Things to Do Near Vegas

[RoyGBiv]

Last time in Vegas I rented a Harley and rode out to Valley of Fire. Didn't have time to go east (Hoover dam, GC) but would have liked to. Rental included a helmet. Had to provide my own jacket/gloves/footwear.

+1 for Blue Man
-1 for Penn & Teller. I find them un-funny.

The unbelievably stupid fountain show at Bellagio was unbelievably impressive.
... or it could have just been the wine at dinner.

If you're a Country music fan, Garth Brooks is doing shows in Vegas
ETA: Oops.. Nov 16-17 is the last weekend..
http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/Shows/Ga...s/DateAndTimes

[CMG]

My father turned 65 last week and as a birthday gift I told him I was going to take him to Porsche Racing School. He's always been a maniac driver and I thought he'd get a kick out of it. Turns out he wasn't all that interested so we've been discussing alternatives. Much to my surprise, one of the things he said he's always wanted to do was "shoot a machine gun."

He's also a bit of a poker player, and that turned into an idea of spending a few days in Vegas. I know there are some rental places in the vicinity that cater to tourists who want to blast a few mags through some NFA weapons. That's good for an hour or two.

Now I need ideas for the rest of the time we're there. (and please don't say strip clubs... neither of us is doing that)

What are some cool things to do in the Las Vegas area?

(also, what's involved in getting "Glock 19" off my NV permit and having "1911" added?)

A couple of place for NFA:
American Shooters
The Gun Store

For the poker thing, most of the casino's run daily tournaments with the top finishers getting paid out based on the size of the pool if he is not into playing cash games. Good way to play some poker for a while without worrying about losing all your money on one hand.

As for the CCW stuff, they changed the law last year so you don't need to qualify with a particular model, it now just automatic or revolver. Here is the page with instructions if you want to change it

[Robinson]

Red Rock Canyon is great for hiking and sight-seeing. And it's not a long drive at all.

[ToddG]

Thanks for the ideas, guys. Please keep them coming.

CMG -- Awesome, thank you very much for the CCW info!

[I29alpha]

I believe there is a dropzone not too far from Vegas if you want to jump, and there is a wind tunnel close by as well. If that interests you...

[Guinnessman]

Take a drive to Red Rock Canyon (15 min from strip) or the Valley of Fire. Check out the Hoover Dam and then go hike the Railroad Tunnel train near Lake Mead. http://outoflasvegas.com/in-las-vega...-hiking-trail/

For dinner may I suggest Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Ceasars, Todd English's P.U.B. at Aria, and if you like Beer and Prime Rib, check out the 777 Brewery at Main Street Station Casino. The Buffet at The M Casino is a great buffet as well.

The Desert Hills Shooting Club was my favorite range when I lived in Vegas. It is a beautiful facility located at the base of the Black Mountains. Enjoy Vegas!

[Cacafuego]

As far as the machine guns go, I'd avoid The Gun Store on weekends. The lines are hours long; they actually have a taxi line outside the place. American Shooters should be better. There's also a new place called "The Range 702" that's a very nice-looking facility, though I haven't shot there yet.

You might also take a drive out to the Clark County Shooting Park at the northern edge of the Las Vegas Valley. No rentals or anything, but it's a darn nice facility. (Harry Reid of course took full credit for its opening.)

Fully agree with Hoover Dam (spectacular; if me must have government "stimulus" spending, let's at least get something lasting out of it), and Red Rock Canyon is beautiful and right on the edge of town.

Penn & Teller are certainly worth the admission price.

There's also the Atomic Energy museum, and the Mob museum. Sorry to disappoint, but the Liberace museum closed a while ago

[Slavex]

Well of course you don't go to strippers in Vegas, everyone knows that, that's what Montreal is for.
I just had a buddy get back from Vegas, the Hoover dam blew home away, much cooler than he expected. The Skywalk in the Grand Canyon also impressed him. He also did a lot of hiking while there, and of course the views were stunning. He wasn't impressed with either of the two gun shops he visited, he said the prices were much too high. But if that's what your dad wants to do, I'm certain he'll have fun, I'm surprised you don't have someone local that can sort out some machine guns for him.
Penn and Teller are a must in my books, very funny and great magic. There are also some lesser known magicians who run regular shows down there, do a Google and see who's playing off strip, if you like magic you'll see some greats.
Cirque is cool, but remember it's from Quebec too eh......

[JDM]

Shoot IRISH a PM. He'd be the guy I get in touch with if I was looking to spend a few fun days in LV.

[STS]

Come downtown to Fremont Street and visit Las Vegas Fire Station #1 and ride a fire truck! I'll have some patches and T Shirts waiting for ya!