Experiencing Las Vegas in a Day For Less

In the summer of 2016 I took a roadtrip from Chicago to California with my family. On the way we made a few stops at different U.S. National Parks and several cities along the way. On our way from Los Angeles, California to the Grand Canyon we made a short stop at the fabulous city of Las Vegas, Nevada. I was not planning on staying there, but it was a day with temperatures over 110°F (43°C) and I had gotten ill the day before giving me a fever of 102°F (38.8°C). My family was tired and I needed some rest to get better so we decided to stop and stay at Las Vegas. I found a great deal at Harrah’s Hotel & Casino through Hotwire.com (Click Here to get up to 60% off in hotels).

We were only going to spend the night, but it was early in the afternoon and some of my family members had never been to Las Vegas. I decided to use the opportunity to explore what we could in the one day we were going to be there. From talking to the locals and friends who had been there before, I learned so many tips that I wanted to share them with you.

Staying at a great Hotel & Casino for cheap

Getting a hotel on the day you need it in Las Vegas on the last minute sounds like a daunting task and an expensive ordeal, but it wasn’t the case. TIP: What most people don’t realize is that Las Vegas actually has great deals on hotel stays in the summer, specially those first couple of weeks of July. It’s in the middle of the desert so the temperatures there are unbearable to most, but remember they do have air conditioning. We used our handy dandy smartphone to check prices on several apps. The best apps are Hotels.com, Expedia.com, Hotwire, and HotelTonight. Both Hotels.com and Hotwire gave me the best prices. We got an amazing deal at Harrah’s that with all the fees and taxes came to a cost of $60/night. Obviously there were cheaper options for other less known hotels, but they were not on the strip and we didn’t have enough time there to make it worthwhile staying someplace else.

What most people don’t realize is that Las Vegas actually has great deals on hotel stays in the summers, specially those first couple of weeks of July.

Remember that when traveling or going on any road trip, your smartphone is your best friend. If you use your computer, remember this great TIP: always use a browser that allows private browsing. Why? Well, most sites save information files on your computer when you visit their site which are called cookies. What are they? They are files that contain information about: what you like, what you search, social media sharing, ads, what you clicked on, products you like, recents browsing, etc. What you might not know is that sites can check the cookies on your computer and know that you were looking for hotels, flights, etc. They use the cookie information and give you pricing based on that. It can mean that if you’re looking for hotels or flights, the more you search, the more expensive the deals become. With private browsing, cookies are not saved. A favorite browser of mine is Google Chrome‘s browser on “incognito mode”. It prevents sites from saving cookies, other information, or tracking you.

What can you do or see in just one day?

There’s a lot of things you can do in Vegas, but you must already be familiar with the strip or do some research before you go. There’s a lot of amazing shopping areas, zip lines, shows, music, night clubs, restaurants, rollercoasters, and of course, gambling. First thing is first: take a picture at the iconic Las Vegas sign.

Explore the Amazing Fremont Street

One great place to go spend hours walking around, shopping, gambling and even take a ride on a zip line over all the shoppers traveling under the majestic arched roof with millions of colorful LED lights making a beautiful screen with colorful images is Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas.

Things To Do At Fremont Street

You can experience the Viva Vision light show for FREE every hour after 6pm.
Take a ride on the 12-story slot inspired zip line under the Viva Vision canopy.
Enjoy FREE Live music at the Fremont Street Experience.
Get scared at their newest thrill attraction called Fear Attraction, an interactive 3D motion ride.
Enjoy the many delicious selection of food from its restaurants.
Slide through some shark infested waters on the waterslide at Golden Nugget’s pool area.
Go on a beer crawl at the Fremont East District with pubs like The Griffin and Banger Brewing Co.
Take photos with a huge gold nugget, giant signs, and even a million dollars.
Do some shopping for souvenirs at the many stores along the street.
End your day at Binion’s which is popular for its cocktails, music, and all around atmosphere.

The best time to go to the Fremont Street Experience I found to be in the evening which gives you enough time to shop, dine, play and enjoy the Viva Vision light show when the sun goes down.

Things To Do At The Casinos On The Strip

Apart from gambling, you can enjoy a nice walk on the Las Vegas Strip. Considering it was a very hot summer on my visit, my family and I decided to walk around in the evening when it had “cooled” down just a few degrees. We enjoyed seeing the different themes of the casinos such as New York, New York, Paris, Circus Circus, Treasure Island, Planet Hollywood, The Flamingo, The Venetian, The Palazzo, The Mirage, Ceasars Palace, Luxor Hotel and Casino, and the beautiful Bellagio. We enjoyed some of the following activities:

The important must-see: Fountains of Bellagio show (every 30 mins from 3pm-8pm and every 15 mins from 8pm-midnight on weekdays) for free. Click Here to view my video of the fountains.
Enjoy free acrobatic shows, trapeze and more under the big top at Circus Circus at the Carnival Midway stage two times an hour.
Feel the fire of the volcano at The Mirage for free with loud explosions and intense fire on weekdays at 8pm and 9pm and on weekends at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm.
Enjoy the free animatronics show at Ceasars Palace called the “Fall of Atlantis” with water and fire effects.
On weekends enjoy the parade of dancers and acrobats Carnival-style every hour after 7pm at Rio.
Take a gondola ride on the canals at The Venetian (this will cost a lot per person so find a coupon, there are plenty in the lobbies of Casino’s or shops), but you’ll feel like you’re in Italy.
Enjoy the sky fall, a controlled free-fall from the top of the Stratosphere.
And of course enjoy the many shows and residencies of artists such as Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Backstreet Boys and many many more. The shows are always changing and evolving as well as the celebrity residencies.

Is there any way to buy a pass for attractions?

Great question. There’s an easy way to see from three (3) to five (5) attractions for a discount. The Go Las Vegas Explorer Pass gives you access to many attractions for one fee starting from $80 to about $140 and you may choose 3-5 of the following attractions:

Beatleshow Orchestra
Big Bus Las Vegas Hop-On Hop-Off Day Tour
CSI: The Experience
Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris Las Vegas – Daytime Ticket
Gene Woods Racing Experience
High Roller Observation Wheel at the LINQ (daytime pass)
Hoover Dam Tour
Las Vegas Downtown Walking Tour
Las Vegas Live Comedy Club
Las Vegas Monorail (2-day pass)
Las Vegas – V Theater
Madame Tussauds Las Vegas
Marc Savard Comedy Hypnosis
Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N.
Meal at Planet Hollywood restaurant
The Mob Museum
Nathan Burton Comedy
Popovich Comedy Pet Theater
REAL BODIES at Bally’s
Rockstar Pool Party Tour (skip-the-line privileges)
Señor Frog’s: One-Hour Open Bar
Stratosphere Observation Deck plus VIP Access (skip-the-line privileges)
Vegas Rockstar Club Tour (skip-the-line privileges)
Zombie Burlesque

OR YOU CAN: Make your own Go Pass, or buy the All-inclusive pass. For more information CLICK HERE.

Are there any other discounts, coupons or passes?

There is another pass called the Las Vegas Pass which not only gives you access to attractions, but tours, shows, concerts, and so much more. This one is a bit more expensive, but worth it if you will be in Vegas for more than one day. They offer passes on a per day basis from two (2) days up to five (5) days. Costs can vary from $249 for a 2-day adult pass to $459 for a 5-day adult pass. It does allow you entry from a selection of more than 60 shows, events, tours, and attractions such as:

- Cirque du Soleil
- Blue Man Group
- Helicopter Tour
- Grand Canyon Tour
- High Roller Ferris Wheel
- Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay
- 2-day Big Bus Double Decker Tour
- Hoover Dam Half Day Tour
- Vegas The Show
- Madam Tussauds
- V – The Ultimate Variety Show
- Mat Franco’s Magic Show
- The Carrot Top Show
- The Australian Bee Gees
- Thunder From Down Under
- Magic Mike Life
- Las Vegas Live Comedy Club
- Stratosphere Tower
- Las Vegas Monorail (24-hours)
- Voodoo Zip Line
- and many many more.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: CLICK HERE.

Do you have any tips, discounts, promos that you want to add to this post?

If you have any more tips, discounts, promos or any awesome tips that you would like to share about your amazing savings in Vegas, be sure to leave them in the comments. The best tips, after verified, will be added to the end of this post to help future visitors save some CASH. Thank you all for visiting and reading this blog, make sure to subcribe to my YouTube channel and follow me on social media. There you may ask me about my travels, tips, and even suggest new things and places for me to explore. Come Explore With Me!