How To Spend 24 Hours In Las Vegas

Dining

One truly underrated part of Las Vegas are the restaurants. Tourists travelling along the Strip will be able to try out any of the top restaurants that include fine Italian dining, large steakhouses, Michelin starred classic French cuisine, highly rated Chinese food, authentic Mexican dishes, and many more options. The restaurants in the hotels are high end and can be quite pricey, but are definitely worth a try. The surroundings are highly elegant and lavish, and are not a treat that most people can experience every day.

There are also many restaurants and places to find lunch and dinner in the city, which may be less expensive and can offer some tasty meals. To avoid the rush hour, it is advised to try and plan a meal in the late afternoon or in the evening, though peckish visitors will definitely be able to find a lot of options at lunchtime too.

Spas

Most people would not associate the calm meditative atmosphere in spas or massage parlours with Sin City, though there are a huge amount of top quality spas to relax in. Away from the crowds on the Strip and the action in the casinos, there are many wellness resorts located in and around Las Vegas. These can include more specialised services such as aromatherapy massages, hydration enhancing facials and Eucalyptus steam rooms as well as the more conventional saunas, whirlpools, cold plunge pools and hot stone massages.

Museums or Theme Parks

Visitors can explore the interesting history of Las Vegas by visiting one of its museums. The National Atomic Testing Museum shows visitors a different tale of what happened in the Nevada desert. Not many people know that there were nuclear testing sites near Silver City. Residents of Las Vegas in the 50s to early 60s witnessed mushroom clouds until 1963 when nuclear testing was banned outside and had to be moved underground.

Visitors who want to go to a more light-hearted museum can check out the Hoover Dam museum, the Nevada State Railroad museum, Pinball Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Cars museum or the Madame Tussauds Las Vegas.

The Nevada State Railroad museum has many locomotives and cars that travelled across the famous Virginia and Truckee Railroad. Many of these were used in various Hollywood films and television series. The Pinball Hall of Fame has one of the world’s largest collections of Pinball machines, and is full of fascinating memorabilia. The Hollywood Cars museum features some of the classic cars from the 50s and 60s, and is a must for car enthusiasts who love Cadillacs. The Hoover Dam museum has plenty of information about the creation of the Hoover Dam, and how a large part of it was financed from the profits of casinos, after the state legalised gambling. The Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas opened in 1999 and features over 100 wax figures of celebrities, film and TV characters, athletes and musicians. It also houses a large 4D movie theatre.

Tourists can also try out one of Las Vegas's theme parks or water parks. The Circus Circus Adventuredome Theme Park comes the most highly recommended as it offers roller coasters, rock climbing, a Ferris wheel, several premium rides and a laser tag venue. Guests entering may doubt how big the park is because it is all indoors, but if they try out the FLYLINQ, the famous zip line attraction, they will find themselves zipping 12 stories high. Additionally, there are the Fantasy Faire and Magic Motion Rides at Excalibur. In stark contrast to each other, one of these is a Disneyland style mediaeval castle full of fun activities and carnival games, whereas the other is a pure theme park with huge roller coaster rides.

There are also a number of water parks such as Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas and Soleil Pool, where visitors can sit outside by the pools, enjoy the water slides or try out any of the water features.

Shows

Travellers can also explore the classy side of Las Vegas by visiting one of the many shows in the city. The larger hotels host some productions by Cirque du Soleil, David Copperfield and the Blue Man Group amongst many others. Shows such as "O", "The Beatles Love", "Mystere" and "KA" by the Cirque du Soleil are highly rated, or theatre goers can watch productions such as Extravaganza, Drag Brunch, V- Variety Show, Jabbawockeez and many more.

Nightlife

The Las Vegas nightlife is huge and there are many places to enjoy the night. The Drai's Nightclub is part of the Cromwell Hotel, and has some of the best pool parties in Vegas. There are multi-level event spaces with VIP balconies and bars. Guests can book private tables or head straight in and enjoy music from world-class DJs and live acts, including hugely popular stars such as French Montana or Keyshia Cole.

Hakkasan is the nightclub in MGM Las Vegas and boasts five floors of parties. The two lower floors are part of the restaurant, level 3 is a club and lounge area. Here there are two bars, a dance floor and VIP tables. Above level 3 there is the main room and pavilion with an impressive outdoor garden with a DJ booth and amphitheatre seating. This is definitely the place to go for visitors who want to dance.

OMNIA is one of the most famous nightclubs in Las Vegas. It has a huge interior space with a high ceiling and massive chandelier right in the middle. There is an additional outdoor terrace that has views to the Paris and Luxor hotels as well as the Strip. Guests can buy drinks at the 15 metre long bar.

Exotic Experiences

For a really unique experience, the Venetian offers exotic gondola rides around its inbuilt canals. This taste of Venice in the Mojave Desert is amongst the strange yet fascinating things to do in Vegas. The waterways flow indoors and outdoors, under bridges, beneath cafes, under balconies all while coasting down the Grand Canal. The singing gondolier on each gondola adds to the romance of each ride as couples can enjoy the fresh air around the water and the cool breeze on the outdoor canals.

The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino houses its own public aquarium, the Shark Reef Aquarium. The main tank holds 4,900,000 litres of water, and is amongst the largest in North America. Here, visitors will be able to see exotic aquatic wildlife such as sharks, rays, fish, reptiles and marine invertebrates. For the daring guests, there is a shark tunnel, where they can walk directly under the sharks in a tunnel made of thick glass.

Old Town City Tour

In the morning or early afternoon, it is worth renting a car or jumping on a bus to explore the city. For a more rounded experience, there is the Old Town City Tour, which takes tourists around the landmarks and best places to visit with a guide who gives some historical information and can recommend places to eat or activities to do in the city. Reservations can be made, and then tourists can ride a double decker bus, taking photos of the city as they listen to the guide talk about the history and culture of the city.

Hotels

Should visitors feel compelled to extend their stay in Vegas, there are several options for places to sleep. There are the bigger establishments along the Strip, where travellers may be able to book a one night stay, but this depends on how many bookings the hotel has. Some hotels may not be able to provide travellers with lodgings for one night with a last minute reservation, but the bigger establishments should be able to provide travellers with accommodation. Alternatively, there are cheaper hotels that are two-stars and three-stars where rates are more reasonable.

Staying the night in Vegas is an experience in itself, and visitors will be able to see how the city changes from night to day.