Top Ten Things to Do in Las Vegas on a Budget
You Don't Need to Spend a Fortune in Las Vegas to Have a Good Time
by Paul Diamond Blow
Bright lights at the Fremont Experience on Fremont Street
If you are planning a trip to Las Vegas you don't need to be a high roller or spend a lot of money to have a good time.There's lots to do in Las Vegas, it's one heckuva a fun town, and I've compiled a list of the top things to do in Las Vegas on a budget that will save you money. Of course, if you do want to spend a lot of money just hang out in the expensive high profile Las Vegas night clubs with the Jersey Shore wanna-be crowd. But the heck with those schmucks -- here are my top ten things to do in Las Vegas that are fun and won't break your band account.. Read on!
1) The Fremont Experience in the Fremont District
The highlight of my recent trip to Las Vegas was checking out the Fremont Experience in the Fremont District (also known as old Vegas) The entire street runs about 1/4 mile and is covered by a dome-like roof with LED lights which regularly displays some awesome LED light shows. When I was in Vegas they had a light show tribute to Queen as well as a light show tribute to KISS. Both shows ran for about fifteen minutes and were pretty amazing. KISS was even there on the Fremont strip hamming it up for the crowds. Okay, they weren't actually the real KISS, but some costumed characters who did a pretty good job. There were scores of celebrity look-a-likes in Fremont -- lots of Elvis clones, a Rick James, a Michael Jackson, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton... it's pretty cool to see and they add to the carnival atmosphere of Fremont Street. The Fremont Experience also features free live concerts on the Fremont Street stage. I saw one heckuva great disco group who played all the disco hits from the seventies and they put on one heckuva show, followed by a rock band who played all the big rock hits from the seventies and eighties. And of course you've got casinos, restaurants and vendors everywhere making this a very fun atmosphere. I must say, I won money playing the slots at every casino I stopped at in the Fremont District which is more than I can say about the Las Vegas Strip. The Fremont Experience happens every night and winds down sometime after midnight, and I highly recommend you check it out at least one night while in Las Vegas. It's a happening, man! (A more in depth article about the Fremont Street Experience is here)
2) Sight seeing on the Las Vegas Strip
There's a lot to see in Las Vegas on the strip. The strip runs four miles long and most of the best attractions are in the south end and in the middle of the strip. Pretty much all the hotels on the strip are very cool -- the Luxor with it's Egyptian theme, The Excalibur, Caesars Palace, and of course New York New York with it's fake NYC skyline -- these are just some of the major attractions. There is so much to see on the Las Vegas strip that I would recommend breaking it in sections when sightseeing. That is, spend one day checking out the south end of the strip and another day checking out the middle section of the strip. (There's not a whole lot to see on the north end of the strip.) I myself made two trips down to the strip for sightseeing and I still missed a lot. Bring your camera!
3) Ride the Deuce
If you plan on hitting the Vegas casinos and night clubs, bear in mind the Las Vegas strip is four miles long and you will spend a fortune if you taxi cab it up and down the strip. Ride the Deuce instead! The Deuce is a double-decker bus that runs 24 hours a day every fifteen minutes and it runs from the south end of the strip all the way up to Fremont Street where the Fremont Experience goes on. Your best bet with the Deuce is to buy a 24 hour bus pass for seven dollars. Bear in mind, during the peak hours (especially in the evenings) the buses get packed, but I got on a Deuce bus at 2:00 AM and it was almost empty -- I had the upper deck almost all to myself and got to sit right up front with a great view of the glitz on the strip.
4) Ride the Las Vegas monorail
The Las Vegas monorail is another good cheap way to travel up and down the Las Vegas strip. Whereas the Deuce bus is a slave to the strip traffic, the monorail zips right over the traffic mess on its elevated tracks. The monorail runs every fifteen minutes all day long until 1:30 AM and covers the entire Las Vegas strip. It does not go to the Fremont Experience, however. A one way ride on the Las Vegas monorail costs $5.00, a 24 hour pass is $12, and a three day pass is $28. The Las Vegas monorail is a sweet ride and gives you some awesome views of the city and it is well worth riding it at least once. You could even hop on the monorail and take a round trip in one sitting just for the sights, that's what I plan on doing my next time in Las Vegas.
5) Visit the Peppermill Restaurant & Fireside Lounge
The Peppermill Restaurant & Fireside Lounge is a totally cool, '70s style retro restaurant / bar located on the Las Vegas Strip at 2985 S Las Vegas Blvd, between the Wynn hotel and the Riviera. I put it here on my top 10 things to do in Vegas list because it is the COOLEST retro restaurant / lounge I have ever been in, and it has been featured in numerous movies, such as Casino. The food is good, and priced about the same as a Denny's, but it's the atmosphere that makes stopping here a must do. I'm talking purple neon lights, cushy retro lounge furniture, purple flowers hanging from the ceiling... and that's just the restaurant area! The Fireside Lounge is a large lounge with a sunken fireplace area with cushy, majenta couches that you will sink into. Happy hour at the Peppermill is half price on well drinks, and $2.25 domestic beers. There are even some slot machines here if you feel like gambling. Oh, and the waitresses here all wear sexy short skirt uniforms! I could live in this place it's so cool. The Peppermill simply must be seen to be believed.
Page 2: more things to do in Las Vegas on a budget
