Madison & Charlie’s guide to:

A shot of Madison and Charlie from behind looking out onto Red Rock outside of Vegas.

Las vegas, nevada

An image of old Vegas signs at the Neon Museum in Downtown Las Vegas.
Madison posing with a llama.

Why vegas?

Back in 2016, Madison lived in Las Vegas while interning at Zappos.com. Over the past 9 years, we have come back and visited Las Vegas together more times than they can count. This is our (mainly Madison’s) short guide to Vegas!

Disclaimer!

These are our favorite places, but may not be yours. If you want a detailed “Best of Vegas” list, we recommend checking out Lonely Planet.

Places to eat/drink/go out

DTLV

These were the places that I would frequent while living just off of Fremont Street. There are probably a million newer places, but these were my favorites.

  • Gold Spike

  • Atomic Liquors

  • Corduroy

  • Velveteen Rabbit

  • Pizza Rock

  • Container Park (make sure you stay for the nightly show with Mantis!)

    • Specifically, Pinches Tacos

On the Strip

These are my favorite places to go out on the Strip. They are clubs, so keep that in mind and be sure to look up dress codes (and probably try to find a promoter ahead of time to skip the line).

  • Foundation Room

  • Aria

  • Omnia

  • Haakasan

The Chainsmokers performing at a club in Vegas in a mostly blue color.
Madison and Charlie eating tacos at Container Park.
A graphic showing the Atomic Liquors sign lit up and a quote on the sign.

things to do in dtlv

  • Watch the free show at the Fremont Street Experience

    • The light show starts at the top of the hour from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM every night.

  • Tour Zappos (lol)

  • Go to the Neon Museum

    • Specifically, go at night for the Brilliant! Jackpot experience. It was truly one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

  • Visit Container Park

  • Attend Life is Beautiful

    • This festival occurs every September but has changed as of 2024. We will see if it stays small or will return to a bigger fest in the future!

  • Hang out at the pool at The Grand

    • I once got a frozen half watermelon here after being at the pool all day and it was magical.

Madison with a big Life is Beautiful sign in the background and a multicolored painted arm.
Charlie sitting in a ball pit
The old Stardust sign from Las Vegas sitting in the Neon Museum.

things to do on the strip

  • Watch the Bellagio fountains

    • The shows go off every 30 minutes from 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

  • Walk through the Cosmopolitan chandelier room 

  • Eat at the Wicked Spoon buffet

    • You really can’t go wrong with a buffet in Vegas, but this one is my favorite!

  • Walk through the Linq Promenade 

    • You can ride the High Roller Ferris wheel. I’ve never done this because I am terrified of heights.

  • Ride the rides at the Stratosphere

    • Again, good for you. Couldn’t be me.

  • Walk through Caesar's Forum Shops

  • See sharks at the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef

  • Ride a gondola rides the Venetian

  • See a show at The Sphere

  • Walk through some of the themed hotels like New York, New York, and Paris

  • Swim in any of the fantastic pools

  • See a show. Two that I’ve seen and loved are:

    • Beatles LOVE

    • Le Reve

A sign showing on the wall for the Beatles LOVE show in Las Vegas.
The Bellagio fountains outside of the famous Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.

Where to see nature in vegas

Nature? In Vegas? Yes!

  • Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

    • There is SO much to do at Red Rock, and the hikes are stunning!

  • Mount Charleston, AKA The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

    • I truthfully do not remember the name of the hike I did here, but it was pretty strenuous and absolutely beautiful.

  • Seven Magic Mountains

    • Does this count as nature? Art? Something in between? About 30 minutes outside the Strip is this set of sculptures on the side of the road. Make sure to not leave any belongings in the car and bring your camera!

  • Lake Mead

    • Lake Mead is the reservoir created from the Hoover Dam, and is a great place to rent a boat and enjoy some water in the desert.

Madison and Charlie smiling in front of the Red Rock sign.
Madison posing with her hands thrown in the area with a mountain in the background.
Madison and Charlie smiling in front of multicolored painted rocks.