Las Vegas attractions

Calico Hills is a hiking and rock climbing haven just outside the bustling Las Vegas valley. The popular hiking spot is outside Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and free to enter, unlike the adjacent park. Scrambling through the network of desert rocks and trails will make you feel like you are a world away from the Sin City below.

A roulette ball’s throw from the Las Vegas Strip, Horseshoe Las Vegas has been smack-bang in the heart of the action since it opened its doors in the 1970s. Formerly known as both MGM Grand Hotel and Bally’s, it’s a quintessential Vegas casino–resort complex, home to a hotel, a huge casino and gaming arcade, several show and entertainment venues, plus bars, restaurants, and shops.

The old-timey facade of the Pioneer Saloon has an Old West feel—it evokes the Hollywood version, complete with gun-toting cowboys and rolling tumbleweed. It’s not just a facade, though. The Pioneer Saloon is the real thing: Among the oldest bars in Nevada, the bar has the authentic patina that comes from over a century of colorful characters, poker games, and occasional shoot-outs.

Customized vehicles are the star at this Las Vegas showroom made famous by the series Counting Cars. The small-but-mighty collection lets you see the craft and detail that goes into each of the artfully flipped cars and motorcycles. While many visitors are fans of the show, Count’s Kustoms is also a fun roadside pit stop and an opportunity to explore the city beyond the Strip. If you’re lucky, you might even see the owner Danny Koker himself.

Whether you’re choosing drive-through nuptials, an Elvis impersonator, traditional trappings, or an outdoor ceremony amid sweeping desert landscapes, getting married at A Special Memory Wedding Chapel is a quintessential Vegas experience. While the chapel itself looks more like an actual church than many Vegas wedding venues—it has a white steeple and everything—couples here can tie the knot with personalized ceremonies.

One of Las Vegas’ largest and most recognizable landmarks, Caesar’s Palace Hotel & Casino has been a stalwart of the Strip since the 1960s. Its opulent interiors are designed to give you the feeling of being transported back to the height of the Roman Empire. Aside from the casino, the property offers an array of amenities, including swimming pools modeled after Roman baths, more than 30 restaurants and bars, and an extensive shopping mall.

One of Las Vegas’ hottest attractions, the Sphere is a music and entertainment arena that immerses audiences in high-tech video and audio, literally wrapping up, over, and around them with an innovative dome design. Its multisensory 4D capabilities also allow guests to “feel” the experiences, such as the rumble of thunder or the gust of a cool breeze. The Sphere’s exterior—covered in LED displays—is equally impressive.

Learn about the stories of the men and women who built the Hoover Dam at the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum. Located inside the historic Boulder Dam Hotel, the small but fascinating museum houses a collection of interactive displays, dioramas, photographs, documents, oral histories, artifacts, and a short film.

Formerly known as Fitzgerald’s Casino, the D Las Vegas is in the heart of the city’s historic downtown, steps from the Fremont Street Experience with its sound and light shows. The renovated property features nods to old Vegas with updated amenities and rooms. In addition to slot machines and table games, dancing dealers add to its charm.

Even in a city built for glitter and glamour, Wynn Las Vegas stands out. The 5-star hotel and casino—along with its sister property, Encore—forms a bronze arc above a high-end section of the Las Vegas Strip. Revelers at the cabana-lined pool lounge from day to evening, while the 18-hole Wynn Golf Club combines lush greens with city views. After dark, nightlife ignites with table games, slots, and shows spanning dance, music, and illusion.

A classic hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip, Harrah’s combines a laid-back atmosphere with a focus on entertainment. Daily shows—including comedy, music, magic, and Elvis impersonation—mean that there’s always something for visitors of all ages to see. The casino has more than 1,000 slot machines, as well as progressive slots, video poker, table games, and Pai Gow poker.

Note: The North Rim is closed to visitors following the impact of the Dragon Bravo Fire in July 2025. A reopening date is yet to be confirmed. \ The North Rim draws travelers seeking a less crowded Grand Canyon experience. While the area lacks the South Rim’s extensive infrastructure and attractions, scenic drives and hikes abound amid the high-altitude landscape of leafy forests, unspoiled nature, and big views. Plus, you may spot wildlife including mule deer and elk, or even the herd of bison that wanders its aspen-wrapped meadows.

Tucked inside the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip, the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art (BGFA) offers a pleasant surprise for art lovers looking for a different side of Las Vegas. With its compact two‑room layout and rotating exhibitions, it presents works loaned from major museums and private collections—everything from classic masters to contemporary wonders. It’s a refined counterpoint to the casino floor.

Explore the connection between art and sexuality with a visit to the Harry Mohney Erotic Heritage Museum. Set in a city that has never been shy about sex, this Las Vegas–based museum showcases everything from vintage racy magazine covers and sex-positive contemporary sculpture to the world’s largest sex bike. The museum also hosts temporary exhibits showcasing international erotic artists and spicy events and performances.

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is home to both live and preserved wildlife and historical exhibits from prehistoric times to present day. The museum offers a break from the Strip and a chance to learn about Egyptian mummification, the African savannah, fossils, and the science behind a well-preserved dinosaur.

Get up close and personal with some of the most fearsome creatures of the deep at Mandalay Bay’s Shark Reef Aquarium. Designed to be a total sensory experience—with two underwater tunnels and multiple tanks and exhibits—the aquarium is home to more than 2,000 aquatic creatures, including many species of sharks. There’s even a shipwreck and a virtual reality (VR) theater.

Experiential art and blacklight illuminations take precedence in AREA15, a massive entertainment complex that’s a far cry from the casino floors that dominate the Las Vegas Strip nearby. AREA15 is anchored by its largest attraction—Meow Wolf Las Vegas (Omega Mart)—a surrealistic hybrid between a make-believe supermarket, an art installation, and an escape game. Other key things to do at AREA15 include playing laser tag, ziplining around the ceiling, and shopping for rave accessories and glowing toys.

Love is in the air at the oldest wedding chapel in Las Vegas—which also pioneered the Elvis-themed wedding experience that’s now a Vegas classic. Celebrity weddings from Jon Bon Jovi to Billy Ray Cyrus lend glitz to the compact wedding chapel. While many couples opt for an Elvis-themed wedding or vow renewal, complete with a costumed officiant and singing, the chapel also does the traditional version.

Experience the Titanic as it was before its infamous crash at Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. The 25,000-square-foot (7,620-square-meter) space displays more than 350 objects recovered from the ship, including passengers’ personal items such as luggage, shaving kits, jewelry, and clothing. It also contains the largest piece of the ship ever recovered—a 15-ton (13.5-tonne) hunk of the ship’s hull.

Whether you’re an avid toy collector or simply looking to take a nostalgic journey down memory lane, Toy Shack is a must-visit store in downtown Las Vegas. Though the shop’s floor-to-ceiling displays feature new items, its specialty is vintage and antique toys. Think old-school treasures from mostly ‘80s brands, including Barbies, GI Joes, and a massive Hot Wheels collection.

Located inside the Bellagio Las Vegas, the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a beautiful floral celebration of the seasons. Featuring a lush and over-the-top display of flowers, plants, and trees, complete with accompanying lighting, music, and scents, displays are switched out five times a year and never repeat.

Travelers to Nevada can trade in the glitz and glam of the Las Vegas Strip for a look at ancient history at the Lost City Museum. Located on an Ancestral Puebloan prehistoric site in Overton, Nevada, the museum showcases artifacts that have been recovered from local archaeological sites as well as reconstructed Puebloan homes.

Through the 1950s and 1960s, the distinctive mushroom clouds that rose from the Nevada Test Site could be seen from the Las Vegas Strip, and watching them even became a popular tourist activity. Today, the National Atomic Testing Museum tells the story of the United States’ atomic testing program with exhibitions that cover everything from Atomic pop culture to the global impact of nuclear weapons.

Two blocks off the Las Vegas Strip in a Mediterranean-themed hotel, the Tuscany Casino is close to the action, but offers a respite from the crowds and high prices. A favorite of locals, the casino has more than 800 slot and video poker machines, plus table games such as blackjack, craps, and roulette.

Thrill-seekers looking for more than casinos and nightlife will want to visit nearby Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The speedway hosts a lineup of racing tournaments, including the Pennzoil 400 and NASCAR Cup Series. But you can do more than just watch from the grandstand. Sign up for an experience that puts you in the driver’s seat, or take a track tour and gain access to restricted areas such as NASCAR garages and the infield.

The desolate stretch of Nevada highway known as the Extraterrestrial Highway draws in travelers with its alien-themed attractions and claims of UFO sightings. Spanning 98 miles (158 kilometers) from State Route 318 to US Route 6, the road crosses the desert just north of Area 51—the US Air Force facility where many believe the mysterious activities hail from.

Learn about the human body from the inside out at the fascinating Bodies: The Exhibition. Located in Las Vegas, this is the largest permanent human anatomy exhibition in the United States and features 13 whole-body specimens as well as more than 250 organs, all of which are arranged to illuminate how our systems function.

This larger-than-life sandbox is the perfect place for adults to become kids again, and live the thrill of operating massive machinery in a model construction site. A range of options are available that allow you to get behind the wheel of a bulldozer, excavator, or loader. Dig, push, and lift your way around this unique playground.

At the Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas, the King of Rock and Roll does it all—walks the bride down the aisle, performs the wedding ceremony, and sings classic hits. Couples can also choose to forgo the kitsch factor and opt for a traditional wedding or vow renewal package instead. Extras such as a cake, flowers, and even Elvis-style shades are available for an additional cost.

Just a few miles from downtown Las Vegas, the Springs Preserve is a nature-filled respite from the crowds and overstimulation of the Strip. Its 180 acres (70 hectares) are home to walking paths, a botanical garden, butterfly habitat, playground, and more.