The Ultimate Las Vegas Travel Guide: 21 Things Not To Miss
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Iconic casinos, secret hotels, world-class entertainment, restaurants, shopping, and stunning natural attractions. Because in Vegas, the luxury is unmatched, and there’s so much to explore! I created Vegas Right Now™ to tell you about my home city, the real Las Vegas tourists rarely get to know.
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Las Vegas travel guide & insider tips updated for 2021
People are always looking for an “insider.” Someone to give them tips, secret deals and a lead advantage when navigating the new thing they’re doing.
And why not? When you’re the person who has the inside advantage, it’s freaking awesome!
So there’s no reason to think of things differently when planning your trip to fabulous Las Vegas. You want the Las Vegas secret deals and the insider advantage!
Your personal Las Vegas travel guide book for 2021 & beyond
Meet me! Featured Las Vegas insider and favorite Vegas travel pro. (Also, I’m a licensed real estate professional in the city.)
I share my secret insider tips on how to Las Vegas like an all-star so you can experience the most fun without the need for high-roller bank! (Oh, and yes- I made Las Vegas a verb. Because it is!)
Having someone on the inside gives you a personal Las Vegas visitors guide and a head start, which is precisely what you’ll need to take in as much as you can of the Las Vegas aesthetic in one trip- especially if you have a one day Las Vegas itinerary.
Las Vegas trip itinerary & things to do: trips one day, 8 days, planners, template, luxury vegas itinerary & more…
They didn’t change the slogan to “What happens here only happens here” for nothing!
Las Vegas is the one unique US trip destination that comes jam-packed with tons of entertainment options and things to do on and off the famous Strip. And many of the things to do are free!
Start here planning with my Las Vegas insider guide. You’ll be happy that you did!
You asked: How much cash should I bring to Vegas?
According to Priceline, the average price for a Las Vegas vacation is about $250 a day, including hotels and restaurants.
Lucky in Las Vegas, vacations are often had without the worry, planning or price of a rental car.
*2021 suggestion: Carry less cash and use cards or app payments for quicker and safer spending.
Top sights in Las Vegas: 21 things to do & places to see on & off The Strip
Pack light because the temps are hot, and The Strip is always fiya!
Head HERE for Las Vegas secret savings & travel discounts.
And HERE for what to pack for Las Vegas.
You asked: “What should I not miss in Vegas?”
1. Take a picture at the Las Vegas Sign
A Las Vegas must‑do! Start your trip by making it official. Take a pic at the Fabulous Las Vegas Sign, located at the end of The Strip, just after the Mandalay Bay hotel.
2. Visit the Bellagio Hotel & Casino
Get inspired with creative energy and ideas inside the hotel at the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. The ever-changing displays are always whimsical, decedent and stunning!
Bellagio BONUS: Visit the free Fountains Of Bellagio dancing water show by merely standing outside the Bellagio Hotel & Casino. The iconic dancing water entertains crowds at specified times daily, performing to famous songs and show-tunes with waters streaming to heights above the Bellagio towers! Always a magnificent treat no matter how many times you see this incredible Las Vegas attraction!
*Get daily showtimes HERE.
3. Shop The Forum Shops At Caesar’s Palace
Celebrity sightings and designer shopping‑ all packed into a mall with blue skies. Yep! Only in Vegas and only at the Forum Shops at Caesar’s! There’s a store for every budget here‑ and a restaurant‑ and a casino‑ and a concert venue.
4. Visit Vanderpump Cocktail Garden
Did someone say The Real Housewives Of Las Vegas? I swear I’m going to make that a real thing!
In the meantime, the next closest thing is Vanderpump Cocktail Garden inside of Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas. (Bravo and Andy- I hope you’re reading!)
*Remember to call ahead!
You asked: “What are the can’t miss shows in Vegas?”
5. One of a kind Vegas shows to see
You can’t leave the Las Vegas Strip without taking in a Las Vegas show! My recommendation is always a Cirque Du Soleil show for an epic, Las Vegas only experience (except when Bruno Mars is in town!)
*Plan first by calling ahead!
6. Watch a runway show at The Fashion Show Mall
A retractable runway within the mall’s atrium. (Hence the name.) Vegas is haute, and so is the couture! Stop by for a free weekend fashion show while you shop!
*Plan ahead and check showtimes HERE.
7. Eat at the first Chick‑fil‑A on the Las Vegas Strip
I’m asked all the time if these heifers are friends of mine? Yes, literally‑ I know them and the owners of Las Vegas’ very own first Chick‑fil‑A on The Strip.
Here I am, celebrating with cows and combo meals at the grand opening in 2020. This first-ever on The Strip and Black-owner-operated business is part of the Miracle Mile stores, mid-Strip.
8. Tour Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Who’s Ethel M? Mama of the Mars Brothers and home to Las Vegas’ very own chocolate lovers’ paradise!
Take a tour and take a pic at the Chocolate Selfie Wall!
PS‑ Ethel M Chocolate Factory is also home to the largest cactus farm on the west coast!
9. See the Red Rock Canyon
Do this in the sky via a guided helicopter tour. Or head off The Strip to explore the 13-mile one‑way scenic tour of Las Vegas’ Red Rock Canyon! Red Rock Canyon is located about 25 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip.
10. Walk The Strip at night to see the lights!
You ain’t never seen lights (or nights) like this- because they’re only on the Las Vegas Strip!
Fun fact- The Luxor (the pyramid hotel) has a beam of light coming out of its pinnacle that can be seen even in outer space!
*Visit Las Vegas travel information 2021
The Las Vegas Strip is open for business! But some limitations make The Strip a lot different than it was before 2020.
For Las Vegas 2021 and beyond, the best way to travel is with a plan!
Know your options by calling ahead to prepare for the most up to date restrictions. Check hotel, restaurant and venue websites for temporary closing, limited hours of operation, reservation rules and special in-person guidelines.
11. Visit the world’s largest chocolate fountain
Not only is Las Vegas home to Ethel M Chocolate Factory. The Strip is also home to the world’s largest chocolate fountain, streaming dark, medium and milk chocolate from ceiling to floor via custom glass fountains!
Guinness certified, you can marvel at this chocolate delight inside the shops at Bellagio. Unfortunately, there’s no way you can dip your finger in to have a taste!
12. Downtown Grand & Fremont St Experience
Love the Vegas nightlife? Then Old Las Vegas‑ aka Fremont St is where it all began! Stay here at the newly renovated Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino for the full Fremont St Experience!
Gain another Las Vegas “insider” advantage by way of The Mob Museum. Contrary to what the museum’s name suggests, this visit is all legal!
Take a behind the scenes tour of who’s-who in Old Las Vegas, prohibition, bootleggers and speakeasies. Plus crime scenes, mobsters and moonshine. Enter at your own risk!
*Purchase Mob Museum tickets and get “know before you go” info HERE.
14. Wine and dine in Summerlin
Summerlin is my favorite Las Vegas suburban district. (And, yes‑ Las Vegas has suburbs!) The community’s slogan is “Be part of something beautiful.” Experience one of the area’s fantastic restaurants + Summerlin living, like Ohjah Hibachi Japanese Steakhouse.
15. Take a day trip to Seven Magic Mountains
Less than 30 minutes off The Strip, Vegas’ wildly popular art installation awaits you at the intersection of natural meets artificial‑ with nothing else for miles around.
Place Seven Magic Mountains at the top of your list of Las Vegas best places for Instagram pics!
You asked: “Is 2 nights in Las Vegas enough?”
Pick a handful of these Las Vegas things to do so you know what not to miss if your Vegas vacay is for only one or two days.
16. Head to Downtown Las Vegas
DTLV is what the locals call it! Or Love Las Vegas, as my favorite mural suggests. Whatever you call it, stop by this eclectic and historic art district.
17. Visit the Mojave Desert
Step off The Strip and discover the Mojave Desert’s beautiful calm. Mojave is the desert that surrounds Las Vegas, expanding into California.
18. Attend a Las Vegas convention
Visit Vegas for both business and pleasure!
Make the most of the city’s conference rooms, arenas and exhibition halls with some events open to the public. (*Check for virtual event details.)
For Las Vegas convention schedules and smart meetings, check out sites like Las Vegas Means Business for weekly, monthly and annual event calendars.
Cheers to me having a blast while doing business at Las Vegas Market!
A quick day trip for an epic experience. National Park enthusiasts, get ready to be in awe! The Hoover Dam is a must-see Las Vegas experience.
20. Stop by Boulder City
Boulder City, home to The Hoover Dam, is the cutest, coziest and most quaint little town off the Las Vegas Strip. Stop by for the retro signs and the Southwest Diner. Stay for the nostalgia.
You asked: “Where do celebs stay in Vegas? And, What is the most luxurious hotel in Las Vegas?”
“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” When it comes to Las Vegas hotels, there’s more truth to this saying than what you may know.
There are secret hotels hidden inside the well-known hotels on the Las Vegas Strip!
Check out my article HERE to get the celebrity keys to these secret stays.
21. Las Vegas- concert & club [verbs]
Katy Perry sings it best: “That’s what you get for waking up in Vegas!”
Concert & club because Sin City never sleeps- and neither does the Las Vegas Strip!
Concert at Park MGM’s Park Theater and head to their club, On The Record, right after the show! So many venues in every hotel make room for so many ways to party like a rock star!
Just remember that “What happens here only happens here!”
(*Most clubs are closed in 2021.)
You asked: “How do you get free stuff in Vegas?”
Lucky for you, I wrote a whole article on how to Las Vegas like a high-roller with a fifty-cent slot machine budget- including free and cheap things to do on the Las Vegas Strip!
My article also answers this common question:
“Are drinks really free in Vegas?”
Why yes, they are! Find out where + more questions answered and insider secrets revealed HERE.
