You can Enjoy Las Vegas if you don't like Gambling

Las Vegas, Nevada for non-gamblers

I'm not one for gambling loud music and flashy clubs

When my sister suggested we take a trip together somewhere warm, I was thinking more of Barbados or Saint Lucia.  I can't remember how the idea of heading to Las Vegas came about, but I was skeptical.  

I don't gamble.  I don't party hard.  I don't drink much.  I don't particularly like dressing up in glamorous outfits and hitting the town.  I don't like dining in fancy restaurants.  And I I'm not one for extravagant shows. Nevertheless, we went ahead and booked a 7-night vacation at The Luxor right on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Luxur, Las Vegas

 

The first thing I noticed when we arrived at McCarran Airport was the sound of VLT machines.  I thought to myself "really, they wouldn't have gaming machines in the airport would they?" but that they did and that was very bizarre to me. 

My first taste of the strip was in the taxi that took us to our hotel and it was nothing like I expected.  I always thought of Vegas as this small city in the middle of the desert consisting of just one road, The Strip, which was one lane only and when you came to the end of it, you were back among the tumbleweed.  

I had no idea it was about eight lanes across and was just over four miles long.  The other thing that hit me was the heat.  Boy, was it ever hot.

Las Vegas Boulevard AKA The Las Vegas Strip

 

To this day, if I close my eyes and put myself back there, I can still hear the sound of hundreds of VLT machines running all at once.  It's a sound that must have become engraved in my head because for the better part of a week, all I heard when I left my hotel room was that sound. 

That being said, I quickly realized that there was more to this city that just a street full of casinos and hotels.  Each one of those Casinos and hotels are different in their own way and offer unique attractions that keep non-gamblers preoccupied.  And The Strip is full of surprises at all hours of the day and night and every nook and crannie is filled with some sort of entertainment.

Even the hotel we were staying at had a number attractions and features. And can you guess what was one of the first things I did upon arrival at The Luxor?  I took a ride on the diagonal elevators, of course! 

Naturally, there is a casino at The Luxor, but we also had the option to enjoy shows and attractions such as Carrot Top, Criss Angel, Bodies...the Exhibition and
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition which are all still featured at the hotel to this day.  

It wasn't until I walked the length of The Strip for the first time that I realized there's so much more to do besides gambling and eating.  

Speaking of eating, that first morning we were craving a delicious but cheap breakfast to get the day started.  We found a Denny's within walking distance of our hotel. Many people think Las Vegas is all glitz and glam and you have to fork over a small fortune in order to eat while visiting the city.  This isn't true.  

Within walking distance of our hotel there were several food courts with familiar and affordable eateries such as MacDonalds and Subway.  I've heard that you can get deals on casino restaurants if you gamble enough but I didn't gamble enough to see if this is actually true.    

That morning, I wore what I thought were comfortable, durable walking sandals.  It was very hot that day and by the time we walked the four miles to the end of The Strip, I had to buy a new pair of shoes.  Thankfully, there was a store with affordable, decent shoes on the way back.  So if you plan to visit, keep this in mind; you will be doing a lot of walking so bring good shoes! 

Walking that stretch that morning was quite interesting. I think Las Vegas must be one of the only places around where you can spot people dressed in evening wear and full make-up cruising around in exotic sports cars at 9AM.  

It took almost all day to make it back to the hotel because we stopped so much!  The Fountains at the Bellagio was one of my favourite attractions along The Strip.  I could sit there all day just watching those choreographed streams of water dance to the music. 

Oh and that fabulous pirate show that stopped everyone in their tracks in front of Treasure Island (I was sad to hear that this show no longer runs as of 2013), the volcano eruption that occurs in front of the Mirage, the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay and Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. 

Visitors are free to enter the casinos and hotels along The Strip and many of them have shops, exhibits and various other attractions intended to draw people in to the gambling tables but are equally effective in entertaining non-gambling visitors.  

The Fountains at The Bellagio

 

One thing I didn't want to do while in Las Vegas was shopping.  I know I'm a minority on that front but, for me, shopping (even if it's among the infamous outlet malls of Las Vegas) is something I feel is a waste of time while traveling. 

I did hear that those outlet stores are great and I noticed there are quite a few gift shops along The Strip and luxury shops are in almost every hotel.  Whether you are looking for bargains or to go all out and drop lots of $$$ on that once-in-lifetime-purchase, I am confident you will find everything you are looking for.

I'm not really into extravagant shows either and some of the more extravagant ones were well beyond my budget! That being said, I wanted to do something while I was there so I looked around for an entertaining show we could enjoy one evening over a few drinks.  

We found one that suited both our budgets are tastes; a stand-up comedy show performed by Vinnie Favorito with help from audience members with hilarious results. 

Many people assume that extravagant concerts are the only shows available but nothing could be further from the truth!  There are circus shows (I would have loved to have taken in a Cirque de Soleil show but didn't have time!), magic shows, dancing shows, burlesque shows, nostalgic shows and dinner theatres.

Gambling was at a minimum (yes I know, I'm not your typical Las Vegas tourist) but I did spend a couple of hours one evening playing the slot machines. I set a budget of 100 dollars, ended up spending 200 to win 300 only to lose it all on a max bet.  At least I can say I tried gambling in Vegas.

One of the stipulations of me agreeing to go to Las Vegas was that The Grand Canyon and some random driving in the desert be part of the deal.  And I mean why not; if you are going to be in the area where one of the world's top attractions is only a short drive away, why wouldn't you go see that attraction! 

I pre-booked a day-tour with a local company called Pink Jeep Tours and I highly recommend booking with this company!  

Our tour included pick up at our hotel, water, snacks, a lunch at a diner serving traditional Southwestern cuisine, a stop at the Hoover Dam, a stop at a remote look-off in the Grand Canyon, a helicopter ride down into the canyon and a pontoon boat ride down the Colorado River.

The day after that fabulous Grand Canyon adventure, we rented a car and drove off into the desert. 
When people asked me what we were doing driving around in the dessert for several days, I was astounded that most people didn't even know about the world-class attractions that were within a few hours' drive of Las Vegas.

I didn't find it too difficult driving around the city (except for getting hopelessly lost trying to find our way out of the city) and once I found a road that looked like it went off into the great unknown, I just kept driving and it was smooth sailing from there.  For a little while anyway.  

We had a GPS but it let us down almost immediately so I turned it off. We had no immediate plans that day and I had no idea what direction I was going or where I would end up and I didn't care.  A few wrong turns took us down some remote dead-end desert roads with stunning scenery.  This is why it's not always a bad idea to just get lost while exploring a new place.

We eventually ended up in an area of the desert knows for a high amount of UFO sightings. A big sign announcing we were about to turn onto the "Extraterrestrial Highway" was enough for me to know I was headed somewhere interesting.  

I remember reading that the infamous Area 51 base is located somewhere along this highway and a truck stop/gas station with a sign

on the front stating that it was the last stop before Area 51 confirmed that I was in the right area.  This store sold maps to the location of the fabled base but I knew better; this was just a touristy marketing ploy.  They most likely wouldn't release exact directions to what is considered a top secret military facility that the government denied even existed for years.

Early that evening, we turned back towards Las Vegas so we wouldn't be driving in the middle of the dessert at night.  I didn't have much faith in the GPS but I set it to take us directly to the hotel without having to go down The Strip on a Friday night.  

After getting lost several times (expected), we arrived back in the city right where I didn't want to end up; At the other end of The Strip in bumper to bumper traffic with our hotel at the opposite end.

The Strip on a Friday Night

The Valley of Fire State Park was one of the planned destinations for the next day.  Driving around aimlessly and exploring more of the dessert was also on the agenda.  It was a little chilly that day and despite it being the weekend, there was no one else around when we arrived at the park.  

We paid the fee and drove along the two-lane road into scenery like no other we had seen in the area.  The dark grey ashphalt with a prominent yellow line contrasted starkly with the deep red hue of the terrain.  I think we only passed one other car the entire time we were in the park.  

Driving through the Valley of Fire State Park

The Valley of Fire State Park was deserted the day we drove through.

I remember reading about Death Valley in an encyclopedia I found in my father's book collection. The mystery of the moving rocks at Racetrack Playa (which has since been solved) and the fact that the valley was the site of the highest temperature ever recorded on the planet intrigued me. 

On the last day we had the car rental, we drove the four hours to Death Valley.  It was a bit cool in Las Vegas that morning so we dressed in layers and left the top on our convertible up as we set off into the desert one last time.  

We only stopped once outside of Las Vegas to pick up snacks and coffees for the road and didn't stop again until we reached the entrance to Death Valley National Park.  I assumed it would be around the same temperature as it was in Las Vegas so I wasn't prepared for the wave of heat that nearly knocked me down when I opened the car door.  I don't think I ever experienced temperatures like that before.  It was literally like walking into an oven.

We got out and looked around at some of the tourist stops and look-offs but hiking or walking too far off the beaten track would have been dangerous in that heat.  Coming from Atlantic Canada, that's just something I am not accustomed to!  We drove for quite a while into the park and when it started getting late, we turned around and headed back towards the city.  

I wanted to be out of the dark desert by nightfall but, as per usual when I am driving in a new place, I got lost and again ended up where I didn't want to. A couple of dead end roads, unfamiliar sites we didn't remember passing on the way there and a few circles around the same place and we were back in Sin City just in time to be once again thrown into the evening traffic jam at the opposite end of The Strip. 

Our last day was spent walking up and down Las Vegas Boulevard just taking in the excitement.  Of course, no trip to Las Vegas is complete without getting your picture taken in front of the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. 

I thought you just walk up to the sign and take a picture and it's no big deal.  I didn't realize it was such a big thing until we arrived at the sign and there was a lineup of people waiting.  Another surprise?  Apparently some people make a living just taking pictures of people posing under this iconic sign. 

Las Vegas Side Trips to the Valley of Fire State Park and Death Valley

If you're wondering how far is the Valley of Fire from the Las Vegas Strip, it's 50 miles away and takes about an hour to get there.  So it's a very doable side trip from Vegas.  

We got directions to the Valley of Fire, Nevada from our hotel’s front desk and made our way there without bothering to set the GPS this time. We arrived at our first destination with no problems and without getting lost. We spent about two hours in The Valley of Fire State Park, driving around, taking pictures and staring in awe at the stark color contrast between the rocks in the park and the ones everywhere else. The bright red made our white car stick out like a sore thumb! 

Before leaving the park, we stopped at the visitor’s center to get directions to our next destination, Death Valley. It was late morning by time we got on the right route. After narrowly escaping disaster after a wrong turn onto the multi-lane I-95, we got back on the right track and it was smooth sailing for the rest of the way.

If you're wondering how far is Death Valley from Las Vegas, it's about a 2 hour drive so it also makes for a great getaway from Las Vegas. That meant we would not have much time to spend there. Mid-afternoon, we finally arrived. We drove for a while until we found a suitable place to pull over and stretch our legs. 

We stopped at a look-off with a fantastic view. Expecting it to be as cold as it was everywhere else, we put on some sweaters and exited the car only to be nearly knocked out by the heat! Back into the car we went to trade our sweaters in for sunhats and sunscreen! We drove around the park for a few hours taking more pictures and stopping at various rest stops to walk around. We wanted to spend more time there but before we knew it, it was starting to get dark. So much for getting back to Vegas early. It was almost 10PM by time we returned the car to the airport terminal and shuttled back to our hotel. We grabbed a snack and headed to bed early, looking forward to the big adventure that awaited us the next morning; Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon!

 

                       

Back from Vegas!

Well, here I am trying to get back in the swing of normal, everyday life after a fantastic week in Las Vegas and the vacation was far better that I thought it would be! The weather was a bit cold when we first arrived, so cold in fact that we couldn't put the top down on our rented convertible but mid-week, the temperature climbed into the high 90's and it was so hot we could barely move! We managed to get out to the Grand Canyon, The Valley of Fire and Death Valley during our trip and of course we hung out on The Strip a lot! I'm still in the midst of getting everything back in order and when I get my pictures off my camera and onto the computer I will be sure to post them on here!