Getting Here:
Certain times of the year are much cheaper than others. If there's no big event you're traveling for, keep an eye out on flights and book when they're really cheap! After visiting in October and September, I highly recommend this time of year. It's not too hot, but it's warm enough for summer clothes and the vibe is great.
If arriving by air, the Grayline or Executive shuttle is much cheaper than a cab and will take you to and from your hotel (though you may have a few stops before it's your stop).
Our first trip, we took the monorail a number of times because we thought it would be cheaper and faster. This was not the case. We spent more time walking to the monorail and trying to find the entrances than it was worth. It would have been easier to take a cab. However, it was nice to ride from MGM down to the Stratosphere (There is a fee to go to the top. If you want to enjoy a meal, go for lunch...dinner is very expensive) and back to see everything.
Things to Do:
Gamble: Obviously! If you're on the strip, you're within about 20 feet of some sort of gambling device. I also recommend old Vegas if you're there to make money. The table buy-in is cheaper and you're bound to win more. They want your business. We didn't gamble our first trip, but this most recent trip, I learned roulette and it's seriously my game!
Free Activities: Almost every hotel/casino has a free attraction. If you take time to walk around and see all of them, you'll get your exercise and enjoy the fun.
Some of these freebees are:
*The Fabulous Las Vegas sign...you might spot Elvis!
Paid Activities:
The Big Apple Roller Coaster at New York hotel: $15 a person or $26 for an all day ride pass. Hours are 11am-11pm Monday-Thursday and Sunday and 10:30am-midnight on Friday and Saturday. I can tell you, it's a thrill!
Mandalay Bay Shark Reef Aquarium: $25 for adults, $19 for children 4-12 and free for kids under 3. Hours are 10am-10pm daily. If you've ever been to the Aquarium in Atlanta, GA, this one is a joke. But, if you've never been to an aquarium, ever, this might be a magical experience for you. It was way too expensive, in my opinion, for what we got to see. I'd save my money for something else like the High Roller or a gondola ride!
The Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris: $10 a person for a ride to the top. Great views of the Bellagio fountains and the strip. Hours are 10am-1am daily.
High Roller at the Linq hotel: $25 for adults during the day, $10 for kids. Night fees are $32 for adults and $19 for youth. This is the world's largest wheel (bigger than the London Eye) and gives great views of the Las Vegas Strip. We enjoyed our night ride with the strip lit up.
Gondola Ride at the Venetian: $29 a person for a 4 person ride, $116 for a private gondola. Indoor hours are Sunday-Thursday 10am-11pm and Friday-Saturday 10am-midnight. Outdoor hours are daily 11am-10pm. Just know that indoor rides don't travel outdoors and vice versa. The ride isn't long, but the gondoliers sing and it's just a fun experience.
Ziplining at Fremont Street: You can Zip or Zoom on the SlotZilla experience. $25 for the Zipline and $45 for the Zoomline. Hours Sunday-Thursday 1pm-1am, Friday and Saturday 1pm-2am. If flying over a sea of people is your thing, go for it!
Vegas Indoor Skydiving: $75 for one person, or packages for up to 10 people.
Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat: All day adventure passes start at $22. Hours 10am-7pm daily. Experiences with Bottlenose Dolphins, White Tigers, White Lions and Leopards. They have many different packages if this is your thing.
Trips off the Strip:
Red Rock Canyon- About a 30 minute drive from the strip. The towering cliffs of sandstone rock are mesmerizing. You can spend a few hours to an entire day out here hiking the different trails, climbing rocks and exploring in nature. The entire loop is 13 miles in one direction (you can't turn around), so plan accordingly. Wait until sunset because the setting sun is breathtaking from here!
Eat before you go. Food is not allowed in the Visitor's Center and once you get your ticket in, you have to wait for your timed tour. There also are no bathrooms along the tour, so keep that in mind before you start. If the Visitor's Center is closed, there are still great views on either side of the Dam. You can also drive your car over to the AZ side and have a picnic up on the hill to avoid paying to park.
Grand Canyon- About a 5 hour drive from Vegas...a little far, but if this is your only chance to see it, I recommend it! For our honeymoon, we took a Maverick Helicopter Tour to the Grand Canyon. The trip took us over the Hoover Dam and over to the Canyon, where we landed and enjoyed a champagne snack with time to take pictures before we returned to the Vegas Strip. It was our first time in a helicopter and it was a GREAT time! More pictures and videos here.
The Neon Museum- Probably my favorite thing from Vegas so far! The trip through the neon sign boneyard takes about an hour. This tour is laced with Vegas history and guarantees some really nice photo-ops. We were told if we came back the next day with our tickets, we could pay $5 and see another small boneyard in the parking lot. Call in advance to see if they have tickets. We stumbled in and just happened to luck out. Night tours are also available and various signs are lit up for that, but we enjoyed our day tour!
Take a trip back in time to an old fashion saloon. We traveled 45 minutes south of Vegas to Goodsprings, NV to the Pioneer Saloon. Don't blink or you'll miss the tumbleweeds blowing across the road. There is NOTHING here. We stopped in for lunch (which was not great) and looked around a bit before traveling on. It was an experience for sure and something you can only see in the Wild Wild West!
Where to Stay:
The strip is an obvious choice. Our first visit we stayed at the Bellagio and had a beautiful room overlooking the fountains. It was great!
What to Eat on a Budget:
Vegas has plenty of places to eat and most are pricey, but I love to travel on a budget. This is very possible in Vegas!
For starters, if you stay off the strip and have a car, there are definitely more options than being stuck on the strip. The cheapest option for food on the strip are the buffets. We found a deal where you could pay one price for 24 hours of meals at the buffets. We were able to use it for Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast and an additional Lunch. 5 or 6 buffets were included, so we ate in Paris (Le Village Buffet), The Flamingo (Paradise Garden Buffet) and Planet Hollywood (Spice Market Buffet). All you can eat!
Most hotels have a food court and that's always a cheaper option. We frequented the one in Caesar's Palace this past trip and had great meals! Tiger Wok & Ramen was my meal right before seeing Celine Dion!
Earl of Sandwich is a very delicious sandwich shop located in Planet Hollywood and Caesar's Palace Forum Food Court. I wish we would have discovered this spot sooner...I would have eaten here for most meals. The Earl Grey Lemonade is DYNAMITE!
Jean Philippe's, located in Bellagio, is the perfect spot for sweet and savory crepes. In the scheme of things, it's on the least expensive side of things and so delicious! I wish we would have known about this spot our first visit too!
Any In-N-Out Burger makes for a great meal (double double animal style). There's a small food court at Fremont Street. Kevin and I got a slice of pizza (or 2) and a drink for under $10 total. There is a neat Container Park in downtown old Vegas. We spent some time doing work here one day and got coffee at one of the shops. This is a great place to visit and much cheaper than places to eat on the Strip!
Very Pricey Meals that were Worth it: Prime Steakhouse in Bellagio (super expensive and AMAZING food! Our meals were delicious, the service was great and the view of the fountains was incredible)
Skip the spots like Margaritaville- overpriced for mediocre food, Cheesecake Factory- you can get the same meal at home, so why not venture out to try something new, Cabo Wabo Cantina (outside of Planet Hollywood)- really pricey for a simple meal
A middle of the road meal money-wise was at Wahlburgers in front of Bally's. My burger was great! We could have gone somewhere cheaper to save some money, but I enjoyed the experience.
Shows:
When in Vegas, see the sights! These include all sorts of acts including artists that are permanent residents these days.
The Beatles Love Show in Mirage was a GREAT show! We had the last seats in the entire place and it didn't change our experience at all. The show was magical! If you like the Beatles, this is a MUST-SEE!
Of course there are shows like Chippendales and topless showgirls performances. We didn't partake in any of those!
Check out lasvegas.com for show discounts.
Other ways to save money:
Free parking in Caesar's Palace, Paris, Venetian and some other hotels. Yes, you still have to walk if you're leaving that hotel, but it's so much easier to get around. This is especially helpful if you're staying in a hotel off the strip. It makes life easier when getting around.
If you're planning a trip to the Gambling Capital of the World, I hope this guide will prepare you for more than just that. After our honeymoon, I said I never wanted to return to Vegas: one and done. However, this last trip really changed my outlook on it and it can be a fun place to get away to without spending too much money and having good, clean fun!
