Sightseeing Overview
Below are recommendations for attractions around the conference hotel, nearby sights outside of the city, and both free and major attractions on the Las Vegas Strip. On Sunday before the conference starts, we will organize day trips to Hoover Dam and/or Red Rocks Canyon. Details, signup and pricing will be posted in August. On Monday evening, we will end session early and provide transportation to the Las Vegas Strip.
Near Plaza Hotel
Fremont Street & Downtown Las Vegas
The conference hotel is located in Downtown Vegas on the west end of Fremont Street which is a five-block pedestrian-friendly entertainment district covered by the world’s largest video screen with many nearby restaurants, casinos and attractions.
Major Attractions
Vegas Strip
Sessions will end early on Monday to allow participants to enjoy world-class attractions and shows. We will provide free transportation to the Vegas Strip. Details and online signup forms will be available in August.
Sunday Tours
Red Rocks & Hoover Dam
Participants are encouraged to arrive early as we have reserved charter buses to Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area on Sunday, November 6th. Click below for more information.
Free Attractions
Vegas Strip
Las Vegas includes many free attractions including the Fountains and Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio, the Fall of Atlantis at Caesars Palace, and the Big Elvis Show at Harrah's.
Downtown Vegas & Fremont Street
Bus Service to Las Vegas Strip
Ample public bus transportation is available from Downtown to the Las Vegas Strip. There are two different lines:
- The SDX operates from 9am to Midnight seven days a week. It departs approximately ever 15 minutes on the corner of S. Casino Center Blvd. and Fremont Street, which is just 800 feet from the Plaza Hotel's lobby. It is considered an express bus and makes fewer stops (7 stops to get to the Bellagio)
- The Deuce operates 24/7 and departs approximately every 15 minutes on corner of Fremont Street and S. Las Vegas Blvd. It makes more frequent stops (17 stops to get to the Bellagio).
Viva Vision Light Show
Fremont Street
The Viva Vision video screen is 1,500 feet long, 90 feet wide and suspended 90 feet above Fremont Street’s renowned pedestrian mall. It includes a 550,000-watt sound system and 12.5 million energy-efficient LED lamps. Check the monthly calendar to see which Viva Vision show plays when.
Operation Times: 7 days a week; Shows last about six minutes, and run every hour, beginning at dusk and ending at midnight.
More Info
Fremont Street Experience - Live Music
Fremont Street
Fremont Street Experience has three stages, and a rotating schedule of talent performing music from many musical genres. Check out the schedule of world-class bands.
Operation Times: See full schedule of events.
More Info
Restuarant District
Fremont East
Just 0.4 miles from the Plaza Hotel, Fremont East has many restaurants with uniquely designed spaces, energetic atmospheres, and a neighborhood feel. Each restaurant has their own niche for serving up some tasty meals.
More Info
SlotZilla zip line
Fremont Street
Price: $25 for the Zipline; $45 for the longer Zoomline; $5 off before 6:00PM.
This video shows the amazing SlotZilla zip line that takes flyers high above historic Fremont Street and below the world's biggest video screen, Viva Vision. The Zipline starts off 77 feet up and flyers land halfway down the Fremont Street Experience. The Zoomline starts off 114 feet up and whisks flyers 1,750 feet, all the way down the Fremont Street Experience.
More Info
Garden Court Buffet
Main Street Station Casino
Price: Breakfast $7.99, Lunch $8.99, Brunch $11.99, Dinner $11.99, Tuesday BBQ / Saturday Prime Rib $14.99 and Friday Seafood $25.99.
Only 800 feet from the Plaza Hotel lobby, the Garden Court was voted best buffet in Downtown Las Vegas. Featuring an elegant Victorian décor, the buffet offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu includes Mexican food, Southwestern fare, Asian delights, pizza and rotisserie chicken and features specialty nights: BBQ Tuesdays, Seafood Fridays and Prime Rib & Scampi Saturdays.
More Info
Mob Museum
300 Stewart Avenue
Price: $19.95
Just 0.4 miles from the Plaza Hotel, this is where you can learn the history that you will not find in textbooks. The Mob Museum features personal relics from mobsters like Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel while teaching visitors about life and crime on both sides of the law. There are three floors to explore each with an in-depth exhibit about the mob and the legends and truths that shaped our outlook of organized crime.
Banger Brewery Tour
450 Fremont Street
Just 0.3 miles from the Plaza Hotel, Banger Brewing offers free tours where you can learn more about how they brew craft beers and enjoy free tastings. Sign up for a tour.
Tour Times: Monday through Sunday, 8:00 pm, 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm
Free Things to do in Las Vegas
Fountains of Bellagio
Bellagio Hotel - Outside on Strip
With a combination of music, water and light, the Bellagio delivers a spectacular audiovisual performance with its majestic fountains.
Operation Times:
Monday - Friday
3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. show every 1/2 hour
8:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. show every 15 minutes
Saturdays & Holidays
12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. show every 1/2 hour
8:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. show every 15 minutes
Sundays
11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. show every 1/2 hour
7:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. show every 15 minutes
More Info
Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
Bellagio Hotel - Inside Near Lobby
Every season, the Bellagio Conservatory has a brand-new floral extravaganza to showcase the beautiful sights and colors of spring, summer, fall and winter.
Operation Times: Open 24/7
More Info
The Fall of Atlantis
Caesars Palace – Forum Shops
Inside the Forum Shops at Caesars, this is an animatronic display of fire, water and nine-foot-tall talking statues. The show plays every hour on the hour, starting at 11 a.m. A 50,000-gallon aquarium is nearby with more than 300 saltwater fish.
Operation Times: Sunday – Thursday, 11:00 am – 11:00 pm and Friday/Saturday, 11:00 am – 12:00 am
CBS Television City Research Center
MGM Hotel and Casino
CBS Television City Research Center puts you in the network TV show process, as you see new and upcoming programs and get to voice your opinion on them.
Operation Times: Monday through Sunday: 10:00 am – 8:30 pm
Big Elvis Show
Harrah’s Hotel - Piano Bar
Pete Vallee stars as Big Elvis in this classic Las Vegas impersonator show. Watch as he performs all the hits, plus other popular tunes spanning six decades. One of the best free Las Vegas shows on the Strip.
Operation Times: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 2:00 pm, 3:30 pm and 5:00 pm
Major Attractions
Cirque du Soleil
Price: $69.00 and up
Cirque du Soleil is currently running six world-class 90-minute shows that have everything from music to illusion and from acrobatics to artistry. All these shows will be running in the evening on almost all the nights of the conference.
Show Times:
KÀ,
Michael Jackson ONE,
Mystère and
Zumanity
play on Sunday Nov. 6, Monday Nov 7., and Tuesday Nov. 9 at 7:00PM and 9:30PM.
The Beatles LOVE
plays on Sunday Nov. 6 and Monday Nov. 7 at 7:00PM and 9:30PM.
O by Cirque du Soleil
plays on Sunday Nov. 6 at 7:00PM and 9:30PM.
Stratosphere Tower
Price: Tower admission for adults $20; for children ages 4-12 $12; Tower admission plus all-day ride pass $39.95; three rides $35; two rides $30; one ride $25.
Enjoy 360-degree view of Las Vegas from the Stratosphere Tower, the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States at 1,149 feet. At the top of the tower are three thrill rides: Big Shot, Insanity, and X Scream.
Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat
Price: $19.95
Come face-to-face with some of nature's most exotic and majestic creatures. Explore, learn and play in an enchanting world of Bottlenose Dolphins, White Tigers, White Lions and Leopards.
Las Vegas Car Museum
Price: $9.95
The Las Vegas Car Museum features some of the world’s most attractive luxury speed vehicles, and has some of the most popular fleet cars in the country. From the gorgeous Ferrari F430 and the sleek Lamborghini Gallardo Black, to the one-of-a-kind Mercedes-Benz E-Class, each one is a sight to behold. We offer up a unique experience that not only gives you a close look at each one of these rides, but puts you behind the wheels for a test drive that you can't get elsewhere.
More Info
Le Rêve - The Dream
Price: $105 and up.
Le Rêve – The Dream was voted "Best Production Show" in Las Vegas for an unprecedented six consecutive years. The show is in an incredible aqua theater-in-the-round that features a thrilling high dive and an underwater tango. The stunning performers and breathtaking aerial feats of strength and agility will mesmerize you from beginning to end.
Show Times: Running all nights of the conference at 7:30PM and 9:00PM
The High Roller: The World’s Tallest Observation Wheel
Price: $26.95 during the day and $36.95 at night
Shining bright on the Las Vegas Strip, the 550-foot-tall High Roller is a true standout at The LINQ's outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment promenade. Measuring 520 feet in diameter, the High Roller eclipses both the London Eye and Singapore Flyer. Facing north and south (parallel to Las Vegas Boulevard), the wheel takes 30 minutes to complete one full revolution and features 28 glass-enclosed cabins with broad views of the famed resort city. Each spherical cabin can hold up to 40 people. There are benches on either side of the cabin, with plenty of floor space in between. But we imagine you'll want to stand against the window and admire the view.
The Eiffel Tower Experience
Price: $14.00 during the day and $19.00 after 7:30 pm
It may not be Paris, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an incredibly stunning sight to see. The glass elevator takes you up 460 feet above the Strip so that you can marvel at the 360 degree views of Las Vegas. The Tower sits directly across from the Fountains as Bellagio.
Show Bus of the Stars
Price: $39.95 lower bus level or $49.95 Upper bus level
The Show Bus of the Stars is a one-of-a-kind world-class traveling production show staged on a London double decker bus as it travels along the Las Vegas Strip. Join the bus company with celebrity impersonators as they perform live right in front of you. You will be entertained on this 90 minute tour of the most famous street in the world.
More Info
Sunday Trips
Hoover Dam & Lake Mead
On Sunday, Nov. 6, we have reserved a 24-seat charter bus that will be departing the Plaza Hotel Lobby at 8AM and returning before 3PM.
The cost of the bus is $40/person. The cost includes roundtrip transportation only. Food is available on site at the concession area.
Tours can be purchased on site:
- 30-minute tour $15
- 60-minute tour $30
You can reserve your seat (space is limited) by completing the following form and survey. Be sure to include your email address so we can contact you with further details.
About Hoover Dam
Just 35 miles from downtown Las Vegas, Hoover Dam is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. When completed in 1936, it was the tallest concrete dam ever built. Standing 725 feet tall above the Colorado River, Hoover Dam creates the nation's largest reservoir, Lake Mead. Two different tours are available including a 1-hour guided tour of the passageways within the dam. The Visitor Center includes interactive exhibits, a 10-minute film about the dam's construction, and an enclosed observation area with elevated panoramic views. Visitors can also walk across the dam and explore works of art and great views of Lake Mead and the Colorado River.
More Info
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
On Sunday, Nov. 6, we have reserved a 24-seat charter bus that will be departing the Plaza Hotel Lobby at 9AM and returning before 2PM.
The cost of the bus is $25/person. The cost includes roundtrip transportation only.
There is a $3/person fee to enter the Red Rock Conversation Area.
There are no food options on site. But there will be an opportunity to purchase a lunch to-go or to stop for a late lunch on the trip home. You can specify your preference on the signup form.
You can reserve your seat (space is limited) by completing the following form and survey. Be sure to include your email address so we can contact you with further details.
About Red Rock Canyon
Rated by TripAdvisor.com as "#1 of 437 things to do in Las Vegas" and just 20 miles from downtown Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon showcases beautiful cliffs and ravines composed of banded grey, white and red sandstone. The wide empty plains are studded with Joshua trees and other plants typical of the Mojave Desert, contributing to a breathtaking landscape. The 195,819 acre conservation area offers a 13-mile scenic drive, hiking trails, rock climbing, picnic areas, nature observing and a visitor center with indoor and outdoor exhibits as well as a book store.