Tours of the City
Walking Tours
There are a select number of walking tours in Las Vegas, although none of them feature the city’s most prominent landmark, the Strip. As for the Strip, visitors need no map or tour to take in the sights. The best way is just to walk along Las Vegas Boulevard and follow the bright flashing lights.
The entire grounds of the University of Nevada Las Vegas has been designated an arboretum. Monthly guided tours are available (organised on request) through the Arboretum Office, 4505 Maryland Parkway (tel: (702) 895 3392). A self-guided tour is available at the Barrick Museum of Natural History on the UNLV campus. The tour is self-paced and can be completed in under an hour. There is no charge. The university’s Xeric garden includes examples of unique plants from arid regions from around the world. Although springtime is the best time to experience the delicate beauty of the desert, many of the species in the garden bloom at different times of the year.
The Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, 2400 Moser Drive, Henderson (tel: (702) 566 2939), offers a possible glimpse of more than 200 species of birds, as well as being a serene place in which to stroll or have a picnic. There are mapped trails with observation areas and benches from which to observe the desert wildlife. The Preserve is open daily 0600–1500 (last entry at 1445) and entrance is free. Due to current security concerns, the preserve now has a security gate. Visitors are asked to punch in a code (listed at the gate), and security will open the door.
Bus Tours
Gray Line Las Vegas (tel: (702) 384 1234; website: www.grayline.com) offers a three-and-a-half-hour ‘Neon and Lights’ evening sightseeing tour of Las Vegas for US$39. The tour will pick up passengers at major hotels, starting at 1715, although the main departure time and point is 1830 at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino at Tropicana and Swenson. The tour includes a narrated guide to the Strip and various other renowned landmarks, including a visit to the Special Memory Wedding Chapel, and ends at the Fremont Laser Light Show, Downtown.
Other Tours
A number of companies operate various tours that take in the captivating desert landscape surrounding Las Vegas. Action Tours (tel: (702) 566 7400; website: www.actiontours.com) provides tours to attractions such as the Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Red Rock Canyon and also operates river rafting adventures, ATV Quad excursions, horseriding and aerial tours. Prices range from US$55 for a three-hour Hoover Dam tour to US$499 for the one-day whitewater rafting adventure on the Colorado River.
Guaranteed Tours (tel: (702) 369 1000; website: www.guaranteedtours.com) also operates local sightseeing tours to places such as Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, as well as the nearby towns of Mesquite and Laughlin. Tour prices range from US$7.50 for a ten-hour tour of Laughlin to US$599 for a 12-hour whitewater rafting adventure tour on the Colorado River.
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Tours of the City