Highlights For A Long Weekend In Vegas

As a famous Mecca of entertainment and excess, Las Vegas has enough activities to keep you busy for a year without rest. However, many people who visit this one-of-a-kind city in the Nevada desert only do so four two or three days, which means it becomes important to prioritize and narrow down options. Now, a lot can be done simply by exploring Vegas and taking part in whatever seems interesting. But if you want to organize more of an itinerary for a weekend or long weekend in Vegas, here’s a diverse range of highlights across various activities.

Hang Out Poolside

The pools might be the best highlight of Las Vegas, unless you want to consider entire resort complexes. While they don’t get talked about as often as, say, the casinos or the nightclubs, the pools offer more variety and all kinds of fun, day and night. Some are more relaxing, some are essentially clubs, some offer a nice mix, and all of them are set up in beautiful (if somewhat over-the-top) surroundings. Throw in the hot Vegas sun, which makes it so inviting to spend a day poolside, and these places really can’t be beat. You really can’t go wrong with any major resort pool, but I’d point first to the Mandalay Bay Beach, the Mandarin Oriental pool deck, and the Garden of the Gods Oasis at Caesars – all of which made a list of the nine best pools in Vegas.

Mandalay Beach Pool Las Vegas
The pool in Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas

Enjoy Some Fine Dining

Most people expect to get a good meal when staying in a city packed with resorts and entertainment. But Vegas probably doesn’t get quite enough attention as a dining Mecca. It’s full of cuisine from different countries and ethnicities, packed with establishments run by celebrity chefs and entrepreneurs, and just generally spectacular. A nice meal in Vegas isn’t usually cheap, but in most cases it’s worth it to indulge once or twice while you’re there.

Check Out Some Historical Hotels

Some hotels in Vegas are not just places to sleep and recharge in between of exploring the sights around. Some hotels in Vegas actually are those sights you need to explore, with amazing history, design and quirky stories behind them, which you can find in this guide.

Visit A Bar (Not a Club)

I mentioned the Vegas nightclubs already, and it’s certainly true that they’re among the top reasons a lot of people love visiting this city. However, somewhat overshadowed by these clubs is a truly excellent bar scene. That is to say, if you’d rather not spend your nights in packed rooms with neon lights, blasting music, and bottle service you don’t want to pay for, a normal bar in town should offer a great time. The Chandelier at The Cosmopolitan, Mandarin Bar at the Mandarin Oriental, The Wynn’s Parasol Up and Parasol Down, and smaller establishments like Oak & Ivy and The Dorsey should all be on your list.

Eat At A Buffet

I’ve covered food already. But as impressive as Las Vegas’s five-star restaurants may be, the buffets are perhaps more unique to the city. For whatever reason it’s become traditional for the city’s top resorts to offer incredibly elaborate and impressive buffets. They’re typically all you can eat, though for a hefty price – which, as with the fine dining options, tends to be worth it. The Wynn Buffet, Caesars Palace Bacchanal Buffet, and Wicked Spoon at The Cosmopolitan would all be among our recommendations, and were all written up in a piece on the buffets most worth your time.

Buffet in Wynn Las Vegas
Buffet in Hotel Wynn, Las Vegas

See A Show

The shows of Las Vegas are absolutely incredible. To list specific shows would be to sell the ever-evolving calendar short, but suffice it to say many of the best musical and theatrical acts in the world pass through Vegas. Whether you get in to see Cirque du Soleil or you’re catching a major pop star or rock band, there’s always something to see, and the venues and crowds make the best shows truly impressive.

Go On A Ride

Another feature of Las Vegas that isn’t talked about quite enough is that it’s basically a giant amusement park! That may be taking the characterization a bit too far, but there are a lot of thrill rides around town, and if casinos aren’t necessarily your thing, they make for great activities. There are roller coasters, sudden drops, and a few unique attractions atop the Stratosphere Hotel that essentially suspend you above the Vegas Strip in various terrifying but spectacular ways. Our pick for the best ride is a little bit conservative – the Big Apple Coaster at New York New York – but there’s just something very cool about whizzing through a giant model of New York landmarks.

Roller Coaster Las Vegas
Roller Coaster in the New York New York Hotel

Get Married

I have already tried it, and believe me, this is fun. You can chose any type of ceremony for any type of budget, preferences and likes, starting from Elvis and Pink Cadillac to luxurious old-school wedding in Bellagio Hotel, to the low key civil ceremony, followed by shopping, swimming in the pool and tiara-wearing like I did. Whatever you chose, this is something you definitely will remember for a long time.

Looking for some places to stay for a weekend in Vegas? Here are some options.



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5 thoughts on “Highlights For A Long Weekend In Vegas

  1. Erin says:

    I’m one of the few people on earth (or so it seems) who hasn’t visited Vegas! This is such a helpful post! I know I’ll go someday to check out the shows and gamble some of my hard earned money away ?

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