The winners of Champion’s “Take one for the team” competition – which you can enter here – will be jetting off to Las Vegas in September. We take a look at some of Sin City’s most appealing experiences in our essential city guide.
By Robert Carry
There is something quite incredible about how millions of people come from all over the world to dump their money in a city in the middle of a desert with no resources to speak of.
Whether it’s Vegas magic or a con trick keeping the place alive, it’s difficult not to be impressed by the audacity of a city built on such a concept. With an infamous nightlife and a taste for the bizarre, few places on the planet come with a reputation that can match that of Vegas. Everyone knows about the gambling tables and slot machines, but here are five other ways to spend your time.
1. Relive the gangster experience
For anyone interested in the street history of the US, then this could be a winner. For $39.95, you can wander into the Tropicana’s $25m Las Vegas Mob Experience.
The theme park-style museum uses holograms of actors such as Mickey Rourke and James Caan to talk you through the interactive, 27,000-square-feet venue that tells the tale of the rise and fall of the Mob in Sin City.
It features a range of artefacts from major mob figures, a recreation of Meyer Lansky’s library and a replica of Bugsy Siegel’s living room. It also has cars, guns and clothing once owned by the notorious crime figures. Has to be worth a look.
Click here for more info.
2. Go wild at Coyote Ugly
You can’t go to Vegas without getting stuck into a bit of tack so you might just get away with a trip to Coyote Ugly at the New York New York Hotel and Casino.
Much like the film, a trip to Coyote Ugly involves ridiculously attractive 20-somethings shunning health and safety regulations and adopting elaborate bar-top poses while serving you drinks. We’re talking cowboy boots, Daisy Dukes and tequila fire-breathing.
Locals can get in for free – Johnny foreigner, unfortunately, has to pay $10.
Click here for more info.
3. Milk the Bellagio
Las Vegas casinos bend over backwards to keep their gamblers happy so even if you’re not going crazy on the slots, they can still be worth hanging around. Among the most well-known is undoubtedly the Bellagio. The nightly Fountain Show, that kicks off every 15 minutes is well worth a look, and non-gamblers can also take a walk around the hotel’s Botanical Gardens and Gallery of Fine Art.
However, the Bellagio’s buffets are almost legendary. The dinner menu features pre-split crab legs, venison, Kobe beef, and wild boar. They take it up another notch for Gourmet Friday dinner ($44.95 plus tax per person), which includes Beef Wellington, Rack of Lamb, Veal Ossobuco, Grilled Swordfish and Curried Duck Legs.
If you’re stumbling home between 7am and 11am, a pit-stop for the best buffet breakfast on the strip will set you back a stunningly reasonable $15.95.
Click here for more info.
4. Get a go of a gondola
If you’re not going to marry a midget Elvis impersonator or get a Mike Tyson face tattoo, then you’re going to have to at least experience the plastic, Vegas version of another country. The lion habitat at the MGM Grand and the fake version of Egypt at the Luxor are good bets, but none top the self-delusion on the go at the Venetian Hotel.
For $15, you can go for a 4 minute spin in a gondola steered by your very own fake Venetian. He’ll wear a blue and white striped top, red neckerchief and ridiculous hat while pole-vaulting your gondola around a pretend Venice and singing in a pretend Venetian accent. Can’t be beat.
Click here for more info.
5. Go full-automatic on the shooting range
Getting your hands on an automatic weapon in this part of the world will generally mean having to join a proscribed organisation. However, lax Nevada gun laws mean you can still get a hold of some serious hardware.
One top location for would-be gunslingers is The Gun Store on Tropicana Avenue. As well as picking individually from their stunning range of pointlessly heavy-duty weaponry, you can also opt for one of their packages. You could do worse than the World War II package – you’ll get to fire a Thompson SMG, an MP40 SMG and a 1911 .45 Pistol for $119.95. They even throw in a free t-shirt.
Click here for more info.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
