Las Vegas Travel Guide: Where to Eat, Stay, & Play
Rocio and I had been talking about going to Las Vegas for some time now to see the 7 Magic Mountains. When we heard that they were going to be taken down at the end of the year, we decided to make the trip happen sooner rather than later! We invited a few friends to come with us so it became a fun girls trip! In this post, I am sharing our favorite sights, the restaurants we ate at, and the hotel we stayed at.
What To See
The Venetian
The Venetian is a fun hotel to check out in Vegas! It has a recreation of the Venice Canals that goes through the actual hotel and ends outside of the hotel. Seeing the gondolas made me miss Italy! For those of you that don’t know, I actually studied abroad a few summers ago in Florence so I’m always missing Italy. There are a lot of shops and restaurants in the hotel so there’s something for everyone. The ceilings on the same floor as the casino are painted to look like the Sistine Chapel too!
TIP: The Venetian has free self-parking!
Paris, Las Vegas/The Bellagio Fountains
The view in front of the Bellagio is hands down my favorite view in Las Vegas! I’m obsessed with Paris (hence the beret) so I loved the mini Eiffel Tower at Paris, Las Vegas. The fountains go off every 30 min so we got to see them a handful of times during the day. We also strolled through Paris Las Vegas and the Bellagio, both of which are super pretty.
Two tips for you guys!
TIP: Some of the Bellagio restaurants are right on the water and I really wanted us to dine at one for the view! We never got the chance too, but I definitely recommend it to treat yourself 😉
TIP: The fountain shows at night are the best! When we went at night, the fountain show was coordinate to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by The Beatles (huge Beatles fan over here!).
7 Magic Mountains
One of the main reasons we wanted to visit Las Vegas was to see the 7 Magic Mountains! It’s an art installation about 20 minutes outside of Vegas. There are talks that it’s coming down at the end of the year which is why we rushed down there! It may stay up longer (fingers crossed!). The rocks were so pretty and colorful, especially at sunset! We decided to visit at the golden hour for the best shots. I thought this would be a less crowded time to go but I was sorely mistaken! There were a ton of people there so it was almost impossible to get shots without people in the background but we somehow managed 😉
Las Vegas Sign
The Welcome to Las Vegas sign is definitely iconic! It’s located at the end of the strip near the Mandalay Bay hotel. We really wanted to get some fun shots here but our schedule was pretty packed so we squeezed it in one of the mornings during our stay. There is a parking lot for the sign where we parked and then waited in line for our shots. The line actually went by pretty fast!
I got a spray tan at Tan PDX before this trip so that I could have some color in these photos! I love the way the spray tan turned out. I try to to take good care of my skin so I wear a lot of sun screen. A spray tan is a great option for getting that sun kissed look without the damage! Check out Tan PDX if you are in the Portland area.
The Neon Museum
We all loved visiting the Neon Museum! It was really cool seeing all of the old Vegas signs that have retired here. There are actually tours that you can do to learn about the history of the signs. We decided to do general admission, but I would have loved to learn more about the stories behind the signs. The photos we took here are some of my favorites from the trip so I highly recommend visiting! You can buy tickets here.
Toyota was kind enough to lend us the new 4Runner for our trip which was perfect for our adventures to Red Rock, the Valley of Fire, and the 7 Magic Mountains. It was super spacious even with four girls and all of our stuff! I love the new blue color too. It definitely makes a statement 😉
Valley Of Fire
The Valley of Fire is a state park located in the Mojave Desert about an hour outside of the city. I had seen pictures of the Valley of Fire on Pinterest so I decided we had to go! Especially since it was only and hour outside the city. The Valley is definitely deserving of it’s name! The red Aztec sandstones where absolutely stunning. It was a sight to see! We didn’t drive through as much of the valley as we would have liked to because of time limitations, but it was definitely worth seeing.
TIP: Tickets into the state park were $10 per vehicle. I would give yourself a whole day if you want to see all the sights!
Red Rock
Red Rock Canyon was only about 20 minutes away from the strip in the Mojave Desert. My friend recommended this spot to me so I definitely wanted to see it in person! It’s a 13 mile loop with several outlooks, hikes, and stops. My favorite stop was actually the first one, Calico I. The red Aztec sandstones here were stunning! It’s a one way loop so it was super easy to drive through and everyone really enjoyed it! Tickets are $15 and you can buy them here.
Where To Eat
Honey Salt
Honey Salt was the perfect spot for a ladies brunch! I loved the atmosphere at this chic, modern bistro. The decor, the food, and the music were all on point! We shared the Farmer’s Toast, the Lemon Chicken Salad, the Burrata, and the Margherita Flatbread. All of the plates were amazing, but I think my favorites were the Farmer’s Toast and the Lemon Chicken Salad. Honey Salt is located 15 min away from the strip but it’s definitely worth the visit. I loved getting away from the hustle and bustle of the strip for a nice, relaxed brunch.
Buddy V’s
If you love Italian food, then Buddy V’s is where it’s at! This is Buddy Valastro the “Cake Boss” star’s restaurant, located in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. I loved the homey feel at this restaurant from the family photos on the walls to the modern, Italian decor. We ordered the Margherita Pizza, Spaghetti Pomodore, the Spaghetti Bolognese, and Aunt Nina’s Mozzarella en Carozza. Oh and of course the garlic bread! All of the dishes were delicious. One of our friends is vegan and the chef made her a special vegan dish which I thought was above and beyond. She also had the Spaghetti Pomodore without the parmesan.
Veggy Street
We were all excited to go to Veggy Street because they serve all vegan dishes! We had a vegetarian and a vegan on the trip and Rocio and I love vegetarian/vegan food. We ordered the Veggy Eleven burger, the Vegan “Chik’n” Wrap, the Burrito In.ferno, and a side of the Yucca fries. I’ve never had Yucca fries before and they were super yummy! The Veggy Eleven burger was especially delicious too. We met the owner of the restaurant and he was super nice. He told us they are opening another location soon so there are more options if you decide to visit!
Where To Stay
Tru By Hilton
We stayed at the Tru by Hilton near the Las Vegas airport. What I loved about the hotel was Top It Breakfast Bar! There were so many options for breakfast with 35+ toppings so we were fueled for our day. There was also a 24 hour coffee bar and the lobby had tons of lounge/work areas for the working traveler. It was super easy to get to the airport and it was close to the strip!
We had so much fun on our Vegas trip and I am so glad we decided to go! There are a ton of other attractions to see in Vegas besides the ones that we saw, but these are definitely at the top of my list!
Have any of you ever been to Las Vegas? What were your favorite attractions?
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I hope you guys enjoyed my Las Vegas travel guide For more US travel and global travel too, check out the tabs at the top of the menu bar for a list with more destination locations.
XOXO
These are all great ideas and wonderful for a cop[ule that is looking to get away for a few days.
Yes, definitely! Thank you <3