DK Travel : Las Vegas

The Entertainment Capital of the World offers just about everything: the world’s largest hotels; the brightest stars in show business; shops and restaurants that rival any on earth. It’s true, too, that the lights are brighter in Las Vegas. Yet you don’t have to go far from the glamour and glitter to find the natural beauty of lakes and the desert as well.

1855: Mormons Establish a Trading Post

Inhabited for centuries by Native Americans, and encountered by Spanish explorers in 1829, the Las Vegas area was only permanently settled in 1855 when a group of Mormons, led by Brigham Young, established a trading post here.
1931: Gambling Legalized in Nevada

The relaxed gaming laws passed in the Silver State in 1931 encouraged widespread participation. In reality, betting and gambling were already widespread and, in some forms, legal.
1935: Boulder Dam Dedicated by Roosevelt

The greatest hydroelectric project of the 20th century, the Boulder (later Hoover) Dam was begun in 1931 and completed four years later, at a human cost of 96 lives. (see Hoover Dam)
1940s: Air Conditioning and Irrigation Arrive

The ability to keep buildings cool and the greening brought about by irrigation made the Nevada desert far more attractive to developers. In 1941 Los Angeles hotelier Tom Hull bought land three miles south of downtown for $150 an acre and built the 100-room El Rancho motel – a new concept in accommodation.
1960: The Rat Pack Comes to Town

The extravagant Flamingo was widely imitated in the 1950s, and entertainment was an important part of the new casinos’ allure. Frank Sinatra performed at the Sands hotel in 1960, with friends including John F. Kennedy in the audience. From then on Vegas became a playground of the so-called Rat Pack (Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, et al ).
1966: Howard Hughes Arrives

Hughes’s Summa Corporation was a dominant player in the Nevada hotel/casino industry. Legend (which makes up much Las Vegas history) has it that the eccentric billionaire arrived in town one day by limousine and was whisked up to his suite at the Desert Inn, where he lived as a recluse for several years, with uncut fingernails and hair.
1990s: The Era of the Theme Hotels Begins

In the 1970s and 1980s the hotels became larger and more flamboyant. In 1991 the groundbreaking MGM Grand, Treasure Island, and pyramid-shaped Luxor launched the theme hotel in earnest.
1998: Bellagio Opens

Hotelier Steve Wynn set a new standard for Las Vegas hotels with the luxurious Bellagio. The former owner of the Mirage hotel group (sold to MGM in 2000) is acknowledged as the creative force behind the modern resort concept.
2000: The New Generation of Resorts

Las Vegas is becoming synonymous with luxury. Four more grand hotels – the Venetian, Mandalay Bay, Four Seasons, and Paris Las Vegas – opened in 1999, followed by Aladdin in 2000. And Steve Wynn has announced plans to build a hotel even more luxurious than the Bellagio.
A Day on the Strip

Morning

Start with breakfast in the delightful Verandah Café at Four Seasons, which is within the Mandalay Bay hotel. Be glad you’re not about to become someone else’s breakfast as you gape at the specimens in the Shark Reef. While still at the Mandalay Bay, check out the House of Blues and the collection of American folk art.

Head north up the Strip to the Lion Habitat at MGM Grand (see MGM Grand Lion Habitat) followed by a walk to the Auto Collection at the Imperial Palace (car buffs may have to be removed forcibly!).

For lunch, cross over to Harrah’s for the Fresh Market Square Buffet .

Afternoon

At the Forum Shops you are liable to shed the shoppers in your party.

Next stop is Circus Circus . It’s a hike, so you may opt for the CAT bus or monorail that stop along the Strip. After your trip there, you deserve a sugar break. Head for the Krispy Kreme doughnut shop and sink your teeth into one of their legendary doughnuts. Newly fortified, explore Circus Circus (laugh at your stomach outline in the funhouse mirrors) and then walk back down to the Mirage for the white tigers.

Cross the street to the Casino Royale, snag a window table, and watch The Mirage Volcano erupt while you dine. For a nightcap, walk down to the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas, for the best view of Fountains at Bellagio .