Las Vegas is a great town, I’ve only been there twice myself actually, but I spent a lot of time researching on message boards before going. I am glad I did, because it helped me realize how much there is to do in Las Vegas to supplement the gambling. I am not one of those anti-gambling people, but also looking back now I would have felt I wasted my trips if all I did was spend my entire time in Las Vegas gambling in the casinos. The keys I believe for first time visitors to enjoy themselves are money management, sight seeing, dining, shopping (even window shopping counts), shows, and just taking in the whole “Vegas atmosphere”.
My first tip is one you will find on many message boards. It is to go in with a money managment strategy. Take the amount of money you plan on gambling with before you leave, and consider it entertainment money and already spent. Don’t make a budget for your non gambling activities going “well once I win this much it’ll pay for dinner this night, and this money I win will go to paying for a show another night”. If you want to go to dinner and a show, budget that in your non-gambling planning. This way if you don’t win, you won’t be going “geeze I lost and not only does that stink but now I can’t have dinner at that place I really wanted to go to”. Once you set your gambling budget , divide it by the number of days. Once you lost that day’s money, don’t borrow from another day in the future, just stop gambling for the day.
Some may accept that idea, but then wonder, “hey, what if I win on my first couple of days?”. Well, take that money and consider it a third category (you already have your gambling money and your non-gambling), call it “windfall money”. With that money you can either divide it and add into future days gambling money, or you can use it to supplement your non gambling money by going to a more expensive restaurant than you intended or a better show than you intended on going, or a sight seeing trip. Remember though, you might not want to spend this windfall money too early in your trip (maybe towards the end of your trip you lose all your gambling money in about 2 hours for the day, and you really need a pick me up, it would be nice to have a really nice meal and if you still have the windfall money that would be possible).
So, what is there to do when you are done gambling for the day or just want a break from gambling? There is plenty. At night a lot of it is free even. Walk by the Mirage and you can watch the Volcano “erupt”, walk by Treasure Island and you can see a show, watch the dancing fountains outside Bellagio, or catch a cab to Freemont Street and you can see the Light Show in the Sky. Also keep in mind that Vegas can be a wild town, one of the best free forms of entertainment is “people watching”. You never know what outfits you will see out on the strip, or what stupid thing someone who has had way too much to drink might be doing in public. If you go to any of the lounges in the hotels late at night, it won’t take you long to realize who are the “pro’s” trying to pick up their customers for the night. It’s funny watching some of the guys flirt with them then the look on their face when they realize a date will cost them cash.
As a side note, Vegas is a town where sex sells, and Vegas sells sex! You will see the streets lined with pushers that try to hand you flyers advertising “escorts” and “dating services”, prostitution is not legal in the city itself so these pushers will try to call it anything other than what it is. If you are offended by this, just don’t make eye contact and don’t take their flyers. If you want to have some fun with it, try to collect as many ads as you can during your stay (I’m not encouraging calling any of them, just collect the flyers and business cards with their advertising photos as “souveniers”).
Shows are available at all times during the day. If you go to the Rio which is off the strip they have a Mardi Gras style “Parade In The Sky” on floats starting around 3 in the afternoon and going every couple hours (at least it did last time I was there), where people ride on the floats on a track on the ceiling and throw beads to the customers below. Other shows range from magicians and singers, to show girl type shows (many with very extravagant and beautiful costumes) to dance shows, impersonators and well known shows such as The Blue Man Group, Cirque De Soleil, and Celine Dion. Some of these shows can be quite pricey, but keep an eye out for a couple of retail establishments that sell shows for that day at discount rates. One note, don’t waste time getting tickets from any of the time share people unless you want to waste over 1/2 a day listening to a high pressure sales pitch wasting your time in Vegas.
Shopping is another option outside the gambling floor of the casinos. Many of the casinos have spent large sums of money to create extravagant shopping malls. Remember, even if you win they still want your money somehow! I love just wandering these shopping areas and usually just window shopping. It’s an easy way to kill a few hours and as long as you can control your spending urge it’s free!
Finally, my last suggestion for something to do other than gambling is to eat your way through Vegas! There are so many different types of resautrants I could never list all the different types here. Of course everyone has heard of the 99 cent buffet , they are gone but there are some cheap buffets sitll around. Be aware though you get the quality of food you pay for. Of course there are also some buffets these days in Vegas that cost $40 or more per person as well. They offer a nice assortment of foods including pre-cracked king crab legs and other extravagant meats such as ostrich, but for my tastes if I’m spending $40 or more for my meal I will not usually pay it at a buffet. There are the casual restaurants and chain restaurants all over Vegas as well, but sorry chain restaurants is not what I go to Vegas for. If you want to try something unusual, try the burger bar which has hundreds of burgers you can design for yourself, including one made of all kobe beef for over $50! Finally is the sit down restaurants for dinner which may cost more but hey you are in Vegas you need to treat yourself to one at least one night while there.
Each casino will usually have at least one if not several of these types of restaurants. Many are owned by celebrity Chef’s including Emeril (he has two, Emeril’s and Delmonico’s), Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, etc. They are pricey, but serve high quality food combined with high quality service. I dined at Delmonico’s and for two people it was about $110 including tip but was worth every cent. You can find any type of restaurant you want, Italian, Steakhouse, Caribbean, French, German and other European styles. There is even a Brazilian restaurant where if you get the “buffet” it’s a 7 course meal where they bring your meat to you on huge skewers carried around the restaurant and it is all you can eat, this is a great option as I tried it and enjoyed it as well.
I hope this will be helpful for your first time Vegas visitors who were like me and had no idea what to expect when you first went other than the gambling and shows. If you want more advice, my best suggestion not included in the article is to visit message boards and read as much as you can before going, take notes and ask questions. Most people on the boards love helping people out because they love Las Vegas. I’m sure you will too!
