Las Vegas Activities – Welcome!

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We’re glad you found us!

We hope that  Las Vegas Activities will become your go-to resource whether you’re visiting Las Vegas, thinking about visiting Las Vegas, or just dreaming about visiting. When you visit, there’s so much more to do than just sit in the casino; what you really need is someone to help you sort through all the possiblities for dining, shopping, and clubbing – for concerts, shows, and day trips – every category of our Las Vegas activities guide. We’ve got information on golf courses and shopping malls, restaurants and buffets, clubbing and action sports, stuff for the kids and stuff for the grownups. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a Vegas regular, we’re you’re top stop for Las Vegas info. We’re adding new stories and information regularly, so please bookmark us and visit often!

Category: Las Vegas  Tags: las vegas activities, las vegas guide, las vegas tips  Leave a Comment

Las Vegas Events: Only Sin City Can Put On Such A Show!

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Las Vegas is the only place in the world where you can experience a truly mind-blowing event every day of the year. These days, Vegas is acknowledged by just about everyone as the world’s entertainment capital because of the amazing Las Vegas events available on a daily basis. You won’t find another city which packs as much entertainment into a hundred square miles as this oasis in the desert.

In Vegas, bigger is definitely better. Nearly every show on the Las Vegas Strip is an enormous production with an all-star cast and a small support army behind the scenes. Just about every concert features one of the biggest names in music. The special Las Vegas events truly are special, whether it’s a prize fight, UFC event, NASCAR race or the World Series of Poker. And it seems that every new restaurant that opens in Las Vegas these days is designed and run by a celebrity chef. Bigger and better is what Vegas does best.

Seemingly, most visitors fall into two categories: those who are addicted to the bigger-and-better hedonistic charm of Las Vegas – and those who are in the process of becoming addicted to it. This playground for adults makes no excuses for overwhelming visitors and encouraging over-indulgence. In fact, those seem to be the raisons d’etre for Las Vegas events in the 2010s.

Needless to say, Vegas has not only hosted legends, but created them. The Rat Pack, Elvis, Liberace, Wayne Newton, Siegfried and Roy – you can’t even mention their names without visualizing them performing to sold-out crowds in Vegas. Every one of their appearances was a true Las Vegas event. And the list of true Vegas celebrities continues to grow, with names like Penn and Teller, George Wallace, Donny and Marie and many others joining the list.

There’s no way to list the best three, or five, or ten, or fifty Las Vegas events. But here is a brief rundown of some of our favorites, from comedy to magic, shows to showgirls, music to athletics. And please take your time to browse our site – you’ll find much more on top Las Vegas events.

Most of the major Las Vegas entertainment extravaganzas are housed in the huge hotel/casinos that line the world famous Strip. At The Venetian, you can be entertained by the fabulous Blue Man Group throughout the year. The music/magic/acrobatic/choreographic productions of Cirque du Soleil, including Love, O, Mystère, Zumanity, Viva Elvis and Kà play at casinos up and down the strip at Treasure Island, The Mirage, New York, New York, Bellagio, Aria and the MGM Grand; they all have different themes and feels, but all have captured the imagination of millions over the years with their awe-inspiring combination of music, athletics and performance art. No matter which of their shows you choose, you can’t go wrong. Le Reve at the Wynn is a fantastical mix of dream sequences, dance and water that has set the bar high for Vegas extravaganzas. Other long-running Broadway shows, such as Phantom (a shortened version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic) and Jersey Boys are performed in their own custom-designed theaters, and bring a wonderful taste of the Great White Way to Las Vegas Boulevard.

Magic has always been a hallmark of Las Vegas entertainment, and quite frankly, the best play Vegas. Of course, these are not your grandfather’s magic shows; they combine an amazing amount of big-event showmanship and stagecraft with more traditional magic. Look for the amazing Lance Burton (a regular winner of Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year awards) at the Monte Carlo, or Penn & Teller, the absolute best at combining magic and comedy, at the Rio. Cirque du Soleil doesn’t ignore the power of magic either – their popular Criss Angel Believe show, featuring the star of the TV show Mindfreak, is at the Luxor.

In Vegas with the kids? Don’t miss the Rick Thomas magic show at the Tropicana every afternoon. It’s a kiddie’s delight! And don’t miss the regular performances of Disney’s Lion King at Mandalay Bay.

If you think of over-the-top dancing and costumes, and lots of showgirls when you think of Vegas,  the Pussy Cat Dolls at Caesar’s Palace, Crazy Horse Paris at MGM Grand, and Folies Bergere at the Trop are top-notch “mainstream adult” Vegas entertainment. Or on the flip side, the world-famous Chippendales show at Rio is the perfect place for a bachelorette party – as is the Legends in Concert show at Imperial Palace, with some of the best celebrity impressionists anywhere.

Any list of Las Vegas events would be incomplete without mentioning the city’s unparalleled concert scene. True legends have set up permanent bases in Vegas; perhaps the biggest names right now are Elton John with his own theater at Caesar’s Palace, and Barry Manilow who’s a regular at Paris Hotel and Casino. Many of the world’s biggest recording artists are regulars at the Colosseum at Caesar’s, with a list headed by the likes of Celine Dion and Diana Ross. The number of artists making regular stops at the MGM Grand Garden on their concert tours is astounding; everyone from the Eagles and Jimmy Buffett, to Jay Z. and Kanye West makes sure to play Vegas. A top venue for indie and and upcoming artists is the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, regularly featuring artists like Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, Slightly Stoopid, One Republic, and Shaggy.

When it comes to comedy, Las Vegas events are legendary. Current headliners who make regular appearances in Vegas are Jay Leno, Jeffy Seinfeld, Howie Mandel, Robin Williams and David Spade, seen at showrooms like the Colosseum at Caesars, The Mirage and the MGM Grand. There are many comics with regular gigs in Vegas as well, including George Wallace (known as the NEW Mr. Las Vegas) at the Flamingo, Rita Rudner at Harrah’s and Carrot Top at the Luxor.

When you think of mammoth Las Vegas events you probably think of boxing. For many years now, Vegas has staged the biggest fights in the world at casinos like MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay; the glitz and glamour of boxing continues to weave its magic in Las Vegas, with the biggest names like Floyd Mayweather, Wladimir Klitschko and Manny Pacquiao  fighting there regularly – and now, with UFC title bouts joining the party. There’s an annual Vegas stop on the NASCAR tour that’s become a huge event in the city; the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Tour is a huge draw when it’s in town – and while you might not consider poker a sport, the World Series of Poker has grown from a small curiosity at Binion’s downtown, to a massive month-long Las Vegas party.

That’s only scratching the surface of Las Vegas events, but we hope it’s enough to get your juices flowing. Please explore our site to find much, much more about Las Vegas activities, shows, restaurants and events.

Category: Las Vegas Events  Tags: Las Vegas boxing, Las Vegas comedy, Las Vegas concerts, Las Vegas magic, Las Vegas shows  Leave a Comment

Las Vegas Restaurants: Michelin Stars and Celebrity Chefs

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Las Vegas is a city where power brokers play a never-ending game of one-upmanship. So it should be no surprise that the top Vegas hotels and casinos have waged war to bring the very best chefs (and their restaurants) to their properties. Michelin-starred chefs are few and far between, unless you’re in Paris – or these days, in the American desert. That’s because many of the most celebrated Las Vegas restaurants are run by the biggest and most-honored names in the industry.

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck opened a branch of his successful flagship Spago in Las Vegas, after it had become a phenomenon in Hollywood and Beverly Hills. That was in 1992, and even though every casino and hotel has added at least a handful of restaurants run by the biggest names in food, this bellwether of Las Vegas restaurants, built around the then-unusual idea of gourmet pizza remains a mainstay at the Forum Shops at the Caesar’s Palace. In addition to their world-famous pizza, Spago serves seasonal American cuisine, with signature dishes such as roasted free range chicken served with Yukon gold potatoes, goat cheese, wild mushrooms and natural jus; and blue cheese-crusted filet mignon with potato lyonnaise, confit bacon, cipollini onions, spinach and a balsamic reduction. Spago just one of the many restaurants Wolfgang Puck’s has built in Vegas; he also has Chinois at Caesar’s Palace, Trattoria del Lupo at Mandalay Bay and the Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill at the MGM Grand, Cut Steakhouse at  the Palazzo, Postrio Bar and Grill in St. Mark’s Square at the Venetian, Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina at CityCenter, ,

Another celebrity chef with a growing number of Las Vegas restaurants is Emeril Lagasse, who was well-known for many years because of his culinary skills, but became a sensation after his TV show “Emeril Live!” became a hit. Lagasse is the owner and executive chef of the Delmonico steakhouse in the Venetian Hotel and Casino. As you’d expect, there’s a southern touch to this upscale menu, in keeping with the chef’s trademark New Orleans cuisine. Emeril also has the New Orleans Fish House at the MGM Grand specializing in Cajun and Creole recipes, and Table 10 at the Palazzo, where he also owns Lagasse’s Stadium Sports Bar.

American culinary superstar Bobby Flay, has made his mark in the world of Las Vegas restaurants, with an outpost of his flagship Mesa Grill at Caesar’s Palace. Flay is another successful chef and restauranteur who became a household name due to his presence all over the Food Network, topped by his appointment as Iron Chef. Flay is renowned for his unapologetic American/Southwestern cooking style, with standout dishes like blue corn pancake with barbecued duck and a habenero chile-star anise sauce, New Mexican spice-rubbed pork tenderloin with bourbon –ancho chile sauce, and green chile cioppino with lobster, scallop, grouper, mussels and served with a blue corn stick and scallion butter.

Add to the list American-Italian celebrity chef Mario Batali and “celebrity owner” Joe Bastianich (Carnevino Italian Steak House, Palazzo, and B and B Ristorante, Venetian), “Rock and Roll Chef” Kerry Simon (Simon at Palms Place, CatHouse at the Luxor, KGB at Harrah’s) and Todd English (Olives at Bellagio and P.U.B. at CityCenter) and you’ve got a pretty comprehensive list of the major American celebrity chefs and their top-notch Las Vegas restaurants.

But let’s not leave out famed French powerhouse Joel Robouchon. He is a Michelin-starred chef with two restaurants in Vegas; one is his namesake restaurant and the other is L’atelier de Joel Robouchon, both at MGM Grand. The former is an out-of-this world French restaurant, perhaps the closest you can come to a true French dining experience on this side of the Atlantic. The latter is a livelier spot with an open kitchen, serving signature dishes with a French flair – a culinary workshop which will allow you to sample the Robouchon’s newest creations.

One of the Las Vegas restaurants that transforms the regular American steakhouse into an edgy dining experience is Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak at MGM Grand, which has become a perennial Vegas standout. Craftsteak focuses on fresh, organic produce and the best meat in the world, Kobe and Waygu beef. If lobster is more your style, you will be delighted with a visit to the Rosewood Grille and Lobster House (on the Strip but not at a hotel), where you can get a five-, ten- or even 25-pound lobster cooked absolutely perfectly (with prices to match, of course).

There are some “reasonable” prices at a few of the celebrity chef Las Vegas restaurants we’ve mentioned, such as P.U.B., KGB (Kerry’s Gourmet Burgers), and Lagasse’s Stadium. Most of the restaurants listed here, however, are very expensive – some, almost obscenely so. That’s not to say the food isn’t worth it; it most definitely is. But that doesn’t mean you can, or want to, spend what turns out to be a day’s or a week’s pay for most people, on a meal – no matter how outstanding. Here is a sampling of great restaurants with terrific food, but lower price tags.

Bouchon, a new addition to the list of terrific restaurants at the Venetian, is run by Thomas Keller and is essentially a French bistro with simple, classically prepared food;.another great French bistro, Mon Ami Gabi, is at Paris. The Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay (from Hubert Keller) is another spot with outstanding gourmet burgers.

Ready for a meal with an incredible view? Here’s a trio of Las Vegas restaurants where the view may keep you from even noticing the food: Mix, with a futuristic look on the top floor of THEhotel at Mandalay Bay; Alize, with floor to ceiling windows (and probably the best food of the trio) on the top floor of the Palms; and perhaps out-viewing them all, Top of the World, at the tippet-top of the Stratosphere Tower, on the north end of the strip.

Finally, if you are looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, you can’t go wrong with visits to the Jean Philippe Patisserie at the Bellagio, Max Brenner in the Forum Shops at Caesar’s, or the Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop outside Harrah’s.

Category: Las Vegas Restaurants  Tags: Emeril Lagasse, Joel Robouchon Las Vegas, Las Vegas celebrity chefts, Las Vegas food, Wolfgang Puck  Leave a Comment

Las Vegas Shopping: Forget Rodeo Drive!

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Las Vegas is a town associated with extravagance. Everything in this oasis is big, bold and bling! Vegas in the 2000s has become one of the prime destinations for the rich and famous – and those who would just like to live that way for a few days. And of course, that means that the Las Vegas shopping experience has to be just as big, bold and pow! as the Vegas entertainment.

The name of the game for casinos is to keep people inside their complexes – or at least, in the neighborhood. That means they need to provide their millions of visitors an unparalleled shopping experience inside the hotel/casinos along the strip; and just as the hotels themselves are huge, modern and wondrous, the shopping malls (and dining complexes) within their confines are truly amazing. There are plenty of opportunities for souvenir and lower-end purchases, plus gourmet meals that won’t cost a week’s pay, but the high-end Las Vegas shopping wonderlands that can be found across the Strip also provide the most exclusive and exquisite things money can buy – not to mention some of the best window shopping in the world. Here is a look at the top five Strip shopping experiences.

You can begin your Las Vegas shopping expedition with the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace, once a destination for the very richest Vegas visitors, but now a great mix of designer boutiques and popular upscale chains. You can shop (but not until you drop, there are a lot more stops to come!) at stores like Louis Vuitton, Harry Winston, Versace, Hugo Boss, or perhaps you’d prefer Banana Republic, Miss Sixty, Diesel, or Guess. And that’s just scratching the surface. There are still a number of high-end boutiques that can only be found here or in Beverly Hills;, such as Elie Tahari, Judith Leiber, Valentino and Emporio Armani, but they share space with interesting pushcarts and one of the biggest gelato counters you’ll ever see. The talking statues at the Fountain Show make an interesting spot to pause for a rest before heading back out into the world. Hungry? There are great “name” restaurants like Spago and The Palm, and chains like The Cheesecake Factory; and if you are a chocoholic you owe yourself a visit to Max Brenner’s (no excuses, you can diet next week!). The Forum Shops also house an aquarium and an art gallery if you really need a break before moving on.

Across the Strip, as we continue our tour of Las Vegas shopping highlights, are the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. The sightseeing “experience” is worth taking in if you’ve never been here before; real canals (which run through the entire complex) complete with singing gondoliers, magic sky, spacious walkways and small “side streets,” and the open-air St. Mark’s Square almost replicate an Italian experience perfectly. There are a number of exquisite specialty shoppes here, from boutiques like Herve Leger, Marshall Rousso and Il Prato; stores like Ripa de Monti featuring wonderful Venetian glass; Regis Galerie for Faberge eggs; and Il Prato for Venetian souvenir items. The mall is also a haven for upscale chains like Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Rockport, Kenneth Cole and Brookstone, and it has one of the largest Sephora stores you’ll find. There are numerous pushcarts and souvenir shops for less expensive purchases, and the Italian food at the Grand Canal Shoppes truly fits the ambience, with the exquisite Zeffirino overlooking the canals, the newer B and Ristorante, headed by celebrity partners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, and Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio, both in St. Mark’s Square. There are also lots of inexpensive dining choices, from Panda Express to Johnny Rockets.

The Shoppes at Palazzo are located adjacent to the Grand Canal Shoppes (accessible via a walkway), and they almost seem to scream luxury and sophistication, with a two-story waterfall, beautiful skylights, and live music. You will find many of the world’s finest designers and boutiques, starting with shoe havens Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik, and moving on to designer names like Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Prada, Chloé, Ralph Lauren and Diane Von Furstenberg. The overall feel of the shoppes here is European and very trendy, with chrystal chandeliers, runway shows, even small TVs built into dressing room mirrors. The Shoppes at Palazzo also has an enormous branch of Barneys New York, making this mall a destination for many well-to-do East Coasters. For wine lovers, there is the exquisite Double Helix Bar serving dozens of rare wines by the glass; restauranteurs who have opened up here include Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse.

The glass-and-marble Via Bellagio at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino is so upscale that it’s primarily a “window-shopping mall” for most of us  – but what Las Vegas shopping fantasies you can have here! Via Bellagio is dominated by an enormous Tiffany’s, but that’s certainly not the only reason to visit, especially if you have a few extra bucks to blow.  Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Prada, Hermes, Moschino, Yves St. Laurent and Burberry all have outstanding stores at Via Bellagio, and they’ll be happy to outfit you as if you were one of the favored few. Mid-to-upscale eateries provide a nice break from the shopping; most have spectacular views of the famous Bellagio fountains from tableside.

Steve Wynn created Bellagio and its upscale shopping experience, so you can guess what things are like at his new “home,”  the Esplanade at Wynn Las Vegas: Las Vegas shopping heaven. He has built a designer haven with, again, a completely upscale feel; the Wynn Esplanade features the first Oscar de la Renta boutique anywhere, and the first Jean Paul Gaultier store in the United States. McQueen, Chanel, Dior, Cartier, Manolo Blahnik are just some of the others who’ve opened branches at the Esplanade. An interesting twist is that there are Wynn & Co. Boutiques, one for shoes, one for jewelry, featuring just the finest product from the world’s shoe designers (including Christian Louboutin, Giuseppe Zanotti and Stuart Weitzman) and  jewelers (plus watches from Rolex and A. Lange). And believe it or not, this mall has its own Ferrari and Maserati showroom, in case you need a high-end ride home after your shopping spree.

There are many other upscale Las Vegas shopping experiences on the Strip worth checking out, if you have the time or happen to be in the neighborhood; Crystals, at the Las Vegas CityCenter, feels like you’re strolling outdoors in a mall built in a series of parks;  Le Boulevard at Paris Hotel and Casino makes you feel like you’re strolling through an upscale Paris neighborhood of shops; and Encore Esplanade, another exquisite and expensive, but hipper and edgier experience from Steve Wynn at his Encore hotel and casino.

If you were in Europe, you’d need to visit Paris, London, Rome, Milan and half-a-dozen other fashion capitals for a shopping tour like this. In Vegas, you can do it in a day – and still have time for a world-class dinner, and then a show or club the same night. What could be better than a Las Vegas shopping expedition, dinner and a show?

Category: Las Vegas Shopping  Tags: designer shopping Las Vegas, Forum Shops Las Vegas, Las Vegas boutiques, Las Vegas upscale  Leave a Comment
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