Attractions

ATTRACTIONS FOR ALL AGES
When you're not winning in the casino, lounging by the pool or savoring delicious cuisine, you'll find that Las Vegas has a variety of must-see attractions and entertainment options to keep you and the whole family occupied. From thrilling roller coasters to virtual-reality simulator rides and erupting volcanoes to wax museums, Las Vegas' attractions appeal to people of all ages, interests and budgets.

Discover the wild side of Las Vegas (as if you haven't already) at a variety of attractions for animal lovers. Visit the Flamingo Wildlife Habitat at The Flamingo Hotel and see Chilean flamingos, swans, ducks, koi, goldfish and turtles. Venture over to The Mirage for the Dolphin Habitat & Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden. The Secret Garden is home to royal white tigers, white lions, black panthers, a snow leopard, golden tigers and a four-ton elephant. The Dolphin Habitat, adjacent to the Secret Garden, houses an extended family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. At MGM Grand, see The Lion Habitat, a showcase for public education and appreciation of this majestic creature. The lions live in custom accommodations on an 8.5-acre ranch 12 miles from MGM Grand and visit the habitat daily. Get up close and personal with endangered and unusual aquatic animals at Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef. Visitors journey through a replica of an ancient temple ruin and a sunken galleon ship surrounded by several varieties of sharks.

If you're looking for thrills of a different nature, Las Vegas offers all of the excitement you're looking for. Stratosphere has three of the world's highest rides located 100 stories above the ground: Xscream (which teeters riders over the edge of the tower 900 feet above the ground), the Big Shot - a thrill ride that shoots fun-lovers 50 meters into the air at a force of 4G's before letting them free-fall back to the launching pad - and Insanity, an appropriately named, dizzying spinning ride that dangles passengers over the edge of the tower before whirling them around at speeds approaching 40 miles per hour. Speed - The Ride at the Sahara takes passengers around a roller coaster loop and up a 224-foot climb at speeds topping 70 mph and then retraces the same path...in reverse. The Manhattan Express at New York-New York is an exciting roller coaster with twists, loops and dives around the resort. It features the first-ever heart line roll, which provides a sensation similar to that felt by a pilot during a barrel roll in an airplane. The Desperado, one of the world's tallest and fastest roller coasters, is located near the California/Nevada border just 30 minutes from Las Vegas at Buffalo Bill's in Primm, Nevada. The ride begins with an initial lift height of 209 feet and a breathtaking 225-foot drop. America's largest indoor theme park, the Adventuredome at Circus Circus, offers 21 rides and attractions. Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton features an outer space shuttlecraft thrill ride and re-creations of the U.S.S. Enterprise's bridge, turbo lift and grand corridor.

For the romantic in you, slow things down a bit with a Gondola Ride at The Venetian. Accompanied by singing gondoliers, this leisurely tour takes you along the quarter-mile replica of the Grand Canal in Venice. Just down the street, you'll discover another romantic Italian attraction at Bellagio. The world-famous Fountains of Bellagio will speak to your heart as opera, classical and whimsical musical selections are carefully choreographed with the movements of 1,000 water-emitting devices. Next stop: Paris. Take an elevator ride to the observation deck atop the 50-story replica of the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas for a panoramic view of the Las Vegas Valley.

If you simply want to be entertained, you've come to the right place. Las Vegas offers a variety of themed mini-productions, which occur regularly throughout the day. Travel back in time and into the fascinating world of Roman mythology with two shows, Fall of Atlantis and Festival Fountain Shows, which feature Roman statues that come to life, inside the Forum Shops at Caesars. At The Rio, The Masquerade Show in the Sky features state-of-the-art floats that are suspended from the ceiling and parade above the casino floor. The show evokes the electrifying and colorful atmosphere of Carnivale as performers clad in exotic masks and brilliant costumes entertain with exciting music and dance. At The Mirage, witness this world-famous volcanic eruption as smoke and fire spray 100 feet above the waters below, transforming a tranquil waterfall into spectacular streams of molten lava. Downtown's famous, casino-lined Fremont Street has been converted into a 175,700-square-foot pedestrian area covered by a continuous canopy studded with more than 14 million lights. Called the Fremont Street Experience, this canopy showcases spectacular light-and-sound shows every hour on the hour during the evenings.

If your Las Vegas dream vacation involves fast cars and celebrity sightings, you'll have plenty to brag about to your friends back home. Check out the multi-million-dollar Auto Collections at Imperial Palace, one of the world's largest selections of antique, classic, muscle and special-interest automobiles available for sale. The 250 automobiles span a century and range in price from $20,000 to $3 million. Then, check out Penske-Wynn Ferrari/Maserati showroom at Wynn Las Vegas, Nevada's first and only factory-authorized Ferrari and Maserati dealership, offering the finest in new and pre-owned cars. After you've chosen your dream car, you'll be ready to meet and greet some of the most famous celebrities in the world at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Located at The Venetian, the museum showcases more than 100 wax figures of some of the world's most popular film, television, music and sports celebrities. Visitors can even interact with several of its "celebrity" experiences for a truly memorable photo opportunity.