As a frequent visitor to Las Vegas, I am amazed when friends and acquaintances return from a first trip to this interesting city having missed seeing much of the "good stuff". My goal in writing this article is to provide you with my views on what Las Vegas Strip highlights to see first. If you are in town only one day and take in at least these attractions (most are free), you will have made a decent sight-seeing trip to tell your friends and family about.

This article is limited to must-see attractions on the Las Vegas Strip and downtown areas at this time. Just because a particular attraction is not mentioned (it may be added in the future) doesn't mean it may not be worth seeing. You can use this article as a guide and add other attractions you want to see as your time permits.

WHAT TO SEE IN LAS VEGAS

What I recommend as a first-day strategy for you is to: Spend most of the day visiting "must see" sites (mentioned below) on Las Vegas Boulevard (also known as the "Strip"); go downtown in the evening to see the sites plus take in the sound-and-light show on Fremont Street; top off your day by driving down the Strip to see the lights at night.

The Las Vegas Strip is about four miles long from the Stratosphere on the north end to Mandalay Bay on the south. Driving and parking can be a hassle. So your best bet is to limit these to a few locations and do most of your site-seeing on foot (wear comfortable shoes!). With some free trams along the way plus above-street walkways (with escalators or elevators), this is not as bad as it sounds. To make it easier for you, I have divided the Las Vegas Strip into an upper section and a lower section.

UPPER LAS VEGAS STRIP ATTRACTIONS

If you are not staying on or near the upper strip and have a car, there is a nice open-air parking lot between the Tropicana and Hooters Casino Hotel (the old San Remo). Otherwise, MGM Grand has a nice indoor ramp. You can start your tour wherever you want but for the first of your must-see attractions I recommend you start at Luxor. You can walk or take the free tram which runs between the Excalibur and Mandalay Bay. (One tram stops at the Luxor, and one doesn't). Watch for the tram signs. If you are traveling by taxi, get dropped off at the Luxor front door. My suggested tour of the Upper Strip takes you down the west side of the street to the Bellagio. You will then cross the street and go back up the other side until you reach MGM or the Tropicana.

LUXOR

This 30-story pyramid is one of the best themed hotel/casinos (Egyptian of course) and one of my favorite. The Luxor's atrium (or lobby if you prefer) is advertised as the world's largest and is wonderful - be sure you have your camera at the ready. For a fee, you can also see a replica of King Tut's Tomb and Museum. The Luxor's outside grounds features a 10 story sphinx.

EXCALIBUR

The Excalibur is well known for its castle-like appearance and medieval theme.If you are bringing the family on your trip, consider the Excalibur family-friendly. The rooms are nothing fancy but they are reasonably priced, and the second level Food Court is easy on your wallet. NOTE: Although the Excalibur is modest compared to many other hotel/casinos on the Strip, one of the largest machine payoffs happened here in 2003 - a cool $39.7 million on a Megabucks slot machine ($3.00 a pull).

NEW YORK-NEW YORK

The outside of New York-New York is spectacular. You can even ride on the Manhatten Express Roller Coaster if you dare. I consider the outside a must-see and the inside a nice-to-see (unless you are really into the New York City theme. Then both are a must-see). If you are doing okay on time, I suggest you take a short walk through New York-New York to see what they did to achieve a New York theme.

BELLAGIO

The "crown jewel" of the strip. With its Italian theme, eight-acre lake and water show, this is my #1 pick of places to see in Las Vegas. When you enter this hotel casino, check out the unique ceiling decoration in the lobby. Walk straight in from the lobby and you will see The Conservatory, a seasonal flower garden. Take the time to see this. It is an absolute treat even if you aren't into flowers and greenery. The Fountains at Bellagio water show takes place in the lake out front and is truely a "gift" to the Las Vegas visitor. You don't want to miss it so check for times. You may want to take in a few.

PARIS LAS VEGAS

I rate this a must-see because of its enjoyable replicas of Paris landmarks, most notably the 540 foot tall Eiffel Tower (with wonderful views from its observation deck). You can see three of the Eiffel Tower's legs from inside the casino which adds a nice "touch". Don't miss the Streets of Paris walkway (toward the back) with its shops and restaurants. The walkway eventually leads into Bally's, but you don't have to go that far.

MGM GRAND

The MGM Grand, with its emerald green glass and 45-foot bronze lion, is HUGE. It takes a while to walk from the front entrance to the registration area in the back. Fortunately, the only must-see attraction I recommend for your first-day tour is in the front - the Lion Habitat. This popular attraction allows you to see one or more lions "up close and personal" with its glass walls and see-through tunnel. Don't miss it. Also, the Rainforest Cafe (also near the front) has a gift shop that you might enjoy browsing in.

By now you have seen some great must-see attractions and maybe got some great photos too. It's time to travel down The Strip and see more wonderful must-see attractions.

LOWER LAS VEGAS STRIP ATTRACTIONS

Your next recommended must-see attractions are in the mid to lower end of The Strip. If you are not staying in one of these hotel/casinos and have a car, you can park in a nice, free ramp behind Treasure Island (also known as TI). Most of the attractions mentioned below are within walking distance. If you are staying at a hotel/casino in this area, start your morning tour in this area first and move to the upper strip attractions after you have finished. I am assuming you are not staying in this area and are either parking in TI's ramp or having the taxi drop you off at the Mirage front door.

MIRAGE

The Mirage is a must-see stop. As you enter this Polynesian-themed hotel/casino through the front door, go to the right and see what's in back of the registration desk. It is worth seeing and one many people seem to miss on their trip. The Mirage is host to two "habitats" - the White Tiger Habitat and the Dolphin Habitat. See the Dolphin Habitat if you are doing okay on time. You MUST see the White Tiger Habitat. There are usually one or more of these magnificent animals on display and you can get a good view. The Mirage also features an outdoor, night-time attraction - a 54 foot volcano that erupts every 15 minutes from dusk till midnight.

CAESARS PALACE

The glory that was Rome is on display in this casino/hotel which has been around since 1966. Caesars takes up a large amount of real estate on The Strip - it is HUGE. You will not have time to see all there is to see on this first-day trip. My recommendation to have you enter Caesars from the Mirage side (as opposed to the Bellagio side) takes you to my must-see attraction for you - The Forum Shops. You can stroll through this ancient Roman marketplace setting and enjoy the sights of nearly 100 interesting shops. There are also two shows in this area - the "Rise and Fall of Atlantis" and a moving Roman "statues" at Festival Fountain. If you can catch one of these shows without waiting, take it in. Otherwise take it in another time.

VENETIAN

The beautiful Venetian is home to a number of attractions - the Grand Canal with its gondolas, Madame Tussauds, the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, The Grand Canal Shoppes. I hope you are staying more than one day as you will want to come back and tour the quarter-mile Grand Canal (inside) with its shops, street performers and Venetian Living Statues. For your first pass I recommend you take in the outside Grand Canal from the arched bridge and the lobby with its beautiful ceiling paintings.

WYNN

Your last must-see stop on The Strip is the newest (opened in spring of 2005), most expensive (built at a cost of $2.7billion) hotel/casino in Las Vegas to date. Built on the site of the old Desert Inn (1950-2000) no expense was spared in the construction of the 50 story Wynn and it shows. From the Esplanade with its high-end shops (Dior, Cartier, Chanel, etc.) to the lobby to the on-site Ferrari/Maserati dealership. It can be a little over-whelming. Highlights for me are the bright colors, flowers and plants, waterfalls and the Parasol Down Lounge.

Next stop - downtown Las Vegas. From Wynn to downtown Las Vegas is approximately four miles. You can either take The Deuce, Las Vegas Trolley, a taxi (under $20) or drive. If you have a car there is a nice, handy parking ramp across the street from the Golden Nugget (on South 1st Street).

DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS ATTRACTIONS

You may hear some people say "don't bother going downtown Las Vegas - there is nothing down there to see". That is NOT true. There are some must-see attractions and more nice-to-see ones. My favorite places downtown are the Golden Nugget and the Las Vegas Club but I've been to most all of them. You will notice the downtown casinos have a different personality from those on The Strip.

GOLDEN NUGGET

This well known downtown hotel/casino has a must-see attraction that a surprising number of people know nothing about. The largest gold nugget known to remain in existance, 875 troy ounces, is on display just off from the lobby. The Hand of Faith nugget was found in 1980 in Australia and sold to the Golden Nugget in 1982. The Golden Nugget recently completed a major renovation ($30-million) to their pool area they call The Tank. The renovation includes a 200,000-gallon shark tank set up so that you can be swimming inches away from the sharks or take the plunge thru the shark tank via the three-story waterslide. A definite must-see when visiting downtown.

FREMONT STREET EXPERIENCE

The sound-and-light show on Fremont Street is one you won't want to miss. The Fremont Street Experience is a four-block, pedestrian-only section of downtown that opened in 1995. In addition to its famous sound-and-light shows there are other forms of live entertainment for you to enjoy. The sound-and-light shows, usually about four of them a night, start at dusk and go until midnight. They do not last too long but are pretty awesome. If you take in one, you'll want to see the others as they are all different. One of the best free attractions Las Vegas has to offer.

Well there you have it. My list of recommended must-see Las Vegas Strip Attractions for you to see on your first day (okay, a long day). No matter where in the world you come from, I hope you find this information useful. And be sure to visit Source1LasVegas again. I will be adding more articles about Las Vegas in the near future that you may find of interest.

Disclaimer: I have made every reasonable effort to produce an informative and helpful article on Las Vegas Must-See Attractions based on my research and experiences. However, I make no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to its completeness, accuracy or suitability for any specific situation or purpose.