AboutTom Expertise I can tell you detail of every major hotel in Vegas, such as the restaurants they offer and the attractions they maintain, on the Las Vegas Strip. The kind of patrons each hotel attracts. How to play blackjack, both etiquette and strategy. How to obtain comps and make the most of your money when in town. Any Vegas general knowledge.
Experience
Past/Present clients Caesar's Palace, Flamingo Las Vegas, Bally's, Paris and Las Vegas Hilton.
Question My wife and I are going to vegas for the first time. We are not planning to gamble.(Dont tell any one). Basically, We are giong for a 4 day away from the kids ,and rekindle some romance(not that we need to. Its just sounds good.). We are looking for fun and lots of it. Moderate drinkers. We are doing LVMS Richard Petty tour and Star trek.(Nerds and rednecks thats us). Any Advice on what to do and not to do. Thanks much
Answer Hey Brad,
You've probably heard the reports that Vegas has been hurt by the recent economic downturn - whereas in the past, Vegas has been relatively immune from recessions. The reason they are now being affected is because of the transformation from gambling destination to entertainment destination - in days of the past, it didn't matter what the national economy was doing because as long as Vegas had its core gambling visitors, all else was just gravy. But now, so much is based on shows and nightlife and shopping and attractions and dining, etc., they can't rely on gambling alone.
I write all this just to assure you that you are not alone when it comes to not gambling. These days, there's more to do outside of the casino than inside. So don't think for a minute that you won't have plenty to do (or not do, depending on your interests.)
So I usually tell people that there are 10 categories of things to do in Vegas. If you can spend time doing most of the things on this list, you will have seen most of what Vegas is all about. In order of popularity (loosely), things to do are:
1. Sightsee all the hotels and attractions
2. Dine at marvelous restaurants
3. See a theatrical show or stage act
4. Try your luck in the casino (maybe not your bag)
5. Shop in all the thematic malls and hotels
6. Relax by the pool with a frozen concoction
7. Party til the cows come home at a lounge or nightclub
8. Be pampered at the spa
9. Play a round of golf at a local course
10. Make a day trip out to Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon or Red Rock
There are so many attractions and so many restaurants and so many shows and so many bars and so many hotels that I wouldn't know where to begin making recommendations for you... sounds like you have a couple things already planned that fit your interests - the best thing to do is scour sites like vegas.com and cheapovegas.com to see what else is out there that you would like. Just taking some wild guesses, but you might be interested in Toby Keith's Bar & Grill at Harrah's, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville at Flamingo, the thrill rides at the top of the Stratosphere, Vegas' self-proclaimed most romantic lounge, Peppermill Fireside Lounge (rekindling the romance...), Speed the Ride at Sahara, Carnival Court at Harrah's (an outdoor bar with live band and juggling bartenders), Bodies exhibit at Tropicana (for the inner nerd you mentioned), and touring around downtown "old school" Las Vegas - a carnival atmosphere with a light show overhead.
And as far as "must-sees" in Vegas, well here's a short list that you really can't leave without seeing:
1. The fountains at Bellagio at night
2. Paris' Eiffel Tower
3. Gondola Rides at Venetian
4. Pirate Battle at Treasure Island
5. Caesars Palace Forum Shops (mall)
6. VooDoo Lounge Rooftop bar at Rio
7. Flamingo Gardens at Flamingo
8. White Tigers at Mirage
9. The Luxor Pyramid
10. Fremont Street Experience (the aforementioned light show downtown)
So I hope that will at least get you started. If you can do at least a couple of those things, you'll get the Vegas experience. When you get there, you'll see so many things you'll want to do, you won't have time for it all.
Let me know if you need any more specific detail on anything and I'll help you out.
