Las Vegas Travel Guide

• The free Fountain Show in front of the Bellagio shoots off every 30 minutes from 3 pm to 7 pm and then every 15 minutes until midnight. (The routines often vary from one show to the next.) Wait until after to dark to go see this attraction. The shows are more frequent and the fountain lights, which are not very visible before sunset, add to effect of the routines.
  
  
• The free Volcano Fountain in front of the Mirage errupts every 15 minutes after dark until midnight.
  
  
• The free Sirens of TI in front of Treasure Island at 7, 8:30, 10, and 11:30 pm is a rather stupid show that they came up with to replace the Pirate Battle.
  
  
• Wind your way through the Grand Canal Shoppes to St. Mark's Square at the Venetian and see the "street performers" and "living statue". Go into the casino's main entrance and take the escalator up one level to get to the Shoppes. Open 10 am to 11 pm (until midnight Friday and Saturday). There is a "Gondolier March" through the Shoppes to St. Mark's Square at 9:30 am and 4 pm. (The location of the Square is shown on the Venetian diagram on the Diagrams page.)
  
  
• Also at the Venetian are the gondola rides. There are actually two different rides, both featuring serenading gondoliers. One outside in front of the resort and one inside through the Grand Canal Shoppes. Inside rides are given from 10 am to 10:30 pm (until 11:30 Friday and Saturday) and outside rides are from 11 am to 7 pm. $12.50 a person and same-day reservations are required. (Details are available at the information desk at the top of the up escalator just inside the casino's main entrance.)
  
  
• The Eiffel Tower observation deck at the Paris offers a great view of the Strip and a unique way to see the Bellagio fountain shows after dark. Operates from 10 am to midnight with a $9 fee. Tickets are available at booths both inside the casino and outside the Strip entrance to the casino. There's also a (expensive) restaurant in the tower. (The locations of the ticket booths and elevator are shown on the Paris diagram on the Diagrams page.)
  
  
• If you're a shopper, or going with one, check out the Forum Shops attached to Caesars Palace. There is an animated statue show every hour on the hour from 10 am to 11 pm in the first rotunda and one in the fourth rotunda near the large aquarium. (The locations of the rotundas are shown on the Caesars Palace/Forum Shops diagram on the Diagrams page.) The attractions and most of the shops are on the second level. They have circular escalators that take you up from the Strip-level entrance. Not surprisingly, the layout and strategic positioning of benches, etc. forces you to walk past all the shops on the first level to get to the escalators, and then go a round-about way past even more shops to get to the first rotunda.
  
  
• If you're an art lover, or going with one, check out the Gallery of Fine Art at the Bellagio which routinely features works by van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, and Gauguin. There's a $15 fee. (The location of the gallery is shown on the Bellagio diagram on the Diagrams page.)
  
  
• Even if you're not an art lover you'll enjoy the painted ceilings in the Venetian. The painted ceilings are actually in three areas; the main casino entrance, the hotel lobby, and the Galleria hall that connects the two. Once you go in the main casino entrance and view that ceiling, the Galleria will be off to your right. (The location of the Galleria is shown on the Venetian diagram on the Diagrams page.)
  
  
• If you're a gear-head, or going with one, check out the auto collection at the Imperial Palace featuring antiques and vehicles owned by celebrities and presidents. Stated admission is $6.95 but you can go to their Auto Collections Website and print out the free pass available there.
  
  
• If you like roller-coasters, New York New York, Sahara, and Circus Circus (indoor) have them. If you're a hard core thrill-seeker, there's a roller-coaster (called the "High Roller") and a tower launcher (called the "Big Shot") on the roof of the Stratosphere Tower, and bungy jumping at Circus Circus.
  
  
• If you plan to go "downtown" do it at night so you can check out the Fremont Street Experience. The canopy over the Fremont Street pedestrian mall is the giant "screen" several blocks long for a great, free light and sound show with 2 million individual bulbs. Shows start at dusk and are repeated until 11 pm Sunday thru Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday.
  
  
• Another neat lighting display is at the south end of the Strip at night. While not a "show", the intersection bounded by the MGM Grand, New York New York, Excalibur, and Tropicana is a sight to behold at night with all the buildings illuminated in a rainbow of colors. This intersection has pedestrian bridges between all four corners so it's easy to stroll over all four of them to take in the sights.

Harrah's Hotel and Casino Las Vegas

When in Vegas there’s a hotel to fit every style and budget. Harrah’s is located in the middle of the Strip, making it a convenient destination for exploring all that Vegas has to offer. Harrah’s is one of the older hotels on the Strip but it’s middle-of-the-road in terms of quality and price. Once inside the Casino looks like any other, no real frills here. If you can find a deal on rooms here, great… but that can sometimes be a challenge depending on the time of year. Overall, I wasn’t terribly impressed by Harrah’s. It was probably the loudest hotel I’ve stayed in Las Vegas. The rooms were small, but adequately furnished. We were staying 4 to a room and had just enough space. The hotel walls are paper thin so we could hear everything going on all around us – next door, below, above and outside. Staying in the Mardi Gras Tower our “balcony” (read really narrow cement ledge with a railing) was directly above the pool and the outdoor bar. This time of year the pool was closed so noise there didn’t factor in, but the loud nightclub was going strong well into the night. Fortunately this didn’t affect us as we rarely arrived home until well after it closed. Our room was dirty when we checked in, leading to more disappointment with the facilities. Overall, it was just okay. If you are looking for something central on the Strip AND can find a deal then Harrah’s is fine, but it’s not worth paying the high rates you might sometimes encounter here.

Unique Qualities: Harrah’s is located smack dab in the middle of Las Vegas Blvd. making it very convenient to access the entire Strip on foot. It’s also located next to some of the “cheaper” casinos (lower table limits) if that’s where you want to gamble. In the summer months they have a pool. Harrah’s also features a gym and spa, but like many of the casinos, charges a fee to use them.

Prices: US$80-120

Phone: (702) 369-5000

Address: 3475 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109