7 Fabulous Free Things to Do In Las Vegas
By Rick GarmanThe intricately choreographed water ballet that is the Fountains at Bellagio would be worth repeated viewings even if they charged to see it. The fact that they don’t makes it an almost perfect Vegas experience.
There are five seasons in the elaborately designed botanical gardens of the Bellagio Conservatory: Winter (holiday), Chinese New Year, Spring, Summer, and Fall. No matter which is on display during your visit, make sure your digital camera has a full battery charge. You’ll want lots of pictures.
When the free Mirage Volcano first “erupted” in 1989, shooting flames and faux lava into the sky, it literally stopped traffic on the Strip. That it doesn’t today only means that it has more competition for your attention, not that it is any less fun.
Many people considered it almost sacrilegious to convert the famed Glitter Gulch in Downtown Vegas into a pedestrian mall with a free light-and-sound show broadcast on a massive LED canopy overhead. Now the Fremont Street Experience is considered a must-visit.
Yes, in order to win the big bucks—sometimes millions of them—on a modern penny slot you have to bet much more than just one penny. But if you’re okay with smaller rewards and losses, you could stretch a dollar into 100 spins.
It’s free to just look at the restored classic machines at the Pinball Hall of Fame, and if you want to do more than just look, it’ll only cost you a couple of quarters. What other museum lets you play with its works of art?
Just down the road from the southern-most edge of the Strip is one of the most photographed and imitated signs in the world. Get a picture of you at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign, and you’ll have a postcard-worthy souvenir.