Looking for the best things to do on the Las Vegas Strip? Here are all our favorites along with our local tips.
Las Vegas was once a destination to party hard and gamble, but it’s not the same Sin City as it once was. Although you can still do those things, now visitors show up for a variety of reasons.
As locals, we like to say we never visit the Strip, but we still go for specific activities, shows, and dining. Also, it can’t be avoided when you host a constant stream of visitors.
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Last Updated: September 6, 2021
15 Best Things to Do on the Las Vegas Strip
Between taking visitors and attending conferences, we’ve experienced 99% of what the Strip has to offer. These are the things we recommend you do if it’s your first time.
3355 S Las Vegas Blvd, 89109, map
The Gondola Ride at the Venetian is one of our favorite things to do on the Las Vegas Strip, especially for photos.
There are two different rides, the indoor one and the outdoor one. Out of the two, we prefer the outdoor one. Keep in mind that in the summer, it gets hot.
Local Tip: To see the differences between indoor and outdoor rides, check out the full post linked below.
There are a variety of shows in Las Vegas, but Cirque Du Soleil is by far the most impressive. If you can only see one show, we recommend checking out a Cirque show first. We’ve seen them all, and O is our favorite, followed by Ka and Mystere.
Local Tip: Popular shows sell out quickly, so get tickets ASAP.
3950 S Las Vegas Blvd, 89119, map
The Shark Reef Aquarium has animal encounter programs, where you feed stingrays, sea turtles, or sharks.
You get a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium, and then they walk you through how to safely interact with the animals. Afterward, you can explore the aquarium from the other side of the glass.
Local Tip: You can also dive with sharks!
2000 Las Vegas Blvd S, 89104, map
The Stratosphere (now called the Strat) is an iconic part of the Las Vegas skyline, but did you know you can jump off of it?
It’s an 855-foot fall, but a different sensation from a typical bungee jump.
If that’s too intense, there are other rides on the top of the Strat and an Observation Deck to enjoy the views.
Local Tip: With the SkyJump ticket, you have access to the Tower afterward and up to 4 discounted tickets for friends and family.
3600 S Las Vegas Blvd, 89109, map
We love revisiting the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens every season. They completely transform the 14,000 square foot space five times a year.
It’s open 24/7, and it’s free to visit.
Local Tip: It can get crowded! Visiting early morning on weekdays is best if you’re trying to shoot photos. If not, go after midnight.
6. Watch the Iconic Fountains on Bellagio
3600 S Las Vegas Blvd, 89109, map
If it’s your first time in Vegas, you have to check out the iconic Fountain Display at the Bellagio. It plays every 30 minutes from 3-8 PM Monday through Thursday and every 15 minutes from 8 PM to Midnight.
Local Tip: Arrive earlier if you want to get a good spot to see the show. People start lining up against the rails.
3545 S Las Vegas Blvd, 89109, map
The High Roller Las Vegas is currently the biggest Ferris wheel in the world, although it will be overtaken by Ain Dubai in October 2021. It’s a fun ride to get a bird’s eye view of the strip. To make more of a Vegas experience, get the open bar option.
Local Tip: While you’re at the LINQ Promenade, don’t miss these other spots
3545 S Las Vegas Blvd, 89109, map
This is the only zipline on the Strip. It was a lot higher than we expected as we soared 1,121 feet above the promenade, and it was cool to fly towards the High Roller.
Local Tip: If you are wearing sandals, flip-flops, or other loose items, they provide a bag for you to put them in.
9. Hit the Driving Range at Topgolf
4627 Koval Ln, 89109, map
TopGolf takes the driving range to a new level. You can order food and drinks and they have pre-programmed games you can play with your friends.
On top of that, even though it’s outdoors, it’s temperature-controlled to keep you cool in the summer.
Local Tip: Pack your bathing suit. They even have a pool that you can hop in to cool off.
3655 S Las Vegas Blvd, 89109, map
This is one of the few things we’ve been putting off until we have visitors that want to go, but we love that we can get a taste of Paris right on the strip.
Once we go, we’ll be sure to write a guide for it. In the meantime, you can get your tickets here.
Local Tip: One of the best photos spots for the Eiffel Tower is across the street. Just head to the Bellagio valet area and walk across to the overlook.
11. Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign
5200 Las Vegas Blvd S, 89119, map
The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign is a fun stop to snap a photo. Lines get long, though, so be prepared to wait. To avoid crowds, early morning is best.
Local Tip: They will light up the sign in different colors for holidays.
3327 S Las Vegas Blvd Ste 2732, 89109, map
If you love creating content for IG or TikTok, check out the Museum of Dream Space at the Grand Canal Shoppes. They have multiple themed rooms with tons of photo ops.
Local Tip: Wear light and bright colors to stand out in the darker rooms.
We’ve done over 10 escape rooms in Las Vegas and will continue to check them out as new ones pop up.
The Escape Game has the best rooms we’ve played. To make it extra fun, we’ve been bounding to the theme of the room.
Local Tip: A majority of escape rooms in Las Vegas are scary, but you can find a few that aren’t. See them on our escape room guide below.
14. See the Pyramid and Sphinx at Luxor
3900 S Las Vegas Blvd, 89119, map
Even though we’ve been in Las Vegas for a while, we only recently went to check out the front of Luxor for our anniversary shoot. There’s a massive Sphinx and other small sculptures that make great backdrops for photos.
Local Tip: There is a Las Vegas Monorail that runs from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur, which stops right in front of the Sphinx. This brings a flow of people every so often.
15. Get a Drink at the Chandelier Bar
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S, 89109, map
The Cosmopolitan has one of the most unique bars/lounges on the Las Vegas Strip. The Chandelier has 3 different levels where you can grab drinks and enjoy the views of the casino while being inside a huge chandelier.
Local Tip: The bar is open 24 hours and gets busy on weekends. You can make reservations for parties of 15 or more.
More Things to Do on the Las Vegas Strip
If it isn’t your first time or you happen to do an extended stay, here are more things to do on the Las Vegas Strip.
- 4D Ultimate Experience, Excalibur
- Adventuredome, Circus Circus Theme Park – Canyon Blaster, Chaos, Disk’ O, El Loco, Inverter, Motion Rides, Sling Shot, World’s Largest Permanent Circus, 4D Special FX Theater
- Big Apple Coaster, New York New York
- Brooklyn Bowl, LINQ
- ESPORTS Arena, Luxor
- Fall of Atlantis Show, Forum Shops Caesars
- Flamingo Wildlife Habitat, Flamingo
- Helicopter Flight Over Vegas
- Hershey’s Chocolate World, New York New York
- Ice Rink, Cosmopolitan (Nov to Jan)
- M&M’s World
- Mirage Volcano, Mirage
- Dolphin Habitat, Mirage
- Palazzo Waterfall Atrium and Gardens
- The Park Vegas, The Park
- Pools / Lazy River – Mandalay Bay
- Streetmosphere, Venetian Grand Canal Shoppes
- Stripper 101, Planet Hollywood
- Swarovski Starburst, Bally’s
- T-Mobile Arena
- Vegas Indoor Skydiving
- Virtual Reality Powered by Zero Latency, MGM Grand
- Wynn
Museums on the Las Vegas Strip
- ARIA Campus Fine Art Collection
- ARIA Water Features
- The Gallery Featuring Dale Chihuly, CityCenter
- Madame Tussauds, Venetian
- Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art
- Bodies the Exhibition, Luxor
- Real Bodies, Bally’s
- The Art of Richard MacDonald, Bellagio
- Marvel Avengers Station, Treasure Island
- Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden And Dolphin Habitat
- Hunger Games the Exhibition
- Titanic The Artifact Exhibition
Shopping on the Las Vegas Strip
Best Places to Eat on the Las Vegas Strip
So many celebrity chefs are opening restaurants on the strip. Overall, the food on the strip tends to be overpriced, but you can still find ones that are worthwhile, especially for special occasions. See our full list of best places to eat in Vegas here.
- Bacchanal Buffet, Caesars – The best buffet on the strip, but also one the priciest.
- Bazaar Meat, Sahara – everything we tried was good, but I’m still craving that uni toast.
- Best Friend by Roi Choi, Park MGM – Love the uni fried rice and frosé.
- Bouchon, Venetian – A great brunch spot!
- Eataly, Park MGM – We tried pizza, pasta, and a few desserts. It wasn’t amazing, but you have a variety of options if you’re going with a group.
- Earl of Sandwich, Planet Hollywood – This is a chain, but it’s our go-to cheap eat on the strip.
- Mizumi, Wynn – So far our favorite Japanese restaurant on the strip. The otoro and Kobe beef are so good.
- Restaurant Guy Savoy, Caesars Palace – For a special occasion pre-fixe meal.
- Tacos El Gordo – Still better in TJ or San Diego, but great if you’re craving tacos.
- Tea Lounge, Waldorf Astoria – Our fave spot for afternoon tea.
- The X-Pot, Venetian – elevated hot pot!
Map of the Best Things to Do on the Las Vegas Strip
We created a map to highlight all the places we mentioned here. This will help you get around and plan activities next to each other.
- Las Vegas South Strip – Planet Hollywood, Vdara, ARIA, Waldorf Astoria, CityCenter, Park MGM, The Park / T-Mobile Arena, NYNY, MGM Grand + Signature at MGM Grand, Excalibur, Luxor, Tropicana, Mandalay Bay + Delano, Four Seasons, Welcome to Las Vegas Sign
- Mid Strip – Venetian + Palazzo, Casino Royale, Treasure Island, Mirage, Caesars Palace, Harrah’s, LINQ Hotel + Promenade, Flamingo, Cromwell, Bally’s Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Paris
- North Strip – Festival Grounds, SAHARA, Circus Circus, Wynn, Convention Center, Resorts World, The STRAT (formerly Stratosphere)
FAQs + Essential Tips
- How long is the Strip? You’ll find different definitions of what is considered the strip, but for us it runs from Sahara Ave to Russel Road
- Walking the Strip? Remember that the Strip is much larger than it looks. If you see a casino in the distance that you want to walk to, walking there usually takes 3-4x longer than you think. Because of that, bring good walking shoes!
- What part of the Strip is the best? & Why? It depends on what you want to do! For us, Mid Strip is the best spot to be and where we spend most of our time. South Strip is where we spend the second most amount of time.
- Is there a free shuttle on the strip? Unfortunately there isn’t a free shuttle. You can ride share, walk, or take the monorail.
- Can I walk from the airport to the Strip? Technically yes, but it is not recommended. From arrivals to Tropicana (the closest hotel), it still takes an hour.
- Get a Las Vegas Explorer Pass to save money if you plan on doing multiple activities.
- Remember to Hydrate. Have fun but remember to hydrate! Especially in the hot summer months if you’re spending a lot of time outside.
- Casinos are Huge. It’s easy to get lost in a casino and it always takes longer than you thik to walk from your room to the strip. GIve yourself extra time if you have to be somewhere by a certain time.
- Don’t Limit Yourself to the Strip. We know this post focuses on the strip but Las Vegas has a ton to offer off-strip as well. Most tours offer pick ups on the strip so be sure to check out other spots!
Best Time to Visit
The spring and fall seasons are the best time to visit Las Vegas, specifically March, April, October, and November. They offer the most moderate weather plus best prices on the strip (minus any holiday weekends).
Summer gets extremely hot which makes it great for pools but horrible for any other outdoor activities. Winter brings short days but cool weather.
When you’re planning your trip, keep an eye out for conferences or festivals. Hotel prices go up significantly during those times.
How to Get There
If you’re flying into Las Vegas, McCarran International Airport (LAS) will be the main airport you’ll fly into. Here are flight times from some of the most popular cities. From the airport, you can take a short uber ride and you’re on the strip.
Atlanta | 4 hrs
Boston | 6 hrs
Chicago | 2.5 hrs
Dallas | 2.5 hrs
Denver | 1.5 hrs
Honolulu | 6 hrs
Los Angeles | 45 min
Miami | 5.5 hrs
NYC | 5 hrs
New Orleans | 4 hrs
Orlando | 4.5 hrs
Philadelphia | 5.5 hrs
San Diego | 55 mins
San Francisco | 1.5 hrs
Seattle | 2.25 hrs
Washington DC | 5 hrs
If you prefer to drive into Vegas, there are plenty of parking options on the strip and most hotels give free parking to guests. Here are the drive times from some major cities.
Reno, NV | 7.25 hrs
Los Angeles, CA | 4 hrs
San Diego, CA | 5.25 hrs
Phoenix, AZ | 4.75 hrs
San Francisco, CA | 9 hrs
San Jose, CA | 8 hrs
Salt Lake City, UT | 6 hrs
Best Places to Stay
What's Nearby
- Fremont Street + Downtown Las Vegas
- Neon Museum
- Mob Museum
- Pinball Hall of Fame
- Town Square – GameWorks, AMC, shops
- RIO – Kiss by Monster Mini Golf, Voodoo Zip Line
- Chinatown
- Silverton Hotel – Aquarium
- Hollywood Car Museum
- Strip Gun Club
- Range 702
What are your favorite things to do on the Las Vegas Strip?
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“Discovery consists not of seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes” – M. Proust
Esther + Jacob
Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, which is one of the top 5 travel blogs in the US. They believe that adventure can be found both near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city in depth every year and currently base themselves in Las Vegas.
