Las Vegas Strip - Midtown, Las Vegas, Nevada (A)

The Bellagio is one of the Las Vegas Strip’s most prestigious hotels. Conceived and built by Steve Wynn’s Mirage Resorts in 1998, the Bellagio has 3,933 rooms and a casino just under 120,000 square feet. But the marque attraction at Bellagio is the fountains. Each half-hour the 9-acre manmade lake erupts in a flurry of patterns as 1,200 nozzles and 4,500 lights dance to various pieces of popular music. The fountains entertain millions of visitors each year and were most notable portrayed in the movie Oceans Eleven. The show can viewed every 15 minutes at night and every half hour before 8 pm. The Bellagio is also famous for its Conservancy and Botanical Gardens witch change their displays five times a year to reflect the seasons or special holidays. The Christmas display is not to be missed. The meticulous attention to detail noticeably throughout the hotel is one of the reasons the Bellagio is the only 5 star hotel in Las Vegas. The Bellagio also has a highly touted reputation in the poker world. Several major tournaments are held here every year and high stakes poker frequently takes place in “Bobby’s Room,” where on any given night millions of dollars change hands. The main entertainment attraction is Cirque Du Soleil’s “O”, but not to be passed by is the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art located along the pool promenade and Via Bellagio Shops which overlook the fountains.

As one of the last remaining giants on the Las Vegas Strip, Caesar’s Palace has seen more hotels come and go than just about any other hotel on the Las Vegas Boulevard. Opened in 1966, with a Roman Empire theme, Caesar’s Palace has always attracted the high stakes gambler and for good reason. Service. The hotel continues to expand and now has 3,348 rooms with a 166,000 square foot casino. Shortly after the hotel opened, the daredevil Evil Kneivel attempted his 141-foot death defying motorcycle jump over the hotel’s signature fountain only to break every bone in his body and leaving him in a coma for 29 days. But that one event put Caesar’s Palace on the map and soon boxing title fights and top-notch performers were working the 4,296-square-foot Colisseum Theater. The Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace were for many years the first and foremost shopping destination on the strip. Although many new malls and shopping areas are competing for business, walking through the Forum Shops is still a special experience.

Steve Wynn built the 3,000-room Mirage hotel and casino in 1989, and at that time it was the most expensive hotel-casino ever built at a cost of $630 million. The Mirage set a new standard for Las Vegas resort-style hotels especially given his financing methods and the economic uncertainties of Las Vegas at that time. It also set Las Vegas apart from the upstart Atlantic City who was fiercely competing for a share of the nations gambling dollars. Siegfried and Roy, the famous lion tamers, were the main attraction at the Mirage until Roy’s debilitating accident in 2003, but Cirque Du Soliel and the impersonator Danny Gans picked up the slack and The Mirage still maintains a lineup of top-notch singers, comedians, and Cirque Du Soleil’s homage to the Beatles called, “Love.” Other major attractions to visit are the rainforest atrium, a strip-side volcano that erupts every night on the hour, and the ever popular Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat were you can come face to face with white tigers, lions, panthers, and a family of Bottlenose Dolphins.

Treasure Island or “TI” as the locals call it, was built in 1993 by Steve Wynn at a cost of $450 million, substantially less than the $630 million he spent on the Mirage 4 years earlier. Originally planned as a tower addition to the already successful Mirage, Treasure Island took on a life of its own and was built as a more family oriented theme hotel to complement the more adult driven Mirage. In 2003, the arcades and kid-friendly attractions were changed to attract an older clientele, but the Siren’s of TI Pirate battle still takes place nightly in Buccaneer Bay in front of the hotel. The hotel has just under 3,000 rooms and the 95,000 square foot casino has all the popular gambling games. The major entertainment attractions are Cirque Du Soliel’s, “Mystere,” which has been voted best show in Las Vegas for nine years and there is also several upscale nightclubs.

The Venetian opened in 1999 and was immediately a favorite destination for tourists wanting that Italian Renaissance feel. At a cost of $1.5 billion, it was the most expensive resort hotel of its day. It’s still the largest resort hotel with 4,049 suites and with the addition of The Palazzo next door, why go to Italy when it’s already here. All they need now is the Vatican, and that may be in the works. The Venetian sits on the land where the Sands Hotel once glamorized Las Vegas’, “A Place in the Sun,” and showcased the “Rat Pack.” The old Vegas days are long gone, but reviving the memories associated with early Vegas is still popular with tourists. Among the main attractions are an art museum, canals with gondolas, and a replica of the tower at St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy. The Palazzo, the Venetian’s sister hotel, opened in 2008, and the 7 million square foot Palazzo became the largest building in the United States eclipsing the Pentagon in terms of floor space. It is also considered to be the 6th largest building in the world. Shortly after completion, the 3,068-room resort was immediately awarded a 5 star rating and is known for its impeccable service and having the largest rooms of any hotel on the strip. No expense is spared when it comes to providing a memorable experience for their guests. Among the main shows shared by both hotels are the Blue Man Group, Jersey Boys, and Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular. And least I not forget, they both have a casino for your gaming pleasure.

Harrah’s was built in 1973, but was named the Holiday Casino until 1992 when the steamboat motif was dropped and a carnival-like theme was implemented. The hotel has 2,677 rooms and the casino covers 86,000 square feet, or about 2 acres. The Harrah’s corporation has, for years, been a major player in the hotel industry in Las Vegas, and buying Binion’s Hotel and Casino downtown allowed them to capitalize on the skyrocketing popularity of the World Series of Poker. Harrah’s is now part of Caesar’s Entertainment Group. The main attractions at Harrah’s are the very popular Rita Rudner show, the Improv Comedy Club, and the Legends in Concert, a tribute to the superstars of the past and present.

If you like to travel with your dog, this is the place for you. Built in 1979, the 2,640-room Imperial Palace was originally the Flamingo Capri, but when new management came in, a new name was adopted. The hotel is not really setup up for shows, but the casino is more than adequate and the hotel’s main attraction is their collection of classic automobiles. On display in their showroom is more than 250 cars of all ages and the estimated worth of the collection is well over $100 million. The Caesar’s Entertainment Group now operates the Imperial Palace. As for Fido, the Imperial Palace is more than happy to let him and one of his mates stay with you for a small extra fee. They provide all the necessary food, mats, waste bags, and doggy treats.

The Flamingo was the third hotel built on the strip and is the oldest strip hotel still in operation. Bugsy Siegel and his mob partners put this place on the map. Although gambling halls had been operating downtown since 1931, the strip was a new concept and Bugsy and his partners wanted in on it. The original 105-room hotel opened in 1946 with mixed reviews, but with success on the horizon and a falling out with his mob investors, Bugsy was gunned down a year later. Plenty of big gaming corporations have owned the Flamingo, but now it’s part of the Caesar’s Entertainment empire. If fact, all of the hotels on this block are operated by Caesar’s Entertainment. The hotel now services 3,626 rooms and the casino is a modest 77,000 square feet. Donny and Marie are the entertainment headliners and don't miss the flock of flamingos in their wildlife habitat. The Las Vegas Strip tramway has a stop at the rear of the property.

The building Bally’s now occupies was built in 1963 and opened as the Bonanza Hotel. In 1973, MGM Grand owned it and built into a world-class hotel. In 1985, Bally’s Entertainment Group bought the property for $594 million, changed the name to Bally’s, and the MGM Grand bought the Marina Hotel at the south end of the strip and they’ve been competitors ever since. But it’s not the end of the story. In 1995, Hilton Hotels bought out Bally’s, then Caesar’s bought it in 2003 and then it was consolidated into the larger Caesar’s Entertainment Corporation. Keeping track of who owns who is like a game of musical chairs. Long a favorite location of the movie industry, Bally’s has 2,814 rooms and a small casino of just over 67,000 square feet. The permanent show is Don Arden’s Jubilee.

Who would have thought that bringing the world’s most popular destination to one of America’s most popular destinations would work. But why not? Why fly to Paris when you can enjoy the City of Lights right here. Following the Bellagio’s opening by one year, the Paris Las Vegas hotel and casino was opened in 1999, and of course when you plant a half-sized Eiffel Tower outside your entrance, you’re going to get noticed. And noticed they did. The 2,915-room hotel has been a favorite for honeymooners since it opened. And here’s a tip, ask for a room facing the strip and you can watch the Bellagio fountains from the comfort of your room. The hotel has eleven restaurants and offers up everything special about France from epicurean delights to a ride up to the top of the 541-foot Eiffel Tower. The main entertainment headliner is Barry Manilow, but there’s always something going on in one of the lounges.