Whether you live in Las Vegas or visiting this city has a lot of diverse fun things to do! Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, with gaming the lead attraction its only part of what you can enjoy while playing in Las Vegas. Here is the top things to do while in Las Vegas.
MOUNT CHARLESTON
Mount Charleston is 11,916 feet, 8th largest mountain in Nevada, and is 35 miles NW of Las Vegas. It is a local hot spot year around or a great place to explore for visitors. Mount Charlestons offers a great relief in the summer time with temperatures 15 to 20 degrees cooler then the Las Vegas valley. There is plenty of hiking trails, skiing and sledding in the winter months, 200 camping sites, and 150 picnic areas even some with RV access.
RED ROCK CANYON
Red Rock Canyon National Park is located a few miles west of Las Vegas. It is located within the Mojave Desert with 195,819 acres of pure natural beauty. Red Rock Canyon is know world wide for its amazing rock formations, natural beauty, vivid colors of the rocks, which have been formed from the forces of nature over millions of years. You can view the area through the 13 mile Scenic Loop or through the trails and hiking with over 30 trails to explore. Some of the geology highlights include Aztec Sandstone, the great sandstone cliffs at Red Rock, thousands of feet high, are made up of the Aztec Sandstone. This formation, about 180 – 190 million years old, is comprised of lithified sand dunes that formed in a vast desert that covered a large part of the southwestern United States during the Jurassic time. The Red Color of some of the outcrops of the Aztec Sandstone is due to presence of iron oxide or hematite. Exposure to the elements caused iron minerals to oxidize or “rust,” resulting in red, orange, and brown-colored rocks. Iron Concretions or red spots in the Aztec Sandstone are iron concretions, where subsurface water has precipitated iron oxide around a nucleus in the sandstone. Dinosaurs tracks of small bipedal (two-footed) therapod (meat-eating) dinosaurs have been found in the Aztec Sandstone at Red Rock Canyon in three different places. The small animal tracks made by proto-mammals, early mammals, and arachnids (spiders and scorpions) were also found.
LAKE MEAD
Lake Mead is the first and largest national recreation area that spreads over 1.5 million acres of mountains, canyons, valleys, and two vast lakes. Lake Mead has 290 miles of water making it ideal for boating, jet skiing, swimming, fishing, camping, and hiking. If you don`t want to camp their is lodging available at the Temple Bar Marina Resort which does offer dining.
HOOVER DAM
Built during the Depression; thousands of men and their families came to Black Canyon to tame the Colorado River. It took less than five years, in a harsh and barren land, to build the largest dam of its time. Now, years later, Hoover Dam still stands as a world-renowned structure. The Dam is a National Historic Landmark and has been rated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of America’s Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders. The Hoover Dam does offer daily tours and you do actually get to go into the dam.
THE LAS VEGAS STRIP
The strip offers the most energy and excitement then any other place in the world! The Strip divides the city from east and west, its right in the center of town making it as a resident one incredible place to live. The Las Vegas Strip is 4.2 miles of lights, glamour, energy, fun, and it never stops! The strip and town is open 24 hours a day, it is a city that never sleeps. You can walk down the strip and enter any casino and find the best dining, buffets, restaurants, concerts, shows, thrill rides, night clubs, bars, gambling, shops, and so much more. The strip has top bands like Aerosmith, Doobie Brothers, 311 and legends like Cher, Billy Idol, or Barry Manilow doing extended residency concerts nightly. Also some of the top chefs in the world have with some of the finest restaurants like Wolf Gang Puck, Chef Gordon Ramsey, Bobby Flay, Pierre Gagnaire and many more. The Las Vegas Shows are one of a kind including Absinthe, “O”, Mystere, Cirque Du Soleil, Carrot Top, Blue Man Group just to name a few. Or party all night at the best night clubs with world-renowned DJ`S. The strip is truly a one of a kind place for endless fun.
HELICOPTER TOURS
If you are feeling adventures and want to view the city from a whole different perspective or would like to view a natural beauty like the Grand Canyon then there is nothing like a helicopter ride. There are plenty of great helicopter tour companies like Maverick or Sundance Helicopter that offer tours to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Red Rock, or fly down the Las Vegas Strip. Some of the helicopter companies offer package of rafting, weddings, proposals, or group events. Anyway you tour the city from a sky view it will definitely create some of your most memorable views.
