Alternative Activities in Vegas for the Non-Gambler

The first thing that people think of when you say Las Vegas is gambling. Not surprising really, after all, the city was basically built around its casinos. But it's still a shame because there is so much more to Vegas than merely gambling, and we’re not just talking shows here. Did you know, for example, that the Las Vegas Valley was inhabited as far back as 11,000 years ago? Or that it’s home to the highest free-standing observation tower in the United States?

So even if casinos are not really your (or your partner’s) thing, you can still visit Vegas and have the time of your life. We mentioned shows in the previous paragraph because they are the second strongest association most people have with Vegas. And for good reason. Every night of the week there are multiple must-see extravaganzas being performed along The Strip. But for the rest of this blog, we’ll look at some of the many other attractions The (American) City of Lights has to offer. And we’ll jump in at the deep end with;

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. So a chance to see it is definitely not to be missed. At some 250 miles (400 kms) from The Strip, it’s not the most local of attractions. Luckily there are multiple options for getting there, from hiking to flying, depending on your budget and sense of adventure.

The Hoover Dam

If you choose to drive to the Grand Canyon, you’ll pass the Hoover Dam. This engineering marvel is well worth a visit in its own right. At 726.4 feet high, it was the tallest dam in the world at the time of its construction (it was topped by the 770-foot-high Oroville Dam in Northern California in 1968 and the 1,001-foot-high Jinping-I Dam in Liangshan, Sichuan, China in 2013).

Around 4.3 million cubic yards of concrete were used to build the dam and accompanying infrastructure. And it is also responsible for the birth of the Vegas we know and love today. Boulder City was built to house the workers on the dam but alcohol and gambling were banned. So Vegas is where they went for fun. This influx of cash and customers caused the 1930s casino boom that made Vegas what it is today.

Fremont Street

Thanks to Hollywood, for many years Fremont Street was Las Vegas in the minds of cinema-goers around the world. Now it is home to the Fremont Street Experience, a huge canopied pedestrian mall that hosts shows and free concerts as well as some of the most iconic buildings and neon signs in Vegas.

You can wander around for hours taking in the sights and never get bored. And when you get tired of walking, try zipping along the zip line suspended from the canopy.

Madame Tussauds

Vegas doesn’t just share a nickname with Paris, it also has its own Madame Tussauds. Opened in 1999, it was the first one in the United States. It is located in The Venetion on The Strip and is the place to go if you want a selfie up close and personal with your favourite celebrity.

The Eiffel Tower Experience

Since we’re talking about things Parisian, we have to mention the Eiffel Tower. Of course, Vegas has its own. And it’s in the Paris, the casino resort, not the city. But it is, literally, in the Paris.

A half-scale replica of the original, the feet come down through the roof of the resort onto the casino floor. The top is located 540-feet (164.6 m) above the strip and offers unparalleled views plus a free light show every thirty minutes.

The Mob Museum

The Mob used to be everywhere in Vegas. It’s no secret that they practically built the place to relieve all the hard workers from the Hoover Dam of their cash. Nowadays, though, the city has cleaned up and the mob mostly confined to The Mob Museum. Here, through multi-sensory exhibits, rare artifacts, and first-hand accounts you’ll get a fascinating insight into the early days of Vegas and the ongoing history of the mob worldwide.

CSI: The Experience

If the Mob Museum has got you all fired up to tackle crime, head over to CSI: The Experience. Here you’ll be able to see if you’ve got what it takes to be a Crime Scene Investigator as you work your way through three different simulated crime-scenes, bagging and tagging like the best of them.

The Stratosphere Tower

Located at The Strat Hotel, Casino and Skypod, it is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States. 1,149 ft (350.2 m) tall, the tower has indoor and outdoor observation decks that will certainly test your tolerance of heights. But that’s not all. It also has rides that will leave even the most hardened adrenaline junkie quaking in their boots.

• Big shot shoots you 160 feet further up into the air from the top of the Stratosphere. If you’re not too busy screaming in terror and you can keep your eyes open under the 4 G force generated by the ride, you'll get spectacular views of Vegas and the surrounding desert.
• Insanity dangles you over the edge of the tower, and then spins you around! Don’t worry about falling out though, 3 gs of force will keep you pinned to your seat even if you did forget to buckle up.
• X-scream is a roller coaster like no other. It shoots you out over the edge of the building 866 feet (264 m) off the ground before rocking you back in again, and then out again ...

And if the observation decks and rides aren’t thrilling enough for you, you can always just jump off the building. Sky Jump plummets you 855 ft (261 m) down the side of the tower attached to a high-speed descent wire.

The Bellagio Fountains

After all the excitement at the Stratosphere, you might need something soothing. Try the Bellagio Fountains. The 8 acre lake in front of The Bellagio hotel is home to the famous fountains which provide a free water, music and light show every thirty minutes during daylight hours and every 15 minutes after dark.

Red Rock Canyon

Although it’s not in the same league as the Grand Canyon, Red Rock’s dramatic sandstone peaks and coloring make it well worth a visit. And it's only 15 miles (24 km) from The Strip.

The Atomic Testing Museum

Here, you can learn the history of atomic testing in Nevada as well as see rare artifacts like  the Backpack Nuke and the Davy Crockett Weapon System (recoilless gun). These are just two examples of personal atomic weapons that were developed to use in place of conventional weapons.

The Neon Museum

It’s not called The City of Lights for nothing. Neon signs and Vegas go hand in hand. Since 1996, the Neon Museum has been collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs.

Spring Preserve

If you’re tired of all the man-made wonders take a hike around Spring Preserve. Known as the Central Park of Las Vegas, the 180 acre site is built around the original water source for the city, only three miles from downtown. It contains botanical gardens featuring cacti and other desert flora, museum galleries, outdoor concert and event venues, an indoor theater, historic photo gallery and a series of walking trails meandering through wetland habitat.

And we could go on, but we won’t. Las Vegas has so many other attractions, like the Titanic Exhibit at the Luxor Hotel, or the Minus5 Ice Experience (for when it gets too hot outside), that we just don’t have room to list them all here. So we’ll conclude with one more fun thing you can do in Vegas that doesn’t involve casinos, although some would consider it a bit of a gamble;

Get Married

Another nickname for Vegas is The Marriage Capital of the World. Thanks to the laws in the State of Nevada, there is no mandatory waiting period between receiving a license and holding the wedding. And while it is not quite the instantaneous experience of deciding to get married and finding the nearest wedding chapel that we see in the movies, the whole procedure can be completed in a couple of hours. A word of caution here though, just because it is easy doesn’t mean you should do it on a whim. A Vegas marriage is just as valid as any other, with the same commitments and responsibilities. And Nevada does not provide same-day divorces.

As you can see, Las Vegas has something for everyone, from nature lovers to adrenaline junkies to incurable romantics. It makes a great holiday destination even if you’ve never placed a bet in your life and have no intention of ever doing so. And if you do like the occasional wager or a quick spin on the slots, that’s just one more activity to add to your vacation plans.