Discover Vegas Hidden Spots: Your Self-Guided Tour

The world's most famous fountain show transforms the eight-acre lake in front of the Bellagio into a choreographed spectacular where over 1,000 fountains shoot water up to 460 feet high in performances synchronized to music ranging from opera to pop. Shows run every 30 minutes during the afternoon and every 15 minutes in the evening, making this free attraction the Strip's most democratic entertainment—no casino entry, no minimum bet, no purchase required. The fountain's position at the Strip's heart and the surrounding viewing platforms create perfect conditions for experiencing Vegas's commitment to spectacle.

The four-mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard that defines the city's image packs themed resorts, casinos, restaurants, and entertainment venues into a corridor of sensory overload designed to separate visitors from their money while providing genuine wonder. Walking the Strip reveals the evolution from the Rat Pack era through the family-friendly 1990s to today's emphasis on nightclubs, celebrity chefs, and experiential entertainment. The pedestrian bridges, free tram connections, and the sheer density of attractions make walking the most practical—if exhausting—way to experience the Strip's excess.

The resort that defined Vegas themed entertainment since 1966 continues evolving while maintaining the Roman grandeur—marble statues, toga-clad staff, and the Forum Shops' painted sky ceiling—that established the city's commitment to fantasy architecture. The Forum Shops pioneered the concept of destination retail, their animatronic fountain shows, designer boutiques, and the spiral escalator providing entertainment beyond the casino floor. The Colosseum concert venue hosts residencies by artists from Adele to Rod Stewart, while the sprawling casino and pool complex represent Vegas hospitality at its most indulgent.

The Venetian & Grand Canal Shoppes
The meticulous recreation of Venice—complete with indoor canals, gondolas, and the painted ceiling mimicking Italian sky—represents Vegas theming at its most ambitious and most surreal. The singing gondoliers navigating the quarter-mile canal past replicas of St. Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge create genuine romance despite the artificiality, while the adjacent Palazzo extends the luxury through connected casino floors and dining options. The Grand Canal Shoppes' street performer program and the integration of retail, dining, and spectacle demonstrate Vegas's understanding that shopping itself should entertain.

The world's tallest observation wheel when it opened in 2014 still provides the Strip's best panoramic views, its 28 glass-enclosed cabins taking 30 minutes to complete the 550-foot rotation above the LINQ promenade. Day rides reveal the Mojave Desert surrounding the city while night rides showcase the neon spectacle that makes Vegas glow from space. The wheel's position at the Strip's center, open-bar cabin options, and the LINQ promenade's restaurants and bars below make this more than just a view—it's a complete entertainment experience.

Downtown's pedestrianized casino row has reinvented itself through the Viva Vision canopy—a 1,500-foot LED screen providing free light shows—and the SlotZilla zipline that sends riders flying beneath the display. The original Vegas casinos—Golden Nugget, Binion's, Fremont—maintain the vintage gambling atmosphere that the Strip's mega-resorts have polished away, while the Mob Museum and Neon Museum add cultural substance to the retro gaming experience. The Fremont East District's craft cocktail bars and the Container Park's boutiques represent downtown's emergence as alternative to Strip excess.

The boneyard of rescued neon signs documents Vegas history through the typography and design that once advertised casinos, motels, and businesses that have disappeared or evolved beyond recognition. The guided tours through the outdoor collection—including the Stardust, Moulin Rouge, and original Caesars Palace signs—combine design history with Vegas social history, revealing the city's evolution from desert outpost to entertainment capital. Evening tours when the restored signs illuminate create the most atmospheric experience, though daytime visits allow closer examination of the craftsmanship.

The engineering marvel that created Lake Mead and provided the electricity that made Vegas possible stands 30 miles southeast of the city, its Art Deco design and 726-foot concrete face as impressive as when it was completed in 1936. Tours access the power plant, tunnels, and observation deck while the bridge completed in 2010 provides dramatic dam views and eliminated the traffic that once crawled across the dam's narrow roadway. The dam's role in Western water politics, its Depression-era construction history, and its continuing importance for regional power generation add substance to the visual spectacle