Las Vegas Q&A
Real questions from people planning a trip, answered by the Vegas Guide team and by travelers who have been.
80 questions80 answeredlast answer 6h ago
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| Question | Participants | Answers | Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where is the Chandelier Bar, and do you need a reservation? Food, nightlife & pools Inside The Cosmopolitan, in the middle of the casino, and no, you cannot reserve a seat. It is walk-in only on all three levels, so weekend nights mean hovering for a stool. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| Do you need reservations at Las Vegas restaurants, and which are hardest to get into? Food, nightlife & pools For the famous rooms, yes, and the booking window is what matters. Carbone at Aria is the hardest table on the Strip; most celebrity rooms and steakhouses want one to three weeks for a Friday or Saturday. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| Which is the best buffet in Las Vegas, and which hotels still have one? Food, nightlife & pools Bacchanal at Caesars Palace is the definitive Las Vegas buffet: roughly $65 for brunch and $85 to $95 for weekend dinner in 2026. Many others never reopened after 2020, so the list of survivors is shorter than older guides suggest. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| When is pool season in Las Vegas, and when do hotel pools close? Food, nightlife & pools Roughly March to October. Dayclubs open in early to mid-March and close between mid-September and mid-October; resort pools follow a similar arc with shorter hours at the ends, and a few heated pools run all winter. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| Which Las Vegas hotel pools are best for kids, and which are adults-only? Families & kids For kids, Mandalay Bay Beach is the standout, with a wave pool, a sand beach and a lazy river. Every dayclub is 21 and over, and so are a few quieter resort pools and the whole of Circa. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| Is Las Vegas a good place to bring kids? Families & kids Better than its reputation, with real limits. Ages 5 to 12 do best; toddlers are hard work, and teenagers run into the 21 line everywhere. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| Can teens or babies walk through a casino or stand with you while you gamble? Families & kids Walk through, yes; stand with you while you play, no. Anyone under 21 can cross a casino floor on the way somewhere, but cannot stop at a machine or a table, even next to a parent. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| What are the best things to do in Las Vegas with kids? Families & kids A dinner show with jousting horses, afternoon magic, the free fountains and circus acts, a wave pool, Springs Preserve and Omega Mart cover most ages. Below is our shortlist by age, from the pages we keep on each. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| What are M&M's World Las Vegas hours, and is it worth visiting? Families & kids Open daily from 9 a.m. to midnight, free to enter, in the Showcase Mall next to MGM Grand. Worth 30 to 60 minutes if you have kids or a sweet tooth; otherwise it is a very large candy shop. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| What fun activities are there in Las Vegas besides shows (Topgolf, bowling, shooting ranges)? Day trips & tours Plenty, mostly just off the Boulevard or at the ends of it: Topgolf behind MGM Grand, bowling at the LINQ, shooting ranges a few minutes away, the STRAT's thrill rides, ziplines downtown and the immersive rooms at AREA15. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| When does the Bellagio Conservatory change its display, and is it free? Day trips & tours Free, open 24 hours a day, no need to be a guest. The display changes about five times a year (spring, summer, fall, the holidays and Lunar New Year), and the room closes for roughly six days during each rebuild. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| What time do the Bellagio fountains run, and do they stop in high wind? Day trips & tours From 3 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends and holidays, every 30 minutes until 8 p.m. and then every 15 minutes until midnight. Yes, wind stops them: sensors cut the jets down or shut the show off entirely when gusts would blow the water past the banks. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| Are the STRAT thrill rides still open, and how high are they? Day trips & tours Partly. Big Shot still runs, launching riders to about 1,081 feet, and SkyJump still drops people 829 feet down the side of the tower. Insanity was removed in 2023 and X-Scream has been closed for maintenance with no reopening date. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| What is there to do at Springs Preserve, and how long do you need? Day trips & tours Two museums, a frontier town, a little train, gardens and trails on one ticket, 10 to 15 minutes west of the Strip. Plan on half a day; the museum alone takes about 90 minutes. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| How far is the Hoover Dam from Las Vegas, and how do you get there without a car? Day trips & tours About 35 miles southeast of the Strip, a 45-minute drive. Without a car, a coach tour with hotel pickup is the practical way; a rideshare gets you there easily but getting back is the problem. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| How far is the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas? Day trips & tours Two to five hours by car, depending on the rim. The West Rim is about 125 to 130 miles away, the South Rim about 277, the North Rim about 265. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| What is AREA15, and where is it? Day trips & tours An indoor entertainment district a few minutes west of the Strip, at 3215 South Rancho Drive, across I-15 near the Sahara Avenue exit. Walking in is free; the attractions inside are ticketed one by one. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| Can you do the Grand Canyon as a day trip from Las Vegas, and is it worth it? Day trips & tours The West Rim works as a day trip: it is 2 to 2.5 hours away and makes a comfortable full day. The South Rim, the classic postcard view, is 4.5 to 5 hours each way and really wants an overnight. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| Who has a residency in Las Vegas right now, and who is coming next? Shows & tickets As of October 13, 2026, the big names are Metallica and the Eagles at Sphere, Tim McGraw and then Lisa at the Colosseum, Mary J. Blige at Dolby Live, and Donny Osmond at Harrah's. The full list by venue is below. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| What shows and concerts are on in Las Vegas during my dates (tonight, this weekend, this month)? Shows & tickets Start with our events calendar, which lists concerts, residency dates, sports and festivals by month, and with the Las Vegas today page for tonight. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| What time do Las Vegas concerts start and end, and is there an opening act? Shows & tickets Most residency shows start at 8 or 8:30 p.m. with no opening act and finish by about 10:30. Arena and stadium concerts behave like anywhere else: doors 60 to 90 minutes early, one or two openers, the headliner later, done around 11. 1 answer 6h | 1 | 6h | |
| What is a Las Vegas residency, and how is it different from a concert tour? Shows & tickets A residency is a run of shows by one artist in one Las Vegas venue, spread over weeks or months, instead of one night per city on a tour. The artist moves in, the production is built for that room, and you pick the night. 1 answer 7h | 1 | 7h | |
| What is playing at the Sphere right now? Shows & tickets As of mid-October 2026: Metallica's residency on Thursdays and Saturdays through November 7, and The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, the immersive film, most days of the week. The Eagles and the Backstreet Boys follow later in the fall. 1 answer 7h | 1 | 7h | |
| How much are Sphere tickets, and where should you buy them? Shows & tickets About $90 to $200 for the film, The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, and $150 to $400 or more for a concert seat. Buy from Sphere's official channels first; all sales are final. 1 answer 7h | 1 | 7h | |
| Where is the Sphere, and which hotels are closest to it? Shows & tickets Behind The Venetian, a block east of the Strip, at 255 Sands Avenue on the corner of Koval Lane. The Venetian and The Palazzo are the closest hotels; from the Venetian's front door it is a 10 to 15 minute walk. 1 answer 7h | 1 | 7h |