there’s anyone you are interested in seeing to check out a show. There’s also a lot of bars and lounges that offer entertainment with a drink minimum and they can be highly entertaining. The Eastside Lounge was in our hotel and we LOVED checking out the dueling pianos here during a nightcap on the way back from dinner or walking around town. It’s super fun. There are two highly talented piano players. You give them a cash tip with a song request listed on it and they will play your song. It’s a fun casual night out and you are sure to be impressed by the talented musicians.
GRAND CANYON
This is going to sound kind of naive… but I had always seen photos of the Grand Canyon and thought it was beautiful but didn’t really pay too much attention to it. Seeing it in person is completely indescribable. I’m sure plenty of poets, writers and artists have tried to express the beauty of this wonder in the written word so I’m not going to attempt to do that here, so instead, I’ll just say, if you haven’t been, you certainly should. It is completely stunning and larger than I could have ever imagined. We did an amazing tour (as a celebration for Kevin’s 30th), and I would totally recommend it! We hopped into a helicopter and flew over the Grand Canyon (see video above) and then landed at the bottom. From there, we did a boat tour in the Colorado River. It was magical and one of my most favourite things we’ve ever done! We also explored the canyon from above for a few hours and did the Grand Canyon Skywalk which is so cool (beware it can be really busy and a bit of of lineup), but it is basically a glass horseshoe-shaped bridge that you can walk along and see completely underneath you, it is pretty cool!
HOOVER DAM
On the same day, we saw the Grand Canyon we also saw The Hoover Dam! It is such an interesting feat of technology. The Hoover Dam impounds Lake Meade (which is the largest reservoir in the US in volume). The power generated from the dam provides utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California. As we were doing such a big tour that day we only took a few pictures from above the dam and looked down at it, but I would definitely consider doing a full tour next time to learn more about the history and how the power-generation works!
WALK THE STRIP
One of the most fun (and free) things to do in Vegas (in my opinion) is to just walk the strip and check out the amazing tourist attractions from the Fountains of Bellagio to the volcano at the Mirage. There are honestly infinite things to see on the strip and there is always something going on. You can grab a drink to go and enjoy exploring the strip, and we do this most nights we are there. Not only is it fun to walk around outside and see the attractions, but it can be fun to walk through the Casinos as well and check out some amazing displays and art. There are always exhibits and new art pieces installed so it is definitely worth checking out, they also make for some great photo opportunities. Some of my favourites are the atrium at the Wynn with the over 8,000 flowering plants and ficus trees. They also decorate depending on the season which is beautiful to see and the lobby the Bellagio with 18-foot glass sculpture ceiling with hand-blown glass blossoms.
FREEMONT STREET
I LOVE Freemont Street. It is so much fun and quite frankly when I first visited Vegas, what I assumed the strip would be like. It’s a little grungier than the strip and a lot older, but a whole lot of fun. I can’t believe when I talk to people who have visited Vegas, how many HAVEN’T gone to Freemont Street! The whole street is entertaining with thousands of tourists, music playing, zipline overhead, light shows and often live music! Also, drinks and quick food are super reasonably priced here and often much cheaper than on the strip. The casinos are older but they seem to have cheaper slot machines (we didn’t partake in gambling, but it looked fine lol). It’s also a GREAT place to people watch since there are tourists from around the world living out their “what happens in Vegas” mentality!
LAS VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Okay, we didn’t get to take in any Golden Knights games when we were in Vegas but we checked out the stadium and I watch a lot of games on TV and it appears like everything else in Vegas… they do it BIG! I can’t wait to go to a Golden Knights Game when my team the Canucks play against them!
Where to stay
I’ve talked a lot about things to do in Vegas but I thought I’d share a little on my opinions about places to stay. I personally would recommend staying on the strip so that everything is within walking distance and you don’t have to worry about getting cabs and Ubers all the time. Also, please make sure you stay by a place that has a GREAT pool, Vegas is HOT and being by a pool is essential. I have stayed at three places on the strip and have ranked them from 1-3.
The Four Seasons
Loved the separate entrance (so you don’t always have to walk through a casino). The pool (nice and calm with no pool parties, yet you can still go to the attached party pool). Lots of restaurants and good room service. I personally liked the location at the end of the strip being away from all the busyness. Service was exceptional and the room was stunning with a great view. I would definitely stay here again.
2. The Palazzo at The Venetian
I loved the location and the hotel itself, it is beautiful. What MADE this hotel for me was the Prestige Lounge. The Lounge comes with free breakfast and happy hour which includes appetizers and free alcoholic beverages… it was AWESOME. The hotel rooms were big and beautiful but I didn’t enjoy walking through the very busy casino each time to go to the room.
3. The Encore at The Wynn
This was probably my least favourite stay (and although a great hotel), just didn’t have the WOW factor of the other two. We didn’t find the service particularly amazing. The restaurants were quite good in the hotel and I LOVE the Wynn lobby… but the big negative for me was that our hotel room had NO COFFEE maker!?! Could you imagine? Who wants to even go out in Vegas without having a coffee first thing in the morning? I mean come on!
“Las Vegas looks the way you’d imagine heaven must look at night”
