Las Vegas abounds in attractions and activities that cost nothing at all.
Vegas being Vegas, it stands to reason that you'll eventually run out of money while staying there. Or perhaps you're not interested in gambling or a show and want to keep your budget tight. Free parking and inexpensive meals help out a great deal, but there are plenty of cool things to do in Sin City that cost you nothing at all. If you play your cards right (so to speak), you can have a blast in Vegas without spending a dime.
Casino Attractions
Numerous casinos on the Strip offer free entertainment as a way of enticing tourists into their gambling parlors. You can make an entire weekend just out of seeing each one. The most famous is probably the dancing fountains in front of the Belllagio, which run multiple times an hour and provide a spectacular show as well as a cool respite from the Nevada heat.
Other free events include the "Sirens of TI," a risque show in front of the Treasure Island resort; a lion habitat at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino; Siegfried and Roy's white tigers at the Mirage; jugglers and trapeze artists at Circus Circus; an erupting volcano at the Mirage; and gondola rides at the Venetian casino.
Museums
If you want to get away from the Strip, Las Vegas has a couple of fascinating museums that charge no admission and may be well worth your time. The Marjorie Barrick Museum at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas offers displays of Native American art and plant exhibits from the American Southwest.
Red Rock Canyon, just outside Vegas, is a natural preserve containing a number of geological wonders. For sports fans, Las Vegas offers the Sports Hall of Fame, which features a huge collection of historic balls, gloves and jerseys (one of the largest outside the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.).
Learn to Gamble
Vegas casinos want people to gamble; it's the purpose of their existence. In order to attain that goal, many of them offer free lessons on play various casino games in hopes that students will put their new talents to use as quickly as possible. The Golden Nugget, Venetian, Palms and Las Vegas Hilton all offer daily lessons on craps, roulette, blackjack and various forms of poker. The lessons are designed to help you understand the appeal of each game, grasp the basic strategies and have a bit of fun . . . all without flushing your mortgage (or even your pocket change) down the toilet.
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