Things to Do in Las Vegas - page 4

With its sharp craggy mountains, deep canyons and desert basins, you won't believe that Sin City is only a few hours away from the deserted, dramatic and often surreal scenery of Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

There are many activities to do around and on Lake Mead; it's a peaceful and beautiful place to bike, kayak, water ski, camp, fish and hike. You can also scuba dive or go for a swim in one of the surrounding lakes.

Lake Mead and Lake Mojave are the two main destinations in the Lake Mead Recreation Area. Lake Mead is 110 miles (177 km) long and Lake Mojave is 67 miles (107 km) long. Because of their size, both are major destinations for boaters. The surrounding beaches, marinas, and campgrounds make the surrounding area popular for boater and non-boaters.

The Valley of Fire is Nevada’s oldest state park. Covering over 34,880 acres with red-rock sandstone formations is the ultimate hiking destination.

Highlights of the Valley of Fire include Atlatl Rock and Fir Canyon. At Atlatl Rock, examine ancient petroglyphs, dating back thousands of years and created by the Moapa tribe. Then, take a 3-mile (4.8 km) hike through Fir Canyon, starting at Rainbow Vista, where you’ll see the lighting against the sandstone and understand why the park got its name, Valley of Fire.

Picnicking, hiking, and camping are all popular activities in the Valley of Fire. Not only is the landscape impressive and attract visitors world-wide, but the Valley of Fire houses some of the rarest vegetation and wildlife in the country.

Bryce Canyon is the culmination of a series of steplike uplifted rock layers known as the Grand Staircase, stretching north from the Grand Canyon. The park's Pink Cliffs formations are crammed full of wonderful pinnacles, steeples and spires, and weird geological creations called 'hoodoos' sculpted by wind, water and ice.

It may be called a canyon, but Bryce is actually more a series of natural amphitheaters formed by erosion over the millennia. The wind and rain have peeled back the sedimentary layers to reveal stripes of red, orange and white, at heights of around 9,000 feet (2,700 m).

Being more remote than the Grand Canyon or Zion National Park, a visit to this far-flung natural gem rewards you with a true sense of wilderness in its pristine glory.

One of the best ways to experience the Black Canyon and the Colorado River is to take a guided rafting tour led by experienced professionals versed in the local geology, flora, fauna, and folklore.

Many tours offer a full day of sightseeing along the calm waters of Lake Mead and the Colorado River, complete with complimentary box lunches and transportation to and from the area.

Another popular way to take in the area is via helicopter tours operating out of Las Vegas. Select tours ferry you to the canyon in helicopters, where you'll embark on a mellow rafting trip from the base of the damn downriver to vans or buses waiting to return you to your hotel. The trip includes beautiful views of the Grand Canyon, Lake Mead, and its surroundings.

Travelers can also opt for a helicopter tour that involves a touchdown in the Grand Canyon, where you'll indulge in a champagne breakfast before flying to historic Boulder City and proceeding with the rafting trip.

For a wedding experience that is anything but prim and proper, the Graceland Wedding Chapel is just the thing. It's one of the oldest wedding chapels in Las Vegas (55 years and counting).

It's also the home of the 'original' Elvis impersonator wedding. Nowadays the Graceland Wedding Chapel hosts celebrity weddings and plenty of Elvis-themed nuptials.

State Route 375 is an actual state highway in Nevada, but because of its proximity to Area 51, it's been officially designated by Nevada as the Extraterrestrial Highway. The strip is 98 miles long, connecting State Route 318 to U.S. Route 6, and running through what is basically empty desert. The area became a tourist destination because it's close to Area 51, the highly secret military base about which there are innumerable stories about aliens and UFOs, so in 1996 the state renamed the highway.

To learn more about the area's history, head for the tiny town of Rachel, roughly in the middle of the 98-mile stretch of highway, where everything is about aliens. There are Area 51 tours that include the Extraterrestrial Highway and Rachel.

You don’t have to travel to Africa to get up close and personal with the King of the Jungle. Lion Habitat Ranch, located just outside Sin City, offers up the unique opportunity for travelers to experience the wonder of one of the world’s biggest cats.

Take a behind the scenes tour of this family-oriented, outdoor destination to learn more about conservation efforts to protect these and other wild animals. For an additional fee, hand-feed giraffes or lions a pound of their favorite foods, or enjoy a picnic lunch in a protected enclosure while these giant cats wander around you. While lions are the big draw of this popular attraction, travelers will also find emus, ostriches, parrots, giraffes and other animals in this protected habitat.

Las Vegas has more than just a Hard Rock Cafe – there's also the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, the first one to bore the Hard Rock name, which has its own cafe. The hotel's cafe opened in 1990, and the entire property features a huge casino, a sandy beach and swimming pool, a nightclub, a spa, a few bars, several restaurants, and a music venue. The memorabilia on display includes some items from Las Vegas legends The Rat Pack and Elvis.

A second Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas opened in 2009 right on The Strip. This one is significantly larger – 42,000 square feet – and spans three floors of restaurant seating. It's also home to the biggest Rock Shop in the Hard Rock Cafe universe.

Filled with craters, abstract land formations, canyons, mountains and desert, Death Valley isn't considered 'A Land of the Extremes' for nothing. With activities like hiking, biking, camping, or bird watching, you can reconnect with nature like you never have before.

The Furnace Creek Area is one of the highlights of Death Valley National Park. The Furnace Creek Area features the Golden Canyon, the Natural Bridge, a massive rock formation spanning across a desert canyon, and the infamous Bad Water, a series of salt flats making up the lowest point in North America at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. Ironically, Bad Water is only 76 miles (122 km) east of Mt Whitney, the highest point in the continental United States at 14,505 feet (4,421 m).

Other highlights include the Stovepipe Wells Area, Scotty's Castle Area and the Panamint Spring Area.

Travelers who want to travel back in time and learn a little something about Nevada’s rich and dynamic past can do just that during a visit to the Clark County Museum. This memorable stop, which includes eight historic buildings from around the county, highlights the best of the stat’s southernmost county.

Visitors who wander the vast grounds, tour the museum galleries and explore the museum’s top highlights will find plenty of information about the Native American tribes who lived in the county, railroad development and the famous Anna Roberts Parks. There’s even a reconstructed ghost town that offers up spooky fun for the entire family, making this desert landmark a top attraction for the younger set, too.