guides

14 FREE Attractions Beyond the Las Vegas Strip

Worth the drive off the strip for a complete Vegas Experience

By A note from your publisher June 22, 2018

Las Vegas has been known to the world as "The Strip." But the fun at Vegas does not start and end at the strip. Here are the free attractions worth exploring outside the world - famous "Las Vegas Strip."

1. Hoover Dam
It's FREE to walk or drive across Hoover Dam and the Colorado River Bridge. However, there is a charge for parking, the visitor center, and tours. If you don't mind walking, free parking is available farther up on the Arizona side.

Click here for driving directions and parking information.

 2. Seven Magic Mountains
Seven colorful boulders stack up to 35 ft high or 11-story tall tower. An iconic landmark on I-15 freeway.  Click here on how to get there and what you need to know.

3. Aquarium at Silverton Hotel

It’s a water attraction in the desert. The aquarium holds more than 117,000 gallons of water, and it’s home to thousands of tropical fish. Don’t miss live Mermaids swimming were one or two mermaids interacting with the audience.  

Mermaid Swims 15-minute intermissions between individual swims. 
Thursday - Sunday: 12:00 - 1:10 pm, 2:00 - 3:15 pm, 5:00 - 6:45 pm         

Interactive Fish-Feeding Show. Daily 1:30 pm, 4:30 pm

Silverton Hotel
3333 Blue Diamond Road
Las Vegas, NV 89139

4. Downtown Loop
The Downtown Loop is a free shuttle servicing the exciting attractions in downtown Las Vegas. Click here to find the route map and route stops.

5. Fremont Street Experience Light Show
The heart of downtown Vegas. The Fremont Street Experience is an exciting pedestrian promenade located in the neon center of downtown Las Vegas. Free mall entertainment, and one-of-a-kind Viva Vision light and sound shows. Five city blocks are covered with a canopy of over 2 million lights enhanced by 550,000 watts of sound and special effects. The most spectacular light and sound shows on the planet are presented each night at dusk. Hours: 6 pm to 1 am on the hour.


6. Downtown Container Park
More than 40 repurposed shipping containers just east of Las Vegas Boulevard have been turned into a popular spot for shopping, dining, and nightlife. Kids and adults alike can take the 33-foot-long slide down from the three-story "treehouse" in the center play area. The giant fire-breathing praying mantis sculpture out front was apparently too cool to burn. (It was created for the Burning Man festival by aerospace engineer and artist Kirk Jellum.)

707 Fremont St. E.
Las Vegas, NV 89101

7. Hop On to the Future: autonomous vehicles

Take a free ride in the first-ever self-driving shuttle on the public roads in the United States. The FREE AAA Self-Driving Shuttle Pilot Program in Downtown Las Vegas. The electric vehicle had an attendant and can seat up to eight passengers. All riders have to put on the seat belts. Start off at the main shuttle stop at the Container Park at Fremont and 7th St. Thanks to innovative onboard technology, you’ll ride through eight city intersections, six traffic lights, and two stop signs, without a driver in a half-mile loop. Route stops at select attractions in the Fremont East Entertainment District. AAA membership not required to ride the shuttle. The shuttle is expected to run 11 am – 6 pm daily, however, hours may vary. 

8. Shark Tank at Golden Nugget

The Golden Nugget’s $30 million pool is an absolute stunner, not to mention an incredible feat of engineering. The Tank features a 200,000-gallon shark tank for visitors to experience.

Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino
129 E. Fremont St.
Las Vegas, NV 89101

9. Gold & Silver Pawn Shop
Be part of a reality tv show on this working pawn shop. This is the location of the History channel's television series, "Pawn Stars," since 2009. Time it right and you might even catch film crews capturing Rick or Corey Harrison examining items or yelling at customers.
713 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89101

10. Ethel M. Chocolates
Free Self Guided Viewing Aisle at the Largest Botanical Cactus Garden In the South West! 8 am -8 pm daily.

2 Cactus Garden Drive
Henderson, NV 89014

11. New York’s 1980s street art scene

Guests can enter Greene St. Kitchen through a “speakeasy” video arcade lined with classic games and an 8-bit video-inspired tiled floor. An inconspicuous door leads to a tunnel painted by New York City graffiti artist CES.

Greene St. Kitchen
Palms Place Hotel & Spa
4321 W. Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV 89103

12. Sunset Stampede Laser Light and Water Show

Take a stroll in the park day or night in Mystic Falls Park® at Sam's Town. Relax to the sound of a rolling waterfall, complemented by the soft chirping of birds in live trees reaching up toward the skylight 10 stories above. The mountain in the Mystic Falls Indoor Park comes alive as the Sunset Stampede chronicles the Western pioneer experience with music, dancing water and a state-of-the-art laser light show. 

Shows at 2:00pm, 4:00pm, 6:00pm, 8:00pm and 10:00pm daily.

Sam's Town
5111 Boulder Highway
Las Vegas, NV 89112

13. Smith Center Tours
Participants must register online. Click here to register for the tour. Free, guided walking tours throughout the center, where visitors and residents alike can learn about the art, architecture, and history of The Smith Center. Tours are limited to twenty patrons and are approximately sixty minutes. Tours will be listed online thirty days prior to the tour date. No pets are admitted other than service animals. Tours meet at the West entrance in the Grand Lobby. From its very beginning, The Smith Center was envisioned as a world-class performing arts center. This cultural complex enables Southern Nevada to take its place on an international stage, celebrating artistic excellence, education, and culture from around the world.

The Smith Center
361 Symphony Park Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89106

14. MCCARRAN AIRPORT RUNWAYS VIEWING AREA
Tune your FM radio to 101.1 and you can listen to the conversations between the pilots and the air traffic control tower (now that should set the mood!). The area is located on Sunset Road, about 1/5 mile West of Eastern Avenue. Parking is free. Hours: Open 6 am until 11 pm.

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*The information contained in this post, to the best of the author's knowledge, was accurate at the time of publishing. We do our best to ensure and maintain the accuracy of this information.