Best of Las Vegas

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Back to Las VegasBest of Las Vegas, Nevada

Strolling on the Strip After Dark: You haven't really seen Las Vegas until you've seen it at night. This neon wonderland is the world's greatest sound-and-light show. Begin at Luxor and work your way past the incredible hotels and their attractions. You'll pass the amazing New York-New York on your way, and if your strength holds out, you will end at Circus Circus, where live acrobat acts take place overhead while you gamble. Make plenty of stops en route to take in the Sirens show at Treasure Island, see The Mirage volcano erupt, take a photo of the full moon over the Eiffel Tower, and marvel at the choreographed water-fountain ballet at Bellagio.

Casino-Hopping on the Strip: The interior of each lavish hotel-casino is more outrageous and giggle-inducing than the last. Just when you think they can't possibly top themselves, they do. From Venice to ancient Egypt, from a rainforest to a pirate's lair, from New York City to the ultraluxurious Wynn Las Vegas, it is all, completely and uniquely, Las Vegas.

Bingeing at Buffets: They may no longer be the very best of bargains, but there is something about the endless mounds of food that just scream "Vegas" to us.

Spending an Evening in Glitter Gulch: Set aside an evening to tour the Downtown hotels and take in the overhead light show of the Fremont Street Experience. Unlike the lengthy and exhausting Strip, here you can hit a dozen casinos in about 5 minutes.

Taking a Creative Adventures Tour: Char Cruze of Creative Adventures provides personalized tours unlike anything offered by a commercial tour company, full of riveting stories and incredible facts about both natural and artificial local wonders.

Marveling at the Liberace Museum: It's not the Smithsonian, but then again, the Smithsonian doesn't have rhinestones like these. Only in Vegas.

Visiting the Dolphins at The Mirage: This is a most un-Vegas experience. Watch these gorgeous mammals frolic in their cool blue pool. If you're really lucky, they'll play ball with you.

Playing Penny Slots: Even the most budget-conscious traveler can gamble for hours. Penny slots used to be as rare as a non-silicone-enhanced showgirl, but now they're in all the major casinos.

Shopping the Big Three Casino Arcades: Take what Napoleon called "the greatest drawing room in Europe," replicate it, add shops, and you've got the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian -- it's St. Mark's Square, complete with canals and working gondolas. Then there are the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, which replicate an ancient Roman streetscape, with classical piazzas and opulent fountains. Don't miss the scary audio-animatronic statues as they come to glorious, cheesy life. And while Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood is no longer the Middle Eastern-themed souk of our dreams, and is on its way to a more generic, "glitzy" Madison Avenue-style makeover, it will be, if less interesting visually, one of the better hotel shopping experiences.

Being Amazed by Cirque du Soleil's O, K?, and Myst?re: You haven't really seen Cirque du Soleil until you've seen it performed in a showroom equipped with state-of-the-art sound-and-lighting systems and a seemingly infinite budget for sets, costumes, and high-tech special effects. It's an enchantment.

Seeing Your Favorite Headliners: As soon as you arrive in town, pick up a show guide and see who's playing during your stay.

Visiting Red Rock Canyon and Valley of the Fire State Park: No money-grubbing businessperson caused these awe-inspiring desert rock formations to be built, and they will be standing long after Vegas.

Spending time at a Local Hangout: They don't keep the same late hours as they once did, but you will still find performer friends and other in-the-know types gathering at Jazzed Cafe & Vinoteca, eating Kirk's authentic Italian fare and comparing notes on the artist's life in Vegas. The more hard-core types (including, on certain nights, Blue Men sans makeup, doing weird percussion things) will be gathering way after hours at the Double Down Saloon.

Finding the Worst Lounge Shows: Some feel this is the ultimate Vegas experience. Be sure to watch out for Mr. Cook E. Jarr.

Hitting up the Nightclubs: We never think there is a good enough reason to wait in line, but ghostbar, in the Palms is a fantastic hotel bar, especially because of its outstanding view, perched high above the Strip. Meanwhile, there's a good reason Rain Nightclub keeps packing them in -- it's plus ne ultra for dance clubs. But the style of Body English in the Hard Rock Hotel, is terribly appealing to us as well.

Watching an Old-Time Vegas Production: You know: big, huge stage sets, pointless production numbers, showgirls, nipples on parade, Bob Mackie headdresses. Ah, Jubilee!; this world would be dreary without you.