Las Vegas has many names, but you don’t want to remember it as the City of Lost Wages. If losing your shirt in casinos isn’t in the cards for you, try your luck at nongambling activities.
It’s a safer bet that you’ll amass fond memories when you return home from Sin City. However long you plan to stay, explore these seven options instead to hit the jackpot.
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7 Things to Do in Las Vegas That Don’t Involve Gambling
1. Go on a Guided Glitter Gulch Walk
Want to know Vegas’s story? Explore Fremont Street on foot alongside an expert guide.
Strolling around the heart of the city downtown is a neat way to learn about the town’s evolution from a humble settlement to a bustling metropolis from a street historian while stopping by legendary attractions, like the historic movie theatre El Portal.
2. Witness Breathtaking Panoramas From Above
It’s hard to fully appreciate how much of an oasis in the desert Las Vegas is until you get a sweeping view of the city. Lucky for you, you have plenty of options.
You can hop on the High Roller Observation Wheel, the largest of its kind worldwide. Alternatively, climb the 108 floors of Stratosphere Tower — the nation’s tallest freestanding observation tower. If you want something higher, join a hot air balloon ride to glide over the Strip and beyond for an hour.
3. Live a Museophile’s Dream
Las Vegas is one of the top destinations for museumgoers. The Neon Museum must be at the top of your list. Its campus includes the Neon Boneyard — a collection of hundreds of primarily unrestored neon signs that once illuminated the city and helped baptize it as the City That Never Sleeps.
The Mob Museum is another must-visit. It features countless artefacts, engaging exhibits and thought-provoking films that retell the city’s fascinating history of organized crime from the perspectives of the opposite sides of the law.
The Atomic Museum is the mecca for anyone interested in nuclear deterrence. It’s a private educational institution that informs the public about Uncle Sam’s lessons from its nuclear weapons testing program and illustrates its impact on world peace and geopolitics.
4. Treat Yourself to World-Class Spectacles
It would be a sin not to see any show when visiting the Entertainment Capital of the World. Vegas caters to all, so there’s almost always an event for whatever you fancy.
If you want to play the percentages, you can’t go wrong with Cirque du Soleil, Blue Man Group, David Copperfield, Criss Angel, Absinthe, the Tournament of Kings, and Penn & Teller.
Vegas is also a premier venue for high-profile sporting events, such as March Madness and NASCAR Cup Series races. The city now has professional hockey, football and women’s basketball teams, plus it regularly hosts boxing and MMA fights.
5. Book a Luxurious Karaoke Lounge
Are you more of a performer and less of a spectator? Rent a private room with your friends and sing your hearts out.
Although Las Vegas has numerous karaoke bars, the most luxurious lounge on the Strip goes to KAMU Ultra Karaoke, with more than 40 private suites, 17,000 feet of space and a fine cocktail selection to match your festive mood.
6. Unleash Your Inner NASCAR Driver
If you’ve always wanted to be a speedster or wondered how pulsating it is to ride a vehicle zooming 140 mph on an asphalt road, the City of Second Chances will fulfil your unrealized dream.
Services like Richard Petty Driving Experience let you ride a shotgun as a passenger in a real NASCAR race car on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. If you’re skilled and courageous enough, you can even sit behind the wheel and drive multiple timed racing sessions with pit stops in between.
7. Marvel at Hoover Dam
While the dam is about 30 miles southeast of Vegas, it’s a worthy detour from your planned city escapades or last stop before you head home.
This National Historic Landmark is alluring in its own right — hailed as one of America’s Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders. It’s an ambitious monolithic project that defied the odds and remains as impressive and practical today as it was in the 1930s.
Hoover Dam is more than a tourist magnet on the outskirts of Las Vegas. The city wouldn’t have been here without it. The dam’s construction brought thousands of workers and their families to the area, starting a population boom and giving the town’s economy a much-needed boost during the Great Depression. Vegas hasn’t looked back since.
Today, Hoover Dam supplies the city with water through Lake Mead — the country’s largest artificial reservoir. The dam’s power plants also help keep the lights on in the Neon City.
Las Vegas Is Not Just for High Rollers
While the city may forever be synonymous with gambling, it’s more than just blackjack tables, poker chips, roulette wheels and slot machines. Vegas has an embarrassment of riches in exhilarating activities — anyone who’s ever been there would lay a wager that it won’t disappoint.
