The 7 most overrated things in Nevada (and what to do instead)
Crowds photographing the Welcome to Las Vegas sign
Skip the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign queue, the Stratosphere thrill rides and the $75 gondola ride: better versions of each experience exist within 10 miles.
On the Strip
The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign requires a 20-30 minute wait in a parking lot median for a photo. The identical sign on the north end of the Strip near Sahara has no queue. Skip it. The Venetian gondolas are $46-125 for a 15-minute loop of an indoor canal with a singing gondolier. Charming, but the Bellagio Fountains are free, run every 15-30 minutes, and are genuinely one of the best free spectacles in America.
M&M's World and the Coca-Cola Store are gift shops charging a premium for candy you can buy at CVS. The Stratosphere thrill rides (now the STRAT) are expensive and short; the view from the observation deck is worth it, the rides are not. High Roller observation wheel at $30-40 is fine but the free view from the Waldorf Astoria SkyBar on the 23rd floor is better.
Beyond the Strip
Grand Canyon West helicopter tours from Vegas visit the Hualapai reservation's Skywalk, not the national park. The Skywalk is $30 on top of the tour, cameras banned, and the canyon views are shallower than the South Rim. If you have a full day, drive to the actual South Rim (4.5 hours). If you don’t, hike Red Rock or Valley of Fire instead.
Ethel M Chocolate Factory tour is a walk-through window, not a factory tour. The cactus garden next door is free and worth 20 minutes. The Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge selfie stop is windy and the view of the dam is partial; the real Hoover Dam parking garage on the Nevada side gives you the full dam face for free. And any 'Fremont Street helicopter view' tour is a $200 version of what a Circa High Bar rooftop drink shows you.
Before you book
What people ask before booking Ely.
No, that one lives up to the hype. It changes five times a year, it is free, and it is genuinely beautiful. Go early morning to avoid crowds.
The mid-tier buffets (Excalibur, Circus Circus) are overrated at $40-50 for reheated food. The high end (Bacchanal at Caesars, Wicked Spoon at Cosmopolitan) still delivers if you go for weekend brunch when the seafood is fresh.
