I got back from my first trip to Las Vegas just a few days ago. My parents and I flew out there for a few days to celebrate my 21st and my dad's 50th birthdays. For a bit of an overview, we stayed at the Four Queens hotel on Fremont Street, and spent our days there, on The Strip and at a few museums and sights outside of town.
I wanted to share my experience and talk about my favorite things we did everywhere we went.
Starting with Fremont Street. There are a lot of fun, FREE things that you can do. The Fremont Experience contains a free light and music show above you as you walk down the street. It's called Viva Vision and starts every hour from 6 pm to 1 am.
Viva Vision at Fremont Street, Las VegasLogan Morrow
Also free on Fremont Street, is visiting the world's largest golden nugget at the Golden Nugget, as well as rubbing Buddha's belly for good luck at California Hotel. We also kissed The Blarney Stone at The D for extra good luck.
World's Largest Golden NuggetMarita Morrow
Buddha BellyMarita Morrow
Blarney StoneMarita Morrow
Finally at the Circa, the world's largest sportsbook is open and ready for every kind of sports fan out there. They also have a very large pool that I think would be a great place for some relaxation.
Circa SportsbookLogan Morrow
While we stayed on Fremont Street, we also spent quite some time on The Strip. One of my favorite things we did was casino hop. We walked or Ubered to many hotels, including the Luxor, Excalibur, New York, New York, Circus Circus, The Mirage, The Flamingo, Caesar's Palace, The Bellagio, Paris and The Venetian.
LuxorLogan Morrow
ExcaliburLogan Morrow
New York, New YorkLogan Morrow
The FlamingoMarita Morrow
Caesar's PalaceLogan Morrow
At a few of those hotels, we made sure to stick around and visit what they're known for, like the volcano show at The Mirage, the flamingo habitat at The Flamingo, the fountains at The Bellagio, and the arcades/rides at New York, New York and Circus Circus (even though the Big Apple Coaster was closed).
Bellagio FountainsLogan Morrow
Mirage VolcanoLogan Morrow
If you get to go, be sure to visit the CocaCola, M&M and Hershey's stores on The Strip as well.
Dad MM CarMarita Morrow
Logan MM ChristmasMarita Morrow
Logan Reese's CupMarita Morrow
And if you're a thrill-seeker like I am, don't forget to ride the rides on top of The Stratosphere.
Insanity, the RideLasVegasSun.com
Away from the busy streets of Fremont and The Strip, we visited a few museums and other cool sites. The first was the Mob Museum. We learned all about Las Vegas and its famous mobsters during prohibition.
Mob MuseumMarita Morrow
We also spent some time at the Neon Museum, learning all about old neon signs that used to shine brightly in Las Vegas. Some still worked, but others were not restored. Regardless, it was still extremely cool to see old casino signs and learn about the history behind them.
Neon MuseumMarita Morrow
Stardust SignLogan Morrow
If you're not scared of the paranormal and unexplainable things, Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum is a cool place to visit. A tour guide walks you around a large "haunted" mansion where many of the creepy items Zak Bagan has collected over the years reside. Many people say mysterious and impossible things have happened to them while visiting.
Zak Bagans' The Haunted MuseumTheHauntedMuseum.com
On Fremont Street, just a little ways away from the main action of Viva Vision, there's the Container Park. This is a little area full of shops and restaurants inside of storage containers. There's also a pretty cool playground for all ages in the center. Say hi to the giant Praying Mantis for me!
Praying MantisLogan Morrow
LM and MM at the Container ParkAaron Morrow
Logan Container Park PlaygroundMarita Morrow
If you're up for a small drive outside of Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam isn't too far from there. It really is a beautiful sight, and you can even stand in two states at once!
Nevada and ArizoneMarita Morrow
Family Photo at the DamLogan Morrow
Hoover Dam BridgeLogan Morrow
No trip would be complete without some excellent food and drinks, right? My favorite places we ate at included Evel Pie, a pizza place inspired by Evel Kneivel, HEXX in Paris, a great place for brunch and bottomless mimosas with all kinds of flavoring, and the Taco Bell Cantina, the only Taco Bell that I know of that serves margaritas and other alcoholic beverages.
Evel PieMarita Morrow
HEXX in ParisLogan Morrow
Taco Bell CantinaLogan Morrow
And since it was my 21st birthday, we had to explore a few bars around the city. My favorites included Whiskey Licker Up, The Griffin and The Speakeasy at the Mob Museum. Whiskey Licker Up's bar looks out over Fremont Street and actually spins. Make sure you order the Whiskey Melon or the Paloma (they were our favorites). However, we did like the Southern Belle and the Vegas Sunset too.
Vegas SunsetLogan Morrow
Southern BelleLogan Morrow
The Griffin is a really laid back lounge with fireplaces everywhere that kind of reminded me of the tavern from Shrek. Our favorite drink is a Jameson and Ginger. Be wary of how heavy they pour their shots if you do order one...haha.
Jameson and GingerMarita Morrow
And The Speakeasy really felt like you were drinking underground during prohibition. It's in the basement of the Mob Museum and their Old Fashions come with some "light reading." If whiskey isn't your favorite, the Giggle Water was very good too.
Old FashionedLogan Morrow
Giggle WaterLogan Morrow
While some things were closed or removed due to Las Vegas' COVID-19 precautions, it was still a very fun trip, and I didn't feel like I missed out on anything with it being my first time visiting. I'm glad I got to spend the time with my family and explore somewhere I'd never been before.
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