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Things to do in Las Vegas for FREE!

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Las Vegas can be an expensive vacation but can be cheap depending on what activities you do. As casinos have started to nickel and dime the visitors with the addition of parking and resort fees. Here are some of my favorite things to do in Las Vegas for FREE!

Bellagio

Everyone starts with the Bellagio fountains and there is a reason for this as it is the most popular thing to do in Las Vegas for Free. Beginning in the afternoon, they go off every half hour but around 8 pm they start going off every 15 minutes. The best time to see them is at nights with the backdrop of the lights. They rotate through songs so during a trip you may hear the same song a couple times, but each time it is an experience that is unique. Both Cheyenne and Joni like to find an area up front and watch them for an hour or so as they go off at night.

Bellagio Conservatory is a great place to have pictures taken. They rotate scenes throughout the year. Almost everything the display is made out of flowers and is always very busy as people walk through. With it being “alive” there will be times throughout the year that it is closed as they update the display.

Bellagio Chocolate Waterfall is in the walkway between the Bellagio, Vdara and the tram. There is a small dessert place that has the largest chocolate waterfall in the world and it is pretty spectacular to see. This is one of those not as well known things that I like to make sure to show newcomers on their first trip. Especially if they have a sweet tooth!

Mirage

I still have a soft spot for the Volcano at the Mirage. It has changed over the years. Watching fire dance on the water is always awesome to see over and over. They use gas tubing that then lights the gas as it goes off with an island drum going off in the background. You can feel the heat as you sit and watch it. This does not go off as often as the fountains and is a farther walking distance from the fountains so you will need to plan accordingly to catch these.

Cosmopolitan

The chandelier at the Cosmopolitan is always a quick fun stop for pictures. If you are on the high road walkway bridge between City Center and Planet Hollywood, at the intersecting corner, you can enter into the Cosmopolitan. Just a couple steps in you can look over the Chandelier Bar which has a multi-store Chandelier in place. You can get some stunning pictures with that chadelier as the backdrop, which is why it makes our list of things to do in Las Vegas for free.

The funny thing is, the original company that was building the Cosmopolitan before they ran out of funding originally was planning on putting a giant robot in that spot. I think it is safe to say the chandelier was the better choice.

Las Vegas Sign

Last but not least one of the things to do in Las Vegas for free is to visit the Las Vegas Sign. Depending on the route you take from the airport to get to the strip, you could drive right past it. It is on the south side of the strip past Mandalay Bay. I would recommend not walking due to the traffic and the on/off ramps for I-15, and 515 is a dangerous area to walk. Also, try planning to stop by earlier in the morning to minimize waiting in line.

No trip is complete with a stop at the Las Vegas sign. Depending on your route you take from the airport to get to the strip, you could drive right past it. It is on the south side of the strip past Mandalay Bay. I would recommend not walking due to the traffic and the on/off ramps for I-15, and 515 is a dangerous area to walk. Also, try planning to stop by earlier in the morning to minimize waiting in line.

Home Sweet Second Home – Las Vegas

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I am currently on trip number thirty to Las Vegas. Actually by the time you read this I’ll already be there… and No, not my thirtieth airplane flight…my thirtieth trip to Las Vegas.  My first trip was way back in March 2003 as a postponed honeymoon for Joni and I, while a friend of ours was getting married out there.  2003 in Vegas years was forever ago.  The first hotel (The Frontier) we stayed at is no longer standing.  I’ve seen many implosions and new hotels since that first trip.  The days of the easy $5.00 supper are long gone, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have some Las Vegas Travel Tips (we will get to those in a future blog article).
Funny thing is now, even though traveling is more expensive, I have found ways to spend less money. I travel to Las Vegas a lot so finding tips to cut down on expenses is a must. Last year was seven trips alone to Las Vegas, this year will be another four or five.

Do you just love to gamble?

This is probably the most common question I get asked… but people… Las Vegas is more than just gambling.  I have seen some concert greats over the years such as George Strait, Garth Brooks, John Fogerty, and Reba with Brooks and Dunn.  Over the last two years, my trips have now started to focus around UFC Fights and UFC Fight Week. Outside of the UFC fight week, my trips usually are an early flight out on Thursday with a late flight on Sunday night.
Vegas is not just gambling, I gamble very little.  Its the weather, concerts and people watching.  In March, I catch my fourth NHL game (first Golden Knights game) prior to the UFC fight.  One night in 2016, I was able to walk through NASCAR cars from the presentation banquet, catch my favorite music band of all time and UFC Ultimate Fighter Finale in person.  Where else can you do that.

Las Vegas Favorites

Just like when you are home, you develop favorite places to go.  One restaurant (Dupars), the wait staff even recognizes me and just brings out my order.  Kind of strange being a regular, and them knowing your order, when you live 1,000 miles away.  I have started to stick to the same three to four hotels that are part of the same hotel group (MGM Resorts).
Joni has her favorites too that we can’t avoid if she joins me. Luckily for me she typically only joins me for a trip or two per year. Joni loves to go look at the Bellagio Fountains and the gardens. We usually spend a night downtown so she can get her slushy drinks and people watch. We enjoy watching the free entertainment downtown like the spray painters and typically you can see some other interesting street vendors.
Favorite places to eat include Dupars, In and Out Burger, Peppermill and Hollywood Cafe. Some of our favorite things to go see  (which happen to all be free) are neon lights downtown, Eiffel tower at night and the Mirage Volcano. And last but not least our favorite hotels to stay at are Mandalay Bay, Vdara and MGM.

After the shooting….

Hardest trip I have ever had, was the one this past October.  It hit me hard.  Earlier that summer, spent several days debating on if I could guess when the October UFC fights would be or if Joni and I would go the Route 91 music festival.  I had thought about going to that concert for almost a whole year as I had missed it by a week back in 2016. I decided to guess on the UFC fight weekend which ended up being correct. Had we gone to the concert we would have been in the middle of that shooting since we are big fans of Big and Rich and Jason Aldean.
After landing at the airport for the UFC fight, we were driving up to our hotel I booked for the trip, Mandalay Bay with the window boarded up.  Knowing I was one decision from being at that festival the weekend before was surreal. Joni knows I would have been there.  Cheyenne knows I would have been there.  At times, I still feel a pull in my mind to the what ifs, and I don’t think that will ever go away.  But this alone will not keep me from going to my second home.
As I go back, I go back to my second home, proud of how the real residence of my second home came together, give thanks for the angel that told me to take that fork in the road.  Vegas will always be my second home…
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Home Sweet, Second Home - Las Vegas