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Free Las Vegas Shows And Things To Do There are enough free Las Vegas shows, attractions and things to do on the Strip to keep you occupied during an entire day or night! Most of these free things to do are suitable for kids and teens. These two are more suitable for couples. To keep you concentrated, we have created an easy to follow map and a step-by-step guide to the most fun free Las Vegas shows and things to do along the Strip and up until downtown. We have also provided approximate times and schedule of free shows running in Las Vegas, Nevada so you can easily plan your vacation. Ready? Put on your sturdy shoes, or rent a car, and let's go! We start our trip right at McCarran Airport - near the famous sign, and walk (drive) along the Strip towards downtown. We will be stopping at the most interesting hotels and other venues that are worth popping in either for a quick look around, exploration or for a free show. Copyright Las Vegas Entertainment Guide by Svetlana Rubejov Map Of Free Las Vegas Attractions ! 1. Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas Sign Address: 5100 Las Vegas Blvd S Our first stop is the famous sign Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas. We believe we do not need to introduce this sign - if there is something in Vegas that is known worldwide - it's probably this sign! Although, strictly speaking, the sign is located in Paradise, it's still considered one of Las Vegas landmarks. There is a small parking lot nearby, and there are always plenty of people who can take your pictures. Even if it doesn't sound like something worth the detour for you, the sign is on the way and is a must stop if you are going, for example, to Hoover Dam. The sign was designed by Betty Willis, a graphic designer, in 1959, and changed the address a few times until moving to 5100 Las Vegas Blvd. S., near McCarran Airport, right where the Strip with all free Las Vegas shows and attractions begins. The 25 feet (7.6 m) sign is not only a perfect photo opportunity, it's also a place where many people choose to get married! ! Photo by williambeem.com 2. Free Attractions at Luxor Luxor Hotel & Casino; Address: 3900 Las Vegas Blvd S We leave the sign and continue along the Strip. Our next stop is Luxor Hotel. Although it doesn't offer any free Las Vegas shows to see, it has a couple of other interesting attractions. First thing you will notice is that Luxor is built in the shape of an ancient Egyptian pyramid - in particular, Pyramid of Khafre located in Giza in Egypt. As with Pyramid of Khafre, Luxor is guarded by a great Sphinx statue - although the Vegas version is newer, the resemblance is striking. ! If you happen to be passing by Luxor hotel at night, you will notice another interesting landmark - the Sky Beam. In fact, you will notice it almost from anywhere in Las Vegas - it's the brightest light beam not just in Vegas, but in the entire world! If you want a proof - try one of those night helicopter rides. Produced by a combined effort of energy-efficient 39 Xenon lamps that keep Luxor's electric bills just a bit higher than average, the Sky Beam is visible from 250 miles away! In case you are wondering why Luxor has a Sky Beam - the hotel's version is that ancient Egyptians believed that after death their souls would travel to the sky in a beam of light. We think that it's one of the most fun free Las Vegas shows. ! 3. Free Attractions at MGM Grand MGM Grand Hotel & Casino ; Address: 3799 S. Las Vegas Blvd Our next stop is MGM Grand Hotel. If you happen to be passing by between 10 am - 8:30 pm and if the activity we are describing below sounds like fun to you - be sure to pop in! MGM Grand is home to CBS Television City Research Center, where the notion of free Las Vegas shows gets an entirely new meaning. The Research Center is the place of where big decisions regarding the destiny of new TV shows are made. And guess who is helping to make the decisions? They rely heavily on tourists like you and me to watch shows, pilots and other TV programs and rate them honestly. The Center is located at the Studio Walk - MGM Grand's shopping center. Screenings change every 30 minutes or so, and the Research Center attracts just a modest crowd, so you won't need to wait too long for your turn to watch and decide the fate of the next show. After you've watched a show, you will evaluate it by completing a questionnaire. After you are done, don't forget to pick up coupons for food and merchandise that the Research Center offers to reward your input. As you are passing by MGM Grand, especially if you are with your kids, you could also drop by M&M World located nearby - it's a paradise for chocolate lovers, and is free to enter. Although it would be hard to walk around and not buy something! ! Photo by Josh Truelson (M&M's World Las Vegas) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons 4. Free Attractions at New York New York Hotel & Casino New York New York Hotel & Casino ; Address: 3790 S. Las Vegas Blvd Our next stop is New York New York hotel, themed after New York City. Of course it would be impossible to recreate an entire city on such a small territory, so what they did was take the most famous NYC landmarks and throw them in together to create this masterpiece. We are not going inside as they don't really offer free Las Vegas shows right now, and the hotel is not as themed inside as it once was. But there is plenty of free attractions outside. Other than the obvious Statue of Liberty and NYC skyscrapers that are approximately 1/3 size of the original, we'd like to draw your attention to a few other landmarks featured at New York New York Hotel Las Vegas. Now try and guess which one is the original ! (Just kidding - it's pretty obvious). Grand Central Terminal ! Brooklyn Bridge ! Soldiers And Sailors Monument ! 5. Free Shows at CityCenter Las Vegas Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Aria Resort & Casino, Vdara Hotel & Spa; Address: 3730 S. Las Vegas Blvd Our next stop is CityCenter. CityCenter is an urban complex that consists of several beautiful, modern hotels that have one thing in common - a water and crystal theme. The complex has a shopping mall called The Crystals. Hotels included in the CityCenter are Aria, Vdara. There are also Veer Towers that are actually condominiums. We will briefly look at the hotels located inside CityCenter to notice the beautiful design. We'd like to draw your attention to many water features located outside of Aria Hotel. If you have the time, walk inside Aria, too - they have plenty of free artwork displayed everywhere. If art is your thing, you won't find any better free Las Vegas attractions! ! By Rik007 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons As they say at Aria themselves, always look up - you might find something interesting there - for example, a silver replica of Colorado River installed in the lobby. ! Photo by Prayitno Still in the CityCenter, we will proceed inside The Crystals shopping center, that currently feature one of the coolest free Las Vegas attractions - the art gallery by Dale Chihuly - a glass sculptor whose work decorates the lobby at the Bellagio Hotel. ! Photo by David Stanley 6. Free Attractions at Bellagio Bellagio Resort & Casino; Address: 3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd Next stop is Bellagio Hotel And Casino. Bellagio offers five incredible, absolutely free Las Vegas attractions - Fiori Di Como - a glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly, the Dancing Fountains, Botanical Gardens, Cirque du Soleil Fine Art Gallery by Richard MacDonald, and Chocolate Fountain. The first thing you notice when you come inside the lobby of Bellagio is a beautiful glass sculpture Fiori Di Como by renown sculptor Dale Chihuly, whose work is also displayed inside CityCenter, and in many art museums in the USA and in the world. ! Photo by Nana Mint The Fountains are located outside of the hotel, so you don't need to come in to see the most famous of all free Las Vegas shows. The Fountains run on schedule, from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes during operating hours. Current hours is Monday - Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m, Saturdays and Sundays - from 12:00 p.m to 12:00 am. On Sundays, the show runs starting at 11:00 am. ! Photo by Matthew Paulson Another great free attraction located inside Bellagio is the Conservatory and Botanical gardens. This one can be viewed any time, as it's open 24/7. The Botanical Gardens are among "must-see" free Las Vegas attractions, even if you are not into "flowers" - it may even change your mind! They change the theme several times a year. Currently they offer the following themes: Chinese New Year, Spring Celebration, Summer Garden, Fall Harvest. ! Photo by Ron Young If you have the time, check out the largest chocolate fountain in the world located inside Jean Philippe Patisserie. The fountain in free to watch, unlike chocolates in the Patisserie - umm, well, yum! ! Photo by Jun Seita The Art of Richard MacDonald is located inside O Theater that runs one of the most popular Cirque du Soleil shows - O inside Bellagio.