Top 10 Reasons to Visit Las Vegas
As if you needed 10 whole reasons to visit Las Vegas. Well, here they are anyway!
Hopper Editors - Thu Oct 26 2017
Pick fifty people and ask them about visiting Las Vegas and you’ll probably get fifty different reasons why it’s great. Okay, a few sticks-in-the-mud might not be so jazzed about hitting Sin City, but the point is this: Las Vegas has something to appeal to almost everyone and you’re sure to take home with you some incredible memories. Doesn’t matter if you’re on your own, with a group of friends, family, on a business trip, or on the run from the authorities, Las Vegas is a great place to visit.
Here are 10 of the best reasons to visit Las Vegas, from individual attractions to reasons that Vegas is the ultimate destination vacation.
10. It’s one of the most affordable vacation destinations around
No other destination provides the same bang for your buck. Getting there is cheap. Five-star accommodations that would go for $800/night in New York or San Francisco can be yours for $100/night, and sometimes even less. The dining is exceptional and just as affordable. You have your pick of fabulous shows that are a fraction of what you pay for Broadway or in Los Angeles. The combination of great services and affordable prices just can’t be beat.
Don't miss Hopper's list of five ways to see Las Vegas on a budget to take full advantage of your stay in Vegas
9. It has excellent shopping
Stay away from the casino shops, repeat -- STAY AWAY FROM THE CASINO SHOPS! You won’t find any bargains that close to the gaming tables, those shops are designed to recoup casino losses. But get out of the casinos and you’ll find Las Vegas Premium Outlets and Fashion Outlets Las Vegas, two outlet malls bursting with designer brands at huge discounts. Vegas is also famous for its pawn shops, as long as you don’t mind your merchandise gently used.
Another fun way to blow money in Las Vegas is with one of these five cool luxury experiences in Las Vegas, as selected by Hopper
8. There are plenty of things to do outside
Dining and entertainment get most of the press, but Las Vegas is also a destination for anyone who likes the great outdoors. Red Rock Canyon is only about 20-minutes away and gorgeous Lake Mead is only about an hour outside of the city. Go a little further and you have Death Valley in California and Utah’s Zion National Park. The Grand Canyon is about 5 hours away by car, close enough for a scenic day trip. Las Vegas is squarely in the middle of an outdoor enthusiast’s dream!
Visitors in the area should sure to check out the five best national parks near Las Vegas, which include Death Valley and Zion
7. Glitter Gulch and Fremont Street offer friendly odds
Smart gamblers who visit Las Vegas do their wagering at the casinos on Fremont Street, known colloquially as "Glitter Gulch." These are some of the city’s oldest casinos and, being off the heavily-trafficked Strip, they cater to the locals: that means looser odds, friendlier rules, and bigger benefits for loyalty card holders, including dining and entertainment comps. Those little tweaks can make all the difference in helping you leave with a profit for your trouble.
See Hopper's article on five cool things to do on Fremont Street for ideas on what to do in the area
6. Las Vegas Is the land of adventure
The city has seen a boom in "adventure tourism" attractions that cater to visitors who want something a little different than the standard weekend of hedonism. Get behind the wheel of a NASCAR vehicle at the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure. Swim with dolphins at Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden marine habitat. Shoot an insane selection of automatic weapons at Machine Guns Vegas. That’s just scratching the surface, Las Vegas offers a roster of incredible adventures that will rouse even the most jaded traveler.
Also see Hopper's guide to Las Vegas for thrill-seekers to see how adrenaline junkies spend their time in LV
5. Seriously… the food Is INCREDIBLE
It doesn’t matter what kind of food you like, Las Vegas has a 5-star restaurant where you can find it. The cream of the crop might be L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand, a gastronome’s delight hosted by France’s "Chef of the Century." Picasso at Bellagio is a 13-time winner of the AAA 5 Diamond Award. Guy Savoy at Caesar’s Palace is the only place in the United States you can taste from the Paris Savoy’s famed menu. Even hamburgers get the royal treatment at Mandalay Bay’s Burger Bar, which offers buffalo, lamb, vegan burgers, and more. C’est magnifique!
The five best celebrity chef restaurants in Las Vegas are great places to get acquainted with LV's food culture
4. You can walk around town holding a giant drink
Sometimes you just want to take your drink with you on the road, and Las Vegas isn’t going to tell you "No!" Can’t finish your giant novelty-size beer at the bar? Take it with you! Just ordered that fishbowl margarita and got somewhere else to be? Bring it along (but it’s heavier than you think)! Want to enjoy a glass of fine wine while you watch the romantic fountains at Bellagio? No problem! Walking around with a bandolier of shots in test tubes should be the right of every American, but Las Vegas is one of the few places that actually lets you get away with it. Enjoy!
Who needs the street when the five best nightclubs in Las Vegas are waiting for revelers?
3. Great (i.e. fun) museums
Did you know that Las Vegas is also a center of learning, with some of the world’s most prestigious museums? Actually it’s not, but it does have some museums dedicated to entertaining as much as enlightening. There’s the Mob Museum that celebrates the city’s cozy Mafia traditions. Vegas also hosts the National Atomic Testing Museum, your venue for all things nuclear apocalypse related. The Neon Museum has a boneyard that houses the decrepit remains of the city’s gaudy past, and it seems to grow a little bigger every day.
Take a look at the museums on Hopper's list of bizarre attractions in Las Vegas, like the Mob Museum and Pinball Hall of Fame
2. You might be able to write off your entire trip
Las Vegas annually hosts hundreds of industry conventions, trade shows, corporate retreats, and other business-related events. Its convention center is one of the nation’s busiest and the entire town is geared to help grease the wheels of commerce. You might need to get inventive if you want to declare that $1200 pai gow poker loss as a business expense for tax purposes, but you should have no problem writing off travel expenses, accommodations, dining, and even entertainment. And if you actually win money at the tables, you just turned a profit!
Check out Hopper's article on what to do in Las Vegas on a business trip for ideas on what to do when in town
1. It’s Sin City, you just have to go!
There are increasingly few destinations remaining for otherwise responsible adults to put those responsibilities behind them and rock out with their frocks out. Las Vegas is the king of that ring! The sobriquet "Sin City" is not bestowed lightly and Vegas has earned it with its unique combination of sexy glamor, tawdry glitz, and booze-drenched hedonism. If you haven’t been to Vegas, your bucket list has a woefully large hole. If you have been, you know the lure of periodic Vegas returns is irresistible. So are you ready to go?!?
Also see Hopper's article on the top 10 things to do in Las Vegas for ideas on what to do and what to see