Viva Las Vegas!
What to do in Las Vegas
Sin City, gambler’s paradise, and the home of Elvis impersonators. Everyone has heard of Las Vegas and most people I know have traveled there at least once in their lives. While I have only been to Vegas twice now, I have a pretty good list of must dos which I recommend new visitors check out! I have friends that live out in Vegas and it will definitely not be the last time I visit this infamous city.
My husband and I made our way out to Las Vegas to visit friends for the 4th of July weekend. It was a more low key weekend in terms of what you normally expect of a Vegas getaway, but a blast all the same! There is a lot more to Las Vegas than “the Strip”. I encourage everyone to travel outside the boundaries of the casinos. Granted, you must see some of the casinos and experience their different styles and restaurants.
The Strip
The Strip in Las Vegas is as flashy as it can get. There is luxury everywhere! Some of my favorite casinos to visit are: the Bellagio, the Venetian, and the Aria. I hear the Cosmopolitan is amazing as well, I just haven’t personally been inside that casino. The Bellagio is well known for the fountain shows and the conservatory inside. We obviously had to see this season’s display. The conservatory display right now is called “Eco: A season of earthly awareness”. It is a unique display attributed to forest animals and nature. To see more about this display, click here.
In-N-Out: Animal Style
After walking through the Bellagio we were ready for some lunch! We walked a roundabout way to the In-n-out on Las Vegas Blvd. On our long journey in the hot Vegas sun, we walked through the Cromwell to pop out by the backside of the Flamingo. This led us to running into Wiz Kalifa. Let me tell you, my husband was dumbstruck. He always freezes up when it comes to seeing famous people.
After that little detour we finally made it to In-n-out! While In-n-out burgers aren’t the juiciest burgers, I still think they taste delicious! Definitely order your burger animal style! The location off Las Vegas Blvd will definitely be busy, expect a little bit of a wait. The line does move very fast and seats come available pretty quickly too. There are plenty of In-n-out locations all over Vegas though.
Seven Magic Mountains
One of the most photographed art exhibits in Las vegas would be the Seven Magic Mountains. The colorful rocks in the middle of the desert provide an out of this world effect. I have just recently heard that Miami has the 8th brother with one rock pillar standing tall. I recommend visiting the seven magic mountains near sunset because the rocks glow in that golden light. This spot is a little drive away from everything else in the middle of nowhere but it is worth the stop to see it. We also found a grungy couch in the middle of nowhere that made for really cool photos!
Pool Day
On the 4th of July we decided to spend the afternoon at a pool off the strip. By going to a pool off the strip you will spend less and be surrounded by more locals. It still has the same affect but just a smaller pool. We went to the M and they have a day club pool and a larger side that is family friendly. We checked out both pools. Started off with relaxing and then made our way over to the club to dance around a bit.
With there being a heat wave, we thoroughly enjoyed cooling off in the pool! The M also set off some fireworks for the 4th. We came back to watch fireworks all over the valley near the M. We had many fireworks in the distance and the M fireworks really close to us!
Let’s Go Raiders!
Let me start off with this – I am not a huge football fan. I will watch football with my husband and I have fun making some bets on the games every now and then. We received a tour of the new Raiders stadium and it was epic! This was the nicest stadium I have ever been to. If you love football, definitely need to go to a Raiders game on your next visit to Las Vegas! The stadium is right next to the strip and right off the highway.
If you don’t go for a football game, definitely go for a concert! They are starting to host events with things opening up more. I plan to be back for a football game because I think it would be an amazing time!
Other must do things…
This trip to Vegas was really quick and short. We couldn’t do as much as we wanted to. My husband and I will definitely be back to visit our friends and see more. The top of our list to do next time is go the Valley of Fire! The natural Red rock formations and many hiking paths is a must do! We just need to visit when there isn’t a heat wave going on 🙂
Another place for hiking and seeing red rock formations if the Red Rock Canyon. I visited here on my first trip to Las Vegas. There is a 13 mile scenic drive around the red rock mountains if you want to sight see but do not want to hike. Check out their site here to see more about it. They have different stop off points where you can park and get out of the car.
One of the cool experiences our friends have done, but I have not, is visiting Area 15’s Omega Mart. Omega Mart is an immersive art exhibit by Meow Wolf that allows you to explore different areas and find hidden spots. This would be a unique day activity to do while in Las Vegas.
If this blog post has inspired you to visit some of these spots in Vegas, leave a comment and let me know! If you want some other US travel inspirations you can see my Savannah blog here. More US travel blogs to come!
Wander On,
Christina
