Spending your time in Las Vegas

On your way from Los Angeles to the desert you will find Las Vegas, the capital of American gambling industry. Las Vegas is located in the south of Nevada State, approximately 80 km east of Californian border and 50 km west of border with Arizona. Las Vegas is divided into two parts: Strip with its business centre, and Glitter Gulch. Summer is very hot and winter is cold, so the best time to go to the city is autumn and spring.
Its no use staying in Las Vegas for more than three days. But a short visit to the city, especially if you are in Los Angeles, is advisable (its only a 2-3 hour car ride from Los Angeles to Las Vegas). There is a casino in every hotel, from five-star to the cheapest ones. But better book in advance. Local hotels are real state of art! Each has its own peculiar feature. For instance, Imperial Palace boasts of its huge concert hall where Elvis Presley used to perform, and an excellent car museum. When you are tired of endless golden bumpers and silk seats, go to medieval-style Excalibur, or pyramid-like Luxor with an artificial underwater river.
Having found yourself in Las Vegas, the best thing to do is to enjoy your time, play, loose and win. The best place to do that is the night Strip, deep in the ocean of multicoloured lights. MGM Grand Hotel guests don’t even have to go outside: the whole week won’t be enough to visit its casinos, cinemas, 2 concert halls, 6 restaurants, 2 swimming pools, 4 cocktail halls, 10 tennis courts and a shopping mall.
You can go to see a gigantic neon clown sitting on the Circus-Circus roof. There is a Grand Slam Canyon small attraction park (now Adventuredome) found next to it. The square formed by Fremont and Main Streets (in the city centre) is known as Glitter Gulch. First neon displays appeared here as early as in 1929, and now this district is drowning in neon lights. Some of the city’s most known casinos are located in the district. Those are Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, and Gold Spike. Local shops sell lots of souvenirs. The district’s important attraction is Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park – its monuments, photos and ruins tell the story of the Mormons who lived here in the 19th century. The Mirage is another place of interest. It’s a small tropic forest with an artificial volcano, surrounded by a lagoon. There are 54 waterfalls, a huge swimming pool and an aquarium inhabited by about 1000 fish species.
Car fans can visit Palace Auto Museum with a collection of cars that previously belonged to celebrities, including cars of several American Presidents. The museum is located at Imperial Palace Casino.
Hoover Dam is a huge dam, a true architecture masterpiece built not far from the city. Its one of the world’s highest dams. Behind it is a huge 180-km long reservoir. This is an excellent place for rowing, water skiing, diving and fishing. The dam is located south-east from the city centre and there is Red Rock Canyon 20 miles west of it.
Overton is a calm small town 2 hours ride from here, which boasts of its museum with ancient exhibits. There are several hotels, bars and shops found in the city. Travel north, and you will get to ancient Indian settlements - Anasazi Indian which forms a part of Lost City Museum. Some exhibits are several thousand years old!
And, finally, make a trip to Grand Canyon National Park, located several hours ride from Las Vegas. A truly spectacular view!