Off-Season Road Trip: Viva Las Vegas!

Las Vegas is one of our favorite destinations to kick off a road trip to see the amazing landscapes and destinations across the mountain states. The city is loaded with award-winning restaurants and entertainment ranging from theatrical productions, live performances, and clubs to thrill-rides and attractions. Conveniently, we’ve also found there are many flight options when traveling to Harry Reid International Airport (formerly McCarren International Airport). 

For the first-time visitor, our advice is to wear your most comfortable shoes and explore the casino hotels— many are connected by walkways, making it easy to discover places that interest you. For anyone that frequents Las Vegas, you’ve probably already found your favorite casinos, hotels, restaurants, and shops.   

We checked into The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (Autograph Collection) to enjoy its spacious rooms with amazing views of the Strip and an incredible restaurant scene that ranges from comfort food to fine dining. The hotel’s convenient location is walking distance to other spots we like to visit on every trip. 

We only had one full day to see how Las Vegas was doing after two years of lower-than-average convention and tourism activity. The morning was spent walking the Strip before heading to downtown Las Vegas and the Mob Museum. The interactive museum, located in the former Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse, has three floors dedicated to artifacts and exhibits telling the stories of organized crime across the country. There’s even a Prohibition-era speakeasy and distillery in the basement serving up cocktails and shareable bites. 

On past visits we’ve gone to Spiegelworld’s shows: Absinthe (at Caesar’s Palace) and the following year, Opium (at The Cosmopolitan). This trip we had to experience Superfrico by Spiegelworld, marketed as an Italian American Psychedelic restaurant. It did not disappoint! 

Travel Tip:  From an off-season perspective, the smaller crowds in Las Vegas allow you easier access to tickets and reservations. Hotel prices were also less expensive than past years, especially mid-week. Another noticeable change was that some restaurants close early (we noticed 10pm to be a trend) and some of the shopping districts have limited hours.