Las Vegas, Nevada

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.

Nightlife

It's not called Sin City for nothing. Las Vegas has one of the hottest nightlife scenes in the world, so no matter where you are there's always something to get into. The Luxor is host to a celebrity favorite, LAX, where you can rub shoulders with the likes of Christina Aguilera and Nikki Hilton. Another celeb hangout is Pure, at Caesars Palace, which has won several "best of" awards. Another award winner is Studio 54 at the MGM Grand, which was named "Best Dance Club" by the Las Vegas Review Journal. Coyote Ugly at New York-New York may not be a celebrity magnet, but its sure to guarantee a rowdy time. Voodoo Lounge, located at the top of the Rio Hotel offers up spectacular views and go-go dancers. At Tryst in the Wynn Las Vegas you can't miss the 90 foot waterfall and lagoon. Another great club featuring a waterfall is Rumjungle at the Mandalay Bay which also features a two story jungle along with an impressive rum bar. Another celeb owned hotspot on the Strip in the Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino is Jay-Z's 40/40 Club, a stylish, upscale sports bar. Although the Strip may seem like the center of the action, there are plenty of spots off the strip to dance the night away. Ghostbar, on the 55th floor of the Palms Resort & Casino is a chic and dramatic place to let loose, either inside or on the skydeck overlooking the city. Over at the Red Rock Casino Resort Spa is Cherry, where you journey through a mirrored tunnel, right into a crazy night.

Las Vegas' main draw has always been the gambling, and nowhere in the world has this city beat in the gaming department. Whether you're a high roller, or stick to the penny slots, Las Vegas has you covered. Caesars Palace Hotel Casino is a Vegas classic that has all kinds of gambling from high limit slots to all kinds of table games. The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino is the largest casino-entertainment complex in the world, at 171,500 square feet, providing plenty of room for whatever kind of gambling floats your boat.Harrahs Las Vegas Casino & Hotel boasts the "friendliest dealers" in Vegas. The Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino is a fun place to gamble away some time, with their free Carnivale parade every hour starting at 6pm. For sports and racing fans, the Las Vegas Hilton features the biggest sports betting venue in the world, complete with 28 giant screens so you don't miss any action. Away from the Strip, Downtown, are some of Las Vegas' historic casinos, such as Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel, a heaven for the hardcore gambler with their world famous poker room where the World Series of Poker started and the poker wall of fame. The Golden Nugget Hotel Casino, another long time favorite has won over 40 gaming awards, including Best Casino and Luckiest Casino.

Shows

They don't call it the entertainment capital of the world for nothing. Las Vegas constantly has tons of shows, both long term engagements as well as those just passing through. One of the biggest headliners in Vegas is Elton John: The Red Piano, where the music legend performs some of his greatest hits from over the years. 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. The newest Cirque Du Soleil show is the Beatles tribute, Love at the Mirage Hotel. The House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino always presents great entertainment in an intimate setting. Another world famous show making itself at home in Vegas is the Blue Man Group at the Venetian Hotel which will dazzle you with the lights, music, and overall energy. And what Vegas trip would be complete without showgirls? For a show that won't even dent your wallet, there's always the free show at the Fountains at Bellagio.

Shopping

Vegas really does have everything a city could offer, and this does not exclude shopping. World renowned designers have all opened shops here, making it so Vegas can rival any fashion capital in the world. The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace offers everything form gourmet food, to world class shopping, and even a moving statue show! The Miracle Mile Shops @ Planet Hollywood has over 150 speciality stores, and 15 restaurants to suit your every desire. The Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian will make you feel like you've been swept off to Europe for a shopping spree. The Via Bellagio is a hotbed of famous designer brands like Chanel and Gucci. The Tower Shops at Stratosphere is one of the nicest malls in the city. The Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas, just 30 minutes off the strip bring you savings on such brand names as Coach and Ralph Lauren. Downtown, you'll find the Gamblers General Store, where you can buy anything that has to do with gambling to commemorate your trip.

Museums

While Las Vegas may seem like nothing but a hive of debauchery and decadence, it's not entirely culture starved. 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 the Las Vegas Art Museum. The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art features works from such famous artists as Monet and Picasso. For live theater, check out the oldest running small theater in the valley, the Las Vegas Little Theater. For a taste of Egyptian history, visit King Tut's Tomb & Museum inside the Luxor, for an incredibly realistic of this important archaeological find.

Spas

While Vegas is certainly known for non-stop action, there is also an abundance of places you can go and experience pure relaxation. Vegas is full of spas, where you can get practically any beauty or relaxation treatment under the sun. Spa Bellagio is a classy, serene facility offering a variety of body and relaxation treatments. The Canyon Ranch SpaClub at the Venetian Hotel offers everything from a fitness club to mud baths and even healthy gourmet food. The Spa at Four Seasons is a five star spa offering all the treatments you would expect from the Four Seasons. They also have private spa rooms for those who want a little more privacy. The Spa at Wynn Las Vegas offers a number of unique, Asian-inspired treatments, utilizing everything from sake to feng shui. Qua Baths & Spa inside Caesars Palace has has such features as a Roman bath, as well as a variety of treatments designed especially for men. Nurture Spa at Luxor offers you a serene, calming day with one of their many treatments or signature facials. WET - The Spa at TI offers a special package for everyone, from men to expecting mothers, there's something for everyone here. Located off the strip in the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort Spa & Golf, Aquae Sulis Spa is another top choice which focuses on various water treatments, including a hydrotherapy pool. The Ritz-Carlton Spa, just a little ways outside the city offers a true escape from the chaos, with exclusive treatments and boutique products.

Family Fun

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 dome, so that the kids can ride the roller coaster year-round in climate-controlled comfort.The kids are sure to love the Manhattan Express Roller Coaster at New York-New York too. For educational fun, visit the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary and Orchards. For hands-on education, the Lied Discovery Children's Museum cannot be beat. Kids will love learning about science, medicine and math here. Another experience sure to please everyone is the Fremont Street Experience, a light and music show covering downtown Vegas. M&M's World Las Vegas at the Showcase Mall isn't you're typical museum, where kids can delight in all aspects of this candy-coated treat. The Gondola Rides at the Venetian are a fun family outing, and cheaper than taking them all to Italy. The Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand and the Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage Hotel Casino are both fun and exciting for parents as well as the youngsters.

From its earliest beginnings, Las Vegas has catered to the traveler. A nomadic tribe of Indians called the Paiutes settled the area around the turn of the last millennium and occupied most of the area from Mt. Charleston to the Colorado River. Several traders and explorers including Jedediah Smith in 1826 and John C. Fremont in 1844 traveled through the area and made contact with the Paiutes. By 1851, Mormon president, Brigham Young, in his endeavor to create the State of Deseret stretching from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, made Las Vegas one of his important stopovers. To this end, he sent missionaries to colonize the region and convert the Paiute. The location they selected to establish their fort was on a promontory overlooking the Las Vegas Valley, which is now the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington. The Old Mormon Fort still has remnants of its original building. Eventually the settlement disbanded and most of the Mormon settlers returned to Utah.

However, a mining boom at nearby Mt. Potosi fostered a new influx of travelers, mainly miners who used Las Vegas as a center for food and supplies. There was no permanent settlement there until 1865, when a group of prospectors, including Octavius Decatur Gass, acquired the rights to the Old Mormon Fort. For the rest of that decade, Gass ran a prosperous business at the Fort, rebuilding many of the structures and farming the land, offering food and shelter to the travelers on the "Old Mormon Trail" (the Salt Lake-Los Angeles wagon road), as well as offering provisions to the nearby miners. Gass was less of a businessman than a prospector at heart and eventually bad business deals forced him to turn the property over to Archibald Stewart and his wife, Helen, who had only intended to stay there temporarily. However, after a feud at nearby Kiel Ranch, which ended in the murder of Stewart, his widow stayed on to run the ranch and see it prosper. This period was from 1882 to 1902, when she sold the ranch to Montana Senator William Clark. Clark was instrumental in overseeing the establishment of the railroad from Utah to California. Acquiring the rights to the Ranch and its abundant water supply ensured that Las Vegas was to become a major stop for railroad travelers. In 1905 an ad was placed in prominent major newspapers concerning "first class inside lots" going for as little as 200 dollars a piece in Clark's Las Vegas Townsite. This encouraged squatters and investors alike, and the auction on May 15, 1905 produced a flurry of sales. Soon hotels and homes sprouted up all along the main downtown area of Fremont Street, as well as schools, a hospital and other essential businesses such as ice plants.

Las Vegas essentially thrived for the next 20 years because of the railroad; it played host to travelers by providing entertainment and liquor. The liquor was restricted to a certain area, Blocks 16 and 17. This area naturally evolved into a red light district as well. During Prohibition, this section was especially popular. During this period, the city founders realized that as the roads were improved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, this would promote more tourism and they began to build ranches to appeal to the potential visitors. Kiel Ranch became a popular dude ranch and gained notoriety as a place where people came to wait out their quicky Nevada divorces. In 1931, the combined advent of the building of Boulder Dam (later renamed Hoover), the creation of Boulder City plus the legalization of gambling, ensured a new boom in the prosperity of southern Nevada.

World War II increased the Las Vegas economy even more. In 1940, an air base was established (now known as Nellis Air Force Base) in the northeast part of town. A huge plant, Basic Magnesium, was built for the manufacture of bullets and bomb casings, etc. The plant was instrumental in the establishment of Henderson, just southeast of Las Vegas and now one of the fastest-growing communities in Nevada. In the early 1950s a new kind of entertainment was born: watching the atomic bomb testing, which took place at the nuclear test site, just 70 miles northwest of Las Vegas. A famous Life Magazine photo captured one of the mushroom clouds rising above the waving cowboy, "Vegas Vic" of Fremont Street. In fact, the opening of the now closed Desert Inn was timed to coincide with one of the blasts.

In recent decades the hotel industry has re-invented itself again and again. Just when everyone was predicting a severe depression, especially when Atlantic City emerged as a gambling destination in the early 80s, Las Vegas managed to come up with a new twist. Even today, with the proliferation of gambling in many of the 50 states, Las Vegas only seems to become more popular. Theme hotels have become abundant, starting with the Mirage in the late 80s, followed by the Excalibur, Treasure Island, Luxor and the MGM Grand. More and more soon popped up including the Stratosphere, Monte Carlo, Bellagio, Paris Las Vegas, Venetian, Mandalay Bay and many more. When will the boom end?