This post was originally published on A Globe Well Travelled in 2017. The content has been revised and updated with fresh information.
For someone who has basically no interest in gambling, I’ve somehow ended up in Las Vegas three times.
I don’t really care for casinos, and I’m definitely not one to spend my evenings drinking at a noisy club. But somehow, I still really like Vegas. Somehow, the novelty of this city — with all its lights, weird attractions, and over-the-top energy — keeps pulling me back.
Over my three visits, I’ve discovered that there are actually tons of Las Vegas activities that don’t involve blackjack tables, slot machines or smoky casino floors. I’d even go as far as saying that Las Vegas is a reasonably family-friendly destination, if you know where to look.
Whether you’re in town for a weekend, tagging along on someone else’s casino holiday, or just curious to see what else Vegas has to offer, this list rounds up my favourite non-gambling activities. Some are free, some are ticketed, but all of them show a different side of the city — one that’s just as fun (and probably a lot more memorable) than rolling the dice.
Quick summary:
Las Vegas has plenty to offer beyond casinos and nightlife. In this post, I share my favourite things to do in Las Vegas besides gambling, from quirky museums and neon signs to cacti gardens, Elvis encounters, and offbeat art installations.
Recommended tours & tickets:
🚍 Neon Museum + Welcome Sign night tour – See two iconic Vegas photo spots illuminated after dark.
🎸 All Shook Up: Elvis tribute show – Catch a lively 75-minute performance packed with classic Elvis hits.
💦 Hoover Dam half-day tour – Visit the enormous Hoover Dam with convenient return transport from Las Vegas.
✨ Seven Magic Mountains desert tour – See the colourful desert art installation without needing your own car.
Best things to do in Las Vegas besides gambling
Book a tour of the Neon Museum
I was fascinated by the retro signage found in the Neon Museum. This downtown gem has a collection of large-scale retired signage from past casinos and local businesses, many of which display the flashy neon lights that Vegas is so well known for.
Not all of the signs are in good condition, but some have been repaired to look like they did back in their heyday. The Neon Museum is a not-for-profit, so much of the money raised from ticket sales goes into repairing the signs to display in their open-air lot.
To visit the Neon Museum, you must book a 1-hour tour. There are daytime tours and evening tours (which are slightly more expensive). I ended up visiting the website fairly early in the morning, and was lucky to find 4 spots for my group on the 6PM tour (though I’d advise that you book the day before your tour if possible). This was the last daytime tour of the day, but as the sun set at 6:30PM, it ended up feeling like an evening tour anyway.
Sunset was the perfect time to be there as we got to experience the museum while the light was changing at dusk. Having some of the signs light up during our tour was absolutely perfect.
🚍 If you’d like to package your Neon Museum experience with an evening visit to the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, you can book a Vegas open-top bus tour which stops at both of these iconic attractions.
Find the ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign
You’ve seen it in movies, postcards, and probably half the souvenir shops on The Strip — but it’s still fun to see the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign in person.
We stopped by on our way out of town, and even though it’s literally just a sign sitting in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard, I’ll admit that getting a photo here felt like a classic Vegas moment.
The sign is located at the southern end of The Strip, and there’s a small designated parking area beside it. You may find a queue of people waiting to take photos directly in front of the sign, but if you’re not bothered about getting the perfectly centred shot, you can usually snap a photo from the side without waiting as long.
It’s free to visit, so this is an easy addition to your Las Vegas itinerary if you’re already exploring The Strip. I’d also consider stopping here on your way into or out of the city if you have a rental car, which is what we did.
🚍 If you don’t have your own transport, a Vegas open-top bus tour combines a stop here with a visit to the Neon Museum, giving you the chance to see two of Vegas’ most iconic signs illuminated after dark.
Watch the Fremont Street light show
Downtown Las Vegas feels like a completely different world from The Strip — and if you’re looking for something flashy, free, and distinctly Vegas, Fremont Street is definitely worth checking out.
The main attraction is Viva Vision, a gigantic LED canopy stretching over the Fremont Street Experience. After dark, the entire ceiling comes alive with music, colourful graphics and animations above the crowds below. I found the whole thing pretty mesmerising, especially when the lights were synced to classic rock anthems.
There’s plenty happening at street level, too. Fremont Street is lined with old-school casinos, bars and restaurants, with live performers and street artists adding to the atmosphere. It’s a fun place to experience a more retro side of Vegas and see some of the neon-covered casinos that existed long before The Strip became what it is today.
Just a heads up: the vibe here can be a little extra. Think loud music, half-dressed buskers and plenty of chaotic energy. It’s not exactly a relaxing evening out, but that’s all part of the Fremont Street experience.
👣 If you want a deeper dive into the history and weirdness of Downtown Vegas, a Fremont Street walking tour is another fun option. You’ll explore the area on foot while learning about its vintage casinos, neon signs, wedding chapels and colourful past.
Visit the Pinball Hall of Fame
This Pinball Hall of Fame is one of the best family-friendly activities in Las Vegas. I’ve visited a few amazing arcades in my time, but this one definitely stands out as one of the biggest and most memorable. The museum has a huge collection of playable pinball machines, mostly dating from the 1950s through to the 1990s, with plenty from the golden era of pinball in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
When I visited, the Pinball Hall of Fame was still at its old location away from The Strip. I had a great time challenging my friends to air hockey — a game that my brother and I used to play for hours as kids.
The museum moved in 2021 and is now housed in a much larger, 25,000-square-foot building on Las Vegas Boulevard, directly across from the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. It’s free to enter, and at the time of writing, older pinball machines cost just 25¢ per play while newer 1990s machines cost 50¢. The Pinball Hall of Fame is also a nonprofit, with excess revenues supporting charitable causes.
If you’re travelling to Las Vegas with kids — or you’re an adult who gets ridiculously competitive over old arcade games — this is a quirky and inexpensive alternative to the casino attractions on The Strip.
Catch the free shows along the Strip
One of the best things about Las Vegas is that you don’t necessarily need to spend any money to be entertained. Just walking along The Strip can feel like you’re bouncing between mini theme parks, with elaborate hotel facades, flashing lights and all sorts of unusual characters along the way.
The most iconic free show is probably the Bellagio Fountains. The huge lake in front of the hotel comes alive throughout the afternoon and evening, with fountains choreographed to music and jets of water shooting high above the lake.
I think the fountains are especially impressive after dark, when the Bellagio is illuminated behind them and the lights reflect across the water. The fountain shows run every 30 minutes from 3PM–7:30PM Monday to Friday, then every 15 minutes from 8PM until midnight. On weekends and holidays, they start earlier at midday, running every 30 minutes until 7:30PM and every 15 minutes from 8PM–midnight.
🏨 For a luxurious stay in Las Vegas, you can also book a fountain-view room at the Bellagio and watch the show from above.
Even if you’re not timing your walk around a particular show, The Strip itself provides plenty of free entertainment. There are elaborate hotels to wander through, street performers and costumed buskers, neon lights flashing in every direction, and some truly excellent people-watching opportunities. It’s chaotic, it’s loud, and it’s very, very Vegas.
Spot an Elvis impersonator
You haven’t really been to Vegas until you’ve crossed paths with an Elvis impersonator. Elvis has long been linked with Las Vegas thanks to his legendary 1969–1976 residency at the International Hotel (now the Westgate), where he performed hundreds of sold-out shows — turning him into a permanent icon of the city’s entertainment scene.
On one of our tours, we ended up at the Graceland Wedding Chapel where Elvis (complete with rhinestone jumpsuit and slicked-back hair) greeted us at the door, crooned a few lines of “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and pretended to marry a few members of our group for laughs. It was equal parts bizarre and hilarious — and honestly one of my favourite random Vegas memories.
You’ll sometimes spot Elvis out and about near Fremont Street or outside the Bellagio fountains if you’re lucky. For couples wanting a guaranteed sighting along with some nuptials, book yourself an Elvis wedding or vow renewal that includes a themed ceremony with The King himself! You’ll even walk away with some souvenir photos.
🎸 If you’re more into the music side of things (or maybe just not ready for Elvis to be marrying you), you might prefer to catch All Shook Up — a high-energy 75-minute Elvis tribute show that’s been rocking audiences in Las Vegas for over a decade.
Seek out the Botanical Cactus Garden & Ethel M Chocolates
Succulents and cacti are my favourite type of plants. I absolutely love them (possibly because I have very little success in keeping indoor greenery alive, and succulents are the only plants that have lived past a few months in my apartment), so when I heard about the Botanical Cactus Garden in Vegas, I knew I had to check it out.
The garden is part of Ethel M Chocolates in Henderson, just outside central Las Vegas. Its winding paths took us through beds filled with cacti and succulents from around the world, and I found it to be a surprisingly peaceful place to spend an afternoon after all the noise and activity of The Strip.
The other great thing about visiting is that you can combine the garden with a stop at the Ethel M Chocolate Factory next door. You can browse the chocolate shop, visit the onsite cafe, learn more about how the chocolates are made, or book a tasting experience. We may have gone a little overboard and ordered a decadent hot chocolate along with a large box of truffles. I regret nothing.
If you have a car, the cactus garden makes an easy detour while exploring attractions away from The Strip. It’s also particularly popular around Christmas, when the garden is transformed with colourful holiday lights.
Visit Hoover Dam
I know, I know — Hoover Dam sounds like a fairly generic tourist attraction. I wasn’t expecting much from our visit, but to be honest, I actually thought it was pretty cool.
The sheer scale of the dam is difficult to appreciate until you’re standing on top of it. I remember sticking my head out over the edge to look down at the water below and feeling the wind whip against my cheeks as it rushed up the enormous concrete wall. It was much more impressive than I’d expected.
Hoover Dam sits around 40 miles from Las Vegas on the Nevada-Arizona border, so you’ll need to venture outside the city to see it. If you have a rental car, it’s an easy road trip and can also be combined with other stops in the area.
We kept our visit fairly simple and didn’t do one of the guided tours, but there are various tour options available if you want to learn more about how the dam was constructed and see areas that you can’t access independently.
💦 If you don’t have your own transport, a Hoover Dam half-day tour from Las Vegas is an easy alternative. These tours generally include return transport, so you can visit without needing to hire a car.
Take a trip out to Seven Magic Mountains
Seven Magic Mountains is one of those attractions that looks completely bizarre against its surroundings — which is exactly what makes it so much fun to visit.
The public art installation consists of seven towers of brightly painted boulders stacked high above the Mojave Desert. With nothing but dry, barren landscape surrounding them, the fluorescent pinks, yellows, blues and greens really stand out.
I’m a huge fan of large-scale public art installations, so this was always going to be my kind of attraction. I also thought Seven Magic Mountains was one of the best photo spots around Las Vegas, especially with the desert landscape stretching out behind the colourful towers.
We stopped here while driving between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and it made for a perfect road trip break. Seven Magic Mountains is around a 25-minute drive south of The Strip, so having your own car is the easiest way to visit.
It was fairly busy when we arrived, with plenty of people trying to get the perfect photo in front of the towers, but luckily it didn’t feel overcrowded. There’s so much open desert surrounding the installation that we could easily wander around and find different angles without everyone ending up in our photos.
You don’t need long here — I’d allow around 30–45 minutes to walk around, take some photos and admire the installation before continuing with your day.
✨ If you don’t have a rental car, you can also visit Seven Magic Mountains on a California desert tour from Las Vegas, which is an easy way to see the installation without organising your own transport.
Where to stay in Las Vegas if you’re not into casinos
If casinos and nightlife aren’t the main reason you’re visiting Las Vegas, you might actually prefer staying slightly away from the busiest part of The Strip.
🏨 My husband and I based our stay at Palms Place, which is a hotel about 5 minutes drive from The Strip. We booked a private condo in the Palms Place tower, and our room had a balcony with the most phenomenal view of the Las Vegas skyline.
I also appreciated that this hotel had was not right next to the party district of Vegas. I know most people will want to stay on The Strip, but if you want a more relaxing base or you’re planning a fun staycation, The Palms is a solid choice. I found it nice to come back to this quiet hotel after a day of exploring.
Las Vegas FAQs
Is Las Vegas worth visiting if you don’t gamble?
Absolutely. Between the unusual attractions, shows, museums, restaurants and nearby day trips, there’s plenty to keep you occupied without setting foot near a blackjack table.
What are the best free things to do in Las Vegas?
Watching the Bellagio Fountains and the Viva Vision light show on Fremont Street are two of my favourite free things to do. You can also visit the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign and Seven Magic Mountains without paying an admission fee.
Can you enjoy Las Vegas without drinking or partying?
Definitely. Attractions like the Neon Museum, Pinball Hall of Fame, Hoover Dam and Seven Magic Mountains are fun alternatives to the Las Vegas casinos.
How many days do you need in Las Vegas if you don’t gamble?
I think 2–3 days is a good amount of time for a first visit. That gives you enough time to explore The Strip and Downtown Las Vegas, visit a few quirky attractions, and potentially take a half-day trip outside the city.
Do you need a car in Las Vegas?
You don’t need a car if you’re mainly exploring The Strip and Downtown, but having one is useful for places farther out, such as Hoover Dam, Seven Magic Mountains and the Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden. Organised tours are another option if you’d rather not drive.
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