The Strip is home to many of the world's largest hotels, resorts, and casinos in the world. It is known for its contemporary architecture, its decadence, and as being the Sin City capital of the United States. The opulence, the neon lights, the performances, the perceived freedom, and the gambling draw crowds from far and wide.
There is just so much to see and do in The Strip. While The Strip comes into its own after dark, there are scores of excursions awaiting visitors, tours of the Grand Canyon, tours of the Nuclear Test Site, and ATVs tours to name a few. The entertainment offered on the Strip is about everything that one could imagine.
About The Strip
The Strip is beautiful and certainly well worth a visit. Conveniently it is right next to the International Airport and has something for everyone (more than just the neon lights).
One of the strangest things about the Las Vegas Strip is that technically it's not in Las Vegas City but in Clark County in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester - but that's a technicality. So perhaps the iconic sign should read "Welcome to Fabulous Paradise."
- Length: 4.2 Miles or 6.8 Kilometers Long
- Official Name: The Strip Is Officially Called The Las Vegas Boulevard
The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign is not actually welcoming visitors to the city of Las Vegas as it is 4.5 miles outside of the city limits. "The Strip" is generally thought to run from the Sahara Casino (some travel guides have it starting at the Strat 0.4 miles further up) to Mandalay Bay that is considered the southernmost resort on the Strip.
Las Vegas has grown from a remote desert town no one would have cared about to one of the most iconic and popular tourist destinations in the world.
What's On The Strip
The Strip has profoundly changed since World War Two. In the 2000s it trended to the luxurious high-end segment with the opening of some of the biggest names in the gambling world.
It may surprise people that the Las Vegas Strip is no longer the highest-grossing gambling center in the world - that has become Macau in China. Whereas people can gamble across America and so don't actually need to go to Las Vegas to gamble, gambling is banned in Mainland China.
Some of the more famous hotels on the Strip include:
- Luxor: Massive Egypt-Themed Casino And Hotel With Over 4 Thousand Rooms
- The Venetian: Famous For Its Stunning Venice Replica Channels and Rides It Has Over 4,000 Rooms
- Caesars Palace: Boasting 3,348 Rooms It is One of The Largest And Most famous Casinos In The World. It's Themed On The Roman Empire
- The Mirage: Owned by MGM Resorts The Mirage Is Themed On Polynesia and Has 3,044 Rooms
- Treasure Island: Themed On Pirates and On The Caribbean It Has Almost Three Thousand Rooms
- MGM Grand: Themed On Art Deco and Hollywood, This Monster Casino Has 6,852 Rooms
- Bellagio: Has Almost Four Thousand Rooms and Themed On Bellagio In Italy
The building and expansion of the grandeur of the Strip are set to continue. Some of the mega projects in the works are:
- Astral Hotels: Building a 34 Story, 620 Room Hotel And Casino In The Southern Strip
- Dream Las Vegas: A 20 Story Boutique Hotel
It's Not All Casinos And Gambling
The Strip is the central artery of Sin City and is sure to deliver a sensory overload. But the Strip is not all casinos, there are many attractions (although many of them are also part of the casinos like the channels of The Venetian, and the dancing fountains of Bellagio Hotel and Casino). This is a boulevard that attracts everything from magicians to prostitutes.
The Strip boasts one of the most popular commercial centers - the Fashion Show Mall. Although the largest shopping mall in America is the Mall Of America in Minneapolis of all places. The massive casinos also offer their own boutique shopping. There are many shopping and amusement centers along the Strip. Some of them are:
- Bonanza Gift Shop: Advertised As The "World's Largest Gift Shop"
- Grand Canal Shoppes: The Luxury Mall Connect To The Venetian and Its Canals
- The LINQ Promenade: An Open-Air Retail, Dining And Entertainment District
- The Forum Shops At Caesars: A Luxury Mall Of 160 shops Connected To Caesars Palace
- Adventuredome: Indoor Amusement Park At Circus Circus
To really see and appreciate how beautiful the Strip is, consider a helicopter flight over it. One can book a simple flight, a VIP flight with a gourmet meal, or as part of a Grand Canyon sightseeing package. Papillon is one of the tour companies offering Vegas and Grand Canyon helicopter packages.