Las Vegas Must Dos - First Time Visit - Jessica N. Turner

If you are looking for Las Vegas must dos and this is your first trip to Las Vegas, this post lists the must do shows and experiences to do for your visit.

Las Vegas is one of those places everyone has to go to once, and I finally made my first trip! I was in Las Vegas for a conference, but since it was five days, I had time to enjoy some must dos every day. As someone who doesn’t drink or gamble, there was still plenty of Las Vegas must dos to enjoy. Here are my top 5 recommendations for things to see and do in Last Vegas if you are visiting for your first time. These ideas are great if you are there by yourself or with friends.

Take a Helicopter Tour

Las Vegas offers many helicopter tours, from short 10-minute rides to see the strip to longer trips to Red Rock or the Grand Canyon. A friend and I did a 2.5 hour trip with Maverick Helicopters to Red Rock (the Neon and Nature tour) and it was INCREDIBLE.

Definitely the highlight of the week for me and I would say if it fits within your budget, it is a must-do! Some helicopter tours are $125 for 10 minutes and this was $240 for 2.5 hours.

See A Cirque du Soleil Show

Las Vegas is known for having great Cirque shows, and while I was there I saw two – O and KA. O is the best Cirque show I have ever seen and KA was the worst (I have seen several touring Cirque shows in addition to the Vegas shows I saw). O typically sells out the fastest, and you usually can’t get day of tickets to see it, so I would recommend buying tickets in advance. It is the best that Cirque does + a huge built in pool of water in the middle of the stage. I told my friend it was better than the Olympics. Absolutely extraordinary. We had seats on the floor, about 10 rows back and I thought they were perfect seats. We sat stage left, and I would say that center is a little better, but maybe not worth the extra cost. KA has some heavy cultural appropriation that made me feel uncomfortable and the stunts were not as impressive as other shows I have seen. I would definitely skip it.

Experience Criss Angel’s Mindfreak Magic Show

The master magician Criss Angel’s Mindfreak show is not to be missed. With astonishing magic tricks and stunts, it is a show you will remember long after your trip. Note, this is NOT a show for children. Also, I sat in the third row center and I would say this is a show you should try to get the closest, seats possible. The actual best seats for this show are rows 6 and 7, just right of center (as you look at the stage). Criss comes into the audience twice and if you have seats in this area, you have a good chance of giving him a high five/fist bump. Be sure to get to the show a little early to enjoy all the Criss Angel memorabilia in the lobby from his career.

Dinner at Giada

Las Vegas has many incredible restaurants, so make reservations in advance! We lucked out and got a table at Giada and it was the best meal of the week. I had the steak and it was one of the best steaks I have ever had. Don’t miss it.

Spend Time at The Bellagio

Without question, The Bellagio was my favorite hotel we visited. I loved touring the Conservatory, which has a new design every three months. We had breakfast at Sadelle’s and it was my favorite breakfast of the week. (Hash House A Go Go was also very good, but the ambiance was so beautiful that Sadelle’s was my favorite.) Also, at night, you must make time to see the fountains in front of the Bellagio. They were so pretty.

Had I not been staying at the hotel attached to the conference venue, the Bellagio is where I would have stayed. It was stunning. My second choice would have been The Venetian, which was also lovely.

Visit Some Museums

Nothing is more iconic than Las Vegas neon signs, and a trip to The Neon Museum at night is a must. You’ll learn some Vegas history and see some incredible signs up close. Definitely don’t visit during the day – this must be done in the evening to fully appreciate the magic of these amazing signs.

We also visited The Mob Museum, which was a fascinating look into organized crime in America. The museum was extremely well done, with lots of information and interesting exhibits. Note: the museum does display multiple murder images, which my friend and I found a bit gruesome and distasteful, but it was still a neat place to visit.

Other museums worth checking out, though I didn’t visit them on this trip: Pinball Hall of Fame, the Atomic Museum, the Las Vegas Showgirls Museum and the Hollywood Cars Museum.

Other Las Vegas Must Dos

I polled my Instagram followers what their favorite things to do in Las Vegas were and here are some of the most popular recommendations that I didn’t mention.