The water show in front of the Bellagio; St. Mark's Place and the canals within the Venetian; the Eiffel Tower replica at Paris Las Vegas;  the lion habitat at MGM Grand; nightly volcano eruptions at the Mirage; the Luxor pyramid; the Roman streetscape at the Forum Shops in Caesars Palace; the Mardi Gras-style Show in the Sky at Rio's Masquerade Village; the view from the observation deck at the Stratosphere Tower; the Fremont Street Experience.  This is Las Vegas! 

Historically, Fremont Street is where it all began, from a small railroad stop at the turn of the century to one of the brightest streets in the world. For decades, Fremont Street was one of the best places to cruise in a convertible car but now the street has been closed off to traffic and it is a pedestrian paradise lined with kiosks, souvenir shops and, of course, many, many casinos.

Often, visitors to Las Vegas venture no more than a few hundred yards away from the Strip, the 3.5-mile-long stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard that's lined on both sides with casino hotels. Because so much is concentrated on one street, it is easier to understand the layout of the city if you break the Strip into sections. The South Strip begins near McCarran International Airport, extends north to Harmon Avenue and includes the major intersection where the Strip meets Tropicana Avenue. The Central Strip runs from Harmon north to Spring Mountain Road and includes the busy Flamingo Road intersection. The North Strip goes from Spring Mountain to just north of Sahara Avenue.

Downtown is located a few miles north of the northern end of the Strip. There the casinos are smaller, older and less lavish, but the area has its own theme attraction, the outdoor light show known as the  Fremont Street Experience.

If you want to see what there is to do away from the casinos and bright lights, take a panoramic peek at nearby recreational areas such as  the spectacular Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Mt. Charleston and the quaint little town of Boulder City, the only town in the state of Nevada where gambling remains illegal.