Nate & Kristen’s long weekend to gamble and check out the restaurants, clubs, and shows of Las Vegas!
Las Vegas
Activities
Freemont Street
Freemont Street is the Old Town/Downtown Vegas. It’s a different feel from the Strip with more of an “old Vegas” feel, so I felt like it was worth the trip down there. The casinos have lower table minimums than those on the strip, especially during the day. We checked out a few of the casinos and especially loved the upstairs “Vintage Casino” area at The D. They do a light show every evening on the hour, starting at 6pm. It was cool to see, but the light/graphics don’t appear to have been updated in the last 20 years. (But maybe that’s part of the charm!) We also stopped in to the brewery there, Banger Brewing, and did a tasting. They had board games, and it seemed like a cool place to hang out and relax.
Cirque Du Soleil: The Beatles Love
We LOVED The Beatles Love! Cirque du Soleil shows are known for their circus style performances which have a central story or theme. The shows have music with high flying acrobats, tumblers, and other stunt artists performing continuously. It was so impressive!! Love is a compilation of all The Beatles’ songs, and the performances told the abstract story of both the songs and the historical events during the time the songs were written. I highly recommend going to see it! There are 2 shows/night on the weekends at The Mirage. We bought the tickets about a week ahead of time and sat about halfway up. I would say any seat is good, but don’t plan to be in the very front/bottom or you may not see the full scope of everything going on.
Margaritaville
We were SO happy we discovered this gem, Margaritaville! We spent most of the afternoon there, as they had $5 blackjack tables (hard to find on the strip on the weekends). The bar had really strong margaritas for only $12 (you REALLY get your moneys’ worth!) and offered 5 cent beers from 5-6pm for happy hour. We bought a round for our table for less than a dollar. Definitely recommend this as it was not as crowded as the other casinos. We didn’t go to the Jimmy Buffet restaurant attached to the casino, but it looked really fun.
Omnia
Omnia is the club located inside Caesers Palace. It was multi-level with a great outdoor rooftop with great views of the strip. We spent most of our time on the rooftop. They have a lot of big name DJs that come through, but it was definitely your typical “club” atmosphere. Fun experience if you want to check out a Vegas club!
View from the rooftop bar
Paris Eiffel tower
The Paris hotel has a smaller-scale Eiffel Tower in front. We bought tickets to go to the top of the tower. It has excellent views of the strip and you can stay up there as long as you’d like. Worth going to the top to see it at least once, and even better if you can time it with seeing one of the Bellagio fountain shows from the top.
Bellagio Fountain show from the Eiffel Tower
Restaurants
Buddy V’s Italian Ristorante
We did brunch at Buddy V’s in the Venetian. It was AMAZING! It’s a large brunch buffet, with both traditional breakfast foods (eggs, etc), but also Italian food. The chicken parmesan was amazing. There was also a dessert bar, as part of the buffet, with awesome tiramisu and cannoli. We also did bottomless mimosas. Best brunch we had. They also advertised a Happy Hour that looked good – $5 drinks and $5 appetizers.
Venetian Hotel
Carnegie Deli
Carnegie Deli is a NY style deli in the Mirage that is famous for their overstuffed pastrami sandwiches. Also known for their matzoh ball soup. It’s pricey, but the portions are huge, so consider sharing.
Prime
We splurged and went to Prime, an upscale steakhouse at the Bellagio hotel. Awesome food – really great quality steaks. Nate has definitely tried his fair share of steaks and he says this is worth the price, in his opinion. If you can get a table with a view of the fountain, even better!
Hotel
Ballys
Bally’s was such a great location at a decent price. It’s located center strip, right next to Paris, so it was easy to walk everywhere. The room was big, but nothing special/fancy. You stay here for the location – we found it to be the most moderately priced option center strip. Since you’re walking everywhere, it’s really worth it to stay on the strip, and as close to center strip as you can, or you’ll be spending a lot of money on cab rides.
Transportation
We’re lucky to live within a half-day drive to Vegas, so we drove here. Ballys offered free parking (most hotels do). We never moved the car all weekend, and walked everywhere we needed to on the strip. There is a monorail system from one end of the strip to another, dropping off at several hotels, but we never used it.
Las Vegas Travel Tips:
Gambling – If you’re new to gambling, or don’t want to risk a lot of money, you can find cheaper tables at Flamingo, Cromwell, Treasure Island, or the downtown casinos. $5 is hard to find on the weekend, but we found a lot of $10 and up tables. (That’s the minimum amount you are required to put down on each bet.) The more pricey casinos, such as Paris, Venetian, Caesers, and Bellagio, have an awesome atmosphere, but higher table minimums. Some people have luck on the slot machines, but I never do. I usually don’t find them worth the money to play.
Drinks – Don’t pay for drinks at a casino! Put some money into a slot machine, sit at the video poker screens at the bar, or put some money down at a table and the waitresses will come to you with free drinks. Do tip them well, so they come back often!
Hydrate – With free alcohol flowing, it’s easy to get out of control. 🙂 Vegas is also a very dry desert climate and HOT in the summer. Make sure and stay hydrated and carry a water bottle around with you.
Other Travel Guides you Might Like:
Las Vegas, Nevada – Get a Flavor for Las Vegas, Nevada in 48 Hours
Portland, Oregon – Get Weird & Experience Portland, Oregon
Northern California – Road Trip Guide to the Northern California Coast
New York City, New York – Art Lovers’ Tour of New York City
Chicago, Illinois – Weekend Guide: Chicago, Illinois
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