Many musical phenoms have been etched into the Las Vegas history books. Beginning in December, Lady Gaga will be added to that list as she embarks on her own Vegas residency.

After the cancellation of the end of her Joanne world tour, Gaga stayed in the shadows. We knew we hadn’t seen the last of her, but we didn’t necessarily expect this. Beginning on December 28th and continuing through November 2019, Lady Gaga will perform twenty-seven shows in the MGM Park Theatre. She is actually technically performing two different residencies as certain dates have been set aside for her top hits (Lady Gaga Enigma) and others will be focused on more relaxed sounds (Lady Gaga Jazz & Piano).

Since you’ve already set an alert to be notified when prices on flights drop (and you bought your concert tickets the second they went on sale), it’s clear you’re going. While Gaga will definitely be the highlight, no trip to Sin City would be complete without some on and off-the-Strip experiences.

Keep reading for ideas on how to best spend the rest of your time in Las Vegas (when you’re not painting a lot of glitter on yourself). These include sightseeing adventures, adrenaline-inducing adventures, and foodie adventures. Plus, we’ve added ten reasons why you cannot pass up this chance to see Lady Gaga, including the fact that we need to know if she will have any guests on stage. We understand you’re a dedicated fan willing to travel for Mother Monster, but others might need a gentle nudge.

20 See Gaga: She's Come A Long Way Since Debut With New Kids On The Block

Even before she smashed onto the scene as a solo act (thanks for finding her, Akon), she was gearing up for something big. As part of the burlesque-inspired duo Lady Gaga and the Stardust Review, she honed her voice, her style, and her unmistakable attitude in dimly lit bars and outdoor music festivals that barely paid enough for subway fare.

In 2008, New Kids on the Block came back to the block with a sold-out reunion tour. For their opening act, they chose none other than Lady Gaga. While we’re sure people were in fact excited to see NKOTB, there might have been equal parts excitement for Gaga. She had just released the hit of the summer, Just Dance, and her album, The Fame, was set to drop during the tour.

19 Experience Vegas: Drive Really, Really Fast At Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Satisfy your need for speed. If you’ve ever been curious what a 600 horsepower turbo engine rumbling beneath your feet feels like, the NASCAR/Andretti experience at Las Vegas Motor Speedway might be for you.

If you would rather be in the driver’s seat and lay into that gas pedal (sorry, the NASCAR experience is passenger only) then try out the speedway’s “Dream Racing”. Here, you can test drive any super car in the fleet (think Lamborghini, Maserati, Ferrari, or Porsche) after receiving one on one coaching on the mile long, nine-turn fast track. Packages start at $199 for five laps.

18 See Gaga: Her Alter Ego Might Make An Appearance

If you’re Lady Gaga, you’ve earned the right to do basically whatever you want. There is really nothing off limits, including dressing as a male and tricking an overseas fashion magazine.

Gaga did both of these things. According to Fashionista, Gaga wanted to see how much she could get away with. She didn’t stop at just wearing men’s clothes, she truly adopted the persona of Joe Calderone and led a Japanese company to believe he was a real male model that should be on the cover of their magazine.

Joe even accepted Lady Gaga’s Video Music Award at the 2011 show. The performance left many people scratching their heads, but mostly just because he was pretty believable.

17 Experience Vegas: Splish Splash At A Pool Party

There’s really never not a good time to join a pool party in Las Vegas. Thrillist recommends Rehab at the Hard Rock for daytime celebrity guests, DJs, and the latest in swimsuit fashion. You can expect the pool to be crowded, so plan on renting a cabana for more relaxation. Or, buy entry for the Encore Beach Club. Your pass comes with a ticket for their famous “night swim” so you can hang poolside in the evening after a day of sightseeing.

For a slightly more daring pool adventure with some toothier guests, head over to the Golden Nugget where there is a pool and waterslide that passes through a shark-infested aquarium.

16 See Gaga: She Wrote Her First Hit In Ten Minutes And Will Definitely Perform It

Have you ever waited until the last minute to do something and it turned out to be absolutely amazing? Yeah, neither have we. We also haven’t ever been overcome with a wonderful idea that changed the course of our lives within minutes. But Lady Gaga has.

According to Diply, Lady Gaga wrote her smash hit Just Dance in only ten minutes. Given the brief amount of time she actually spent working on the song, she was very surprised by how well it was received by her team. Even more surprising was its overall success as it reached number one on the charts in six countries.

It takes us ten minutes just to roll out of bed in the morning, so we consider this extremely productive.

15 Experience Vegas: Snag A Reservation At A World-Class Restaurant

You could spend all weekend dining at one hotel buffet after the next or ordering room service but we recommend upping your grub game just once on the trip.

Las Vegas has been hot on the food scene for many years. Leading the way is Joel Robuchon. The original chef and founder recently passed away, but his namesake restaurant with its sixteen course French tasting menu is alive and well at the MGM. You can only dine among the garden terrace and detailed marble for about five hours per day due to a 10pm closing, so book early to secure your table.

14 See Gaga: We Need To Know Her Outfit And Hair Color

According to BoomsBeat, Lady Gaga is a brunette. She kept her natural color through high school and into her early performance days, but then was once mistaken for Amy Winehouse at a club. She didn’t like being compared to another artist and wanted to have her own look. Hence, the blonde that now can take on any color on any given day depending on whether or not it’s paired with a wig.

There’s also the issue of her outfit choices. According to Diply, Gaga’s skin tone is much more visible to her grandmother (who is nearly blind and sees light colors best) than any sort of costume. By showing off her legs and torso, grandma is able to track her granddaughter’s dance moves.

13 Experience Vegas: Be A High Roller

While it is totally up to you how long you linger in the casino, we’re not referring to “high roller” in terms of how much money you spend or win.

High Roller is the name given to the 550-foot tall observation wheel at The Linq. For just over twenty dollars, you can take a ride high above the Las Vegas strip in a glass-enclosed cabin for views you cannot get anywhere else. It takes thirty minutes for the wheel to make one complete rotation and put you back on solid ground, so there is plenty of time for all the pictures from all the angles.

12 See Gaga: She Has Been Making Music Since Before Most Of Us Could Tie Our Own Shoes

In 1986, a baby girl named Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born. She developed many musical talents early on, multiplied by a desire to stand out and an ability to embrace her differences. The little girl that would eventually become Lady Gaga wasn’t your average child. While her peers were barely learning to tie their shoes and scribble their names on construction paper, she was taking day-long music lessons with some of the best.

According to Boomsbeat, Gaga started playing the piano at age four. Rather than run around outside with children her own age, she wanted to be in the company of adults learning everything there was to know about classical piano. By age eleven, she was able to compose her own musical scores.

11 Experience Vegas: Old Las Vegas On Fremont Street

To fully understand Las Vegas, you need to follow the road less traveled and visit Fremont Street. Whether it’s your first trip to Vegas or your tenth you will never grow tired of all the sights and sounds (a welcomed break from the Strip).

Walk the space all hours of the day or night for free concerts, tons of bars and restaurants, and street performers. Look up to see the always-running LED display and catch riders zooming by on the overhead zipline. Rub the belly of a Buddha statue at The California and then test your luck with one free slot machine play at Binions.

10 See Gaga: She Could Debut A New Tattoo

Lady Gaga has been inked nearly twenty times. To her, going under the needle is a form of self-expression (and we know how much she likes to express herself).

According to Billboard, she has an agreement with her father that she will keep one side of her body free of tattoos. She almost kept that promise, that is until Tony Bennett sketched a trumpet for her and she had it inscribed on the inside of her right arm to commemorate their collaboration.

Some of her other notable tattoos are the very large monster paw (for her “little monsters”), David Bowie’s face, and a mouse that symbolizes the nickname she had for her little sister growing up.

So, any guesses on how will she mark the Las Vegas residency?

9 Experience Vegas: Dance The Night Away At Electric Daisy Carnival

Each year, hundreds of thousands of electronic dance music fans descend upon Las Vegas for the Electric Daisy Carnival. The three day event is the largest of its kind in the country and is filled with visual effects, carnival rides, multiple stages, colorful costumes, and all the music you can handle.

Patrons can purchase general admission tickets to come each day or camp out for the duration of the festival in a tent. Just don’t plan on sleeping much, those neon lights shine bright all night.

The 2019 dates are set for mid-May, so you have time to learn more about EDM at EDC.

8 See Gaga: She And Madonna Seem To Have Patched Up Their Feud (A Duet maybe???)

When Lady Gaga’s hit Born This Way was released, there was a lot of talk about how it sounded and felt like Madonna’s Express Yourself. According to Popsugar, Gaga responded to tell everyone to find something else to focus on and Madonna didn’t say anything. Until a year later.

In 2012, Madonna went on 20/20 and took a few jabs at Gaga during the interview, including how the new artist seemed to be copying her music and style. This didn’t offend Gaga nearly as much as her not saying it to her face.

Despite any sort of hard feelings between the two, Gaga told Rolling Stone she admires Madonna and always has.

7 Experience Vegas: See Another Show

You most likely paid a pretty penny for those Lady Gaga concert tickets (opening night resale price on Ticketmaster is $195+ per ticket), but you can still catch another show on a budget while you are there.

Thanks to Tix4Tonight, you can see several Cirque du Soleil, magic, or comedy shows for half off their regular price. You don’t even have to stand in a line anymore to do it as the discount tickets are available on the web. This includes your pick of Elvis impersonation shows, which you probably need to see one time. Consider it a Las Vegas rite of passage.

6 See Gaga: A New Album May Be Dropped This Year And You Could Be The First To Hear It

Okay, we don’t want to spin up excitement if it’s not true. So we will preface this by saying that there has been some information leaked, but not confirmed.

According to Forbes, Lady Gaga has recently been spotted in music studios across the country. Word on the street is that she is making a return to her roots with a more dance pop vibe. Following that article, a news source from Canada released a snippet of what could be a new album and Fader wrote about a possible collaboration with pop artist, Sophie.

Would Gaga debut a new album at her first Vegas show? Maybe. It certainly seems like a Gaga move.

5 Experience Vegas: Stay At A Vintage Hotel

City officials in Las Vegas have a tendency to implode old hotels when they want to make space for newer ones (rest in peace Stardust, Sands, Landmark). However, the Golden Gate Hotel has been left standing for over 100 years and is a true original.

They refer to themselves as a place where the past meets the future. In other words, the building is historic and still has a flair from the Roaring 20s, but the guest rooms have all been updated with modern conveniences. According to Thrillist, it even housed Nevada’s first telephone. Call to make a reservation (or just do it online).

4 See Gaga: A Press Release About The Show Indicates It Will Be Like Nothing She Has Done Before

It’s only been ten years since we were unofficially introduced, even though we feel like we’ve known her forever. She has let her fans into the depths of her soul, meat dress and all. There have been some notable highlights over the years (aside from the meat dress) that will ensure Gaga isn’t forgotten anytime soon, but this latest press release has us thinking she is just getting started.

In it, Gaga notes that headlining in Las Vegas has been her lifelong dream. She plans to thank her fans by delivering a show unlike anything they’ve seen before. Considering her general over-the-top nature (and that Super Bowl performance) we can’t even imagine what tricks she might have up her sleeve.

3 Experience Vegas: Sing Your Favorite Lady Gaga Songs At Dino's

So, the Gaga concert just let out and there’s no way you are winding down anytime soon. You had the best night of your life and you want to scream it from the tallest building.

Keep the music alive at Dino’s Lounge near the Stratosphere (one of the tallest buildings). This dive bar is cash only and you will have to fight through the crowds of locals and thick smoke to order a drink, but it’s open all day and night which means endless hours of fun. Sign up with Danny G, leader of the famed karaoke nights, to belt out one or more of your favorite Gaga songs.

2 See Gaga: See Her In Concert And See Her New Movie In The Same Day

To say Lady Gaga is an accomplished musician is an understatement. She has six Grammy awards under her belt and in 2016 she added a Golden Globe to her collection. Her win, which appeared to shock her more than anyone, came after her rousing performance as The Countess in Am. Horror Story: Hotel. In her acceptance speech, she told the audience she had always dreamed of being an actress but music just worked out first.

We don’t want to speculate too much, but her upcoming film ‘A Star Is Born’ (opposite Bradley Cooper) looks like another winner. It just received rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival and is already drawing attention from critics.

1 Experience Vegas: Hit The Range At Topgolf

It can be a hassle to haul your clubs on vacation, which might mean forgoing an opportunity to play golf. At Topgolf, you can buy or rent anything you could possibly need (including instruction) so your vacation just got a whole lot more fun.

Topgolf is designed to make you feel more like you’re in a nightclub than at a golf course. With a pool, concert venue, and five bars providing bottle service you’ve never had an experience like this one. Explore the massive space and take your pick of over one-hundred driving bays to practice your swing. On your way out purchase a membership to visit other Topgolf locations around the country.

References: Thrillist, Forbes, Fashionista, Boomsbeat, Popsugar