Things to do in or near Las Vegas off-Strip (Vegas Hacks)
Things to do in or near Las Vegas off-Strip (Vegas Hacks)
After you have been to Las Vegas and seen most of the main attractions, what can you do on future trips to Las Vegas to keep things fresh, exciting, and interesting?
Or what if you are travelling with a group and some people in your group prefer adventure, outdoor beauty in nature, physical activity, thrilling activities, art, or history?
Don’t fret. Get ideas from the information below to plan a day or two away from the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street (off the Strip).
These off-Strip attractions and activities in or near Las Vegas offer beauty, unique experiences, good value for your money, and often smaller crowds.
I have sorted them alphabetically for ease of reference.
Attractions that are not on the Las Vegas Strip, but are still in Las Vegas:
Area 15
Area 15 is an art, entertainment, dining, & retail complex that opened in 2020.
It is located a mile off the Strip behind the Trump Hotel (about 2 miles from The Strat).
Area 15 has many immersive and interactive art installations such as Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart, the Van Gogh 360 degree immersive art experience, Museum Fiasco Cluster sound and light spectacle, and Wink World: Portals Into The Infinite.
Explore The Sanctuary, a 32-foot high bamboo volcano and take a selfie next to the 12-foot tall glowing skull.
Experience high-tech entertainment such as the Birdly flight simulator, Oz Experience virtual reality, Particle Quest augmented reality, and Five Iron virtual golf.
Get your blood pumping by throwing axes at Dueling Axes or riding Haley’s Comet indoor zipline.
Enjoy a drink or a meal at Emporium bar and arcade, Oddwood Bar (with a large glowing LED-lit Japanese tree), or The Beast food hall by Todd English.
Boulevard Mall
Boulevard Mall is not far off the Strip behind the Venetian.
This exciting mall has 140 stores and restaurants.
It has entertainment options such as SeaQuest Interactive Aquarium, Galaxy Movie Theatres, Jupiter Express Railroad, Game Center Animal Rides, Dixie Dooley’s Magic Shop, First Vegas Virtual Reality, Las Vegas Family Puppet Theater, Versus esports arena, and Rex Center (with laser tag, go-carts, and mini golf).
Downtown Container Park
Located in the East Fremont Entertainment district, the Downtown Container Park has unique stores & restaurants in converted shipping containers. Enjoy The Dome – an immersive, 4K-visual dome entertainment experience, the candy store, a park with a play structure for kids, and a fire-spitting Mantis sculpture in front.
Ethel M Chocolate Factory & Cactus Garden
This chocolate factory has free self-guided tours showing how they make their chocolate and candy products with a free sample at the end.
Outside, you will find a great botanical cactus garden with more than 300 types of cactus plants.
Fantastic Indoor Swap Meet
Take a short 10-minute cab ride West of the Las Vegas Strip to this massive flea market with up to 600 vendors.
We love finding good deals and unique products and food.
Admission costs only $1.
BONUS TIP – If you like swap meets, you should also check out Broadacres Marketplace, which is only open Friday nights and during the day on Saturday and Sunday. Here you will find over 1,000 vendors, a food market with great food trucks, and live entertainment.
Las Vegas Premium Outlet Malls (North and South)
There are two outlet malls in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas North Premium Outlets is downtown near the West end of Fremont Street. It is an outdoor mall with over 140 retailers plus several restaurants like Shake Shack and Cheesecake Factory.
Las Vegas South Premium Outlets is not far South of the airport on Las Vegas Boulevard. It is an indoor mall with over 140 stores and two food courts inside. You’ll find more dining options in the parking lot.
Mob Museum
The Mob Museum is located close to Fremont Street.
The National Museum of Organized Crime has over 25 exhibits on 3 floors and a focus on the history of Las Vegas.
The basement has a cool speakeasy lounge you should visit.
National Atomic Testing Museum
The National Atomic Testing Museum is only 1 mile from the Las Vegas Strip.
Here, you will learn about the 928 nuclear tests, 100 of which were above-ground, that were conducted 65 miles away from Las Vegas between 1950 to 1990.
You will also see exhibits about UFO sightings and high-tech test planes.
Neon Museum & Graveyard
The Neon Museum is located a short cab ride North of Fremont Street.
Re-live the Las Vegas glory days by admiring the historical neon signs from demolished Las Vegas casinos. These neon signs are best viewed at dusk or after dark.
Pinball Hall of Fame & Museum
The Pinball Hall of Fame recently re-located to a massive stand-alone building on the Las Vegas Strip across from Mandalay Bay and the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. For the last 10 years it was located off-Strip, so I decided to leave it in this article.
Their website says they have over 200 playable retro pinball machines and 50 arcade games from every decade. However, someone recently told me that they now have 800 pinball games and 200 arcade games.
Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall
This unique casino and resort is located on the Eastern outskirts of Las Vegas (20 minutes from the Strip) and periodically offers free shuttle service to and from the Las Vegas Strip.
There is a lot to see here besides gambling, including bowling, an arcade, and the Sunset Stampede, a free Laser Light and Fountain Show in the Mystic Falls Park. The park also has trees, bubbling brooks, and animatronic animals.
Silverton Casino
This resort is located just South of the airport and often has very attractive discounts and promotions.
Silverton Casino has a 117,000 gallon aquarium with a fish feeding show and a mesmerizing mermaid show.
Wet N Wild
Wet ‘N’ Wild Waterpark is 30-minutes West of the Las Vegas Strip.
Cool off while enjoying many of the body slides and tube slides that you love.
Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum
The Haunted Museum is located in downtown Las Vegas
It has been voted the best haunted attraction in America.
Motorsports
ATV and dune buggy tours
Off-road driving tours are offered by many tour operators that take you to different places and use different vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles and custom-made dune buggies. The tours start in Las Vegas and then you are taken out in the desert for some off-road wild rides in cool vehicles. Check out the attraction ratings and comments on TripAdvisor to help select the tour that is right for you.
Race car driving
Some thrill seekers dream of driving exotic luxury sportscars or race cars. You can live this dream through a variety of companies like Dream Racing, Exotics Racing, NASCAR Racing Experience, Richard Petty Driving Experience, and Speed Vegas. Many are located at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Out of Town Activities (not in Las Vegas, but good day-trips):
Please click here to read our article about road trips that you can take from Las Vegas if you have a vehicle or take a group bus tour.
Some ideas include:
Death Valley
Grand Canyon
Hoover Dam and Lake Mead
Mt. Charleston
Red Rock Canyon
Springs Preserve
Valley of Fire State Park
Not everyone wants to gamble, drink, and see shows every day of their Las Vegas vacation. Others just want a break from the crowds where they can see or do something special.
We hope this article has given you lots of food for thought when planning your next trip to Las Vegas.
Let us know in the comments below if you try any of our suggestions or if you have experienced them before. Also, please share any other great ideas for off-strip things to do in Las Vegas that are not on the Las Vegas Strip or Fremont Street.
* AUTHOR NOTE: Access to businesses, attractions, and parks are subject to change, especially due to pandemic health restrictions and related tourism and business conditions. Please check the website or call before going to avoid disappointment, especially if you are driving an hour or more to get to some of these locations.
Happy Travels,
Kevin & Tina
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48 Comments
Carina | bucketlist2life
That is an extensive list! I never thought about Las Vegas as a place with museums. But I think my favorite on this list is the mermaid show!
Kevin Strong
The mermaid show was mesmerizing and the small kids thought it was like magic.
We will start enjoying off-strip activities in Las Vegas away from the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street like the museums and Area 15 as well as hiking in nature.
Vanessa Shields
It’s amaxing how many cool things there are to see off the strip! I’m from CA and I’m ashamed to say I didn’t start exploring off the strip until about 6 years ago and I still need to see many of these. I’d really enjoy exploring Area 15 and the Neon Sign graveyard!
Kevin Strong
We hope to explore both Area 15 and the Neon graveyard on our next trip to Las Vegas. The other off-strip things to do in or near Las Vegas that are not on the Las Vegas Strip or Fremont Street seem amazing, but some are a few hours drive each way, so those will take longer to check off the list.
Chalk and cheese travels
Great Vegas Post that speakeasy looks so cool love them finds. I never knew wet and wild was in Vegas
Kevin Strong
The Mob Museum’s speakeasy lounge is highly recommended online, but we haven’t been there yet. It’s a very short cab ride from Fremont Street.
We believe that the Wet ‘N’ Wild opened less than 5 years ago, so most people don’t know about it. Waterslides would be great on a hot summer day in Vegas.
The more we research things to do in Las Vegas that are not on the Strip or Fremont, the more reasons we have to visit Las Vegas.
Bernie and Jess Watt
This is so up my alley. While Vegas isn’t my favorite place in the world, there are heaps of these places that I want to see, like the neon museum and the pinball museum.
Kevin Strong
Drinking, gambling and shows aren’t for everyone. But, Las Vegas still has so many cool things to do that are off-strip, you’ll still have fun in Las Vegas if you aren’t on the Las Vegas Strip or Fremont Street.
Christopher Miller
The PINBALL HALL OF FAME is now in a much bigger location with over 800 pinball and 200 arcade games.. look for it right by the LAS VEGAS SIGN beside Harley Davidson!
Kevin Strong
Thanks for the additional information. I’ll update the article. It seems many people love the pinball hall of fame. It sounds like they are re-investing and making it even better. The pinball museum is a often recommended off-strip attraction in Las Vegas.
Keep Calm & Drink Coffee
Chocolate 🍫 and cactus 🌵!
Definitely that is my place!
Thanks a lot for all the detailed information and for the interesting virtual journey!
Kevin Strong
There are many things to do away from Freemont and off-Strip (not on the Las Vegas Strip) that provide a totally different Las Vegas experience. More art, museums, cool stuff, and natural beauty with a slower pace and mostly smaller crowds.
Sue Berk Koch
The Grand Canyon sounds like a great day trip! You’ve got an amazing list of hiking possibilities here. I’ve jotted them down so if I ever go west, I’ll have lots of ideas. Thanks so much!
Sue
http://www.susanberkkoch.com/blog
Kevin Strong
The Grand Canyon is probably the best and most-recommended off-Strip activity and day trip from Las Vegas.
However, it’s a 4-5 hour drive each way, so its quite a drive and worth the effort.
We hope you get to check out some of the great parks near Las Vegas for great hiking and sightseeing.
Sue
So many interesting things to do in Vegas other than gambling and partying. I have always wanted to check out the neon museum and graveyard. Definitely need to check it out next trip to Vegas!
Kevin Strong
We like to keep the gambling and drinking to a minimum and enjoy these off the Strip Las Vegas attractions when we visit too.
Baby Boomer Super Saver
Valley of Fire State Park is on my bucket list! I’ve heard it is amazing. The Neon Museum sounds very unique, that would be fun to see. I’ve already been to Death Valley National Park – the best time to visit is in February, March or early April before it gets too hot. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a super bloom (if there’s been enough rain for the cactus & wildflowers). Great post, I will have to check out some of these sights, including the chocolate factory / cactus garden!
Kevin Strong
Valley of Fire seems to be very popular. I have seen lots of pictures on social media during the pandemic lockdown that made me want to take a day trip there next time we are in Las Vegas. You are right. It sure gets hot in Nevada. We went to the Grand Canyon in July and it was +45 degrees Celsius. We are glad you liked the post and got ideas for off-strip things to do next time you are in Vegas.
SteveH
Great list of activities. So many people miss out on these other places, attractions & adventures. Nice job pointing them in different directions.
Kevin Strong
Thanks. People ask about this all the time and since we went with teenagers 5 years ago, we already researched lots of things to do that are not on the Las Vegas Strip or Fremont Street (off-Strip) and decided to share what we learned in a post. Of course, we updated our research last week to make sure it was up to date. Some people aren’t into gambling or drinking or don’t like crowds and these activities and attractions might be better for them or at least as a way to break up the trip and change the pace.
Kelly | Poky Little Wanderer
Perfect timing, we’re planning a weekend getaway to Las Vegas after finishing up our vaccines and I have both on & off-strip activities planned! There’s so much to do in and around Vegas it’s tough to narrow down your itinerary.
Kevin Strong
Congratulations on getting the vaccines. You’ll feel much less anxiety now. We agree that a weekend is not enough to explore very much. You will need 2 days to check out the main casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and maybe one night to explore Fremont Street. You might not have time to do anything off-Strip or take a day trip from Las Vegas.
Jodie | That Happy Reader
I love Vegas and have visited many times. I love this list of things around Vegas and I have yet to try several of these. Thanks for sharing such a resourceful post!
Kevin Strong
We are happy you found it informative. We have also visited Las Vegas several times, but there are many of these off-strip attractions and things to do that are away from the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street that we have yet to experience.
Under flowery sky
Awesome ideas, I would love a cactus garden and House of fame.
I would love to visit Las Vegas, landscape is incredible too..
Kevin Strong
You find unexpected beauty in the desert at these things to do in Las Vegas that are off the strip or far enough away from the Las Vegas strip that you need to go on a road trip. The colours are very beige and red (just a bit of green). The cactus have a different type of beauty, but still amazing.
wendy white
So many things to do outside of the Las Vegas strip. Of course, the Grand Canyon is on my bucket list but I’d also like to visit Hoover Dam and cool off at Wet n Wild.
Kevin Strong
You will love that day trip through Hoover Dam to Grand Canyon. Many people don’t know about Wet n Wild, even if they know about some of the other great off-strip things to do in Las Vegas (off of the Las Vegas Strip and not on Fremont Street)
Mr Barry A Till
such a huge list of things to do around Las vegsa, I would defo need a couple of weeks here to visit most of them, so I gues I had better relook at my Vegas plan ! Never knew there was so much. I’d love to combine it with the Grand Canyon tour as you uggested (and add in another week!). Great list that I shall keppe for when I eventually get tehr
Kevin Strong
These day trips from Las Vegas take pretty much 1 day each, so you would need a lot of time to do them all. However, there are also cool off-strip things to do in Las Vegas.
Karabo
I have always wanted to experience the mermaid shows. It looks so cool.
Kevin Strong
We had never seen a mermaid show live and in person until the one at Silverton in Las Vegas. I had seen it on TV and always wanted to see one up close. That is one great off-strip attraction near the Las Vegas strip, but off-Strip. It’s not far from the cactus garden too.
Stepen & Andie
Love-love-LOVE that you’re covering off-the-strip things to do here. And I’m always down for a ghost town exploration! Thanks for this – very well done!
Kevin Strong
Some of the ghost towns are really far away, but you could still do them in a really long day trip. Some really fun and amazing things are near Las Vegas, but not on the Strip, so you need to plan some time away from the Strip.
Jack
Kind of funny that there’s a museum for the good fellas…
Kevin Strong
I bet there are lots of amazing stories about how the Mob/Mafia built Las Vegas. That is worth a short cab ride away from Fremont Street and one of the great things to do that is not on the Las Vegas Strip.
JoJo Hall
This post is making me so excited for my trip to Vegas in July! I feel like I’d enjoy more of the activities that are outside of Vegas than in Vegas, so I’ll definitely bookmark this post for my upcoming trip!
Kevin Strong
I hope you have time for a nice day trip to break up the partying in Las Vegas. You’ll enjoy a different pace at these off-strip attractions.
Ibolya
Named for its distinctive red sandstone formations, the Valley of Fire is a must-see for every Vegas adventurer. Check out Native American petroglyphs, the famous Atlatl Rock, and more stunning viewpoints at Nevada’s oldest state park, only 50 miles from the Las Vegas Strip.
Kevin Strong
We are agree that Valley of Fire is a fantastic day trip from Las Vegas for the reasons you state. Thanks for sharing.
Paul (Paul Explores the World)
This article does a great job at showcasing how much there is to do in and around Vegas besides gambling. Next time I go I hope to see the Valley of Fire State Park!
Kevin Strong
We are not big gamblers either. Definitely don’t gamble enough to get any status at the Las Vegas casinos on the Strip. If you have a vehicle for short day trips from Las Vegas, there are many outdoor adventures with lovely scenic views to enjoy relatively close to Vegas. If not, you can still take a bus tour to some of these amazing places, but overall the cost will be higher I think. Valley of Fire is on the list of things to do for our next visit to Las Vegas.
barry
This is one impressive list of all the things to do around Las Vegas – I had no idea there was so much. The Van Gogh Immersive Art exhibit sounds right up my street and that Container Park sounds very artisan and off the wall. I wonder how the Mafia feels about having a Museum telling the story of the Mob in Vegas (maybe they run it also). This is a very comprehensive listing of everything I can do when I eventually hit Vegas – I may need a few weeks to complete them all though!
Kevin Strong
The Mob Museum is popular with older travellers that like to learn about the history, while I think the younger people go for the vibe and the speakeasy. Las Vegas has some very interesting and unique places to see art and try less mainstream activities and most of them are not on the Las Vegas Strip.
stephen
So many great suggestions! For my money, all are better and more interesting than the strip. I do quite enjoy the “old Vegas” charm of downtown, as I’m a sucker for vintage vibes. Great article that I’ll be referring back to next time I head to Vegas (which may very well be in the near future).
Kevin Strong
I think the Las Vegas off-strip attractions and even restaurants are a better deal. The crowds are a bit smaller, which is a good thing during a pandemic, which is a bonus. We hope to go to Vegas and definitely love the classic Vegas vibe when we can find it.
Anna Mitchell
I guess I always just think of Vegas as gambling and drinking but there is a wealth of things to do besides those two. Great list.
Kevin Strong
The list of things to do off-Strip in Las Vegas (and nearby for short day trips) is great if you have been to Vegas many times or if you like the less-crowded and lesser known attractions in Las Vegas. We definitely go to Vegas for much more than gambling and drinking.