Viator’s Las Vegas Travel Team

As I write this post, I am sitting in the Viator office in Las Vegas and I am not too happy. Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Vegas and of course LOVE working with my colleagues here (Hi guys!), but I never thought of myself as a “Vegas” kinda guy. I am too cheap to gamble and (contrary to popular belief) I don’t really like all the glitz and glamour.

What to do?? What to do??

I have already taken many of the great tours that we have at Viator - the West Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, and even conquered my claustrophobia with a Helicopter Flight of the Vegas Strip (the free champagne helped!). But as great as these things are, if you have had a rough day in the casino or a late night out you may need at least one day on the cheap in Vegas and it yep, it can be done. Here are five FREE things to do (did he say FREE?) and one really good deal that are right on the Vegas Strip:

The Bellagio Fountains at Night

1. The Bellagio Fountains: Located in front of the Bellagio Hotel, the fountains are a stunning mix of water, music, sound and light. You can check them out multiple times from different vantage points all night long. The shows go every half hour starting late afternoon and every 15 minutes in the evening. You can stop and watch several times each night - they are quite amazing. (Note - last time, even with Celine Dion as the music, I enjoyed it - the fountains are that good!) While you are there, stop in and see the amazing details and stained glass inside the hotel.

2. The Lion Habitat at MGM: The famed MGM lions are on display in the hotel’s special habitat from 12:00 noon to 10:00pm each day. It is easier and cheaper than a safari to Africa to see the lions close up!

3. The Mirage Volcano: In front of the Mirage Hotel, the famous 5-story volcano erupts each night on the hour. This is as close as you can get to a volcano without all that nasty ash and lava.

4. The Pirate Show at TI: At Treasure Island - or “TI” as they now call the hotel – you can watch an elaborately staged pirate duel complete with a lot of noise and a lot of flash. I must admit, I thought it would be hokey, but I enjoyed it! Check with the hotel as times may change, but at time of this post, they are nightly at 7:00pm, 8:30pm and 10:00pm.

Who doesn’t like cheap Blackjack?

5. The Circus Circus “Circus”: – Now, that’s a lot of Circuses (Circi?) in one sentence. But for fun for everyone, head a bit north on the Strip to the Circus Circus Hotel to see the World’s largest permanent circus - or so I am told. They put on a variety of shows every half hour each night – the kids may want to stay and see a few of them!

PowerPass - Las Vegas

6. Las Vegas PowerPass: OK, as promised - it’s not FREE, but it is a good deal. With the Las Vegas PowerPass, for one fixed price you can get entry into a number of Vegas attractions and discounts at several restaurants and shops.

It’s great for people who want to see EVERYTHING (you know who you are) but who don’t want to pay for everything (you know who you are – Dad??). And, come on…you know you want to go to the Liberace Museum, but were you really going to pay for it all by itself? The pass is available in 1, 3, 5 and even 7 day lengths depending on how adventurous you are.

There you have it – So spend your money on some tours, gamble it all or drink the night away - My ideas for the Las Vegas Strip on the Cheap - it can be done.

If you have other ideas for cheap or free things to do, post a comment (I am back next month!)

–Ken Frohling

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 at 6:24 am and is filed under Deals, Specials & Promotions, Departure Lounge, Destinations, Family & Kids, Travel Inspiration, USA, Canada, Mexico. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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