Vegas road trip (not in the van) in March

Our friends are getting married in Vegas at the Stratosphere in early March next year

We've booked our plane tickets with the plan of staying in Vegas from Wednesday - Sunday and then roadtripping for the next week (route 66, Grand Canyon, etc).

Anyone got any tips for either Vegas newbies (old Vegas interests us as do any top tips for saving money while we're there) or road tripping / Grand Canyon etc?

Thanks

 

Wow thats what dreams are made of ;D I wanna do that

 

I've heard the Stratosphere isn't a great location but it's where the wedding is being held & where our friends are staying (and is affordable) so we'll likely stay there too.

Since our engine fire we are really going to have to dial back any crazy plans and do it as much on the cheap as possible

Thanks for the tips though

 

Were planning to do this in a couple of years for our 2oth wedding anniversary. Im looking for a seedy John Waters/film noir type of thing but I guess that wont happen .I guess the glitz will be pretty good though so any tips advice would be welcome here as well.
nick

 

Vegas is very easy to do on the cheap.
First off, they want you gambling constantly because the house always wins, as they say. So in most casinos, as long as you're gambling they'll serve you free drinks. So I just plopped my happy ass down at a slot machine and dropped my coins in all slow and languid-like. Drink fast- gamble slow.
Other than that, just avoid gambling, especially if you're on a tight budget. Might as well just set your money on fire.
It's too bad you can't stay at The Flamingo. It's just a classic relic with many tales to tell. Built by the mob, it has secret passages in and out of the penthouse and other intriguing historic oddities. The pool area is stunning. It's pretty much right in the center of everything and it's incredibly cheap.
Honestly, The Strip is only good for one night. After walking up one side and down the other, you've seen it all.
Wear comfortable shoes and carry snacks. Try to start at Paris. Go under The Eiffel Tower and order a frozen drink. They have strawberry daiquiris, frozen margarita, and frozen pina colada, I believe. They are $10 and they come in a plastic cup almost two feet tall in the shape of the tower. It will last you an hour or two at least and it stays frozen to the last drop. (in March) So if you're a drinker it is the best value. The cup even makes a fun souvenir. Other great souvenirs on the cheap are the tacky little trinkets that say Las Vegas all over them. Ash trays, rolling trays, shot glasses, etc,... From any place else it would be schlock, but when it says Vegas it just seems appropriate. Revel in the irony. They also sell used dice, cards and poker chips from the casinos really cheap. You can even get them in the airport so you don't have to lug it up & down The Strip.
OK, so now you're nicely buzzed and your purse is full of cheap, small, yet perfect souvenirs. You've been up & down The Strip, seen mimes, weirdos, and God knows what else, taken about 200 pictures and you've probably only spent about $20-$30. Not bad, huh? Now go back to your hotel and have room service bring you something greasy and naughty. Vacation calories don't count, you know.
Next day, if you enjoy nature, go to Red Rock and do some hiking. It's only about 30 minutes from Vegas. The landscape is absolutely stunning and in March the temps will be nice for it. Then go to The Old Strip when the sun goes down. It's not very big but it's worth the time. You can be there all night or be satisfied with two hours. If you or somebody in your party is looking for extras, this is a good place to find it. Just keep your ears open for people who randomly say things as they pass. Flag one down when you see one.

I took these at Red Rock during Christmas.

 

If you want to save money then dont do what i did and finish everynight with a visit to spearmint rhino or cheetas

 

BayWatcher - thanks for that - some fantastic stuff there!

I would like to visit Red Rock Canyon if we can - it's so close (& I have a childhood ambition to see it from watching the Electric Horseman with Robert Redford).

;D

 

ha ha, vegas cheeters is the worst one in the world, all manky old skag heads!

i personally love the strip and could spend days there. i agree with bw about checking out freemont street on a night, its awesome, look out for the midget mr t!
i spent 2k over 5 days when i last went(3rd time there) and could easily have spent more. only a couple of hundred was on gambling.
defo do the canyon. will cost about $300 pp for the tour mango is on about.
choose a hotel with a pool as that will occupy your time. the weather in march is usually hot mid to late 20's,but is sometimes quite chilly.
the more you take the more you'll spend and the more you'll be able to do. everything costs in vegas! don't stay at the stratosphere, stay a bit further up. for cheapness i've always used circus circus. it's a pleasant enough hotel, just a bit run down, but lacks the outdoor pool. try to book the hotel direct by calling them personally. google any vegas casino, all the contact info is there!
if you need any hints or advice, pm me. i've been there 3 times and had 3 completely different holidays.

 

Sam & I got married in Vegas at Graceland wedding chapel, whilst being serenaded by a fat Elvis. The vicar was the spit of Leslie Nielsen. It was a blast. Vegas is like Blackpool on steroids and LSD. I couldn't spend more than a few days there though as i don't gamble. But the hotels are cheap and well fitted out, food is cheap and plentiful and there's a lot of entertainment. Take the trip to the Hoover Dam and a helicopter flight round the Grand Canyon. Other than that leave Vegas and fly to San Francisco afterwards. That city is fabulous.

 

San Fransisco had better be fabulous. It's more expensive than New York. A friend of mine was there two weeks ago. She wanted to make a chicken dinner. $13 for an unprepared bloopin' chicken! I said ell, all you wanted was a yard-bird, not a flippin' parrot!
Unless you're good at street hustling, San Fransisco is no place for people on a tight budget.
It's too bad about that budget business. Just about an hour South of Frisco is a VW bus rental. You could have gone up & down the coast visiting all the famous Cali beaches. Muscle, Venice, etc,...
Maybe if you start selling plasma now,.....
Actually, that's not such a bad idea. They give us $10-$20 a pint for it over here. lol

 

We did look into hiring a van over there but the only ones I could find were charging $100+ a day!!

Think San Francisco will have to wait for another trip sadly

Selling blood eh? Wonder if they'd accept blood that is mainly alcohol ;D

 

With enough alcohol why it's virtually sterile.
Like I always say, "The only disease that could survive in my bloodstream is alcoholism.".

 

Sounds a good place to go, great pictures.

 

We had 5 nights in Vegas (too many, although I only lost $5 gambling) and then picked up an RV (the size of a bungalow) in Vegas and drove to LA.

From there we went north up the California Coast Road to San Fran via Malibu Beach, Pismo Beach, Morro Bay and all points in between.

Fab (although, if god ever gives America an enema...he'll stick the tube in Vegas).



;D

 

Got married in Vegas, been back for aniversarry and going back end of feb 2012. Everyone should go to vegas once in their life, nowhere else on earth like it.

 

Vegas is mad. Been 2 times and both with work so stayed at the Venetian and someone else picked up the tab. Crazy place where everything seems normal. I stayed up all nght and had Steak for breakfast and no one batted an eyelid.

Freemont (the old strip) is defo worth a trip. You can play dollar roulette in the old casinos there.

san fran is cool too. Taking my boys there and Yosemite in April!! Cant wait to get my camera out and go all Ansell Adams

 

You gotta do the big shot ride on top of the Stratasphere, best ride i've ever been on. Not good if your scared of heights, ride is on the 112th floor, 980 feet up and the ride is 350 feet high.