32 Totally Free Things To Do in Las Vegas [Updated in 2023]

If perusing and pondering fine art is up your alley, take a free walking tour of the ARIA fine art collection. It includes a range of styles and mediums, including installations, sculptures and paintings, and can be found throughout the ARIA Campus—including the ARIA Resort & Casino, Vdara Hotel & Spa, The Shops at Crystals, and Veer Towers.

Located in nearby Henderson, Nevada—roughly a 20 minute drive from the Strip—renowned chocolatier Ethel M offers free admission for self-guided tours of their chocolate factory viewing aisle. Learn about the candy-making process, enjoy some free samples, and take in the sights of their free-to-enter Botanical Cactus Garden (the largest in Nevada!).

Gardeners in search of some desert landscape inspiration or drought-tolerant plant ideas will also want to swing by the Acacia Demonstration Gardens while they’re in Henderson. Check out 19 different gardens packed full of displays and workshops visitors—all free of charge. If you’re in the midst of a road trip or have access to a car, the Gardens are a short 20 minute drive from the Strip and are open from 6 AM till midnight.

Looking for a demonstration garden you don’t have to leave Las Vegas to see? Check out The Donald H. Baepler Xeric Garden located at the Marjorie Barrick Museum.

Window shop the Grand Canal Shoppes before you head to St. Mark’s Square and the surrounding avenues to take in Streetmosphere—a series of small performances that take place throughout the day, including singing, acting, music, and more.

If you love reality TV, add the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop to your must-see list. Located in Downtown Las Vegas, this is where the reality TV icon Pawn Stars is filmed. You may even get a chance to meet the stars of the show:

The shop is open from 10 AM to 5:30 PM and is free to visit. Parking is also free.

Just 10 miles south of Las Vegas on I-15, you’ll find the Seven Magic Mountains art installation by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone. This free-to-see public artwork is 35 feet tall at its highest point, and is an impressive sight to behold. In 2018 its 2 year permit was extended, and due to the success and high volume of visitors, the producers continue to work on an extension plan to keep the art installation on site for several years into the future.

Learn more about the artwork and the artist on the Seven Magic Mountains site.

There is a fee to climb the replica Eiffel Tower, but it is free to enjoy the choreographed light show that runs nightly, every 30 minutes from sunset to midnight.

From noon till 8 PM Thursday – Monday, you can catch the Fall of Atlantis animatronic show every hour on the hour at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. The show runs about 10 minutes long and depicts a struggle for power and the throne of the kingdom of Atlantis.

Inside the Silverton Hotel, you’ll find a 117,000 gallon aquarium full of thousands of tropical fish, three species of stingrays, and—even more impressive—mermaids! Catch the interactive feeding shows daily at 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM, and if you stop by between Thursday and Sunday, make sure you stick around for a Mermaid Swim:

No matter how many times you’ve been, the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens will continue to impress. With seasonal displays, there is always something new to see. When you are facing the front check-in desk, the Conservatory is located directly to your right.

Find out what’s on display when you are visiting here.

A true must-see icon in Las Vegas, the Bellagio Fountains water shows are free to view from the street, and something you should find the time for at least once during your vacation.

These choreographed shows run:

Head over to the Mirage to see a volcanic eruption—without the risks and hazards typically associated with such an event. The Volcano erupts daily at 7 PM, 8 PM, 9 PM, 10 PM and 11 PM and is set to a soundtrack crafted by The Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart and composer, producer, and tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain.

Within Planet Hollywood between the hours of noon and 11 PM, you can catch a beautiful water show at the Miracle Mile Shops that incorporates water effects, music, and color changing lights.

Every day from 10 AM to 8:30 PM inside the MGM Grand Hotel Casino, you can view screenings and rate pilots at the CBS Television City Research Center.

If your Vegas vacation happens to overlap with the first Friday of the month, take a trip Downtown to the Arts District and enjoy First Friday—a block party that runs from 5-11 PM and includes live music, art, entertainers, and performances.

Register (well) in advance to sample some complimentary wine and enjoy the music at Wine Lounge Thursdays. The venue changes every week, so make sure you check out the calendar.

Peruse the goods of Grand Bazaar Shops and take in the Nightly Light Show that is broadcast on “the unique hexagonal LED rooftop canopy”. The show runs Sunday through Thursday, every 15 minutes from dusk to 11:50 PM, and Friday and Saturday every 15 minutes from dusk to 12:50 AM.

On top of the incredible Viva Vision Light Show delivered via the light canopy (view their calendar to find out what’s on the agenda), you can catch a live music act on any of the three stages dotted throughout the area. In the summer, you may even get to see some big name acts—see their upcoming lineup here.

The Downtown Container Park is probably most famous for the 40-foot-tall fire-throwing praying mantis that sits at its entrance, but the shipping containers for which it got its name also house several restaurants and stores for you to browse through, not to mention a giant tree house that is free to play on.

If you’re flying in or out of McCarran Airport and have some time to kill before or after your flight, you can stroll through the exhibits of the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum, free of charge. The exhibits are spread out throughout the airport, but you’ll find the main exhibit area on Level 2 above baggage claim at Terminal 1.

Explore the exhibitions of the Marjorie Barrick Museum located on the University of Las Vegas campus. Wondering what to expect? Their About page states that “[t]he Museum houses a number of collections available to the public and the UNLV community, including artworks from the former Las Vegas Art Museum; Nevada’s portion of the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel 50×50; ceramics from the diverse cultures of Mesoamerica; and works by indigenous and other artists with connections to the Las Vegas area. Exhibitions at the Museum have included objects from these collections as well as installations of work by local and international artists.”

See what exhibitions and events are currently on display and what’s coming up on their site, and don’t forget to check out the Donald H. Baepler Xeric Garden located at the entrance. It is “a refuge for indigenous birds, reptiles, and mammals . . . with over 9,000 square feet of paved pathways, benches, arbors, and bridges”.

Is there a classic car enthusiast in your entourage? Stop off at the Shelby Museum and Showroom for a free guided tour from Monday – Friday 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sunday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Step into any casino, stroll down the Strip, or explore downtown and you are sure to stumble upon a free activity or experience. Las Vegas—the surrounding area—is loaded with endless entertaining options, both free and fee’d.

Find out what else you can do in Las Vegas: