Las Vegas by day -- January
 

My husband has decided that he wants to go to Vegas the last weekend in January to celebrate his 50th birthday. We can do dinner and shows in the evening, but what am I going to do with him all day long! The man doesn't drink or gamble!! We're staying at the Bellagio. If it was summer, lying by the pool would be fine, but in January?? We've both been to Vegas before for conventions. Suggestions?

Why not rent a car & go out to the Red Rocks area ?

You could go out to Hoover Dam; it's very pretty out by the lake, and they have interesting tours you can do. You could also go to the Grand Canyon. I think the key is to get out of Vegas for the day and see some nature and then come back at night for gambling, dinner, and shows.

Grand Canyon is something he's done before several times. I'm not familiar with Red Rocks. Can you tell me more about it?

The valley of fire is the area of red rocks, something similar to Sedona.

Red Rock state park is a mix if a park and red rocks.

There are bus tours to both if you don't want to drive.

There are also some helicopter tours in the area. Maverick is a good company if you want to check it out.

Red Rock Canyon:
http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/

Valley of Fire State Park:
http://www.parks.nv.gov/vf.htm

Either are good for a day trip.

In addition to red rock and valley of fire, go to Death Valley NP. It is awesome!!! Go north past area 51 on 95 to Beaty, head west, stop in Rhyolite for a quick look at a ghost town with a house made of bottles, then stop at the pull off with toilets at the top of the hill and walk across the streeet and look at the valley, fantastic. Then go down into the valley, stop at the borax works, the visitor's center, the devil's golf course, drive through artists pallet drive, stop at badwater, turn around and look at the sea level sign a couple of hundred feet up the cliff, come back and go out with a stop at zabriski point through Parumph and back to vegas. It's about 2+ hours from vegas.

also go out to the Ritz Carlton in Henderson and see Montelago Village. It's really pretty, and there's a nice little Mexican restaurant in the village there...

I second emalloy except I'd do the trip in reverse...LV to Pahrump, thence into Death Valley and out via Beaty.

I also recommend Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire. Great views and a nice day trip.
I am not a big fan of shopping on my vacation, but there are a few outlet malls near the strip and one outlet mall in Primm valley which is about a 35 min drive from the strip. The outlet mall in Primm has the original car that Bonnie and Clyde were killed in plus photos, letters, and the clothing Clyde was wearing while he was shot. It's not a very big exhibit so I wouldn't recommend the drive unless you also want to hit the mall for awhile. They also have a small amusement park. Most of the rides are for kids but they do have a very good roller coaster (not for the faint of heart) and a much less scary log flume ride that goes through the casino. http://www.primmvalleyresorts.com/
If you are renting a car there is also the Ethel M chocolate factory. http://www.vegas.com/attractions/off...ip/ethelm.html It was nothing spectacular but something different to do and they do give you a free piece of chocolate at the end of the tour.
Here is one more link to the vegas.com website. They have a list of all the museums and exhibits in Vegas. Maybe one of them might catch your eye. http://www.vegas.com/attractions/indoor.html
Hope this helps and have a great trip! :)

If your husband is interested in cars the Shelby factory does a great tour, I enjoyed it too. Its out by the Speedway track. You don't have to book as they do several tours each day.

There are also bus trips to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam. One bus trip covers both but you won't get much time at the Hoover Dam.
Vegas also has outlet shopping - easy to get to by bus. The Duece will take you to the outlets and it stops at most casinos. I always stay at the Flamingo because it is center of the strip (for me). You can travel down to Treasure Island and the Mirage to see the free shows. Across from Treasure Island is The Venetian. The Venetian has Gondola rides (not free)and just sight seeing at this amazing hotel casino is a must. It also has a lot of shopping. The show at the Venetian is Blue Man Group. Going the opposite way is Planet Hollywood and here you will find the Desert Passage shops - miles of fun shopping. Going further down is the outdoor free fountain show at the Belegio - a beautiful sight.
I also choose the Flamingo because they have acres of wildlife surrounding their pools. The pool should be open since it is supposed to be opened year round but when I stayed there last Feb., the pools were closed, however the beautiful grounds were still open and you could sit by the empty pools. I posted some pictures at and information at
<a href="http://www.creative-stitch.net" target="_self">http://www.creative-stitch.net</a> in the forum category.

Also out by the Ethyl M factory, there's a cactus garden that's worth at least a stroll - it should be very nice in January!

There's also the Springs Preserve that's really fun - the gardens and trails are free, but I'd recommend paying to get into the exhibits as well. There's also a Wolfgang Puck cafe there that has gotten favorable reviews (I can't vouch for it personally). It's a fun way to spend a few hours and there's lots of history about Las Vegas and has great examples of how the desert can be beautiful: springspreserve.org.

JBee thanks for mentioning the Springs Preserve. I have not heard of it yet and am always looking for new things to do in Vegas. I will be there this week and this will definitely make my to do list! :D

After a hike in the Red Rocks area how about a visit to a spa? Couples massage?

Does your DH have any ideas? Maybe he just wants to relax and read a book during the day and you can hit the spa??

I am not much of a drinker (ice tea is the exception) or gambler so I don't tend to stay out late in Vegas but it can't be beat for people watching or checking out opulence. When we are in town, we tend to get up early-ish, and walk through hotels, choosing one upscale restaurant to have a late lunch in. That way we can people watch, eat really good food and not pay dinner prices. If your husband likes to shop or window shop, there are tons of places on the Strip. Looking through shops and sitting periodically for a drink (alcoholic or non) will use alot of time. Of course my husband then wants to take a short revival nap before any late night shows. There is lots of shopping -outlet and super expensive - for browsing or buying and as mentioned, many nice places off Strip. When we are in town, we eat, walk and look - and have a great time so I hope you can too.

Forgot to mention - walking the Strip is a great way to use time, people watch and burn off those calories! Just don't make eye-contact or take any handouts from the street hawkers, even the femal ones. And yes, we are already passed 50.

Ohhhh - and I totally forgot my favorite thing to do in Vegas which my husband has come to love even more than I do - SPA! Steam room, soaks, massage - love 'em!!! Expensive! But haven't found one I wouldn't try. Really interesting one once at a nameless hotel when the masseuse wouldn't stop talking about all the celebrities she'd met and schtoop'd (?) LOL - "connected" with. Wasn't as relaxing as most but it was very entertaining and I could have always told her to shut up but I didn't. Anyway, give it a try!