Things to Do in Nevada

Constructed in 1959, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign is an icon from the era of classic Vegas. Listed on the US National Register of Historic Places, the neon landmark welcomes visitors driving into the city from the south on Las Vegas Boulevard, aka the Strip.

Centrally located on the Las Vegas Strip, the LINQ Hotel and Casino provides all the requisite offerings—shows, bars, restaurants, and shops—but what sets it apart is the High Roller. This 550-foot-tall (168-meter) observation wheel opened as the world’s tallest in 2014 and offers on-board happy hour, yoga, and more.

The 550-foot rotating observation tower known as the High Roller is far from your normal carnival Ferris wheel. This Las Vegas attraction is so big that it takes a full 30 minutes to complete a 360-degree rotation and is known as the world’s largest observation wheel. Each 44,000-pound, glass-enclosed pod can hold up to 40 people, includes music and video displays, and has been decked out with thousands of LED lights. This big-time wheel serves as a sparkling focal point at the LINQ, one of Vegas’ top shopping districts.

The South Rim is the most popular area of Grand Canyon National Park, boasting easy access to the canyon, the bulk of available amenities and services, and the panoramic vistas for which the natural wonder is famous. One of the most famous attractions in the American Southwest, the area offers breathtaking views over the Colorado River and the chance to immerse yourself in Native American culture.

The Colorado River is a spectacular sight to see, meandering for 1,447 miles (2,330 kilometers) with red rocks and canyons framing it on both sides, leading up to the Hoover Dam. The Colorado River is one of the major water sources for California and Nevada, and, not surprisingly, it's a major recreational destination—activities on the river include hiking, biking, rafting, and boating.

The Las Vegas location of the popular Madame Tussauds franchise is more than just a museum, it’s an attraction that allows you to interact with its wax figures in different settings, as well as take part in a 4D theater experience with Marvel super heroes. There’s also a bar inspired by the movieThe Hangover where you can grab a drink.

It’s hard to believe that Sin City is only a few hours away from Lake Mead National Recreation Area, with dramatic and often surreal scenery of sharp craggy mountains, deep canyons, and desert basins. Coboldmprising the areas around Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, this recreation area attracts water sports enthusiasts, boaters, and nonboaters alike.

For many travelers, Planet Hollywood Las Vegas offers the best of several worlds. Its mid-Strip location makes it an ideal hub for those who want to explore a little bit of everything on Las Vegas Boulevard, and the vibe of the mid-range hotel and casino—which celebrates the glitz of Hollywood—attracts a high-energy crowd without offending multigenerational families looking for a less-raucous stay.

Carved over time by the Virgin River, Zion National Park is a remarkable 148,000-acre (59,893-hectare) stretch of white, pink, and red rock formations in southern Utah's canyon country. The state's first national park draws hikers, birders, and nature lovers with its cliffs and mesas, waterfalls and wildflowers, and varied wildlife from jackrabbits to condors.

The tiny Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum tells the story behind the development of Boulder City amid the hostile desert and the monumental undertaking of the construction of the Hoover Dam during the Great Depression. Located on the second floor of the historic white brick Boulder Dam Hotel itself created to house visiting VIPs—the museum is a popular stop for visitors from Las Vegas en route to the dam.

An experiential museum with a focus on people – the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum is filled with dioramas, diary pages, documents and oral histories that tell the tales of the intrepid workers who traveled from all over the United States with their families to build what was then the world’s largest dam. Soundscapes of construction and era video immerse visitors in the experience of dam construction. Around 21,000 people helped to build the dam and the amount of concrete poured during its construction could pave a transcontinental highway from New York to LA.

Visitors to the museum will also appreciate that the dam wasn’t the worker’s only feat. First they transformed Ragtown—a slew of tent dwellings inhabited by wishful workers along the Colorado River—into the town of Boulder City, Nevada. The community, planned with federal oversight, was designed to be a temporary model town, but it continues to thrive today.

Lined with cobblestone walkways and wrought iron street lamps, the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino offers a taste of the French capital on the Las Vegas Strip. Enjoy Parisian-style shopping and cafés, a Montgolfier-style hot-air balloon, a mini version of the Arc de Triomphe—and of course, a 50-story replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Bryce Canyon National Park showcases the red rock canyons and rugged horizon-stretching vistas that make Utah famous. With a variety of otherworldly geological formations, Bryce Canyon is an active traveler's playground, crammed full of pinnacles, steeples, spires, and hoodoos, which are thin eroded rock formations that reveal sedimentary layers of red, orange, and white.

The Venetian Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip recreates the romantic experience of a gondola ride on the Grand Canal of Venice in Italy. Travelers can glide down the replica canals under graceful bridges, passing striking architectural structures and the hotel's Grand Canal Shoppes in the duplicated Venetian streetscape.

The Valley of Fire, Nevada’s oldest state park, covers 34,880 acres (14,115 hectares) of red rock formations, sandstone cliffs, dramatic canyons, and peaceful valleys. Some of the park’s most famous features include the ancient Moapa petroglyphs at Atlatl Rock and the three-mile (4.8 km) Fire Canyon hike, which shows off the colorful sandstone that gives the park its name. In addition to being one of the most popular hiking destinations near Las Vegas, the Valley of Fire also attracts picnickers, campers, and photographers.