Off the Beaten Track

It's really hard to overlook the Strip -- after all, a number of people have spent billions and billions of dollars to ensure that you don't -- but there are still some surprisingly unusual and captivating sights to see in and around Las Vegas. This itinerary is designed to help you discover them. You will need a car to do this tour.

Mornings

Those pricey buffets at the casinos may offer you truckloads of food but even the ones at the out-of-the-way hotels are the very definition of "discovered." Instead, go to the edge of Downtown Las Vegas for a true coffee-shop experience at Tiffany's. The lunch counter, nearly last of an iconic and dying breed, inside a pharmacy, serves up healthy portions of stick-to-your-ribs food at a price all the cheaper when you compare it to breakfast at your hotel.

Walk off that breakfast by exploring the nearby Gateway District, home to a number of art galleries and studios, bravely taking a stance against prefab, soulless Vegas. You might take special note of the Arts Factory, a collection of art spaces. If it's the first Friday of the month, you could come back and stroll here in the evening, as that's when the galleries open their new exhibits.

Springs Preserve is a remarkable destination, literally living with nature and ecological concerns. The interpretive center examines the history of the region as related to water consumption, which sounds "dry" but really isn't. Need proof? Try the so-real-you-are-there flash-flood exhibit or the 3-D movie theater that puts you atop the Hoover Dam as it is being built. Outside are trails through the wetlands, animal habitats, and other exhibition halls dealing with the environment and recycling. The place is informative, entertaining, and absolutely vital in this day and age, and you can't believe that something of this quality and social significance is anywhere near Vegas.

Afternoons

We have a soft spot for old school, or should we say in this case, alte Schule, and Cafe Heidelberg is just that sort of place. We're talking schnitzel. We're talking red booths. We're talking German beer. We are not talking $45 hamburgers with Kobe beef and truffles. Get the picture?

From there, we're recommending a duo of only-in-Las Vegas museums. Begin with the Atomic Testing Museum. It's about more than just the 5 minutes when the bomb was awesome (apparently people really thought that -- they have photos that you won't believe; check out the one of Miss Atomic Bomb), instead tracing the history of the atomic age and focusing specifically on the aboveground nuclear testing that occurred just outside of Las Vegas. It's a fascinating and sobering experience.

Then you're off to The Pinball Hall of Fame, where you can not only appreciate, but play classic machines and arcade games from the 1960s to the present day.

If you want to skip the latter, consider taking in the afternoon show by Mac King at Harrah's Las Vegas, considered one of the best shows in Vegas and a good value for the money. King is an illusionist and comedian of great personal charm, who still practices magic that doesn't require computer technology. You can often get discounted (or even 2-for-1) tickets in local magazines or at the players' club desk at Harrah's.

Nights

Now we'll send you far west to a place only foodies tend to know about: Raku Grill, a Japanese robata (charcoal grill) restaurant that is a hangout for many of the chefs in town when they get off work cooking for other people.

For postdinner drinks, you can join local punks and alt-rockers at the beer-soaked Double Down Saloon. If that skews too young, join the old and the old-at-heart at the delightfully seedy Champagnes Cafe. Both are Vegas institutions.

If that's a little too sleazy for you, there is a burgeoning bar scene right next to Downtown with the newish Griffin, Beauty Bar, and The Downtown Cocktail Lounge all within steps of each other. Each has its own vibe and is mostly populated by locals, so try them on for style and see which one fits.