Las Vegas is back. Here's where to go to avoid crowds.
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After a year of being cooped up, nobody really needs extra motivation to get out and stretch their legs.
Most of us are done pretending to enjoy those excruciatingly painful workouts. We’re beyond over putting together 500-piece puzzles, only to find we’re missing a couple of pieces. And what about that online learning class you subscribed to so you could be more well-rounded but forgot to cancel and now have been charged a couple of hundred bucks?
It’s time to put those good times behind because an old friend is waiting.
Vegas is back, baby!
Last year at this time, the Las Vegas Strip was virtually a ghost town. Empty. Zilch. No bells, no whistles. Casinos were shuttered. Pedestrian traffic had been replaced by families on bicycles. Even ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, a Vegas resident, was spotted pedaling up the famed boulevard.
While some resorts remain closed, some have reopened to 80 percent capacity. The Cosmopolitan received approval to open without restrictions.
Shows are returning to the Entertainment Capital of the World, and so are high-priced hotel rooms. But there are still deals to be had if you know where to look.
There are plenty of things most tourists do: gamble, eat, drink and gamble some more. There are the fountains at Bellagio and the Mirage volcano. And the Mob Museum and the Neon Museum. And there are swimming pools galore.
But if you want to avoid some of your fellow tourists, especially the loud obnoxious ones, here are 10 places you should consider visiting.
Dino’s
A neighborhood dive bar with the best karaoke in town. The bar also used to show 1950s and 1960s adult programming on TV while people were singing and swaying to “Sweet Caroline.”
It used to be a well-kept secret from tourists but now has a new location with 100s of pinball machines dating to the late 1950s. No booze and no smoking. But nowhere else in Vegas can you make a roll of quarters last as long.
Las Vegas Ballpark
It’s a real gem. Watch future major league baseball players (the Aviators are the Triple-A team for the Oakland A’s) slug it out in one of the nicest venues in all sports.
Mount Charleston
Who knew you could visit Las Vegas and go water and snow skiing, and every so often on the same day? Take a 45-minute ride from the Strip and you can escape the 110-degree weather and hike to an elevation of over 10,000 feet. There is a lodge and a restaurant to take in nature. If it wasn’t so blazing hot, Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon or even the Historic Railroad Hiking trail overlooking Lake Mead would make this list in the summer.
Rhyolite
This ghost town that existed for five short years is well worth the drive if you feel a little adventurous and don’t mind the 200-mile roundtrip.
Herbs & Rye
This local’s bar and restaurant has a reverse happy hour (midnight to 3 a.m.) on magnificent cuts of meat for late-night eats. The cocktail menu is divided by the decade, so you can enjoy those classic drinks from the early 1900s like it was yesterday.
Las Vegas Springs Preserve
Nestled in the heart of the city, the preserve has nature trails and exhibits, a botanical garden and is an all-around great place to chill away from the tumult of the Strip.
Peppermill
It’s on the Strip, but it’s 100 percent old Vegas with fireside couches and cocktail nuts. Watch out for their Scorpion.
Chinatown
It’s always crowded but that’s because there are 100s of restaurants and shops. Plan some time because there's always a line at Shang Artisan Noodle where you can enjoy fresh hand-cut noodles. Try the cucumber salad and pot stickers.
Ethel M Chocolates and Cactus Garden
Located east of the Strip, a nice leisurely stroll through the cactus garden might help you forget any losses you might have incurred at the craps table. And the chocolate, well, enough said.
Dennis Rudner is a digital producer for the Express-News and is a 20-year resident of Las Vegas.
