14 Best Sights in Las Vegas, Nevada

Those who love hi-tech art served with a Burning Man or Electric Daisy Carnival vibe—and with the addition of air-conditioning—will gravitate to this indoor amusement park inside a giant warehouse next to Interstate 15 (the name is a play on both the highway and the mysterious Area 51). The very fluorescent interior (the black-light averse may feel like they are trapped in a giant Spencer Gifts) even features big Burning Man–style art installations indoors and out, such as a giant skull covered in video graphics, which greets you in the main building.

While admission to the facility is technically free—though advance reservations can get you in faster on busy nights—almost all of the attractions require you to pay a separate admission: Omega Mart is an otherworldly convenience store, which leads into a walk-through funhouse full of immersive art from the Santa Fe–based arts collective Meow Wolf (it's also the most expensive individual experience); Wink World is full of art and tech surprises courtesy of Chris Wink, a co-founder and original member of the Blue Man Group; Museum Fiasco is an immersive, disorienting clublike bombardment of light and sound. Peripheral attractions include axe-throwing, golf and racing simulators, and rides on ski-lift chairs suspended from a ceiling track. You can also simply chill out with a cocktail under a canopy in The Sanctuary lounge or beneath a luminescent tree in the Oddwood Bar in the center of it all. Food choices include burgers at The Beast or sushi at Kaia. If you are just looking to visit Omega Mart, you can avoid the more expensive "Experience" tickets by buying a general admission ticket on the Meow Wolf site ( meowwolf.com).

The original building is joined by other attractions just to the west, the latest being an interactive experience themed after the John Wick movie franchise. The Illuminarium offers a Rolling Stone magazine-branded history of rock and pop music called Amplified, including a montage of every single Rolling Stone cover on a projection surface that is 20 feet tall.

And that's all just in the main, original building. AREA15 was so instantly popular that a massive 20-acre expansion to the north was set to begin unveiling new attractions by the end of 2025. The anchor will be Universal Horror Unleashed, centered around four themed haunted houses (the classic Universal monsters, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scarecrow: The Reaping, and The Exorcist: Believer) from the folks behind the Halloween attractions at Universal Studios. New retail and a non-gaming hotel will be part of the expansion.   Admission to the building is free, but online reservations let you skip lines out front and may be required on busy nights.

An intriguing concentration of antiques shops and galleries is found on East Charleston Boulevard and Casino Center Drive, anchored by The Arts Factory. This former warehouse with a colorful mural on the front houses studios and galleries for art of all types, including painting, photography, and sculpture. There's also a bistro on-site and a drop-in yoga studio. The Arts Factory comes alive on First Friday every month with gallery openings, exhibits, receptions, and special events. Preview Thursday, the day before First Friday, offers the same artwork with fewer crowds. Guided tours are available on request (and with a reservation).

This gallery—one of the last of its kind inside Strip hotels—was originally curated from Bellagio founder Steve Wynn's private collection. Today, with Wynn long gone, the gallery operates independently, bringing in traveling exhibits from some of the most famous art museums in the world. Shows have featured works by Picasso, Fabergé, and Warhol. The adjacent Perrotin Store offers prints, publications, and artist-designed objects.

Sightseers come to Bellagio for three main reasons: the fountains out front, the Dale Chihuly installation of glass flowers in the lobby, and the conservatory gardens. Any one of these attractions is worth the trip. All three make the casino resort a must-see. The fountains are a spectacle in and of themselves: 1,200 jets in all, streaming and bursting in a choreographed water ballet across the man-made Bellagio lake. The conservatory gardens are particularly stunning during Christmas and Chinese New Year. The glass flowers are pretty amazing as well: the sculpture is named Fiori di Como, and it continues to inspire more than two decades after it was created. But there are other reasons to spend some time at Las Vegas's first real destination resort. For starters, with restaurants from Michael Mina, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Wolfgang Puck, Bellagio still has one of the best restaurant rosters in town. Then, of course, there's the patisserie's chocolate fountain. This is one of the largest of its kind in the world and there's almost always a line to watch how it works. To cap it off, the Bellagio contains numerous luxe boutiques like Chanel, Dior, and Gucci.

The opulent entrance, fountains, Roman statuary, bas-reliefs, and roaming centurions all add up to the iconic, over-the-top Las Vegas hotel. Here you can get your picture taken with Caesar, Cleopatra, and the centurion guard; find the reproduction of Michelangelo's David; or amble along Roman streetscapes in The Forum Shops to see replicas of famous fountains in Italy. Vegas history is alive and well here, too, with the prominent main porte cochere and the old-school casino with crystal chandeliers. Several renovations and the addition of Nobu Hotel have ensured the resort remains current. Shopping here at The Forum Shops is among the best in the city. The hotel's pool complex, dubbed Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis, is arguably the nicest set-up on the Strip.

The best way to explore the mountains of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is by horseback, and Cowboy Trail Rides has it covered. The outfitter runs scenic  trips including the Sunset Trail Ride and Western BBQ (1 hour 45 minutes; dinner included) and the Canyon Rim Ride (2 hours). Beautiful views of the Strip give way to desert wilderness. Keep your eyes peeled for jackrabbits, Joshua trees, and other notable desert life. The view of the Strip isn't too shabby either.

This attraction is perfect for individuals and groups who like to play in a life-size sandbox—and use big toys to do it. In this case, the toys are heavy construction machinery: bulldozers, excavators, wheel loaders, backhoes, mini-excavators, and skid-steer track loaders. Guests don hard hats and spend 90 minutes or more driving the equipment on a big dirt lot, moving around giant tires, digging holes, and more. You can even crush a car, in an Aggression Session, and you can request specific equipment. There are experiences for kids starting as young as age 2 (15 minutes), up to 2 1/2 hours for teen-agers. Or book a  group session, to give team-building a whole new meaning.

Though smaller than its neighbor Wynn Las Vegas, Encore pulls together some of the best touches from the sister properties. For that we owe thanks to designer Roger Thomas, who invested in antiques from all over the world to decorate the resort. The other notable design element: sunlight, which streams in through window-lined corridors (a relative rarity in Vegas). Most people come to Encore for the partying, specifically at Encore Beach Club, Encore Beach Club at Night, and XS. The high-tech Awakening show blends myth and magic with deft choreography, and a modest but beautiful shopping strip, the Shops at Encore, features Christian Louboutin, Bruno Cucinelli, and Rene Caovilla.

The most exciting new concert venue in Las Vegas opened in 2023. With the largest high-definition (wraparound) video screen in the world, it's an unforgettable concert venue for such stars as Kenny Chesney, The Eagles, and the Backstreet Boys, but you don't have to see a concert to experience it. There are two other options to experience the magic. The "Sphere Experience" includes the Darren Aronovsky film "Postcard from Earth" as well as early entrance to play with some of the interactive, high-tech doodads in the lobby; it's usually shown daily (sometimes several times depending on the concert schedule). You can also watch a film of U2's inaugural concert at the venue in 2023 (called "V-U2"), which is shown on nights when there's not a concert or other event. The Sphere is accessible by a pedestrian bridges from The Venetian if you aren't arriving in a vehicle.

The acres taken up by the mega-resorts mean that open space is a premium on the Strip, which makes The Park a refreshing departure. Roughly situated between New York–New York and Park MGM, it reaches from the Strip itself west to T-Mobile Arena, home to the city's first professional sports franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team. Along the way, The Park offers natural touches such as desert vegetation and rock from local quarries. It also has features such as a water wall, shade structures made to look like trees, and a 40-foot-tall statue of a dancing naked woman named "Bliss Dance." Restaurants offer outdoor seating and games for patrons to play while they relax.

Resorts World was the first new casino-resort on the Strip in more than a decade when it opened in June 2021.The 3,500-room property was developed by the Genting Group, a gaming company based in Singapore, and it features two hotel towers with rooms and suites representing three Hilton brands: Hilton, Conrad, and Crockfords. The resort has more than 50 food outlets, including Famous Foods, a tech-friendly food hall representing cuisines from all over the world, with an emphasis on Asia. Hotel guests can get room service from any restaurant on-site. The 5.5-acre pool complex (the largest in all of Vegas) includes seven pools and trees from the Stardust, which sat on the site many years ago. Headliners such as Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan will pack theaters for years to come.

The "mountains" of Seven Magic Mountains aren't actually mountains at all; instead they're towers of multicolored stacked boulders standing more than 30 feet high. The art installation from renowned Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone is a commentary about human presence in the desert, and it stands tall about 10 miles south of the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard South and St. Rose Parkway, near Jean. Visitors to the site can walk right up and pose with the towers, making it a popular place for selfies. The exhibit opened in 2016 and was only scheduled to run until 2018, but due to public demand, it's been extended. Watch for signs on I–15 directing you to the parking area. 

This attraction, just north of Encore Las Vegas, provides the thrill of skydiving without a plane. After 20 minutes of training you enter a vertical wind tunnel that produces a powerful stream of air. You'll float, hover, and fly, simulating up to five minutes of free fall, with more time for large parties. Airspeeds reach 120 mph. Plan to reserve at least two hours in advance, making payment in full. The place closes for private parties from time to time, so it's wise to call ahead.

In a city that keeps raising the bar for sheer luxury, Wynn Las Vegas—monolithic in both name and appearance—offers a discreet turn for the tasteful. The resort is a best-of-everything experience—a playground for jet-setters, high rollers, or anyone who wants to feel like one. This excellence starts with the gardens near the front entrance; though smaller than Bellagio's, they are just as exquisite. It continues with the waterfall that pours from (man-made) rocks into a interior lake, both visible from the Overlook Lounge. Instead of booking another Cirque du Soleil show, Wynn created Awakening, in a 360-degree theater designed for the show. On-site restaurants are just as appealing, with Wing Lei holding firm as one of the best Chinese restaurants in the entire city. High-end shopping options at The Shops at Wynn include Alexander McQueen, Bulgari, and Chanel, and the Wynn Plaza includes Breitling, Hermes, and Cipriani restaurant, whose forerunner in Venice was the birthplace of the Bellini.