Las Vegas
DESTINATION GUIDE
Here's what you need to know
about the incredible city of
Las Vegas...
HIGHLIGHTS
No trip to Las Vegas is complete without a visit to the Fremont Street Experience, a five block entertainment district in historic downtown Las Vegas named after John C Fremont, the US explorer and military officer widely credited for founding Las Vegas when he mapped the area in 1844.
Full of casinos, wacky street performers, live music, and bars and restaurants galore, the lively entertainment district attracts over 20 million visitors a year. Long before the glitzy Strip was a thing, Fremont Street was the place to be and the first casinos sprang up all along what was the city’s first paved road, along with neon signs earning it the nickname ‘Glitter Gulch’.
But with the emergence of the Strip along Las Vegas Boulevard and its billion-dollar casino resorts, Fremont Street became a derelict zone and so a decision was made in the 1990s to close the road to traffic and to transform it into the revitalised walkable entertainment area it is today.
A no less beautiful alternative however lies just half an hour from the metropolis. Red Rock Canyon occupies 195,819 acres of the Mojave Desert and can be seen from the Las Vegas Strip, but to fully appreciate the beauty of this National Conservation Area, it’s well worth hiring a car to enjoy the 13-mile one way scenic drive through the vividly coloured rock formations of 180 million year old Aztec Sandstone.
Take a short trip out of town to Springs Preserve, the place where it all began when in 1829 Mexican explorer Rafael Rivera – who was on his way to Los Angeles – abandoned the rest of his scouting party and veered off the beaten track to find water, and stumbled across an oasis of springs.
He returned to his caravan and led the rest of his party to the lush meadows and water source, and the area was named ‘Las Vegas’ meaning ‘the meadows’ in Spanish. Fourteen years later, Captain John C Fremont led a US military expedition through the valley and became the first person to map the Old Spanish Trail route which linked California and New Mexico, thus being credited with literally putting Las Vegas on the map.
FUN FACT
Situated between a motel and a tattoo parlour on Las Vegas Boulevard, The Little White Wedding Chapel has been one of the most iconic places to get married since it opened in the 1950s and has witnessed the nuptials of many a famous face, such as Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and more recently Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez – and it has appeared in many TV shows and Hollywood films.
WHAT TO EAT
Suspended 90ft above the pedestrianised mall is Viva Vision, which at 1,375ft long and 90ft wide is the world’s largest LED canopy screen, and where each evening on the hour, spectacular music and light shows – featuring well known songs alongside incredible 3D visuals on the screen made of nearly 50 million LED lamps – entertain the milling throngs of people underneath.
Thrill seekers will love one of the district’s wackiest features – an 11-story slot machine that spits out zip-lining passengers, and then down the entire length of Fremont Street above the heads of the gawking crowds below at speeds of up to 40mph.
Get 360-degree views of the glittering Strip and Las Vegas Valley beyond from the top of The Strat, the highest freestanding observation tower in the US. But if both the indoor and outdoor viewing decks are a little too tame for you, then why not get the adrenaline flowing by taking a ride on X-Scream, a rollercoaster that teeters over the edge of the tower leaving passengers dangling weightlessly 866ft above the Strip.
WHAT TO EAT
In a city that has become synonymous with high-end dining thanks to many celebrated and Michelin-starred chefs opening outposts here, it would be easy to think that eating out in Las Vegas is an expensive affair.
But if you step away from the big hotels and resorts where many of these famous names reside, you can find many wallet-friendly options that are no less impressive or delicious.
Of course, in a city with a penchant for going big, F1 coming to town presents an unmissable opportunity for food and drink establishments to showcase exclusive offerings to celebrate.
One chef who was going one luxurious step beyond his exclusive meet and greet dinners over the inaugural Grand Prix weekend in 2023 was Gordon Ramsay, who this year is taking over at F1 Garage. Lucky guests will get a trackside experience like no other.
Las Vegas has a place to eat wherever you turn, so make sure you leave enough time to explore so you get the full experience.
