Things to do in Las Vegas

Nature · 20 minutes west of Summerlin

Red Aztec sandstone escarpments and a 13-mile one-way scenic loop, close enough that people go before work.

Local tip: Timed-entry reservations apply through the cooler months and sell out — book ahead. In summer the only sane window is the first hour after opening; the rock radiates heat all afternoon.

Food · Chinatown, west of the Strip

Three miles of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai and Taiwanese restaurants in strip malls — the valley's real dining scene.

Local tip: Much of it runs late or all night for the graveyard shift, which is why locals eat here and not on the Strip. Park at the plaza you are eating in; the mall lots are policed.

Culture · North Las Vegas Boulevard

A boneyard of retired hotel signs — the Stardust, the Moulin Rouge, the Silver Slipper — arranged in an outdoor lot behind the salvaged La Concha lobby.

Local tip: Book the after-dark slot. The restored signs only light up at night, and the daytime tour is the same objects in flat desert glare.

Neighborhood · 18b, south of downtown

A warehouse grid south of Fremont turned galleries, breweries, vintage shops and antique malls — the part of Las Vegas that has nothing to do with tourism.

Local tip: First Friday each month closes the streets for an open-studio night. Otherwise go on a weekday afternoon; several galleries keep gallery hours, not bar hours.

Landmark · 45 minutes south-east

The 1936 dam across Black Canyon, with Lake Mead's bathtub ring behind it recording two decades of Colorado River shortage.

Local tip: Boulder City, built to house the dam workers, is the only municipality in Nevada where gambling is illegal — a genuinely strange 25-minute drive from the Strip. The lakeside cafes there are the reason to stay past the dam tour.

Nature · 45 minutes north-west, Spring Mountains

Bristlecone pine, alpine trails and a small ski area on an 3,600-metre massif that most visitors never learn exists.

Local tip: It runs roughly 12–15°C cooler than the valley floor, which makes it the local escape in August rather than a winter destination. Take chains in winter — the highway is a mountain road and closes.