| |
|
|
| |
Home
>
World
> North America
> United States
> Nevada
|
Las Vegas Territory
Las Vegas is becoming an increasingly elaborate holiday destination. Each new hotel-casino tries to outdo the last for sheer spectacle. Laughlin, on the Colorado River, has become the second most popular holiday destination in Nevada, owing largely to the reasonably priced accommodation and restaurants, and the fact that it has unusually sunny summers and mild winters considering its location. Mesquite and Primm, on the Nevada border with Utah and California respectively, are also becoming popular new resort towns.
CLIMATE: The average temperature is 66°F (19°C ) and the average yearly rainfall is 10.7cm (4.2 inches). There are 212 clear days annually, 82 partly cloudy days and 71 cloudy days.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is Spanish for ‘The Meadows’. ‘Vegas’, as seen today, began after World War II when the idea of large hotels along the brand new Strip was developed. Tourism and gaming are the two major employers. Manufacturing, the Nellis Air Force Base and other government agencies, warehousing and trucking are secondary industries. The city proper is an 135,618 sq km (84,272 sq mile) enclave surrounded by Clark County.
The Las Vegas Strip is best seen at dusk when it is all lit up in neon lights. Children will enjoy Wet ’n’ Wild, a water park on the Strip, and the Lied Discovery Children’s Museum. Fremont Street Experience is a pedestrian mall dominated by gaming with a spectacular light show every night. For something different, the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History houses exhibitions of the archaeology and natural history of the Mojave Desert, whilst the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort Historic Park is the site of the first settlement of Las Vegas, and the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society explains southern Nevada’s history. The Liberace Museum contains memorabilia from the world-famous pianist. The Guinness World of Records Museum is an interesting exhibition based on the famous book. The Circus Circus – Grand Slam Adventuredome theme park provides circus acts daily from 1100-2400 (free of charge) and thrilling theme park rides. Not to be missed, is the stunning display of over 1000 fountains, choreographed with light and sound at the Bellagio Resort (daily, every 15 minutes, after dusk).
HOTEL-CASINOS: The 3044-room Mirage Hotel-Casino displays a man-made volcano. Nearby, the Treasure Island features Buccaneer Bay with a full-scale pirate ship and British frigate engaged in battle. The MGM Grand Hotel & Theme Park is the largest resort hotel in the world. The recently opened New York, New York duplicates the Big Apple’s skyline while the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel & Casino offers an interactive Star Trek experience with virtual reality stations, a themed bar and Star Trek memorabilia. There is also The Excalibur, with 4008 rooms, built in the style of a medieval castle, and the Egyptian-themed Luxor, a full-scale pyramid watched over by a sphinx.
GETTING MARRIED: More than 45 wedding chapels operate throughout the metropolitan area including some in the major hotels. The Little White Chapel, 1301 Las Vegas Boulevard South, where Joan Collins was married, has a 24-hour drive-through window.
FOOD & DRINK: Las Vegas is becoming world-renowned for its restaurants and every conceivable taste is catered for, whether it’s for a seven-course gourmet meal or a custom hamburger. Diners can choose from seafood, steak, southwestern, Continental, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese and Brazilian cuisines. The ultimate eating experience is the Las Vegas buffet: the Golden Nugget Buffet, the Las Vegas Hilton, the Palatium Buffet at Caesars Palace, the Grand Evening Buffet, Maxim and the World’s Fare Buffet at The Riviera are all worth a visit. Picasso at the Bellagio and Renoir at The Mirage both received the prestigious Mobil 5-star rating in 2000, ranking them among the top 17 restaurants in the world. Roxy’s Diner is a 1950s-style diner, serving thick milkshakes in tall, frosted glasses, sandwiches, burgers and a selection of blue-plate specials. The Stage Deli of Las Vegas is at the Forum Shops at Caesars. Speciality items are flown in from the world-famous New York Stage Deli, offering a full line of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Spago features celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s ‘California Cuisine’, which emphasises fresh, locally produced ingredients incorporating the cuisines of Europe, the Orient, Latin America and the USA to create an eclectic menu. The themed Harley-Davidson Cafe, Star Trek: The Adventure and Motown Cafe, provide a fun atmosphere for dining.
SHOPPING: Vast malls display a wide range of products: the Forum Shops at Caesars, the Fashion Show Mall, the Desert Passage at the Aladdin Resort, the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Resort (includes a reproduction of Venice’s Grand Canal – complete with gondolas), the Boulevard Mall (the largest shopping centre in Nevada), the Meadows Mall (with 140 shops and restaurants), and the Belz Factory Outlet World are all popular. The Fashion Outlet Stores (south of Belz Mall) recently opened in Primm.
SPECIAL EVENTS: Mar Big League Weekend (baseball tournament), Cashman Field. Apr Laughlin Rodeo Days, Laughlin; Clark County State Fair and Rodeo; Las Vegas Senior Classic (golf tournament), The Canyons. May EA Sports Supercross Series National Finals (motorcycle race), Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas; Cinco de Mayo (food festival), Sunset Station Hotel. Jun Laughlin River Days Formula 1 Racing, Laughlin. Jul 4 Rockets over the River, Laughlin. Sep Las Vegas Triple – A World Series, Cashman Stadium. Oct Invensys Invitational Golf Tournament. Nov Laughlin Western Celebrity Party, Riverside Resort. Nov-Dec National Finals Rodeo, Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas. Dec Billboard Music Awards, MGM Grand Garden Arena.
TRAVEL: The Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) (website: www.mccarran.com), with slot machines in the terminal, is 1.6km (1 mile) from the Strip, and 8km (5 miles) from central Las Vegas. There are more than 965 cabs, 325 limousines, and 16 bus and/or charter firms serving the district. The Citizen Area Transit (CAT) is a public transportation company that operates 31 routes throughout the Las Vegas metropolitan area, and one route in Laughlin.
Outside the city
There is plenty to see in the Las Vegas Territory outside of the town itself. The Spring Mountains offer back-country adventure while Mount Charleston is good for winter sports and is home to the Las Vegas Ski and Snow Board Resort. Lake Mead and Lake Mohave are contained in the vast (600,000ha/1.5 million acre) Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Hoover Dam has a new visitor centre, where tourists can see right over the edge of the Black Canyon precipice. At the north of Lake Mead is the Valley of Fire State Park, with its fascinating landscape of naturally carved red sandstone. The nearby Moapa Valley was the site of Nevada’s first city.
In Boulder City, the Black Canyon River Raft Tour is a 19-km (12-mile), rapid-free raft trip, beginning at Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam itself was completed in 1935, and is the highest dam in the western hemisphere. The Hoover Dam Museum houses historical artefacts relating to the workers and construction of the dam and Boulder City. The River Mountain Hiking Trail is an 8-km (5-mile) round-trip route with spectacular views of Lake Mead and Las Vegas Valley.
The Ethel M Chocolate Factory & Cactus Garden in Henderson shows how chocolates are made; the cactus garden includes 350 species of cactus. The Davis Dam in Laughlin is a 61-m (200-ft) high earth-filled dam. The USS Riverside is a luxury casino cruiser which has been designed to pass under the Laughlin Bridge. Bonnie Springs in Old Nevada is an old Western town. The Lost City Museum in Overton houses exhibitions featuring the Anasazi Indians and early Moapa Valley settlers.
SPECIAL EVENTS: May Spring Jamboree and Craft Fair, Boulder City. Jul 4 Annual Fireworks Display and Boulder City Damboree, Boulder City.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
Terms and Conditions apply.
|
|
|
|
|
