5 Things You Didn't Know About Las Vegas

Sure, you may know Las Vegas has some cool casinos, lavish hotels, more than its fair share of A-list residencies, and throws one hell of a great pool party. 

Las Vegas is a city with a relatively short history. Founded in 1905, it began as a railroad stopover for those journeying between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. Over the next century, it exploded into a glittering, neon-lined escape from reality, and a destination where sin is in and where all your secrets stay a secret because, as the slogan goes, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

Even if you’ve never been, it feels familiar; it's a place embedded in our collective consciousness through movies, music, and art. But The Neon Museum, a space dedicated to collecting, preserving, presenting, and interpreting Las Vegas history through its unique signage, wants to help everyone from first-timers to Vegas die-hards get to know this 135-square-mile town just a little better. 

"I have the best job in the world," Aaron Berger, the executive director of The Neon Museum, told Travel + Leisure. "It is the opportunity to tell the story of Las Vegas, the most unique city in the world." 

To more thoroughly tell the story of Las Vegas, Berger created Duck Duck Shed, a citywide event celebrating the city's architecture, culture, and design, happening from Oct. 4 to 7. It's an event, Berger said, he created out of "selfish needs." 

"As someone who's a transplant to Las Vegas and has visited here every year since I was 18, I've had this love affair with the city and wanted to understand it better," he said. 

Getting to know it better, for Berger, meant taking the city down to its studs to understand how its architecture affects the way we experience it and answering the question: "How do we design a city that is the entertainment capital of the world, and one that is America's playground?" 

This year's Duck Duck Shed includes exhibitions ranging from Debbie Reynolds' impact on Las Vegas entertainment; a behind-the-scenes, on-stage experience with "O" by Cirque du Soleil; an intimate discussion with famed architectural critic and former chief design officer for Los Angeles, Christopher Hawthorne; as well as an in-depth look at Roger Thomas and Todd-Avery Lenahan,two of the creatives behind some Las Vegas' most famous hotels and casinos.

"In a city that has a reputation of building up and then blowing up, taking time to recognize the architectural, entertainment, and culinary achievements — and even the historic preservation of this one-of-a-kind city — creates a unique experience for Las Vegas visitors and locals alike," Berger said in a statement. "Las Vegas is designed to dazzle and even overwhelm you. Duck Duck Shed allows attendees to peek behind the curtain and gain a better understanding of the how and why of this amazing city from the people who know it best."

As for the name, Berger explained that in the book "Learning from Las Vegas," buildings were described as either a "duck" or a "shed." A duck is a building that needs no signage, as its purpose is clear. "New York, New York is a duck, the Luxor is a duck," he said. A shed is something that requires a bit more explanation. 

"A decorated shed would be when you're looking down Fremont Street, and you need signs to actually tell you which one is the Golden Gate, which one's the Golden Nugget, which one is The D,” Berger said. Essentially, a shed is a place that needs a sign to “help it differentiate. It's about signage.”

Tickets to Duck Duck Shed are still available, but if you want to attend, you better act fast, as certain events are selling out. Want to prime your brain for learning all the new Vegas facts you can? Here are five fun facts about Sin City's lights and architecture that will leave you wanting more. 

The Las Vegas Strip is the brightest place on Earth.

As the NASA Earth Observatory explains, “The Vegas Strip is reputed to be the brightest spot on Earth due to the concentration of lights on its hotels and casinos. The tarmac of McCarran International Airport is dark by comparison, while the airstrips of Nellis Air Force Base on the northeastern fringe are likewise dark. “ 

Las Vegas is home to the world’s second-tallest ferris wheel.

The High Roller, located right on the Strip, is the world’s second-largest ferris wheel, standing an astonishing 520 feet high. The individual pods are air-conditioned and can hold 40 passengers each during the 30-minute ride. 

There are more than 15,000 miles of neon tubing stretching across Las Vegas.

According to PBS, the city’s bright signs contain some 15,000 miles of tubing, which the Public Broadcasting Service said is “enough to span the United States five times from coast to coast.” 

The Stratosphere is the tallest observation tower in the United States.

Want to get a really great view of Vegas? Make your way over to Stratosphere Tower, which stands at 1,149 feet tall, making it the tallest observation tower in the nation. Guests can dine in the tower or even get an adrenaline rush on the tower’s roller coaster that sits 1,000 feet off the ground. 

Las Vegas is home to the world’s largest hotel.

With nearly 7,000 rooms, the MGM Grand holds the distinction of being the world’s largest single hotel. Want to make a stay there extra special? Book one of its over-the-top suites, which come with private terraces and panoramic views, so you can take in the glittering lights from above.