In 2003, Las Vegas visitors dropped a cool $32-plus billion into the local economy. The average gambler budgeted $480 per trip. If you’re a tightwad, however, you can minimize your losses with a free walking tour. All you need is a map and a good pair of walking shoes, and Las Vegas will leave you rich in spirit.
Here are 10 free things to do in Las Vegas.
1) White tiger exhibit at the Mirage. Famed illusionists Siegfried & Roy once presented a world-famous magic show complete with lions and rare white tigers at the Mirage hotel. When Roy Horn was bitten and dragged offstage by a white tiger in the fall of 2003, the show was canceled. Fortunately, Horn is recovering, and you can still see the big cats that are the show’s legacy. Step inside the Mirage’s lobby, and there to the left, several of the rare white tigers play and nap inside a lavishly painted habitat resplendent with swimming pool and fountains. The white tiger habit is open throughout the day and evening. When you’re finished gazing, cross Las Vegas Boulevard (aka The Strip) and walk directly to The Venetian hotel to enjoy …
2) Gondola watching at The Venetian. Whether you’ve visited Venice or not, you’re bound to enjoy the surreal experience of watching gondoliers maneuver their elegant wooden boats through the “canals” of a 500,000-square-foot shopping mall.
The mall, also known as the Grand Canal Shoppes, is located in The Venetian hotel. Yes, just down from Ann Taylor and Brookstone, handsome men in striped shirts and ribboned hats gurgle Pavarotti tunes until they echo off the faux Italian storefronts. Couples cuddle amorously in the gondolas … or laugh nervously that they’ve subjected themselves to such a spectacle. Watching is free; a gondola ride will cost you $15 per adult. Ready for more faux Italy? Cross the street to …
3) Caesars Palace. Stroll to the Forum Shops, and watch a seven-minute show of special effects as Roman statues come to life. All the fun of Rome without the traffic jams or oppressive summer heat! Cross the street and hike south to …
4) Gaze upon the Eiffel Tower. Paris Las Vegas opened in September 1999 complete with faux Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. The Eiffel Tower has legs rooted in the hotel’s giant casino and stretches 50 stories into the Nevada sky.
Have a seat on the rim of one of the hotel’s fountains and simply gaze upon this focal point of the Las Vegas strip. No charge to gaze, but if you’d like to take the hair-raising “Eiffel Tower Experience” ride to the 50th story, it will cost you $9 to $12 per adult depending on day of the week. From the Eiffel Tower, head for the front door of Paris Las Vegas to …
5) Stroll the streets of Paris. Feel the surrealism as you open the door to Paris Las Vegas, walk through a noisy casino, and find yourself ambling down the cobblestone pathways of The City of Light. Most people find themselves doing a double-take, not just because of the French boutiques, street performers and singing bread deliverymen, but because of the effect the ceiling creates on visitors. Ceilings are painted turquoise with billowing clouds, and are lit in such a way to trick the eye into believing you’re walking around Paris, outdoors, at dusk. Walk south to …
6) The lion habitat at the MGM Grand. This glassed-in enclosure, which opened in July 1999, showcases up to five lions daily, including the descendants of MGM Studios’ famous signature marquee lion. There’s even a transparent tunnel through the habitat. Walk through it if you wish to be surrounded by lions. When you’re ready to leave the “wilds” of Africa, take the skybridge across Las Vegas Boulevard to …
7) New York City. New York, New York Hotel & Casino opened in 1997. Outside, a faux Statue of Liberty stretches her torch between palm trees and a Coney Island-style roller coaster that does loop-the-loops in front of faux skyscrapers. Inside, patrons can pretend they’re in the Big City, strolling through an art-deco themed interior and a re-creation of Central Park. All the fun of New York — without the muggings! When you’ve had your faux bite of the Big Apple, leave the hotel and prepare for a long walk north up The Strip toward your starting point. Just when you think your feet might crumple beneath you, you’ll be re-invigorated by …
8) The dancing fountains of Bellagio. The Bellagio hotel opened in 1998. Every afternoon and evening, the hotel’s manmade turquoise lake becomes the staging ground for a 1,000-foot-long fountain display. Watch jets of water burst 240 feet in the air, sweeping and dancing up the lake to the strains of Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman singing “Con Te Partiro.” Or, you might hear the more whimsical “Singin’ in the Rain.” (“What a glorious thing … I’m happy again!”)
Now it’s time for dinner. Tightwads, might we recommend the $11.95 Prime Rib or T-bone steak dinner at the Barbary Coast?
Wait for the sun to go down, then walk to …
9) The flaming volcano at the Mirage. Every 15 minutes from 7 p.m. to midnight, the Mirage’s faux volcano erupts only a few steps from Las Vegas Boulevard, sending fire 100 feet into the sky and transforming a waterfall into streams of molten lava. It’s a rough life for the mallard ducks who hang out at this tourist attraction, for they must take wing every 15 minutes or risk being flambéed. But it’s great fun for Homo sapiens.
Speaking of birds, cross the street to visit …
10) The Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo Las Vegas. This resort is host to a collection of more than 300 birds, including a flock of pink Chilean flamingos. African penguins, swans, ducks, and turtles also cavort amid lush tropical foliage imported from all over the world.