The Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard)

The Las Vegas Strip is another name for Las Vegas Boulevard. Las Vegas Boulevard  holds more hotels and hotel rooms than any other city in the world. Running north and south, this is the famous street with the big, theme hotels and is the area generally seen on television and screen.

A good starting point for this first leg of the tour is the far south part of the Strip. Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino is the first major hotel and makes it an easy marker for the tour. As you begin your drive north on Las Vegas Blvd, the towering hotels will suddenly envelop you. Just north of the starting point is the Luxor Hotel & Casino, made obvious by the pyramid tower and Sphinx statue. Directly north of that is the first major cross street, Tropicana Avenue. On this corner alone stand four world-famous casinos: the Excalibur, New York New York, Tropicana Hotel and the MGM Grand Hotel. All of these buildings are famous throughout the world, and make for great souvenir photo shots. Continuing north, you will pass the newest reconstruction of a casino, the new Aladdin Hotel, scheduled to open with 2000 rooms in Spring, 2000. During the next two miles, you will pass more of the worlds most-famous hotels: Monte Carlo, Paris Las Vegas with its outstanding replicas of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, and its magnifique Parisian atmosphere and charm; and at the "bottom" or south end of the strip, from the ashes of the Hacienda Hotel, now stands the magnificent Mandalay Bay, with its tropical atmosphere and a pool with waves you can actually surf.

Continuing on you'll find the Desert Inn, Caesars Palace, Flamingo Hilton,where some say Bugsy started it all. Venetian, Imperial Palace, Ballys, The Mirage with its white tigers and erupting volcanos, Bellagio with its Italian Renaissance aura, Circus Circus, Riviera, Stardust, Treasure Island with its live pirate battles offered free of charge on a daily basis.and many of the lesser-known hotels. Finally, prior to reaching the next major intersection, Sahara Ave, you will see the newly remodeled Sahara Hotel & Casino. At the top of the Strip, extreme north end, you'll find the Stratosphere Tower, visible from miles away'the highest free-standing building in the western half of the United States, with views, and even rides, from the top that are indescribable

From the Convention Center at the north end, to McCarran Airport at the south end, you'll find a busy street, just east of and parallel to Las Vegas Boulevard. In the last few years a multitude of hotels and motels have sprouted up, often catering to the business traveler looking for a straight shot from the Convention Center to the airport, without getting involved with the Strip.