[jagga]

Hi
Me and my cousins are thinking about taking a road trip to vegas. Its about 600 miles. This is going to be first time to Vegas for all of us. I am really lost as to how the whole thing is gonna go. Do we just get to vegas, park our car and then walk around the city?

Basically what we wanna do is this. Get to vegas. See the city. Do some gambling. Spend the nite in a motel. See some shows. Head back the second day. I am not sure how to go about this.

Any tips/suggestions are appreciated!!

Thanks a bunch!!

[Nimisys]

goto to hotel first, if it is a large one on the strip then park there, other wise unlaod car and get walking shoes out. take car to large casino, park. get out and walk around. a lot of the casinos are interconnected by walkways and paths so you can easily move form one to the other. drop a few coins in each casino to get gambling fix.. eat dinner at one of the buffets, as you move from casino to casino taking in it sights check what shows are playing and when. generally dinner followed by show works well. i suggestr starting at about 4 in the afternoon and staying late that night... vegas rules at night but s dull in the morning.

[starman]

I've been to Vegas twice, but I never drove there except when we rented a car once to go to Red Rock Canyon. If it's anything like Atlantic City, youcould park your car in one garage, and pay a small fee for the whole day, and move from garage to garage - just hand them your recipt from the other casino's garage.

Shows to see - Blue Man Group and EFX were very good. I'd prefer BMG

Avoid the buffet at MGM. Bleh. The one at the Bellagio was very good. At night, there are so many things to do. The volcano in front of Treasure Island is nice, but not imperative.

Mike

[ 05-06-2002: Message edited by: starman ]

[marusin]

and if you're looking for "cheap" gambling (meaning $1 tables), check out Casino Royale... It's across the street from The Mirage (next to Ballys). While it's obviously not fancy like the other casinos on the strip, to me and my friends we have the most fun there... Everyone is there to have fun and get loaded... Leave your attitudes at The Mirage...

[Timo]

The show "O", playing at the Bellagio, is well worth the ticket price. WELL worth it. They built the stage just to house this show.

[itomato]

Park in Old Vegas, in one of the big garages north of Fremont Street. There is a main city bus station right there, and all the old casinos (Lady Luck, The Horseshoe, Fitzgeralds, Golden Nugget, etc.), as well as the Fremont Street Experience, which has to be seen to be believed. Saw it three times a day for thirty days, and it never got old to me.

The old strip is where the cheapest of gambling, and cheapest of buffets are to be found as well. $0.50 roulette, craps, etc., plus penny slots.


[edit]forgot a very important decimal point and zero [/edit]

[ 05-06-2002: Message edited by: itomato ]

[jagga]

Thanks a bunch for all your important feedback. I really appreciate it. Some more questions: Is there a website that I can use to plan this all out? Like a website that will help me decide where I would park and then what 'route' I would take to see the most in my time there.

I dont wanna pay for an hotel. What we would probably do is get a motel to freshen up and get some sleep before we head back home. Any comments on that option?

Thanks
Jagga

[ 05-06-2002: Message edited by: jagga ]

[petikas]

I made a road trip from Austin TX to Las Vegas 5 months ago. I spend the new years eve and day in vegas. I stayed in a Super8 motel somewhat far from the strip (it was close to Nelly Air Force Base). It was only a 10 minute drive though. It was very cheap compared to hotel and motel prices that were near the strip. I paid $50 per night but new years eve in strip hotels was going for well over $100. It should be cheaper now that is not high season.
If you plan (and can afford) lots of alcohol drinking it maybe worth to spend the extra $$ and get a room from which you can walk to the strip.
Parking is no problem at Vegas. Big hotels have both guest and visitor parking so you can park there. I never had trouble parking even on new years eve night.
I didn't watch any shows because they were all sold out and generally too expensive for my student budget.
Don't miss the freebie shows though, and make sure you taste the hotel buffets. Don't pay more than $15 for an all-you-can-eat buffet. I ate once at the Excalibour and once at ican'trememberthenamenow and both were good.
Be ready for some extensive walking along the stip and utilise the free tranportation from one hotel to another as much as possible.
Also a visit to Freemont street is well worth it.
For cheap gambling I went o the Sahara casino but other cheap places exist. Make sure you decide beforehand how much you are willing to spend and spend only that much. Bet small amounts each time because this way your money will last longer, plus you get free drinks while you are playing (at the Sahara at least).
If by any chance you have an urge to watch the 3D-IMAX theater inside the Ceasar Palace Forums-Shops AVOID IT. It costs a lot for a freaking 30sec movie. Instead visit the m&m factory and watch the adventure of the m&m in 3D for free.

my 2�

[scottiB]

Top of the Vegas Hilton: Star Trek--The Experience.

I'll say no more.

[zigzag]

If you haven't been before, it helps to understand that there are two different Vegases. There's the old Vegas, which is downtown and consists of a bunch of small old casinos and hotels and souvenir shops right on the sidewalk. Last time I was there (around 1990), it was pretty run down, but you should still check it out.

Then there's The Strip, which is what most people now think of when they think of Vegas. It's an area outside of town consisting of a bunch of huge self-contained hotels/resorts/casinos strung out along the highway. It's possible to walk from one to another but not very convenient - most people use shuttles or cabs. This is where all the new "theme" casinos are.

I stayed at the MGM and the casino seemed to go on forever, an effect that I liked. It was truly like being lost in another world.

Spend $5 on a paperback guide to gambling. It will give you the lowdown on which games give the best odds (blackjack and craps) and how to have fun without losing $$. I enjoyed betting small amounts at the craps table and watching the festivities - you don't have to concentrate much at the craps table and it's very entertaining with all the dice-throwing and cheering and all. And I was always close to even money. Blackjack is more subdued and requires more concentration, but some people really love it.

Since they want you to gamble, the casinos offer free gambling lessons, which is worthwhile if you haven't gambled before. You don't want to go to the craps table without some basic instruction (it looks complicated but once you get the hang of it it's quite easy). If you don't see any signs offering lessons, ask someone on the staff.

Have fun.

[jholmes]

Last time I was there Old Vegas hasd become the Fremont Street Experience with a pretty cool revitalzation deal - They closed several blocks, made it a pedestrian mall and covered the street with an enormous video display canopy roof. (sounds weird - looks cool) Be sure and hit the area down there and wander around, if for no other reason than to see the show on the artifical sky.

[Arty50]

I have two words for you Sam's Town.

You can get a really cheap room there, and they have a free shuttle that runs to downtown and the strip. Best of all though, Sam's is off the strip. Why's that so good? The odds are much better there. All the big casinos get all the tourists, in other words they get all the suckers. The smaller casinos have to attract the locals, and the only way they can do this is by increasing the odds of winning. So instead of having 4-deck blackjack, they have 2-deck. Believe me, it makes a huge difference. But definitely hop on the shuttle. The strip is a lot of fun, and has way more than Sam's can offer. But Sam's definitely has it's merits. There are a few other casinos like this also.

[Arty50]

I almost forgot...watch out for bats.

[MikeM32]

"Don't stop here, this is BAT country!!"

"There was evidence in this room of the use of every narcotic substance known to man since 1544 A.D."



Mike