Las Vegas reinvents itself every decade, but its magic is constant: the neon of the Strip, the silence of the desert canyons an hour away, and the greatest day trips in the American West starting at your hotel door. This guide gathers the best of it — the icons, the shows, the canyon and the parks — with the tours and places our readers love most.
The Strip and its icons
Start at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign — the most famous photo in Nevada — then ride the boulevard after dark on the Big Bus night tour or in the gloriously absurd Giant Shopping Cart Limo. Downtown’s original neon glows at the Fremont Street Experience, and the finest view of it all is from the helicopter night flight over the Strip. → All Las Vegas places
Shows and immersive wonders
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere wraps the classic film around you in 4D, Flyover soars you over iconic landscapes without leaving the Strip, and reality-TV fans walk in TV’s footsteps on the Pawn Stars and Reality TV Shows tour. Hungry between shows? The Celebrity Chefs food tour tastes the Strip’s star-studded kitchens. → The Strip, shows & food tours
The Grand Canyon
The canyon is the day trip that defines a Vegas vacation. Descend below the rim on the Grand Canyon deluxe helicopter tour with a champagne toast, walk the glass Skywalk on the Grand Canyon West VIP tour or the West & Skywalk day trip, or keep it small with the small-group VIP tour that adds Hoover Dam and the Seven Magic Mountains. → All Grand Canyon tours
Hoover Dam and desert engineering
The Hoover Dam remains an American engineering wonder — read our place guide, then see it up close on the award-winning Hoover Dam mini tour (three perfect hours) or the Hoover Dam mini tour from Las Vegas. → What’s on in Las Vegas
Desert parks
Red Rock Canyon is nature’s masterpiece minutes from the Strip, and Valley of Fire, Nevada’s oldest state park, glows red at sunrise. Tour them together on the Valley of Fire and Red Rock day tour, take the Valley of Fire half-day with its ancient petroglyphs, or chase the Six Desert Wonders in one day — which also stops at the Seven Magic Mountains. → All desert park tours
Adventure and thrills
Take the wheel on a self-guided ATV rental or a UTV rental through the desert, then cool off paddling the Colorado River on the Emerald Cave kayak experience or its half-day version through Black Canyon. → Adventure tours
Day trips beyond Vegas
Three national-park landscapes fit in a day: the Zion small-group highlights tour, the Lower Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend day tour, and even a Los Angeles and Hollywood day tour for a star-studded change of scene. → All day trips
History, family and where to stay
Vegas began at the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort; its story continues at Springs Preserve, and families picnic with peacocks at Floyd Lamb Park or bird-watch at Clark County Wetlands Park. → Family-friendly Las Vegas · Where to Stay · Concerts · 1-to-5-day itineraries
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