Why the best thing to do in Las Vegas is get out for a day.
The golden rule of Las Vegas
I have had the fortune (or misfortune, depending on your perspective) to visit Las Vegas several times. I’ve been for work, I’ve been for weddings, I’ve been with family and I’ve used it as an entry point before going on road trips.
In all those visits, one rule has held pretty firm: Las Vegas is the best place on earth for your first two days, then it suddenly becomes the worst.
Vegas is an intoxicating city and, upon first arrival, the lights and the excess are genuinely gripping. There’s little choice but to throw yourself into the mayhem and, particularly if you’ve lined up the right shows, the spectacle is thrillingly engrossing.
But Las Vegas is also an exhausting place. The intense barrage of, well, everything, grinds you down pretty quickly. It’s like having a high dose of caffeine injected – the effects wear off after a while.
It’s also noticeable that it’s very difficult to just chill out in Las Vegas without spending a fortune. There are no parks in the conventional sense of a green space where you can sit down on a bench, and walks involve threading through a series of casino floors, crowded by thousands of other people.
Top tip for enjoying Las Vegas
Therefore, my number one tip for any visitor to Las Vegas is to get the hell out of there on the third day. At that point where it becomes the worst place on earth, don’t hang around in the worst place on earth. Escape – even if it’s just for a half day.
The good news is that there are plenty of places you can go. Tours to Death Valley and Zion National Park are a bit of slog (I’d argue you’re better off getting a rental car and leaving early for both). A trip out to the Grand Canyon is a little more manageable – especially if you splash out and take a helicopter flight into the Canyon.
Easier alternatives, less than an hour away, include going inside the Hoover Dam, kayaking on Lake Mead and e-biking around Red Rock Canyon.
In truth, it doesn’t especially matter where you go or what you do (although some options are more impressive than others). The point is that you get out, get some fresh air, clear your head and return ready to throw yourself into the neon chaos again.
Make a plan to leave Las Vegas on the third day, and those fourth and fifth days suddenly become fun again.
