Attractions in Las Vegas

The addition of high-brow cultural attractions is a fairly recent event on the Las Vegas timeline. Most say it started with the 1998 opening of the $1.8 billion Bellagio megaresort and the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, where you can still find top-notch exhibitions. But among the most ambitious attempts at artistic enlightenment in the desert is the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, an international partnership housed in a building inside the Venetian that aspires architecturally to be worthy of the Guggenheim name.

If clothes make the man, Liberace unequivocally had it made. Look at the elaborate costumes and jewelry of the great showman for a glimpse of his flamboyant personality and extravagant tastes. For decades considered one of the world's finest pianists, Liberace loved furs, diamonds and over-the-top automobiles. He died in 1987 of AIDS.

Las Vegas themed casino megaresorts are cities within a city and attractions within an attraction. You can gamble, experience a show, buy a Ferrari, ride a rollercoaster, sate yourself in gourmet restaurants, glide across a canal in a gondola, view ornate fountains and breathtaking botanical gardens; the list goes on. Some of our favorites are the Wynn Las Vegas, the Bellagio and Paris Las Vegas--all on the Strip.

If the megaresorts do not satisfy your craving for sensory overload and excitement, you may want to continue your quest along the Strip--federally designated as Nevada's only All-American road. Farther north, the Fremont Street Experience turns up the wattage in downtown Las Vegas every night with spectacular computer-generated sound and light shows. The Stratosphere Tower, the tallest freestanding tower in the United States, offers one of the best views of the city, especially at night when Las Vegas is dressed in sparkling brilliance.

Las Vegas gave up its attempt to position itself as a family-friendly destination, ceding that tourist segment to Orlando. But even though it might not market to children, a few attractions can keep tykes, toddlers and teenagers busy--and happy!--for a few hours or more. Lied Discovery Children's Museum offers kids under 6 more than 100 interactive exhibits. Children get to do some role-playing as adults by choosing a job, earning a paycheck, depositing savings in a bank and buying groceries. Naturally, parents are welcome too. Encompassed within a 5-acre, purple-glass structure, the Adventuredome is said to be the country's largest indoor theme park. Kids and teens love the motion simulators, thrill rides, miniature golf, virtual-reality games, arcade and rock climbing offered at this fun palace. Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay is not your typical aquarium; it's a total sensory experience that takes you on a journey through an ancient temple that has been slowly claimed by the sea, ending up on the deck of a sunken ship in shark-infested waters.

Now that the kids have had their fun, are you ready to kick into lower gear and experience the area's recreational side? Unsure if Vegas can deliver? Fret not adventure-seeking friends. The following three attractions will prove that even in Vegas and its environs, "recreation" is not a dirty word and scenic views are plentiful. In Blue Diamond, the 520-acre Spring Mountain Ranch State Park is a combination working ranch and retreat that offers picnicking opportunities and hiking trails. Recreational activities abound within Lake Mead National Recreation Area, where three of America's four desert ecosystems meet. This fact ensures an area rich in both plant and animal life. Fishing, swimming, boating and skiing are popular activities. The Hoover Dam is a 726-foot-high engineering marvel and an experience not to be missed. An overlook atop the visitor center provides scenic views of the surrounding area. Here's an interesting tidbit: Hoover Dam's structural volume surpasses the largest pyramid in Egypt.

If you're hankering for more outdoor fun, about 20 miles west of the city, the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area provides several trails and spectacular rock formations. The latter are a geological result of the Keystone Thrust Fault. Stay the day or stay only a few hours. Only 30 minutes north of Las Vegas, Mount Charleston and the surrounding Toiyabe Forest is a popular destination for hiking, backpacking, picnicking and camping, while nearby Lee Canyon is a favorite spot for skiing. Within this alpine wilderness, temperatures rarely go above 80 degrees Fahrenheit even in summer, making for very comfortable outdoor weather. Valley of Fire State Park, famous for its petroglyphs, is a 56,000-acre site comprising red sandstone formations created from great sand dunes during the Jurassic period. Sightseeing, hiking, rock hunting, camping and picnicking are only some of the activities that can be enjoyed within this park.

Now that you've recharged your batteries, it's time to head back to Vegas and see what else the city has to offer. Here, quirkiness and science fiction go hand-in-hand and "alien sightings" are not uncommon--at least not if you find yourself at Star Trek: The Experience in the Las Vegas Hilton. Klingon wannabes and Trekkies will love this attraction, and what's not to love? Where else do you get the opportunity to be beamed aboard the USS Enterprise? And speaking of sightings--has anyone seen Elvis lately? If you're an Elvis fan, and even if you're not, gyrate over to the Elvis-a-Rama Museum and pay homage to the "king." This experience is kitsch at its best, but Elvis' enduring legacy is proof that he's an American icon.

Shift gears and experience art at The Arts Factory within the Las Vegas Arts District (yes, Las Vegas has an arts district). Creative works from artists, architects, photographers and graphic designers all are represented within this downtown gallery.