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Las Vegas Bucket List: 20 Things Not To Miss in Las Vegas

With a list of things to do and see that includes shows, residencies, museums, artwork, celebrity chefs, gambling, partying, and incomparable desert landscapes, pinning down what your Vegas experience should include can feel overwhelming—and the FOMO is real. Enter our Las Vegas Bucket List. In this post, we will help you narrow down what not to miss in Vegas, whether it’s your first visit or you’re a Sin City regular.

Let’s take a closer look at 20 things that should be on everyone’s Las Vegas bucket list:

1. Take to the skies on a zipline

Whether you hit up Fly LINQ or SlotZilla, ziplining across part of Sin City (either the Strip or Fremont Street, respectively) is a can’t-miss experience—unless you are afraid of heights. Then maybe sit this one out and opt for one of the other things not to miss in Las Vegas instead.

2. Stop by the downtown container park

The downtown container park is, strangely, almost exactly what it sounds like—a shopping park made entirely out of shipping containers. Here you will find the famous fire-breathing mantis, ample shopping, dining, concerts, and shows. You’ll also find the Playground, featuring the Treehouse, an interactive play area with a 33-foot-tall slide. If you’re visiting with kids, the container park should be at the top of your list of what not to miss in Vegas.

3. Take in the art

From Bliss Dance to the Mantis, Las Vegas is home to many impressive installations and pieces of public art—including some rehomed from Burning Man—that you can see for free simply by walking down the street or through hotels and shopping centers.

TRAVEL TIP: Don’t miss Seven Magic Mountains, located just 10 miles outside of the city. It’s worth the trip.

4. See a show

From Cirque du Soleil to Celine Dion, Las Vegas is renowned for its residencies and performances. While these shows routinely change, you can always be sure to catch something great at the Las Vegas Philharmonic, the Nevada Ballet Theatre, the Smith Center stage, and myriad more at practically every hotel and casino on the Strip.

Learn more about Las Vegas Shows & Performances

Image Source: korymatthew via Flickr.

5. Visit the Neon Museum

The Neon Museum is one of the most interesting and beautiful museums Las Vegas has to offer, and it should be on everyone’s Vegas bucket list. With displays featuring some of Vegas’s most iconic neon signs, the Neon Museum affords you an opportunity to explore the incredible and quintessential casino signs and art pieces from Vegas’s past.

6. Meander at the Mob Museum

It’s no secret that Las Vegas’s history features ties to the mob. At the Mob Museum, you can learn all about organized crime in Vegas and how it has shaped the town.

Interested in more museum magic?

Image Source: Joseph Hunkins via Flickr.

7. Have fun at the Fremont Street Experience

Explore Vegas’s iconic pedestrian mall, stretching a full five blocks and boasting a large range of stores, free concerts on three stages, and Viva Vision, the world’s largest video screen.

8. Take a selfie in front of the Las Vegas sign

It is practically required that every visitor stops by the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada” sign. Good news—it’s easier than ever to check this experience off your Las Vegas bucket list with a recently upgraded and easy-to-access parking lot.

TRAVEL TIP: Don’t get tricked into paying for a photo here. You are allowed to take your own selfies and photographs.

Find more must-see Sin City selfie spots.

9. Enjoy some not-so-local flora and fauna

From flamingos and white tigers to sharks and stingrays, Las Vegas offers a stunning array of wildlife habitats that feature plants and animals from unique out-of-town and sometimes out-of-the-country locales:

  • The Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo: See pink flamingos (of course) and other exotic birds from around the world.
  • Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay: Not just for sharks, this aquarium boasts over 2,000 animals for you to enjoy.
  • Shark Tank at the Golden Nugget: See sharks get fed up close, and don’t miss the waterslide that passes through the aquarium—don’t worry, it ends in a shark-free pool.

10. Globetrot without leaving town

If you’ve always wanted to see the great pyramids of Egypt, the sensational New York City skyline, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or the Canals of Venice, but can’t afford 4 destination trips, look no further than the Las Vegas Strip:

  • Stop by the Luxor Hotel & Casino to see its pyramid, modelled off of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
  • Enjoy the Big Apple skyline at New York-New York Hotel & Casino.
  • Check out Paris Las Vegas for an incredible view and an amazing meal at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant.
  • Imagine you’re in Venice as you float down the grand canal serenaded by your gondolier. While you’re there, hit up the Grand Canal Shoppes for an incredible shopping experience.

11. Get your adrenaline pumping

If the ziplines weren’t enough of an adrenaline rush for you, stop by the STRAT or Adventuredome at Circus Circus to enjoy some of the best roller coaster rides the city has to offer.

12. Ride high on the High Roller

If your idea of a good time at the fair is a ferris wheel, skip the heart-pumping rides and stop by the 550-foot-tall High Roller for a leisurely 30 minute experience taking in the Las Vegas skyline from a climate controlled car.

13. Watch the Bellagio Fountain show

The Bellagio fountains are one of the best known and most iconic things not to miss in Las Vegas. With frequent shows from 3pm to midnight on weekdays and noon to midnight on weekends, there are lots of opportunities to stop by and take in this special experience.

14. Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden

After you take in the impressive water dance of the Bellagio Fountains, make sure you pop in to enjoy the Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Garden. The display is changed seasonally, with special displays for spring, summer, fall, winter, and Lunar New Year, so there is always something new to see here.

15. See a Vegas Golden Knights game

Who said hockey is only reserved for towns where it actually snows? Beat the heat and enjoy an impressive game of hockey—check out the Vegas Golden Knights at the T-Mobile arena. Hockey not your sport? Check out the city’s other sports teams: the Las Vegas Raiders (NFL), the Las Vegas Lights FC, or enjoy a minor league baseball game courtesy of the Las Vegas Aviators.

16. Pools

Whether you are in search of a relaxing time by the pool or want a more active pool-party experience, nearly every hotel and casino in Vegas has something to offer. From Drai’s Beachclub to Caesars Palace’s Garden of the Gods, there is pretty much a pool for every mood.

17. Soar over the Strip

There is nothing more dazzling than seeing the lights of the Strip at night from the sky. Cross this incredible experience off your Vegas bucket list on a Night Flight Helicopter Tour.
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Las Vegas Night Flight Helicopter Tour

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18. Red Rock Canyon

Located just outside of Las Vegas is Red Rock Canyon, a popular hiking spot. Close enough that you can actually see it from within the city (and vice-versa), this beautiful National Conservation Area offers a wonderful respite from the hustle and bustle of the Strip. If you need convincing, here are 5 Reasons to Visit Red Rock Canyon.

19. Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam is not actually located in Las Vegas, but visiting it is a classic can’t-miss Vegas vacation experience. Explore this impressive, awe-inspiring feat of construction on a guided tour, and even find yourself in two places at once—it sits right on the Nevada-Arizona border.
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Red Rock Canyon SUV Tour

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Hoover Dam SUV Tour

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Mini Hoover Dam Bus & Helicopter Tour

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Lake Mead Cruise & Hoover Dam Tour

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Image Source: Grand Canyon National Park via Flickr.

20. The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is inarguably a bucket list experience, and there is no better time to cross it off than when you are in Las Vegas. Depending on which part of the Grand Canyon you visit, it can be a 2.5-5 hour drive each way. Your tolerance for driving, early wake-up times, and long days will determine the best way for you to get there, whether you drive yourself, take a bus tour, or opt for a shorter option, such as an airplane or helicopter tour.

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From shopping to shows and museums to natural wonders, there is so much to see and do in Las Vegas that it can be overwhelming. Skip over the filler and see the best of what Sin City and the surrounding area has to offer. Some of the most iconic things not to miss in Las Vegas include:

  • The Neon Museum
  • Fremont Street
  • The High Roller
  • The Bellagio Fountains
  • Red Rock Canyon
  • The Hoover Dam
  • The Grand Canyon

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    Written by Ria Borja
    Picture of Ria Borja
    Ria is a Customer Experience Manager at Canyon Tours and an avid lover of the outdoors. When she isn't helping other travelers check destinations and dream vacations off their bucket lists, she's busy exploring the Southwest. Her favorite place to visit is (unsurprisingly!) the Grand Canyon.