• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Casinos & Sights

There’s plenty to do besides gambling at the massive casino-resorts on and off the Strip. From volcanoes to roller coasters, lions to vixens, superb restaurants to hot dance clubs, you’ll have no trouble being entertained 24/7. Of course there are entire books devoted to Vegas, but here’s a peek at the best the city has to offer.

Wynn Las Vegas ( 702-770-7100, 888-320-9966; www.wynnlasvegas.com; 3131 Las Vegas Blvd; r weekday/weekend from $219/299; ) The most expensive hotel-casino built to date exudes an air of secrecy – the entrance is obscured from the Strip by a $130-million man-made mountain. Check out Le Rêve, a water-themed show.

Bellagio ( 702-693-7111, 877-987-6667; www.bellagio.com; 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S; r weekday/weekend from $160/330; ) Inspired by a lakeside Italian village this pleasure palazzo has a gasp-worthy lobby, dancing fountains in a huge lake, world-class restaurants and even a fine art gallery ($17).

Caesars Palace ( 702-731-7110, 800-634-6001; www.caesarspalace.com; 3570 Las Vegas Blvd S; ste weekday/weekend from $150/220; ) This Greco-Roman fantasyland is as over-the-top Vegas as ever with marble reproductions of classical statuary, goddess-costumed waitresses and the swanky Forum Shops.

Venetian ( 702-414-4500, 888-283-6423; www.venetian.com; 3355 Las Vegas Blvd S; ste weekday/weekend from $150/220; ) Hand-painted ceiling frescoes, roaming mimes and full-scale reproductions of famous Venice landmarks are found at this romantic if surreal casino where you can take a gondola ride or admire masterpieces at the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum (adult/child $19/12.50).

Mandalay Bay ( 720-632-7777, 877-632-7800; www.mandalaybay.com; 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S; r from $140; wi-fi) The stand-out daytime attraction of this classy and tropically themed casino is an amazing walk-through aquarium (adult/child $16/11) where you pet pint-sized sharks.

TI (Treasure Island; 702-894-7111; www.treasureisland.com; 3300 Las Vegas Blvd S) TI has ditched the swashbuckling theme and put the ‘sin’ back in casino with its burlesque lounge, party-friendly hot tub and racy after-dark ‘Sirens of TI’ show where femme-fatale pirates dressed like lingerie models face renegade freebooters.

Mirage ( 702-791-7111, 800-627-6667; www.mirage.com; 3400 Las Vegas Blvd S; r weekday/weekend from $109/159; wi-fi) This Polynesian-inspired creation comes replete with a rainforest atrium, saltwater aquariums, a royal white-tiger habitat and a fiery faux volcano that erupts nightly.

MGM Grand ( 702-891-7777, 800-929-1111; www.mgmgrand.com; 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S; r weekday/weekend from $90/200; ) The world’s largest hotel is guarded by a giant lion while inside awaits a live lion habitat, flashy entertainment and gourmet restaurants.

Paris Las Vegas ( 702-946-7000, 877-796-2096; www.parislasvegas.com; 3655 Las Vegas Blvd S; r weekday/weekend from $100/150; ) This Gallic caricature strives to capture the essence of the City of Light with recreated landmarks, including the impressive ersatz Eiffel Tower (adult/child $12/10).

New York-New York ( 702-740-6969, 866-815-4365; www.nynyhotelcasino.com; 3790 Las Vegas Blvd S; r weekday/weekend from $80/160; ) This mini-metropolis has freshly remodeled rooms, scaled-down replicas of the Big Apple’s skyline and a bumpy roller-coaster ride.

Luxor ( 702-262-4444, 888-777-0188; www.luxor.com; 3900 Las Vegas Blvd S; r weekday/weekend from $80/150; wi-fi) This 30-story black glass pyramid is stuffed with Egyptian statues and a stunning replica of the Great Temple of Ramses II, while the King Tut Museum ($10) features exquisite reproductions of ancient artifacts.

Fremont Street Experience (www.vegasexperience.com; Fremont St; hourly 7pm-midnight) Downtown’s main attraction, this four-block pedestrian mall is topped by an arched steel canopy that every evening explodes into a free jaw-dropping light-and-sound show enhanced by 550,000 watts of wraparound sound.

Sleeping