Dear NEXT TRAVELER to Las Vegas, Nevada – THE CITY OF LIGHTS!
Highlights/Recommendations:

1. Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas sign
2. The Sphere – Kenny Chesney Concert
3. The Luxor
4. The Venetian
5. Mandalay Bay
6. The Vegas Strip
7. Fremont Street Experience
8. Fountains of Bellagio
9. The Linq & Promenade
10. Hoover Dam
11. Las Vegas LDS Temple
12. Gordon Ramsay Burgers
13. Walburgers

For our 29th Anniversary in 2025, we decided it was past time to visit Las Vegas and check the state of Nevada off our list. We actually flew to Los Angeles to visit a few places in California including Sequoia National Park. WHAT an amazing place! We drove from Sequoia National Park to Las Vegas. A lot of flat, open land and farms. As soon as we arrived in Las Vegas, it was big city time. I had a few expectations for Las Vegas and some of those expectations were met but honestly in most ways, I was surprised. We live less than 2 hours from New Orleans, Louisiana, and I was thinking it would be a similar-type city but it’s actually very different. The first thing I noticed about Las Vegas is that it’s relatively clean. We didn’t notice trash lying around and only in a few areas did we see homeless people or “wild” women. One expectation I had was that I would see Elvis impersonators and wedding chapels everywhere – I DIDN’T SEE EITHER of them! I was actually disappointed!

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Strip sign. The sign was constructed and put in its current location in 1959. It is located in the median of 5100 Las Vegas Boulevard South, at the very southern end of the strip. For being in such a busy area, they have allocated parking areas and make it easy to be able to park and walk to the sign. There’s typically a long line to the sign, but I was impressed with how fast the line moves. There are people that wait at the front of the line and are willing to take a photo for you for a small tip. Several people were using them and we would have, if we hadn’t already arranged a switch with a couple we met from Australia. They were hilarious and we loved swapping stories about our different countries. We shared some hidden treasures and places to visit in the Southern states. They were great. Everyone in line gives the “next person up” space to take a photo without anyone in the background. It’s really a streamlined process that was a great tourist photo spot. We felt Las Vegas official!

The Sphere. We are huge fans of Kenny Chesney. We saw him in concert in Florida in 2005 and had been wanting to see him again. When we heard he would be at The Sphere, it was the perfect combination of incredible venue and artist. It was honestly the first reason we started planning the trip to Vegas. The Sphere seats 17,600, has a 16K resolution wraparound interior LED screen and 4D physical effects. The venue’s exterior also features 580,000 sq ft of LED displays, making it the largest in the world. After being at a concert in the Sphere, I’m not sure it’s possible to see a concert ever the same again. It wasn’t like just being at a concert with really great music, it was like being IN the concert. There’s not a bad seat in The Sphere. There were screens everywhere. The sounds was perfect. The images were perfect. It was unreal!

The Luxor. We spent 2 nights at the southern end of the Vegas Strip at the Luxor and the other 2 nights at the northern end of the strip in the Linq. The Linq location was fantastic, right in the middle of so many things on the Strip but the Luxor was far and above nicer than the Linq. The interior and exterior decor and attractions were over the top. Its theme is Egyptian and the main building is a 30-story pyramid. It also has its own Sphinx that’s 106 feet high and 80 feet wide. There’s an obelisk in front of the sphinx. It’s all very impressive. We spent a couple hours one afternoon exploring the hotel. It was fascinating. Our beds were very comfortable and the room was really spacious with a great bathroom. There are over 4,000 rooms in the Luxor, and it’s easy to get on the wrong elevator and get lost. But, after a couple of trips back and forth, we found our way around. The casinos are in the middle of the main floor. We walked though them a couple of times. They’re easy to get to, but we didn’t feel overwhelmed by them. The outdoor pool is fantastic. There are plenty of chairs and we loved the waterfall feature. Fun fact: The tip of the pyramid features a light beam, which shines at night and is the most powerful man-made light in the world. The Luxor is at 3900 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas. 

The Venetian. One of the most beautiful buildings I have ever been in. It was gorgeous. The Venetian includes a replica of Venice’s Grand Canal. A gondola boat ride was a must. It was almost…almost.. like we were in Italy. Our boat guide sang to us and made the ride even more fun. Gondola rides are available in two spots: outdoors in a canal that runs along Las Vegas Boulevard, and indoors along Grand Canal, which passes beneath bridges and past cafes. We decided we’d rather be indoors and see the inside of the building. When we were there, it was quite a long wait for a ride. Tickets can be bought at the ticket station and they tell you what time your ride will be. The Venetian has so many amazing things to see and so many restaurants and eateries with plenty of desserts (we love Carlos Bakery), you’ll find plenty to pass the time. If you can plan ahead, buy your ticket either that morning or the day before and you won’t have to wait very long. The Grand Canal Shops in the Venetian are upscale shops in a recreation of St. Mark’s Square underneath a sky painted ceiling. It’s gorgeous!

Mandalay Bay. This resort was located next to ours and we walked through it several times on the skybridge. It is beautiful with a tropical South Seas theme and several water fountains in the lobby. We did some of our souvenir shopping at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place. We found good variety and good prices. The resort also has a good food court area. We loved the crepes from one of the cute dessert places, Illy. One of our favorite parts of Mandalay Bay was the Michael Jackson One theater. Our oldest daughter is a huge Michael Jackson fan. We were so excited to tell her all about the display and bring her a Michael Jackson souvenir.

Vegas Strip. Walking the Vegas Strip is an unreal experience. There are the most amazing buildings and replicas of iconic images everywhere you look. There’s the Eiffel Tower at The Paris, the city of Venice at the Venetian, the Pyramid at the Luxor, Big Apple Coaster, Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the Statue of Liberty at New York New York, the Mirage volcano, and the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.

Fremont Street Experience. This area is a five-block pedestrian-only entertainment district with everything from the SlotZilla, the world’s largest slot machine, to a zipline. There’s live music and everyone is walking up and down the street. On the ceiling of the street, is Viva Vision, a 1,500-foot-long video screen with 12.5 million LED lights. It’s incredible.

Fountains of Bellagio. Seeing the musical water fountain show in front of the Bellagio is an iconic part of Las Vegas. It’s actually one of the most photographed places in the United States and one of the largest fountain shows in the world. The water fountains are timed and linked to music. Watching the fountains is free and shows are performed every half-hour from the afternoon until midnight. The show uses 1,214 water nozzles and 4,792 lights. The fountains shoot as high as 460 feet. Watching the water fountains show was a must for me. We actually watched it twice. The first show we were behind a couple other people but for the 2nd show we had front row seats. It was spectacular.

The Linq Hotel. For our last two nights in Las Vegas, we moved to The Linq hotel in the center of the Vegas Strip, directly across from Caesars Palace. The beds were decent but our particular, standard room was small. My favorite part of The Linq was The Linq Promenade, adjacent to the hotel. There were restaurants and plenty of shopping. The High Roller Ferris wheel at 550 feet tall, is the second tallest in the world. The Promenade also has the Strip’s only In-N-Out Burger franchise (a family favorite). There’s plenty to see and do! The Linq hotel is located at 3535 South Las Vegas Boulevard and includes a casino and 2,250 rooms. The hotel’s pool was really small but occupants of the Linq also have pool privileges at Caesars, across the street. We decided to visit Caesars pool and it was better but definitely not as nice as the Luxor resort pool area.

Hoover Dam. We drove from Las Vegas about 45 minutes over to the Hoover Dam and spent about an hour walking around it. The Hoover Dam is on the boundary between the states of Nevada and Arizona. Constructed began in 1931 and it was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers and sadly over 100 people were killed during construction. Hoover Dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. We visited the dam at the end of May and it was HOT! The temperature was 100 that day. We are from the South and we are used to heat, but this was intense. I would definitely recommend going at cooler parts of the day, bring an umbrella for shade and LOTS of water. There were children and older people that were having a really hard time with the heat. There are so many amazing features at the Hoover Dam. We walked across the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. The Hoover Dam bridge is an arch bridge that crosses the Colorado River between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. The bridge is named for Mike O’Callaghan, who was the Governor of Nevada from 1971 to 1979, and Pat Tillman, an Arizona Cardinals football player who left the field to enlist in the US Army and was killed in Afghanistan in 2004. The bridge was the first concrete-steel arch bridge built in the United States. It’s 1,900 feet long, 890 feet above the Colorado River and is the second highest bridge in the US. After we walked across the bridge we drove over to the dam. Brad dropped me off at the dam and I stood in the center and took photos, while he drove across it and picked me back up. He went from the states of Nevada to Arizona. We didn’t do a dam tour due to time constraints, but I would certainly recommend it! Such an amazing construction accomplishment. It’s incredible!

Las Vegas LDS Temple. This temple is stunning. It was announced in 1984 and dedicated in 1989 by Gordon B. Hinckley. The Las Vegas Nevada Temple was the first temple built in Nevada. The temple is located at the eastern edge of the city, far from the glitz and glamour of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, the Las Vegas Temple is a spiritual beacon in the City of Lights. The angel Moroni statue of the Las Vegas Temple faces east, away from the city, symbolically heralding the Second Coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Following the announcement of the Las Vegas Temple, members were asked to contribute toward construction and raised $11 million. It’s always a blessing for us to be in the temple and we have loved the opportunity to visit temples around the country. We always feel a greater peace after our time worshipping Jesus Christ in His holy house.

Gordon Ramsay Burgers. Sincerely the most delicious burger I have ever had. We had the Hells Kitchen Burger & the Backyard Burger. They were incredible. The truffle parmesan fries were unreal and almost as good as the burger.

Walburgers Restaurant. Walburgers was more like a second option for us. Brad was interested in eating at Old Red, Blake Shelton’s restaurant. We stood in line for seats, were seated and after 20 minutes of no one coming to check on us and the music being overwhelmingly loud, we decided we could find something better. Walburgers was behind Old Red. We had eaten at Walburgers in Cleveland, Ohio and remembered it being good. It’s always a good burger and fries option. The staff were very kind and attentive.

The City of Lights was amazing. We found so many amazing things to see and do. We were there for less than 4 days and felt like we had a great sampling of the city. People were incredibly friendly and nice and we loved it! It was a great anniversary trip!