How to do Vegas without setting foot in a casino or club
“Our official advertising has been: We’ve adjusted the rules so you can party all night. But there’s a lot more nuance to the city,” said entertainment columnist John Katsilometes, who has lived in Vegas since 1996. “It’s not just people carrying a three-yard margarita down the Strip.”
As I learned while living in Vegas for nearly four years, there’s so much beyond the four-mile stretch of fountains, ringing slot machines and faux landmarks.
You’ll find hiking that rivals popular Southwest destinations, a growing art scene and award-winning food from chefs who aren’t named Gordon Ramsay or Bobby Flay. And there’s an often-overlooked community that makes this tourism machine run 24/7. These are just a few of the reasons I’ve been back five times since I moved to D.C. more than a decade ago.
If you profess to loathe Las Vegas, this guide is for you. You can visit the city without spending a single dollar on a table game (I never have) or eating at an overpriced steakhouse.
Let the conversion begin.
Las Vegas is a hotel town. It’s not an Airbnb town — or not in the way you think. You won’t find lots of little homey apartments to rent like you would in D.C. or New York.
That doesn’t mean you have to snake through the smoky gaming floor of a mega hotel-casino to get to your room. I often opt for Vdara, a hotel and condo tower on the Strip. Some owners list their units on rental sites for lower rates than the hotel, and you can also avoid the dreaded $45-per-night resort fee. The latest one I rented included free parking. Overall, I saved hundreds of dollars.
Vdara is nonsmoking, nongaming and every room is a suite with a kitchen. It’s steps away from luxury casino-hotels such as the Cosmopolitan, Bellagio and Aria, where Vdara guests have access to even bigger pools than the one at their home tower — clutch on 100-plus-degree days.
I’ve recommended similar options to friends, such as the Signature, a non-casino hotel with suites and condos attached to the MGM Grand. If you want to go all out, the Waldorf Astoria and Four Seasons are other casino-free options. For more of a boutique style, there’s the English, a new hotel downtown by chef Todd English.
If the lights of the Strip are the first thing you notice when landing in Vegas, the mountains are surely the second. About 20 minutes from the Strip is Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area — nearly 196,000 protected acres of red sandstone peaks and limestone that have become a booming destination for rock climbing.
According to Erin McDermott, executive director of Friends of Red Rock Canyon, more than 4 million people visit each year.
“It’s so fun that I can see John Legend on the Strip one day, and the next day go out to Red Rock and have a national park experience,” McDermott said. The area’s popularity is growing, she said, thanks to social media and famous climbers such as Alex Honnold, who highlighted his move to Vegas in the film “Free Solo.”
Don’t let its rock-climbing reputation scare you; there are hikes for every skill level. McDermott recommends the Moenkopi trail, which is about two miles and connects to the Calico area (a favorite of mine because of its concentration of red rocks). For more experienced hikers, McDermott suggests the six-mile Windy Peak hike….
Read More: Things to do off the Las Vegas strip
