Las Vegas is the largest city in the state of Nevada. Commonly referred to as The
Entertainment Capital Of The World, it is situated in the midst of the southern Nevada
desert landscape. The city has giant mega-casino hotels, decorated with lavish care and
attention to detail to create a fantasy-like atmosphere. The casinos have names that
evoke romance and mystery - Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Rio, The Excalibur, the Flamingo.
Others evoke popular worldwide destinations such as New York-New York, Paris, Monte
Carlo, and the Venetian.
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and
an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and entertainment.
Although established in 1905, Las Vegas officially became a city in 1911. With the growth
that followed, Las Vegas became the most populous American city founded in the 20th
century, preceding the 19th century founding of Chicago. As the 28th most populous city in
the United States, Las Vegas is one of the most populous cities in the American West.
The name Las Vegas is often applied to the unincorporated areas of Clark County that
surround the city, especially the resort areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip. This
4.5-mile (7.2-km) stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is mostly outside the city limits, in the
unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester.
Las Vegas, billed as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for massive and
lavish casino resorts, the unrestricted availability of alcoholic beverages (as is true
throughout Nevada), and adult entertainment. Once officially referred to as Sin City, this
image made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programs.
Las Vegas was named by Spaniards in the Antonio Armijo party, who used the water in
the area while heading north and west along the Old Spanish Trail from Texas. In the
1800s, areas of the Las Vegas Valley contained artesian wells that supported extensive
green areas or meadows (vegas in Spanish), hence the name Las Vegas.
PLACE TO VISIT
Within Bellagio - The Fountains of the Bellagio perform a magnificent display (set
to music) every 15-minutes in the evenings and also every hour on Saturday and Sunday
afternoons. Show times can vary on public holidays. Inside of the casino there is a
tremendous flower garden, with displays changed every month or two. The casino also
offers a fine-art gallery, although fees are charged. Bellagio is also home to one of the
finest buffets on "The Strip".
Flamingo Garden - Offers a great garden with Flamingos and other exotic birds, as
well as koi and turtles.
Within Mirage - Almost every hour in the evening the "volcano" in front of the casino
erupts in a terrific light show. Additionally there is a free white tiger enclosure within the
casino, an impressive aquarium behind the check-in counter, and a dolphin habitat that
can be viewed for a fee.
Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay - The Shark Reef in the Mandalay Bay hotel
(about $16 per person), the highlight is walking through a transparent tunnel with sharks,
sea turtle, fish on all sides.
Fremont Street Experience - A pedestrian mall where most of the downtown
casinos are located. Multimedia shows are displayed on a giant canopy over the street
nightly.
Star Trek: The Experience - Includes two well themed attractions with
simulator rides & live actors in Trek costumes. walk through museum serves as the
queue to the attractions and "Quarks" bar awaits you at the finish of the attractions.
Though frankly, unless you're a big Star Trek fan, it looks a little dated now. Tickets are
usually available at the discount/half-priced ticket booths located on the strip.
Las Vegas Chinatown - A place to experience Asian culture. Located about 1
mile west of Treasure Island. Take a westbound bus from the intersection of Las Vegas
Boulevard and Spring Mountain Road.
U.S. Route 95 at night - This route climbs gradually northwest of Las Vegas so
that the Strip's neon lights remain visible for a remarkably long distance, appearing as a
luminous cloud from the furthest point.
Golden Nugget Las Vegas - is a casino-hotel located in Las Vegas, Nevada,
USA on the Fremont Street Experience. The property is owned and operated by Landry's
Restaurants. It is the largest casino in the downtown area, with a total of 1,907 rooms. It
has also maintained AAA's four diamond rating consecutively for the past thirty years.
The Four Queens Hotel - and Casino is located in downtown Las Vegas on the
Fremont Street Experience. Home to the Queen's Machine, the world's largest slot
machine, the 690 room hotel and 40,000 square foot casino is owned and operated by
TLC Enterprises, which acquired the property from the Elsinore Corporation in 2003.
Las Vegas Springs Preserve - consists of 180 acres dedicated to nature
walks and displays and is owned by the Las Vegas Valley Water District. The Preserve is
located approximately three miles west of downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The Springs
Preserve includes colorful desert botanical gardens, museum galleries, outdoor concert
and event venues, an indoor theater, historic photo gallery and a series of walking trails
that meander through a wetland habitat.
HOW TO REACH
By car - Southern Californians crowd Interstate 15 every weekend going back and forth
to Vegas. Expect this drive to be crowded and frustrating, unless you can come and go at
off-peak hours. However, many find the 280-mile drive along the I-15 restful and scenic.
Attractions along the I-15 include the towns of Barstow, California; Baker, California; the
Mojave Desert; and small hotel-casinos at Primm, Nevada (at the California border) and
Jean, Nevada. Those who traverse the I-15 should remember that they are crossing a
desert, and should carry (and drink) ample amounts of water, especially on hot summer
days where temperatures can reach 120 degrees F (48 degrees Celsius).
From east of Las Vegas, travellers typically drive on I-40 through Arizona, and then head
north toward Vegas on US-93 in Kingman, AZ, before finally picking up I-15. This route will
take you along Lake Mead and directly through the Hoover Dam area. Traffic at the Dam
tends to be extremely congested and slow-going; usually the slowest part of an otherwise
sparsely populated desert area.
By air - McCarran International Airport is served by many domestic and international
air carriers. Discount air carriers serving LAS include US Airways/America West, JetBlue,
and Southwest. As at most US airports, you can rent luggage carts for $3. MGM Grand
properties (MGM Grand, and New York New York) and Harrah's Entertainment properties
(Rio, Harrah's, Bally's, Paris, Caesars Palace, and Flamingo) offer check-in desks and
luggage transfers at LAS. Getting from LAS to your hotel is accomplished by airport
shuttle (Bell Trans, $3.50-$10); rent-a-car; taxi ($10-20); or limousine ($35). The taxi line
is well organized, the city taxi dispatcher will direct you to a numbered space along the
curb. You need not tip the taxi dispatcher. As in any city, you can be taken advantage of if
the cab driver thinks you are naive or new to the city. Do not allow the cab driver to take you
through the I-15 tunnel (an extra $10) or tell you the story about the "big accident" enroute
to your hotel, if either of these happens take down the driver's hack license number and
call the Nevada Taxi Commission.
By rail - Unfortunately, due to service cuts back in 1997, Amtrak does not have a route
through Las Vegas anymore. There is a daily bus route from Needles, California to
McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, with a stop in Laughlin, Nevada, is operated
in concert with Amtrak's Southwest Chief . Amtrak California's San Joaquins route
operates 2 buses daily to Las Vegas from Bakersfield, California as part of its service.
