I’m not a Las Vegas person. Like at all. But is that precisely why my Las Vegas travel guide is elite?
I prefer to do my travel adventures during the day, usually in nature or wandering around picturesque town squares, stopping at cafes & local shops. I’m not a huge partier or gambler — normally I would never want to go to Las Vegas, an infamous land of debauchery.
However, my uncle treated the whole family to his retirement party in Las Vegas. He loves Vegas (specifically poker) and wanted us to go, and how could I resist an all expenses-paid trip? Plus, I thought it would be fun to check out this place that has movies, songs, and pop culture references up the wazoo.
There are actually really fun excursions outside the small city of Las Vegas proper, my favorite being a self-guided UTV tour in the acres of open, mountainous desert.
What else can you do? Turns out, lots. The people-watching is indescribable. Vegas brings out the outcasts, weirdos, people who don’t care what anyone thinks of them. It was nothing like I’ve ever seen before, lol.
So, let’s get into my Las Vegas travel guide from a non-Vegas person — just in case you find yourself cajoled into going on a trip with a partner who loves blackjack, or a mom who wants to go see Mariah Carey at her Vegas residency.
Las Vegas travel guide from a non-Vegas person
What do I do?
First, you HAVE to go see the Las Vegas Sphere – Wizard of Oz. Chances are you’ll notice a huge cylinder ball in the middle of the Vegas strip. It is MASSIVE and quite strange / alluring to look at from the outside. The inside is even cooler! They are currently running an interactive showing of the classic Wizard of Oz for ~$100 / ticket.
The Wizard of Oz is one of those movies that nestles into your psyche from childhood (at least for me). So watching it come to life and interactive in this huge cylinder showroom was very cool and unique.
Next, my favorite thing I did on my first trip to Las Vegas was a self-guided UTV tour through the rocky desert in the outskirts of the city with my parents.
I found this unique excursion on Get Your Guide, only a 20 minute drive from the city center. we arrived in the stunning mountainous desert with nothing thousands of uninhabited land in front of us.Β
This 90 minute excursion was awesome because we could drive the UTV ourselves and take it any direction as far as the eye could see β no following a tour guide or stuck in a long line of traffic, but instead making up the adventure as we went along!Β
It was pure freedom and exhilaration β these UTVβs are indestructible! I was laughing and hollering the whole 2 hours of driving. This activity is definitely not for the faint-hearted, the bumps and twists were nuts, but the views were just as good.
Thank you to Get Your Guide for partnering with me for this activity β definitely check them out for any and all adventure-related travel excursions! Use my codeΒ GRACIESGUIDEE5 for 5% off any GetYourGuide activity booked through the app.
Walk through the casinos, and go to the second floors to find the shopping. It’s fun to browse and people-watch, but I didn’t end up buying anything because I was too intimidated by the luxury stores. I wouldn’t even know where to start.
A Vegas tip: if you want to buy something, go in with a game plan or something specific you want to buy, so you can go look at it in person without the stares of the vulture sales-people lol.
I did end up playing a bit of texas-hold-em poker at the Palazzo / Venetian poker room. I am an amateur player who has never played anywhere except with my family, but I thought … when in Vegas! It was a great place for a newbie like me to start, and I had fun.
You need at least $100-300 buy-in to play. You go up to the register and give cash, then you will receive the corresponding chips. I am explaining this because I didn’t know at all how it worked!
Another Vegas tip: If you want to play poker or any other gambling but are too intimidated, go early in the morning. That’s what I did for the poker and it was a relaxed and fun setting. The big players who bet a lot of money don’t usually come out until dark. Like rats & foxes, lol.
Next, you should eat eat eat. My favorite restaurant was CUT by Wolfgang Puck. It’s expensive & you need a reservation, but the quality of the food was phenomenal. The Molten Chocolate Cake (Fresh Blackberries | Earl Grey White Chocolate Ice Cream) was perhaps the most delicious dessert I’ve had in my life! Highly recommend dining here to be a little fancy in Vegas.
Where do I stay?
We stayed at the Palazzo. It is part of the wider Venetian resort, but has a separate entrance & lobby. I would most definitely recommend it. The pool area was amazing, and the rooms were spacious and luxurious.
You can get rooms for as low as $100 / night on off-peak days. It can be so overwhelming to book a hotel so trust my word (as someone who has stayed at hundreds of hotels) and book this one!
To conclude: Las Vegas travel guide from a non-Vegas person
Okay, let’s be real. Las Vegas is exorbitant and dumb. Watching tons of regular people gamble thousands of dollars is a strange experience.
The casinos draw you in, wanting you to spend more, spend more, spend more. And by the end, I didn’t particularly enjoy it. I was ready to leave when Sunday morning rolled around.
However, there are fun things to do and it’s quite a sight to see. I had fun overall, especially since this trip was to celebrate someone else. It is a celebratory place!
I hope this guide helped you to explore Vegas from a different perspective. Enjoy! xx
If you enjoyed reading this, you’ll enjoy my other travel blogs:
10 things I wish I knew before traveling to Iceland
