You have decided to take a few days to enjoy sin city and you know exactly what it is you want to do, gamble right. Well sure you will gamble because that is what makes Las Vegas what it is today but you can’t gamble endlessly. At some point in your trip you will want to do something else and believe me there is plenty to do. This includes shopping, shows, entertainment and the list goes on and on. The area in Las Vegas that is the major hub for entertainment is the Las Vegas Boulevard, otherwise known as the strip. It is where all the major hotels and nightlife will be and with that also comes the crowds. Las Vegas has become one of the major tourist attractions and the mass amounts of people on the strip any given day is proof to that. Initially you might enjoy being there with the crowds but after a few days more than likely you will decide you want something a little different away from the crowds. This is when you will begin to wonder what can you do off the strip in Las Vegas. The best way to find out will be to rent a car for the day to in order to enjoy some things on the out skirts of Las Vegas. The only other alternative is a cab ride but this can get very expensive. If you decide to get out of the casino for the day here are a few things I suggest to do off the strip in Las Vegas.
A day trip to the Hoover Dam is adventurous. It is about a 30 minute drive but well worth it. The route is very scenic and even if you are not necessarily interested in the structure itself, the tour and the scenery is enough to keep you captivated. You will be able to take a tour and watch movies as to how the structure originated.
Lake Las Vegas is an area of Las Vegas that includes hotels, shopping, and residential area all along a man made lake. The three hotels in this are the Ritz Carlton, Loews, and Montelago Village Resort. There is a casino here also if you still would like to gamble while here. This area tends to be extremely less crowded than the strip area while still providing entertainment. There are shops and restaurants and on the weekends usually there is a band to enjoy live jazz on the plaza. Also there a paddle boats and boat rentals to take a tour out on the lake.
M Resort is about 5 miles outside of Las Vegas. It is a short ride south on Las Vegas Boulevard. It is truly a local hideaway. It was just opened in 2009. This hotel is quite exquisite with all the amenities a new hotel would have to offer without all the crowds and hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas strip. The pool is the caliber of the many strip hotels and offers live music on the weekends with drink specials. You are able to enjoy a relaxing evening at the pool and sip drinks that are not extremely overpriced like the strip hotels. The main attraction of this hotel is the buffet. Every hotel in Las Vegas offers a buffet and every person and review will tell you why they believe one buffet is better than the other. I knew I was on to something special when I was approached by one of the many timeshare salesmen and asked where I was planning to have dinner. I told him I was going the buffet at the M Resort. He immediately asked me how I knew about this. It was almost as if I had found out about a huge secret that I wasn’t supposed to unlock. It is not heavily advertised but when I arrived there was almost an hour wait to enter. It was well worth the wait. The buffet was enormous and the variety was tremendous. The one thing that sets this buffet apart from all other buffets is the fact that beer and wine is included in the price of the buffet. You will not find this at any other hotel buffet on the strip and only at the hotel off the strip of Las Vegas.
Red Rock Casino is another hotel off strip of Las Vegas that is well worth the drive. It is approximately 15 to 20 minute drive from the Las Vegas strip. This hotel is also a favorite of the locals. It has everything the strip has to offer without the crowds. When you walk into this hotel you get the feel of luxury. It has bars, restaurants, bowling, spa and movie theatre. What I really like about this hotel is the beautiful pool. It is an elaborate set up in which they have musical performances most of the time during the summer months.
By no means am I encouraging you not to enjoy all the strip has to offer, which is a tremendous amount. It will take you a few days to absorb all the strip has to offer. If you visit Las Vegas often or even if you would like to take one day of your trip to explore other things to do off the strip in Las Vegas these are a few suggestions.
