Los Vegas Worth A Trip?

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

We are planning a trip out to the west coast this summer, 30 days from San Diego to Vancouver, BC. We are debating if it is worth traveling from LA to Vegas for a day or so. The plan would be to drive out (one day) see Vegas (one day) and drive back to LA( one day). We are not into gambling, just going to see what it is all about. We will stop to see Hoover Dam if we make the trip. Are we wasting our time? Is a day enough to see it all? Is it a family place? Any suggestions on where to stay in Los Vegas??. We are looking for a family place, 2 kids 13 & 17. Looking on the web we have a lot of options, casino or hotel. The last time I was in Vegas was 1969, I am sure just a few things have changed since then. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Thanks for your help

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I'm not a gambler but I go to Vegas a couple times a year on business. On a recent trip the lovely Mrs_Bob and our 10 year old daughter flew out to meet me for a long weekend. They loved it. People watching is facinating. The "O" show at the Bellagio is not to be missed. While the food is not the very best, dinner at the top of the Stratosphere hotel is a great time, make sure you get dinner reservations in advance and make sure you find out what time the sun sets. . . make reservations for dinner for about 45 minutes before sunset. You'll get an amazing view of the city during the day, see a great sunset and then see the city at night, all from 1000' above it! The mall at Caesars is amazing. The mall at the Venetian (complete with a canal, gondolas and singing gondalears) is another site to see.

As I said, we don't gamble, but its a fun place to go.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Bob,

Thanks for the info, where do you stay when you visit?

 

[Richard]

I'd agree that it's worth the trip. I am not into gambling at all. When I go to Vegas, I'm just as happy NOT gambling, as I am if I were to gamble $50. now my wife on the other hand... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

To me, the reason to go might be the shows. Enjoy concerts? Wanna see Elton John, Celion, "O", Blue Man Group, Englebert Humperdink

(I'd highly recommend the Blue Man Group for the family too, it's hard to describe, but very enjoyable)

I'd also stay away from "all you can eat" buffets that have t-bone steaks and the like... always seemed to me that those were more of a cattle call feeding, than being quality food.

Personally, I'd rather pay more, get less and LOVE what I'm eating, than get boatloads of fluff for nothing.

I say do it, spend couple days and see couple shows. (then again, I'm not paying for it)

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[cowboydoc]

We are in Vegas every year for the National Finals Rodeo. My girls have been going the last five years. Every year is a new experience. We go from early morning to late at night every single day. You can do anything from ride a space shot, roller coaster, and a hammer like ride on the top of the Stratosphere at 100's of feet in the air to skydiving to driving a race car to shooting an UZI to shopping at real New York fifth avenue stores. It's quite an experience. We rarely do the same things twice. One day there will barely even get your feet wet. You'll spend a day just going to the Hoover Dam if you take the tour. And I highly recommend the tour. The real Hoover Dam is underneath and the only way to get there is with a tour.

There are literally hundreds of great shows, rides, attractions, etc. to go to. You can't even come close to experiencing a hundredth of what Vegas has to offer in a short time. I can guarantee you will have fun. The only way you won't have fun is if you stay in your hotel room the whole time.

 

[Henro]

We don't really have interest in gambling either.

But a few years ago we did visit Las Vegas for a few days.

We had a rental car and made side trips to the Grand Canyon and Hoover dam for Las Vegas.

The best thing about the town for us was:

Cheap hotels (relative to what you get for your money) which can be VERY reasonable during the week days.

Good food that is VERY (or at least was then) reasonable.

Live shows that are not too expensive, all things considered, and very enjoyable. (spoken by a guy whose wife loves such things, but who could personally care less).

Like Bob said, also a good people watching place, which also has some pretty interesting facilities to walk around in, at least for the first time...

Frankly, I don't know that one day would be enough to enjoy the place...seems like you would need to spend at least one night there. I think we spent about three nights there, but took side trips during the days.

I think Las Vegas would be worth a visit... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Now if I had to choose between seeing the giant redwoods or Las Vegas...I'd probably choose nature (wife might be a different story).

Edit: If you are driving, perhaps you can take different routes to and from Las Vegas. We enjoyed the opportunity to drive through Death Valley, for example, on our way there.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Bill,

How long of a drive is it to the Grand Canyon?

We will be spending 2 nights in Los Vegas.

Thanks for the suggestions, keep them coming, looks like it is worth a side trip.

 

[bczoom]

I agree with everyone else that:

1 - It's worth a visit.
2 - You won't scratch the surface in one day.
3 - Side trips to Hoover or other places is worthwhile.

To elaborate on a couple things.
Side trips are great but when you pick a destination, check the travel time. These places look real close on a map but it may be hundreds of miles from one to the next.

Logistically, most every hotel has free parking. Don't stray too far without taking your car to the next place. Several places (MGM, Caeser's...) are so huge that to go from them to another place (let's say 2 hotels down) may be 1/4 to 1/2 mile walk each way. You could end up with a several mile walk at the end of the day if you don't move your car on occasion.

 

[EastTexFrank]

I agree with the others, it's well worth a visit. If you haven't been since '69, you won't believe the place. It changes from year to year.

I'm not a big gambler either but I love the shows, dining and people watching. Usually after about 3 days I've had my fill and am ready to move on. If we are with a group of friends that are staying for a week, I hire a car and do the Hoover Dam, giant redwoods thing during the day and meet up with them in the evening. It's not that I'm anti-social it's just that, as I said, about 3 days is my optimum length of stay.

Don't get stuck on the Strip. Downtown still has some things to offer including an "arcade" show next to the Golden Nugget. Oh, most of the hotels and casinos hand out books of coupons. I'm not a great coupon collector but my wife and her family are. Check them out. There are sometimes things and discounts in there that are worth redeeming.

Have fun. I think you'll enjoy it.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I've actually stayed in most of the new big resort type hotels and would generally say that they are all good places to stay but the reality is they are all very very different. When you get up to the rooms, however, a room is a room is a room.

I think your best bet would be to stay at someplace that is easy to get to other places! Bally's is a gambling casino with nothing much to see, but it is connected by monorail to the MGM. From the MGM you can walk to NY NY, the Excalabure, etc. From Bally's you can walk the resort strip and see Bellagio, Caesars, Mirage, Paris, Venetian, Treasure Island, etc.

The 2 I find that have the nicest rooms are Bellagio and the Venetian, but you will pay for the luxury.

Out of the way is the Hilton, if you are into Star Trek it has a great exhibit and Quark's is a good place for lunch. I'm staying at the Hilton in a couple weeks, but I'm going to be at a trade show next door to the hotel. I would not choose to stay their with my family. Other hotels I would avoid would be Circus Circus, Imperial Palace and the Stratosphere. If you want a bit of the flavor of old Las Vegas, there is still some of that at the Flamingo and while an old hotel that is not as grand as the new resort hotels, it is nice. Good pool. And centrally located so it, like Bally's which is a very short walk away, so it is easy to get to other places.

By the way, the hotels may be close to each other but you will do a lot of walking so have comfortable shoes.

And seriously, take in the "O" show at Bellagio. I think tickets are about $100 each, and for what you see, it is worth every penny.