Help! First trip to Vegas. Any great tips?

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<p>If you have a car, go off-strip for meals. You often get better food and better value at places the locals go to. You’ll get better odds on gambling downtown (nicest casinos IMO are Golden Nugget and 4 Queens) and parking is free almost everywhere.</p>

<p>If you are super hungry and want to try a buffet, the one at the Wynn has been voted best in Vegas. It’s expensive, (about $22 lunch, $35 dinner) but very good quality and variety. It’s a real treat, and you can eat your money’s worth and then visit the hotel, which is beautiful. The cheap buffets are not too appetizing.</p>

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<p>Perhaps there are tourist flight adventures from Las Vegas over and into the Grand Canyon.</p>

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<p>Wait…you are going to Vegas with 21 year olds? Just give them chastity belts and tracking beacons. You should be alright.</p>

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<p>If you get out of the hotels, the food prices are about the same as anywhere else. There are food courts in the shopping malls, but then you’re in a shopping mall.</p>

<p>What I like to do in LV is have a late breakfast of the extremely decadent sort–waffles, etc.–and then a very early dinner, then an evening drink and bar munchies. Two meals out is definitely cheaper than two.</p>

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<p>Ewwwww . . . Vegas.</p>

<p>I’ve been there twice and have yet to find anything worthwhile about the place.</p>

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<p>I’ve been to Las Vegas twice in the last three years–I’ve gone with my H who goes to a professional meeting that’s held there every year. I don’t gamble and wasn’t that interested in the shopping. I’ve gone exploring outside of the city, while H was at the conference. </p>

<p>The Grand Canyon is about 5-6 hours by car. There are tours that leave at 6 am and return late in the evening. You can also take a helicopter from Vegas and that’s a much shorter trip–which is what our hotelconcierge recommended. I decided against the helicoper and took a Jeep tour to Hoover Dam. I did the long tour where you actually go see the power plant operations. I loved it. I’ve also gone out to the Red Rock Canyon–enjoyed that too. There’s great entertainment in Vegas–check the web to see what shows are around. Of the permanent shows, I’d recommend two Circque du Soleil shows–KA is one; Love is the other. Both are spectacular. </p>

<p>H and I are both foodies–so we have tried quite a few well-known restaurants both on our own and with a group. I’ve been to Bouchon (Thomas Keller’s restaurant at the Venetian) and hated the brunch (noisy, crowded, cold food), but loved a late lunch there were we sat outside by the fountain. We’ve also tried Auerole (top of Mandalay Bay) and really enjoyed the food and ambience–Italian minimalist interiors with great views; Alex (at the Wynn) was really pricey and while the food wasn’t bad–it was over the top, IMO. Also went to dinners (with a group from the conference) at Craftsteak (Craft in NYC is much better), Daniel Boulud Brasserie (good), and LeCirque (this was one of my favorites). The last time we visited–we decided to eat after going to see a show and ended up at a Chinese restaurant called Woo. We just walked in and while we couldn’t get a table we were able to eat at the bar. The food was great–bartender told us that the current chef was formerly the executive chef at Nobu (the one in Las Vegas). He came to work at Woo–because his mother is the owner. There were lots of friendly people at the bar (seems like locals went there–not just tourists) and the food was excellent.</p>

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<p>It’s already mentioned…but def check cheapovegas.com</p>

<p>Mirage has a good breakfast/lunch deli…might be the Carnegie already mentioned. Luxor used to have a decent deli in the sports book. MonteCarlo has a decent brewpub. Theres a PF Changs, great for lunches near the Venetian. And the restaurant row at NYNY has several worthwhile stops. But if you do nothing else, take your significant other to the Fontana Lounge at the Bellagio just before sunset, and sit outside,.</p>

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<p>Las Vegas = Disneyland on steroids.</p>

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<p>Best tips I ever got about Vegas:</p>

<ul>
<li>Blackjack: Always assume the dealer’s hold card is a face card.</li>
<li>Craps: Avoid the hard ways, unless the roller is on an incredibly hot streak.</li>
<li>You can find the cheaper games on the old strip, or one of the casinos away from the “Strip” (i.e. Sam’s Town)</li>
<li>Avoid the $2.99 Shrimp Cocktail. Cheap sea-food in the middle of the desert is never a good idea.</li>
<li>One good show and one good meal at a famous restaurant = about a week’s entertainment budget for most folks.</li>
</ul>

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<p>Try Denny’s (chain) for breakfast - big breakfasts & cheap</p>

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<p>If you’re looking for another day off of Vegas and don’t mind driving a bit you could go skiing at Brianhead Utah. It’s about 3-3.5 hours away. It usually has very good snow conditions and is uncrowded. </p>

<p>Roughly the same distance as Brianhead is Zion National Park in Utah. It’s quite nice. Not far from that is Bryce Canyon National Park. I went there one time in the winter and every one of the colorful spires had a ‘hat’ of white snow on top. It was very scenic.</p>

<p>About 4 hours from Las Vegas is Death Valley National Park. It’s well worth seeing.</p>

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<p>WOW, thank you everybody! Just got back from my day and am starting to read all your ideas. I just wanted to say thanks first.</p>

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<p>Made the drive to Death Valley once. Let’s just say you need to really be interested in seeing the lowest point in the US. And the lodge was neat.</p>

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<p>Better to visit Death Valley now rather than in July!</p>

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<p>I enjoyed Death Valley and camped there this time of year for several nights - Ubehebe crater (volcano), Devil’s golf course (salt formations), racetrack (mysterious boulders moving on the surface), 4-wheeling (old mining and ghost town trails), Scotty’s Castle, badlands, fantastic night sky (super clear), etc.</p>

<p>I agree with the ‘better now than July’.</p>

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<p>Here’s the Google map and driving directions from the Monte Carlo to the Grand Canyon South Rim:</p>

<p>[from:</a> 10 Albright Avenue, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023 (El Tovar Dining Room) to: 3770 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109 (Monte Carlo Resort and Casino) - Google Maps](<a href=“http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=10+Albright+Avenue,+Grand+Canyon,+AZ+86023+(El+Tovar+Dining+Room)&daddr=3770+Las+Vegas+Boulevard+South,+Las+Vegas,+NV+89109+(Monte+Carlo+Resort+and+Casino)&geocode=FdgYJgIda-JQ-SHjP1js0QCt6yktafScsxAzhzHoYtDYp-Bh4g%3BCWq1e8c_WiXDFVPfJgIdE4Ui-SES31KTMPI4gA&hl=en&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=36.080345,-113.658946&sspn=2.716879,4.581299&ie=UTF8&ll=35.630512,-113.648071&spn=2.732327,4.581299&z=8]from:”>Google Maps)</p>

<p>277 miles, 5 hours and 40 minutes.</p>

<p>We were in Laughlin for a wedding, drove to the Grand Canyon, had lunch at one of the old WPA National Park Lodges (probably the El Torvar) and then drove to Vegas where we were spending to few days (just because it was there). So our day was probably two hours shorter, but it was a long day. We did it right around Christmas. The Grand Canyon Park was pretty much deserted. It was so cold that you could only do ten minutes outside on the observation platforms and then a nice cozy lunch. It was actually a good time of year to see the Grand Canyon without crowds. Well worth it, but it’s a haul. The North Rim is closed and usually snowed in that time of year. South Rim is just cold, although we had flurries off and on during the day. The drive across the desert on I 40 is interesting to East Coasters.</p>

<p>The Hoover Dam is only about 30 miles from Vegas. There is an $11 tour and a $30 deluxe tour that includes the souvenir hard hat you have to wear. We did the $30 deluxe tour with our daughter (who was proably 12 or so). Had a great time.</p>

<p>[Bureau</a> of Reclamation: Lower Colorado Region - Hoover Dam: Dam Tour](<a href=“http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/DamTour.html]Bureau”>http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/DamTour.html)</p>

<p>I second getting off the strip for meals if you have a car. When I used to convention in Vegas, we routinely drove a mile off the strip to the kind of restaurants you find in a normal city – good rib places, etc. Cheaper than the strip, but also just nice to get away from casinos and all the tourist stuff. It’s just regular city (well, regular western suburban sprawl) once you drive away from the strip.</p>

<p>Most fun thing I ever did in Vegas was go with a buddy of mine who rented a Cessna (and an instructor since he’d never flown out of McCarrin before). We flew out over Lake Mead and did touch n gos at a bunch of little podunk airstrips all over the desert. Fun afternoon.</p>

<p>Going downtown to the Freemont Street Experience at night is kinda fun. Old-school Vegas with all the neon lights. Teens will like the scary rides at the Stratosphere. Not for parents, trust me.</p>

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<p>[Nevada</a> Division of State Parks - Valley of Fire State Park](<a href=“http://www.parks.nv.gov/vf.htm]Nevada”>http://www.parks.nv.gov/vf.htm)</p>

<p>It’s just 55 miles NE of Vegas off of I-15. Lots of interesting rock formations! We would stop there on the way to Zion National Park in Utah. It’s a great way to get away from Vegas to see nature.</p>

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<p>hookers are legal ;)</p>

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<p>^Not in Las Vegas. Prostitution is illegal in Clark County.</p>

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<p>Interesteddad. Thank you for the detailed trip plan. Wow, that’s a long day. I really like the sound of the dam. Also thanks for the weather reminder. We will pack accordingly. Burrrrrrr</p>

<p>Maybe we will have to pay the night in a hotel near the canyon. Can’t stand the thought of spending so much time in Vegas.</p>

<p>Lots to think about with all your experiences everybody. Thanks for taking the time to share.</p>