The Strip
Las Vegas Boulevard is where it all happens! The Strip is the main drag with all the famous casinos you've heard of. The Tropicana, the Luxor, New York New York, the Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, the Mirage and The MGM Grand are a few of the massively popular casino hotels lining the strip. There are also a few good bars and restaurants along the Strip to be visited and the ever-present souvenir shops feature strongly as well.
The casinos try and provide the most attractive entertainment to maximise their visitor numbers. This heavy competition for each visitors' attention makes it all the more exciting with more fun things to see and do than is humanly possible in a short period of time in Sin City.
Attractions and activities in the casinos include the obvious such as gambling, restaurants and pools to the more diverse musicals, plays, magic shows, showgirl extravaganzas or massive music stars. There are also technology orientated activities like 3D movies, interactive and virtual reality media and video games. More culturally inclined options are also available to visitors with excellent traveling museums and art exhibitions in various casinos.
The Strip at night is a show in itself. It is an incredible show of lights, cars and people trying to make the most of their time in fabulous Las Vegas! During the day the Strip is a hub of activity with the sidewalks jam-packed with people going from souvenir shop to souvenir shop, casino to casino, attraction to attraction and just checking others out as they walk by.
The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is one of the World's Natural wonders and understandably, one the top tourist destinations in the world. The canyon itself is 1 mile or 1.6 kms deep and 277 miles or 443 kms long. The floor of the canyon is graced with the flowing Colorado River which carved the Canyon out of the earth's surface over the course of time. It really is amazing.
The Canyon has two rims, the North and South rims. The South Rim is open
year-round but the North Rim is closed from Mid-October to Mid-May
each year due to heavy snow and dangerous conditions for visitors.
Visiting the two different rims will take a significant amount of time
as you must drive around one end of the Canyon to get to the other
rim. From Las Vegas, the Canyon is about a five hour drive and 45 minute
helicopter flip.
Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression of the 1930s and is one of the greatest engineering feats ever to be undertaken worldwide. At a height of 54 stories and regulating the flow of the Colorado river, the dam created the large artificial Lake Mead. The dam is about 35 miles or 56 kms outside of Las Vegas and offers guided tours educating visitors about the dam's purpose and it's electricity generating capacity.
Lake Mead
The impressive Lake Mead is a man-made lake just outside of Las Vegas and is the largest artificial body of water in the United States. The Lake exists because of the Hoover Dam regulating the flow of the Colorado river. It is a huge playground and holiday destination for both locals and foreigners alike. Water skiing, fishing, swimming, boating and jet skiing are just a few of the activities holiday makers can enjoy on Lake Mead.
Area 51
The well known yet mysteriously secretive Area 51 government and military base is just a short drive from Las Vegas. So what's going on in there? Nobody besides authorised personnel really knows but many believe it's all related to UFOs and the paranormal but it's probably just high-tech development. You won't see much other than sand as the area is off-limits and is heavily guarded.
Death Valley
Death Valley's amazing landscapes draw visitors to this unforgiving place despite the 120F temperatures.
Mojave National Preserve
The Mojave desert is one of the world's most biologically diverse deserts. The 1.6 million acre Preserve is home to Joshua's trees, towering mountain dunes, wildflowers and volcanic cinder cones.
