Until recently Las Vegas existed for only one reason: gambling. Yes, there were cultural attractions and local events, but tens of millions of visitors came to this fantasyland for adults primarily to try their luck. With gambling becoming legalized around the country, however, the city is investing billions of dollars to turn itself into a Disney-like family destination, with a vacation’s worth of fun things for kids to see and do.
Non-gambling activities are proliferating as fast as casinos. Every major hotel built in the 1990’s has an amusement park, high-tech entertainment, free spectacles, or a theme so fully realized as to be educational; each of the many hotels slated to open has similar plans. Of course, Las Vegas is still the nation’s premier gambling destination, and thanks to the subsidizing effect of casino profits, visitors can play blackjack, ride a roller coaster, stuff themselves at an all-you-can-eat buffet, or partake of dozens of other amenities at prices that are cheaper than anywhere else in the world.
A drive through town will show you an extraordinary collection of neon signs and flashing lights, especially on Fremont Street downtown. Drive only a few minutes from the flamboyant Strip and you’ll discover a Southwestern landscape of red rock, Joshua trees, and yucca. To the east, 40 minutes away, are Hoover Dam, one of the greatest man-made wonders, and Lake Mead, one of the largest “artificial” lakes in the world. Zion, Bryce, Death Valley, and some other natural wonders are only a few hours away.
Las Vegas, the largest city in Nevada, is 2,162 feet above sea level, but the desert still defines the climate: bone-dry and hot in the summer, sunny and pleasant in spring and fall, cool and sometimes downright cold in winter. The weather is best April-May and October-November, with highs in the 70s and 80s and a low of 45. In summer, the fierce desert sun pushes the mercury to above 110 (the heat is relatively free of humidity and more tolerable than, say Disney World in the summer). When the sun is at its fiercest, Las Vegas lives indoors, in the hotel rooms, showrooms, and the casinos, where everything is air-conditioned.