September 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 71

golfing at any of 40 area
golf courses or burning another couple miles of shoe
leather and heading down
to Freemont Street. Along
the way, history buffs may
want to pop in at the hit
TV show's " Pawn Stars "
shop at 713 South Las
Vegas Avenue before
making their way to the
Freemont Street light
show experience.
You can avoid blisters
by taking the tram from
Mandalay Bay to Excalibur and crossing over the
Strip to the MGM where
you can pick up the
Monorail. The Monorail travels from MGM
Grand to Sahara Ave.,
seven days a week. Visit www.lvmonorail.com for stops and
ticket prices.

Las Vegas News Burea

the Sands, Sahara, New Frontier and
the Riveria took their place along the
4.2 miles of asphalt.
The Flamingo is the sole survivor
of the Strip's early heyday. The others fell prey to the construction of
mega hotels and resorts in the 1990s,
replaced by such names as the Luxor,
Venetian, Mirage, Bellagio and Mandalay Bay to name but a few.
A hike down the Strip from the
Tropicana to Circus Circus is both
good exercise and good sightseeing.
A stop at The Bellagio Conservatory and its airy atrium, for example,
offers a nice retreat for flower lovers.
Time the walk during evening hours
and the resort's water show provides
an extra bonus. The Mirage has its
own evening extravaganza, as well,
a Volcano that erupts every hour on
the hour after dusk.
The Palazzo's two-story waterfall
atrium and seasonal flower display
are another must-see for nature lovers.
But if wildlife is your passion instead,
swing by the Flamingo's Wildlife habitat. Catch a glimpse of the birds that
inspired the hotel's famous sign and
watch the playful antics of their other
fine-feathered friends.
Or, maybe a midday ride on the
High Roller is more your speed. Touted as the world's largest observation
wheel, this 550-foot-tall attraction offers an unparalleled view of the Strip
and downtown, day or night. One
complete rotation takes approximately 30 minutes and riders travel in style
in any of 28 air-conditioned pods.
If you're happier a little closer to terra
firma, a float down the Venetian streetscapes in a gondola is something you
may not want to pass up. Both indoor
and outdoor rides are available and provide a scenic passage under balconies,
beneath bridges and beside cafes.
Feeling extra ambitious? Consider

How Do You Compare?
Of the 41,126,512 people who visited Las Vegas in 2014, more than 5 million were
convention delegates. Here's a snapshot of what Las Vegas visitors look like as compiled by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Research Department:

Average stay

Percentage of
visitors under
age 21

Average visitor age

3.2 10 45.2
nights

Percentage of
visitors who are
first timers

years old

Percentage of
visitors who travel
from southern
California

Percentage of
international
visitors

W W W. N R PA . O R G | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 |

Parks & Recreation

September 2015 - Parks & Recreation

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