I can see the Vegas skyline in the distance and the wide expanses of the Red Mountain under my feet. I’m ready to take my next big punt in Vegas, except that this is no casino. If there’s one thing I’ve learned after two visits to Las Vegas, it’s that you need to escape the comfort of the Strip to have a good time. Yes, this might be contrary to everything popular culture ( The Hangover and Oceans movies can take bulk of that credit) has conditioned us to believe.

The Flight Linez Zip Lining experience guarantees more excitement than some of the best shows on the Strip. It starts with a cleverly choreographed briefing session where the zip-lining crew put on quite a show; before you know it, you’re all strapped up and ready to cruise at 90 kmph down a wire. The four zip lines that make up the Bootleg Canyon trail are 30 minutes away from downtown Vegas, just outside Boulder City.

Most people assume that South Las Vegas Boulevard (aka the Strip) is downtown Vegas. This is, after all, home to Vegas’s glitzy hotels and casinos. Vegas’s Original downtown, where it all began, is actually a few kilometres away and held sway before the Strip eclipsed it. My favourite museum in the US is housed in the Old Courthouse, which dates back to the 1930s and is one of Vegas’s last surviving heritage buildings. The Mob Museum proclaims that “The Vegas of today wouldn’t exist without the mob of yesterday”. It’s ironic that the museum is located in the same courthouse that was the scene of the Kefauver Committee (to crack down against organised crime) hearings in 1950. The courtroom has been preserved and is now one of the star attractions within the museum, which is a must-visit for mafia movie fans. This museum features a collection of rare artefacts (including parts of the brick wall from Chicago’s 1929 Valentine’s Day massacre), interactive exhibits and theatre presentations.

If you have time for two museums, I’d recommend the one-hour tour of the Neon Museum and Boneyard, which is now a repository of some of Las Vegas’s iconic neon signs. This outdoor museum is more than a dump for old signs that have been made redundant by massive LED lights. Local tour guides turn this into a fascinating history lesson and give you a perspective of how Vegas became an entertainment capital. Some of Vegas’s most stunning artworks are outdoors. If you’re driving from Los Angeles to Vegas on the Interstate 15, you will pass ‘Seven Magic Mountains’, a dramatic art installation by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone. It’s almost a slice of Vegas bling in the middle of the desert, featuring seven 30- to 35-foot-high dayglow totems comprised of painted, locally-sourced boulders. I made time for a photo stop on my way to Pioneer Saloon, which was set up in 1913 in the nearby town of Good Springs.

Locals will tell you that it was here that Clark Gable heard about the tragic death of his wife and Hollywood diva Carole Lombard. It wasn’t just Hollywood legends that brought me here. Pioneer Springs is the starting point of one more of Vegas’s high-adrenaline rides. Vegas Off Road Tours organises fun tours in Polaris ATVs that allow you to embrace the Mojave Desert terrain. In just one hour I kicked up enough sand that would qualify as a minor sandstorm and experienced more highs and lows than a rollercoaster ride. I was covered indust at the end of a desert adventure that criss-crossed stony paths and gorgeous mountain landscapes.

If that’s too much work and dust for you, start your day with a chopper ride over the Grand Canyon on a flight that also includes stunning views of the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead en route. Papillion, one of the oldest flight operators in the region, also makes a breakfast stop at the Canyon’s West Rim. I finally made it back to the Strip for dinner after spending two days on the go. Suddenly Vegas’s bright lights and action paled in front of my outdoor experiences. Not everything that happens in Vegas, stays ‘within’ Vegas.

Ashwin Rajagopalan is a Chennai-based content consultant and lifestyle writer

 

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Travel Log

Getting there

There are frequent direct flights from almost all major airports across the US. If you’re flying directly from India, you could consider connecting via London — British Airways operates direct flights to Vegas.

Getting around

You’re never out of cab options with Uber and Lyft. If you’re headed out of town, hire a car from Enterprise or Hertz, which have multiple pick-up points along the Strip and Downtown.

Stay

The Wynn  (www.wynnlasvegas.com), on the strip. There’s also Vdara (www.vdara.com), one of the only major hotels on the strip without a casino.

Explore

Make time to visit Vegas’s high-energy street art project (in the Original downtown)

Tip

Lipsmacking Foodie tours offer an option of hopping four or five award-winning restaurants in one night.

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