Inside Las Vegas

Sin City has been hanging tough throughout 2020 remaining a top-flight destination throughout the year. Strip properties such as the Paris and the Westgate reopened by the middle of the year, joined by the Tropicana and others later in the year. In fact, the wave of reopening made for a newsworthy year. It seemed, at times, a little hard to keep up!

Therefore, do what the locals do—follow Las Vegas events on social media. Twitter, in particular, offers high quality information–sometimes direct from the town’s movers and shakers–if you know where to look. Las Vegas Twitter features occasional commercial-type posts from hotels and eateries, but there are also accounts that offer up-to-the minute information—sometimes gossipy, but oftentimes reliable as to day-to-day happenings on the ground in the world’s greatest travel destination. Here are some handles worth checking out.

Vital Vegas [@VitalVegas – www.VitalVegas.com] provides an array of local news and seems pretty well tuned into local scuttlebutt. Some tweets report on events that travelers need to know about, such as local closings and state-mandated health policies. Most tweets are more positive and speculate on which properties are set to reopen and when. Don’t miss the tweets that celebrate players hitting it big at the slots! You will feel like you are there. Vital also retweets locals, so you are getting the real scoop.

Another useful local account that covers some of the same ground as Vital Vegas is Las Vegas Locally [@LasVegasLocally]. Locally, as its name implies, has even more of an emphasis on the local. This handle is also at times snarky, prone to jokes and memes. Locally seems at times more of an aggregator of Vegas news than Vital Vegas, but following it will certainly give you a feel for what’s on the minds of Sin City’s locals.

Vegas is not just hotels; foodies should find Eater Vegas [@EaterVegas] a useful resource for Sin City culinary news. This is a well-presented and professional looking account, with posts featuring attractive photos of both venue interiors and dishes. Eater’s tweets also links to its blog, which features more information on eatery openings and hours. Restaurants featured range from fancy to casual, from spots around the Las Vegas Valley. Eater provides a great resource if you are looking to dine away from the sometimes-crowded eateries on the Strip.

Finally, as you might expect, Las Vegas operates many of the sort of municipal-type accounts expected of a major city, but its main promotional account should not be missed. Titled simply Vegas [@Vegas], “the official account of Las Vegas” reflects Sin City’s status as a major world travel mecca. It features trustworthy news you can use, and serves as a clearing-house for all major items related to tourism, including hotel properties, restaurants, gaming, sports, entertainment, and more. You might expect Vegas to be overly commercial in tone, but it’s not—probably because it does not need to be. After all, Vegas sells itself.

2021 will see Las Vegas roaring back. Go beyond the hashtag #LasVegas and check out these informative and entertaining Twitter accounts to keep abreast of events in what is bound to be a very big year for Sin City. And don’t forget our own account @sincityvip which includes the latest news of happenings on and around the Strip, as well as special travel packages that guarantee a never-to-be-forgotten visit. Remember our handle as well as our unique hashtag #dreamingofvegas

Hasn’t it seemed like we’ve been collectively holding our breath all through 2020? As we’ve put our lives on hold, perhaps we’ve caught ourselves thinking, “I’ll go there next year.”

The good news is that next year is right around the corner. Las Vegas has been taking the year in stride, sprucing itself up and making itself ready for everyone who spent 2020 #dreamingofvegas.

Sin City will continue its reputation as a world-class destination, with something for every visitor. On the Strip alone are more than three dozen fabulous hotel properties, many of which—such as Caesars Palace, Circus Circus, and Harrah’s—are household names, destinations that have adorned bucket lists for decades. Over the years, these veteran resorts have been joined by newer properties appealing to more specialized tastes. This is not your parents’ Vegas!

Consider the Mirage, which boasts a 200,000-gallon tropical aquarium, as well as a life-like tropical rain forest in which to lose yourself. On the other hand, if you prefer sweeping views of the city, look no further than the Cosmopolitan. There, visitors enjoy spacious, residential-style rooms and unique, and private, terraces. Meanwhile, art lovers will appreciate the Bellagio’s legendary art gallery.

And then, there is the incomparable Wynn Las Vegas—the most expensive resort in the world and the final word in luxury. These resorts compete with each other in offering every conceivable amenity. Get your entourage together and have the weekend—or week—of your life! You don’t have to be a whale to live large in Sin City.

Don’t forget that Vegas remains the wedding capital of the world. Many hotels and resorts include a chapel, with no prior appointment required. Naturally, these properties can also assist with a larger ceremony—complete with all the frills. A plentiful array of stand-alone wedding chapels can also be found on and off the Strip, many of which specialize in themed ceremonies. And yes: you can still be joined in eternal union by the King himself (or a reasonable facsimile thereof).

Sports enthusiasts have come to recognize Vegas as not only the world’s premier gaming mecca, but also as an estimable sports hub in its own right. The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels put Vegas on the college basketball map, but this was just the beginning. As of 2016, the Golden Knights have also put Vegas on ice, becoming one of the most acclaimed hockey teams in the country, making it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals in 2018. And joining these local heroes this year are none other than the legends of the Silver and Black, the Las Vegas Raiders, hitting the gridiron in the brand-new, state-of-the-art Allegiant Stadium.

Have you spent the year #dreamingofvegas? Well, get ready. Because in 2021, dreams come true.

The 2021 Super Bowl takes place in Tampa, Florida, on February 7, but it’s the 2024 Bowl that is sparking conversations everywhere. Officially, no city has been scheduled, but early in October both the city and the Las Vegas Raiders tendered an offer to host the event at its state-of-art Allegiant Stadium. With no decision yet taken, a League official has confirmed that the NFL is intrigued, citing the city’s unique mix of glamor and gaming as an enticement for fans. (Our brand-new $2 billion venue won’t hurt, either.)

You don’t have to wait for 2024 for football action. Just in time for the Nevada Day holiday, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels met in-state rivals UNR’s Wolf Pack in the Rebels’ initial season home game–and, naturally, their first at Allegiant Stadium. Because of seating requirements, the limited number of pre-sale tickets vanished within an hour. However, you can catch all the gridiron action at the Strip’s newest and biggest sportsbook.

Located downtown, the Circa sportsbook opened October 28 to great fanfare. For weeks prior, social media was abuzz with details of its opulence. Teaser photos suggested that this was no run-of-the-mill betting parlor. Spread across three stories, early visitors describe the venue as ‘closer to a stadium than a traditional sportsbook.’ Its 78-million-pixel screen, in particular, has received not just rave reviews, but something closer to outright awe. The second-floor Overhang Bar also offers a pristine view of its array of screens, and in a nod to the younger set, broadcasters can get their podcast on in a specially designated area near the sportsbook. Local media are already wondering aloud how (and when) the other sportsbooks plan to react.

Meanwhile, as Vegas establishes its allure as a prime sporting destination, music remains–as ever–embedded in the city’s entertainment DNA. As attendance restrictions are loosened, live music is poised to make a roaring comeback. In December alone, the “Queen of Country Pop,” Shania Twain, commences a ten-day residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood, while acclaimed country duo Brooks and Dunn are set to perform several concerts at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

With residencies restarting all around the Strip, can arena shows be far behind? Look no further than February 2021, when country legend Garth Brooks brings his crack band to Allegiant Stadium. On Saturday, February 27, get ready for the King of Country to bring you a songbook that appeals across generations of fans. Don’t just take our word for it; Billboard has certified that Brooks is the only artist to score top-10 hits in the 1980s, 90s, 00s, 10s–and now in 2020 with his current single “Dive Bar.” His Sin City appearance (rescheduled from August) is certain to reignite the Vegas concert season with a bang!

Las Vegas often marks its seasons by the presence–or absence–of heat. As an all-season destination, Sin City has few traditions to mark the arrival of autumn, but one is cherished by locals and visitors alike. The Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden offers five extravagant exhibits each year to celebrate the arrival of a new season, including the Chinese New Year. Its Fall 2020 exhibit, “Into the Woods,” opened September 15 and offers a journey through a place that most would never associate with the Strip—a magical forest.

This seasonal tradition dates back to 1998 with the opening of the Bellagio Hotel. This year, attendees can explore a virtual forest featuring colorful mushrooms, a grizzled old tree sculpted into a friendly grimace, buzzing fireflies and more—all painstakingly sculpted from an array of flowers, plants, and trees. Visitors looking for the inside conservatory are often surprised to find this world within a world just a short distance from the front lobby.

This year, a family of foxes aboard a magical sailboat greets the visitor. Travel further, and a large hand-hewn tree comes into view. Called the “Talking Tree,” on closer inspection, travelers will find that it also is home to an elaborate, flower-festooned tree house. Spanning 14,000 square feet, “Into the Woods” also features four winged faeries (and their faerie home), bears playing in a harvest of pumpkins (and, naturally, a honey pot) and much more.

While justly famous for its legendary fountains, these “Woods” are sure to delight both children and adults. This Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden exhibit is one of the most popular offered by any strip property and remains free to the public, 24 hours a day. Get there early, as there are bound to be numerous visitors.