Las Vegas has become synonymous with its casinos. The city grew from a small community that served the many workers constructing the Hoover Dam into a thriving destination for those with a penchant for gaming across the United States and the rest of the world.
The Nevadan city single-handedly invented the giant integrated resort concept that combines enormous gaming floors with huge hotels and a myriad of other amenities. This model has since been replicated elsewhere in the world, in places like Atlantic City, Singapore, and Macau.
Of course, today, you can now get the vegas experience legally online at one of these casino sites that OLBG has curated. Thanks to these gaming platforms, you can enjoy modern video slots and classics like roulette, blackjack, and baccarat from your computer, smartphone or tablet.
That hasn’t stopped millions of people heading to Las Vegas every year though. Among them are many looking for other types of thrills from the city’s smorgasbord of non-gaming activities and attractions.
Either right on the strip or just a short distance away from it, you’ll find everything from boutique shopping to brilliant shows from some of the world’s most famous musicians, magicians, and other performers.
But of everything that you can do in Las Vegas, here are some of the best non-gaming activities.
Roller Coasters and Thrill Rides
Pound for pound, Las Vegas packs in more thrills than any other city in the world. One way it manages this is by having some exciting and unique roller coasters and white-knuckle rides.
If you travel into the city by road from California, chances are you’ll pass through Primm. This is the first and last place Californians can visit a casino on their journeys to and from Sin City. But the owners of Primm Valley Resorts weren’t satisfied with just being a roadside gaming establishment, so they built a huge hypercoaster.
This giant roller coaster, known as Desperado, was the tallest of its kind when it opened in 1994 and can reach speeds of up to 80 mph.
In Las Vegas itself, you’ll find many more roller coasters. At New York-New York, the Big Apple Coaster offers stunning views of the strip in between its multiple inversions. Over at Circus Circus’s Adventuredome, you’ll find both the lightning-fast El Loco and the twisting Canyon Blaster coaster.
If that’s still not enough, The Strat offers a mix of terrifying thrill rides that’ll have you fired into the air, spun around over the side of the roof, and whizzed back down to the ground at speed.
Sporting Events
Las Vegas has been the home of boxing and MMA for quite some time, but it has gradually been developing a much larger sporting repertoire in more recent years. The most recent addition occurred when the Oakland Raiders moved to become the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020.
On top of that, the NHL has the Vegas Golden Knights in the city. They have played at the T-Mobile Arena since the team was founded in the league’s expansion in 2017. Basketball fans aren’t excluded either. The Las Vegas Aces WNBA team have competed in the city at the Michelob Ultra Arena since 2018.
There are also eight minor league teams, including the Las Vegas Lights FC soccer team and the Las Vegas Aviators baseball team.
Fans of motorsport can also visit Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 80,000 capacity venue will be hosting MotoGP from 2022, in addition to its existing line-up of NASCAR events that take place there.
With these teams competing at different times of the year, you will almost always find some great professional sports taking place in Vegas regardless of when you visit.
Gondola Rides
Las Vegas casinos have recreated many of the best attractions from other parts of the world and put them all into one place. The Venetian Resort is a great example of this thanks to its Venetian-style canals and the authentic gondola rides you can take on them.
While it’s not quite the same as visiting the beautiful Italian city of Venice in person, it’s about as close as you’ll get while staying in North America.
This attraction is great for couples as a romantic trip on a gondola includes a performance from a singing gondolier who accompanies his gentle rowing with some sweet tunes.
Twice a day, all of the gondoliers come together for a spectacular performance known as the Gondolier March. This sees them sing in unison as they travel along the canals. The march takes place at 9:50 am and again at 4:20 pm.
It’s a much more sedate affair than the thrill rides you find at other casinos, but it’s no less fun and a great way to relax and unwind in the hectic city.
