Fun On The Las Vegas Strip

ISSA/INTERCLEAN may have longer show hours this year, but there's still plenty of time for a little fun. Here's a sampling of attractions available on the Las Vegas Strip.

Indoor Skydiving
200 Convention Center Drive.
http://www.vegasindoorskydiving.com/
Would you like the thrill of a lifetime, without having to jump out of a plane? Vegas Indoor Skydiving, the first indoor skydiving facility opened in the U.S., is a fantastic place to simulate the free fall aspect of skydiving. With a vertical wind tunnel that hit up to 120 mph, customers can get suited up for a full three minutes of simulation (which is much longer than the free fall from an airplane).
$75 for first experience.

Exotic Driving
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
6925 Speedway Blvd., Suite C-105
http://www.exoticsracing.com/
If your lead foot has given you a reputation with your family and friends, you might love the chance to drive some of the world’s fastest sports cars on a racetrack. Push performance limits in a way you’d never be able to on the streets of your hometown by getting pro driving instructions and giving a Porche, Lamborghini, Ferrari or McLaren a few spins around the track. Choose from 15 cars. Located 20 minutes from the strip.
From $99.

Cruise The Dunes
The Nellis Dunes
http://www.nevadatours.net/?event=offer.detail&offerId=6930
If off-roading is your thing, tap into your need for speed and head out to the Nellis Dunes for a ride in a custom-built mini Baja dune buggy. See 15,000 acres of rugged Nevada desert like you’ve never seen it before. After training and a safety lesson with an instructor, drivers of the ATVs are free to wander through the challenging terrain, where there is no speed limit. The tour includes hotel pick-ups and drop-offs.
From $205.

Hit The Shooting Range
3501 Aldebaran Ave.
http://machinegunsvegas.com/
Video games can be considered fun entertainment, but if you want to have a modern day shooting adventure with real guns, or if you’ve ever wanted to fire a machine gun, look into Vegas shooting ranges like Machine Guns Vegas. The range provides a “firearms experience” to customers that include corporate packages for groups. Choose from packages like World War II and Femme Fatale and select the appropriate firearms. Then a trainer will familiarize you with how to handle the guns before you fire them during simulations in the indoor range.
Packages starting at $110.

Hit The Golf Course
Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Hotel
3131 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/Activities/Golf/WynnGolfCourse
Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or just like visiting the driving range with friends and colleagues, Vegas has pristine golfing weather — especially in November. There are plenty of area golf ranges, clubs and resorts, but Wynn Las Vegas is the only hotel on The Strip to have a golf course on its property. Club and shoe rental is available for the par 70, 7,042-yard, 18-hole course. Reservations are available 30 days in advance for members of the public, and 90 days in advance for resort guests.
$500 per day.

Titanic Artifacts
Luxor Las Vegas
3900 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
http://www.luxor.com/entertainment/titanic.aspx
Visiting Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will take you back in time as you revisit the historic ship’s rise and (literal) fall. Once hailed as “unsinkable,” the Titanic sunk on its maiden New York-bound voyage across the Atlantic. The exhibit features more than 250 artifacts recovered from the wreck site, as well as recreations of some famous rooms on the ship.
Tickets: $32

Meet The Mob
300 Stewart Ave.
http://themobmuseum.org/
The 1950s were the mobs’ heyday in Las Vegas. Learn about the famous mobsters, what drew them to Vegas, and the face-offs between organized crime and law enforcement that defined an era of Las Vegas’ checkered past. Tour interactive exhibits, view high-tech theater presentations and view iconic artifacts to learn more about the events that shaped the city’s history and present, from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre to the historic former federal building that now houses the museum.
Tickets: $20.

Go Digging
3012 S. Rancho Drive
http://www.digthisvegas.com/
Kids playing in the sandbox have always imagined themselves driving bulldozers and excavators — and now, in a city that is always outdoing itself, adults can indulge those childhood fantasies. After a safety and in-cab orientation at Dig This Heavy Equipment Playground, customers go through a series of warm-up exercises and activities, such as excavator basketball and bulldozer teeter-totter. Then they’ve got free time to have some fun and see what their machines can do.
Sessions start at $250.

Ride The Deuce
http://www.transitunlimited.org/RTC_Transit_Deuce
It’s not everyday you get to ride a double-decker bus. But the reliable, 24/7 city buses that navigate up and down The Strip will give you just that opportunity. If you’ve got tired trade show feet or it’s just a little too warm outside, the Deuce will take you to destinations, beginning near McCarron International Airport and ending at Fremont Street. Stops are located at every resort and casino along the strip from Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay, or about every quarter-mile, and are marked with signs or shelters. Explore The Strip!
$6 for a two-hour pass; $8 for a 24-hour pass.

All Hail Pinball
1610 E. Tropicana
http://www.pinballmuseum.org/
The allure of a pinball game is hard for anyone to resist. The world’s largest pinball collection at the Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame, with games from the 1950s to the 1990s (pinball’s heyday), is a pinball-lover’s dream come true. If you’ve had enough spending at the casinos, you can keep entertained for hours for a mere 25 to 50 cents per game.
Free admission.

Get Wet And Wild
7055 S. Fort Apache Road
http://www.wetnwildlasvegas.com/index.htm
Want to burn off some of that extra energy you’ve built up with lattes, convention center food and cocktail hours this week? Escape the heat of The Strip and hit the pool. Whether you’re an adrenaline junkie and crave the simulated rapids and waterfalls or you just want to hang out and relax in the cool water, a visit to Wet ‘n Wild Las Vegas may be just what you need.
Admission: $40

Cirque du Soleil
Various Hotels
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/home.aspx#/en/home.aspx
The entertainment hybrid between circus arts and street entertainment that is Cirque du Soleil has been wowing crowds in Las Vegas for years now, and it just never gets old. New shows, like the Michael Jackson ONE, are being introduced, while long-running shows like The Beatles LOVE continue to sell out. A total of eight Cirque shows are now running in Vegas.
Tickets from $75.

Brush Up On Your Show Tunes
Paris Las Vegas and The Luxor
http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/vegas/
http://www.menopausethemusical.com/
There are always some great Broadway musicals taking the stages of Las Vegas. Getting rave reviews right now are Jersey Boys, the story of four blue-collar kids becoming one of pop’s great success stories, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, as well as Menopause: The Musical, a humorous celebration of women and “the change.”
Tickets starting at $60 and $55, respectively.

Feel The Magic
The Luxor and Rio
http://www.luxor.com/entertainment/entertainment_believe.aspx
http://www.pennandteller.com/
If keynote speaker David Blaine has inspired a magical streak, there are plenty of magicians and illusionists putting on shows in Las Vegas to get your fix. The dark and gothic Criss Angel has joined forces with Cirque du Soleil to create a unique magic and entertainment performance. Off the Strip, Penn and Teller, Vegas’ famous team of comedic magicians, has been performing together for 30 years now, and shows no signs of stopping.
Tickets start at $76 and $57, respectively.

Become A Crime Scene Investigator
The MGM Grand
3799 S. Las Vegas Blvd
http://www.mgmgrand.com/entertainment/csi-the-experience.aspx
Play the role of a crime scene investigator at CSI: The Experience, where you’re challenged with three murders, 15 lab stations and three killers. Guided by videos featuring cast members, you can examine bullet casings and make DNA matches just like your favorite characters do on the show. Get an official CSI Diploma if you find the killer in this hands-on, technologically advanced attraction.
Tickets are $28.

posted on 8/29/2013