One Day in Las Vegas
We recently spent just over three weeks in Vegas and although the reason for our long stay was unpleasant (an entire wheel came off of our RV causing thousands of dollars in damage), we aren’t mad about the extra time to explore! While we waited on insurance, parts, and repairs, we took advantage of our location and spent many days exploring in and around the Las Vegas area. This gave us time to visit some places more than once and we’ve picked our favorites!
(Note: Keep in mind, this sample itinerary requires a LOT of driving and many of these locations close at 5PM. Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Seven Magic Mountains are all on the outskirts of town so you may need to select just one or two of these sites.)
If we were to only have ONE day in Vegas, here’s what we would do!
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
We had very limited time when we visited plus the heat was already BRUTAL so we opted for the driving tour plus one short hike with a picnic in the shade. We chose to do the quick, out and back, Petroglyph wall trail. Seeing the petroglyphs in person was a unique experience!
Note: the scenic drive requires reservations between October and May.
Hoover Dam
If I’m being honest… one of the best parts of the trip to Hoover Dam was all the dam jokes. ;) We did not participate in a dam tour due to the price of tickets but would probably do that next time. Even without accessing the tour, we were able to park in the covered garage and walk across the top of the dam. It was so much bigger than you expect!
Downtown Las Vegas (Fremont Street area)
Downtown Las Vegas has three spots we enjoyed visiting multiple times while we were in the area: Fergusons Downtown, Container Park, and Fremont Street. These are all technically walkable but we chose to drive and park close to Fremont Street for that portion of our visit.
Fergusons was our FAVORITE. It’s a very small block with local shops and a green space. We made several purchases over our visits here. LV Plant Collective has a great selection of plants and decor… we had to take one home! Don’t miss The Gather House, located just outside the square of Fergusons. This area includes a few different local vendors/artists, too! Make sure to check Fergusons’ website for special events.
Container Park is about 6 blocks from Fergusons and also has shops, food, and a play area. All of the buildings are made from shipping containers, hence the name! We happened to visit one day during an art market so we got to experience a lot of extra local vendors and artists. They also have live music from time to time so check out their events page! “Shop Mama Sage” was our favorite store in this area. They have cute merchandise and great gifts! The play area was great for our kids - it’s basically a giant tree house - and allowed them to run off some energy so we could all keep touring :)
Fremont Street is a whole experience! We saw street performers and artists, old casinos, zip-lining, and more! We came back at night for the free light show that happens across the roof and we were not disappointed. Please note that the Fremont Street Experience comes with a “disclaimer”. While we felt comfortable taking our kids, we understand not everyone will feel the same. We launched our travel from Houston and lived in Portland (OR) and San Antonio before that, so we are accustomed to downtown areas and the variety of people that come with that. Like the Vegas Strip, there were street performers of various levels of “dress” (women and men) and people from all walks of life. Part of the reason we hit the road was to experience (and for our children to experience) diversity in all forms… Fremont Street provides that and opens the door to conversation with our kids. Everyone has to decide for themselves if this experience is right for them!
Seven Magic Mountains
These colorful rock statues live south of Vegas and are free to visit! Located pretty much in the middle of the desert, they are truly works of art. While they might not seem like much, our entire family enjoyed the visit and we spent quite a bit of time taking pictures and exploring.
Note - it is VERY crowded. We haven’t unlocked the best time to go but we did find patience to be very important. Waiting for just the right moment and finding the right angles to hide other visitors was worth the extra time!
Las Vegas Strip
We had so much fun walking up and down the strip on multiple occasions. While we appreciated a casino or two ;), our kids preferred the giant candy store, the Hershey’s and M&M stores, and the gaming store. Funnily enough, they were most excited about the “fancy” Raising Cane’s. It is small but two stories and decorated in full Vegas style! It was definitely a change from the norm and we had a yummy familiar lunch on one of our last days in Vegas.
The biggest winner for all of us was the Bellagio Fountain! We went multiple evenings and stayed for about an hour each time. The fountains play about every 15 minutes and to a variety of tunes. I don’t think we ever heard the same song twice!
Bonus - Valley of Fire State Park
If you have more than one day, we recommend a trip to Valley of Fire State Park! This park is about a 45 minute drive to the northeast of Vegas. It has beautiful hiking, unexpected slot canyons, and caves galore! Make sure to stop in the visitor center for their junior ranger program. It was one of our kids’ favorites!
