Manufacturing, the Nellis Air Force Base and other government agencies, warehousing and trucking are secondary industries. The city proper is an 135,618 sq km (84,272 sq mile) enclave surrounded by Clark County. The Las Vegas Strip is best seen at dusk when it is lit up in neon lights. Children will enjoy Wet ’n’ Wild, a water park on the Strip, and the Lied Discovery Children’s Museum. Fremont Street Experience is a pedestrian mall dominated by gaming with a spectacular light show every night. For something different, the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History houses exhibitions of the archaeology and natural history of the Mojave Desert, whilst the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort Historic Park is the site of the first settlement of Las Vegas, and the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society explains southern Nevada’s history. The Liberace Museum contains memorabilia from the world-famous pianist. The Guinness World of Records Museum is an interesting exhibition based on the famous book. The Circus Circus – Grand Slam Adventuredome theme park provides circus acts daily from 1100-2400 (free of charge) and thrilling theme park rides. Not to be missed is the stunning Fountains of Bellagio display of over 1000 fountains, choreographed with light and sound at the Bellagio Resort (Mon-Fri every 30 minutes 1500-1900 and every 15 minutes 1900-2400; Sat and Sun every 30 minutes 1200-1900, and every 15 minutes 1900-2400). Bellagio also boasts a Botanical Garden.

Hotel-casinos
The 3044-room Mirage Hotel-Casino displays a man-made volcano. Nearby, the Treasure Island features Buccaneer Bay with a full-scale pirate ship and British frigate engaged in battle. The MGM Grand Hotel & Theme Park is the largest resort hotel in the world. The recently opened New York, New York duplicates the Big Apple’s skyline, while the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel & Casino offers an interactive Star Trek experience with virtual reality stations, a themed bar and Star Trek memorabilia. There is also The Excalibur, with 4008 rooms, built in the style of a medieval castle, and the Egyptian-themed Luxor, a full-scale pyramid watched over by a sphinx.

Getting married
More than 45 wedding chapels operate throughout the metropolitan area, including some in major hotels in the city. The Little White Chapel, 1301 Las Vegas Boulevard South, where Joan Collins was married, has a 24-hour drive-through window.

Food & Drink
Las Vegas is becoming world-renowned for its restaurants and every conceivable taste is catered for, from a seven-course gourmet meal to a custom hamburger. Diners can choose from seafood, steak, southwestern, Brazilian, Chinese, Continental, Italian, Japanese and Mexican cuisines. The ultimate eating experience is the Las Vegas buffet: the Golden Nugget Buffet, the Las Vegas Hilton Buffet, the Palatium Buffet at Caesars Palace, and the World’s Fare Buffet at The Riviera are all worth trying. Picasso at the Bellagio and Renoir at The Mirage have been ranked among the top 17 restaurants in the world. Roxy’s Diner is a 1950s-style diner, serving thick milkshakes in tall, frosted glasses, sandwiches, burgers and a selection of blue-plate specials. The Stage Deli of Las Vegas is at the Forum Shops at Caesars. Speciality items are flown in from the world-famous New York Stage Deli, offering a full line of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Spago features celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s ‘California Cuisine’, which emphasises fresh, locally produced ingredients incorporating the cuisines of Europe, the Orient, Latin America and the USA to create an eclectic menu. The themed Harley-Davidson Cafe, Star Trek: The Adventure and Motown Cafe provide a fun atmosphere for dining.

Shopping
Vast malls display a wide range of products: the Forum Shops at Caesars, the Fashion Show Mall, the Desert Passage at the Aladdin Resort, the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Resort (includes a reproduction of Venice’s Grand Canal – complete with gondolas), the Boulevard Mall (the largest shopping center in Nevada), the Meadows Mall (with 140 shops and restaurants), and the Belz Factory Outlet World are all popular. The Fashion Outlet Stores (south of Belz Factory Outlet World) recently opened in Primm.

Special events
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Las Vegas in 2005:
Jan 30 Las Vegas Marathon. Mar 4-6 East Meets West (Celtic Faire and Moroccan Festival), Las Vegas. Apr 1-2 Big League Weekend (baseball tournament), Cashman Field. Apr 7-10 Clark County State Fair and Rodeo, Logandale. Apr 20-24 Laughlin River Run. May-Jun Laughlin River Days (powerboat racing). May 6-7 Cars, Stars and Guitars Motorhead Festival, Las Vegas. Jul 4 Rockets over the River, Laughlin. Sep Laughlin Professional Bull Riders Series. Sep 24 Las Vegas Triple – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Night Race. Dec 2-11 National Finals Rodeo, Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas. Dec The NFR Experience (rodeo festival), Las Vegas.

Travel
McCarran International (LAS), with slot machines in the terminal, is 1.6km (1 mile) from the Strip, and 8km (5 miles) from central Las Vegas. There are more than 965 taxis, 325 limousines and 16 bus and/or charter firms serving the district. The Citizens Area Transit (CAT) is a public transportation company that operates 31 routes throughout the Las Vegas metropolitan area, and one route in Laughlin.

Outside the city
There is plenty to see in the Las Vegas Territory outside Las Vegas itself. The Spring Mountains offer back-country adventure, while Mount Charleston is good for winter sports and is home to the Las Vegas Ski and Snow Board Resort. Lake Mead and Lake Mohave are contained in the vast (600,000 hectare/1.5 million acre) Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Hoover Dam has a new visitor center, where tourists can see right over the edge of the Black Canyon precipice. At the north of Lake Mead is the Valley of Fire State Park, with its fascinating landscape of naturally carved red sandstone. The Desert National Wildlife Refuge complex, incorporating the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge, is the largest wildlife refuge in the USA. Moapa Valley was the site of Nevada’s first city.
In Boulder City, the Black Canyon River Raft Tour is a 19km (12 mile) rapid-free raft trip, beginning at Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam itself was completed in 1935, and is the highest dam in the western hemisphere. The Hoover Dam Museum houses historical artifacts relating to the workers, and construction of the dam and Boulder City. The River Mountain Hiking Trail is an 8km (5 mile) round-trip route with spectacular views of Lake Mead and Las Vegas Valley.
The Ethel M Chocolate Factory & Cactus Garden in Henderson shows how chocolates are made; the cactus garden includes 350 species of cactus. The Davis Dam in Laughlin is a 61m- (200ft-) high earth-filled dam. The USS Riverside is a luxury casino cruiser which has been designed to pass under the Laughlin Bridge. Bonnie Springs in Old Nevada is an old Western town. The Lost City Museum in Overton houses exhibitions featuring the Anasazi Indians and early Moapa Valley settlers.

Monte Carlo casino hotel - Las Vegas

Special events
The following is a selection of special events occurring in the Las Vegas Territory in 2005:
Apr 1-3 Native American Arts Festival, Henderson. May 7-8 Spring Jamboree and Craft Fair, Boulder City. Jul 4 Annual Fireworks Display and Boulder City Damboree, Boulder City. Oct Nevada Heritage Festival and Gem & Mineral Fair, Henderson.Luxor Hotel Casino. Esta gran pirámide de cristal de 110 metros de alto está localizada en el extremo sur del Strip a unos 4 km del aeropuerto. Tiene 4,400 habitaciones de lujo, seis restaurantes, una alberca olímpica, un spa, un teatro Imax y un cuarto de juegos de realidad virtual, un espectáculo de variedad y una galería de tiendas. El motivo del hotel es el antiguo Egipto con una gran Esfinge en la entrada, un atrio enorme en el centro de la pirámide y una réplica de la tumba del Rey Tut, justamente debajo de este.

Luxor Casino Hotel. This 110 meter high, all-glass pyramid is located at the south end of the Strip about 2 miles from the airport. It has 4,400 luxurious rooms, six restaurants, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a health spa, an Imax theater, a virtual reality game room, a variety show, and a shopping gallery. It has an ancient Egyptian motif with a huge Sphinx at the entry, an enormous atrium in the center of the pyramid and a replica of king Tut's burial chamber beneath it.

Excaliber Hotel Casino. This huge white castle with multi-colored turrets is located at the south end of the strip about 2 miles from the airport. It has 4,008 rooms, six restaurants and a fast food court, two swimming pools, a health spa and a wedding chapel. The Tournament of Kings dinner theater includes dragons, wizards, swordfights and jousting tournaments. It has a medieval, King Arthur motif complete with knights, jesters, magicians, madrigal singers and a complete medieval village.

Paris Las Vegas Hotel Casino. This is one of the newer hotel casinos in Las Vegas. It is located in the heart of the Strip and has 2,916 rooms. It is a re-creation or Paris in the Nevada desert complete with a scale model Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Louvre. It offers nine restaurants incuding a tower restaurant overlooking the Strip, and a shopping gallery featuring European specialties. Le Theâtre des Arts presents Las Vegas shows while Le Cabaret Lounge features Euro Bands.

Caesar´s Palace Hotel Casino. This is one of the older grand hotel casinos in the heart of the strip, and it remains one of the most spectacular. It is decorated in an Imperial Roman motif with 2,440 rooms, beauty salon, health spa, wedding palace, magnificent forum of shops plus nine restaurants. The 1,000 seat Circus Maximus theater presents major entertainment events, the Omnimax theater features film spectacles, Cleopatra's Barge has dancing and Ceaser's Magical Kingdom presents a magical experience.

Monte Carlo Hotel Casino. Centrally located on the strip near the airport, this elegant hotel has 3,000 rooms, six restaurants, a spa, a wedding chapel, a small shopping arcade and a swimming area complete with cascading waterfalls, wave pool and river ride. It has two tennis courts and an affiliation with several local golf courses. It often offers some bargain rates on weekday nights.