Vegas Life Hack: Attractions Worth Your Time – Part Two

Kelly Lamrock shares Part 2 of Vegas Life Hack: Attractions Worth Your Time

A few weeks ago, I suggested that a knowledge of Vegas attractions could help you affordably fill some time in Vegas while still having an experience that isn’t an ordinary part of life back home. Because they were available as a package, I looked at the MGM resort attractions from Mandalay Bay’s sharks to the Mirage’s dolphins.

This time, we will venture north and try out some of the other high-end timewasters on the Strip. As always, your tastes may differ from mine, so my goal here is to share what I enjoy but also give you enough information to make up your own mind.

MADAM TUSSAUD’S WAX MUSEUM (The Venetian): I remember visiting the original in London when I was 18, and I loved it. Maybe that’s why I can still derive some kitschy fun from the Vegas outpost, which actually adds some user-friendly touches that improve the experience. By now, you know the basics – if you’d like to see some eerily accurate wax renditions of your favourite celebrities, living or dead, then this is worth a visit. If that sounds stupid, well, it is what it is. Certainly, there will be moments you’ll enter a room and have to squint to tell the people from the wax statues. They are that good. They are also life size – Prince is short, Shaq is very large. What the Vegas location does is encourage photos with handy props by each exhibit. You can grab a club and read a green with Tiger and the Golden Bear; you can pour some champagne and hang with Hef. I encourage this, in fact, I think it’s what makes this worth a visit. You need to embrace the tourist trap nature of this and check pride and restraint at the door. Grab a camera and challenge your group for the goofiest pose possible, and you’ll have some souvenirs worth the price and time. There’s also a little 4D Avengers film at the end that’s a perfectly nice throw-in. You can mock it from many perspectives, but I love this one. Rating: 4 out of 5 tourist traps.

The Avengers Station (Treasure Island): Of course, if you need even more Avengers in your life, you can check out the newest attraction at Treasure Island. Don’t let the non-descript ticketing area fool you – this attraction invested some serious coin in the technology. There are some fun touches here, from the interactive Hulk to the virtual reality games. Fans of the movies will enjoy the costumes and effects. The game that lets you earn your Avengers status doesn’t rise above the most basic trivia, but you knew that – if you fail, they can’t sell you the certificate that proves your security clearance. Casual fans may find it all a bit long, but the attraction doesn’t skimp on what it promised. Rating: 3.5 out of 5 tourist traps.

High Roller (The Linq)/Eiffel Tower Experience (Paris): Let’s take these together because they both work on the same principle. Do you want to look down on the Strip from high, high up? These will help you do it; one with a revolving ride, one by capturing the kitschy fun of a well-themed casino. Both will charge you a fair bit to do it at night, which is really the time to do it. And I do not mean to denigrate the experience. Looking down at the Vegas Strip is one of the pleasures we pay for, from Strip view rooms to selfies on pedestrian bridges. So, which one works best for your viewing pleasure? For my money, if you’re going to pay for the view, the Happy Half Hour on the High Roller is how you do it. For a few extra bucks, you enter a pod with a full bar and the drinks are on the house. Both times I’ve done this, the bartender poured quickly, efficiently and happily. The mood is fun and convivial, which makes the view even better. By contrast, I found the Eiffel Tower Experience a bit constraining. The wait is significant, the fencing limits the view, and the space is limited enough that you can’t always linger and enjoy the view. Remember, the view from the Tower doesn’t include the Tower, and it is less impressive from within. If you’re going to pay for a view, get the experience. (I mean the booze, not emulating the couple arrested for sex on the High Roller. My legal and aesthetic advice on that is – nooooooo.). Rating: High Roller 4 out 5 tourist traps with booze, 3 without. Eiffel Tower, 2 out of 5.

Gondola Ride (Venetian). Look, if you’ve read any of my articles, you know that I love themes. I am getting tired of Vegas resorts having the same bland “money” theme. The Venetian is a true valentine to Venice, and I applaud it. If you are going to pay for a boat ride through a mall, make it one with a faux St. Mark’s Square and human statues. I can’t add much to this – the gondoliers sing well, dress appropriately and the whole thing is a real “only in Vegas” moment of kitsch. Whether you think you’d enjoy it or not from that description, you’re probably right. Rating: 3 out of 5 tourist traps.

Bottom line, having written two of these now, is that attractions are a big part of my Vegas trips. If you’re going to come to Vegas, then find moments that scream “only in Vegas”. The point of these reviews is not so much to convince you to share my opinions but to help you find that unique experience that will become a regular part of your Vegas experience. Enjoy!

[Photos: Michael and Angie Movestro | Cover: Michael Movestro]

Kelly Lamrock

Kelly Lamrock didn’t see Vegas until he was 40. Now, he goes several times a year. When home in Atlantic Canada, he’s a lawyer, international consultant, and former Attorney-General. When in Vegas, he is consumed by the search for the best craft beer, the perfect sportsbook, and a post-show cigar. He loves Vegas because, as Jerry Seinfeld says, “wherever you’re from, Vegas is pretty much the opposite of that.”