Planning a trip to Las Vegas and wondering what to see beyond the slot machines? We recently spent three days in Las Vegas, and it turned out to be the perfect blend of iconic Strip experiences, stunning natural beauty, and a bit of the weird and wonderful. Whether you’re planning your first visit or just looking for something new to explore, this itinerary offers some of the best things to do in Las Vegas in 3 days.
Day 1: Walking the Las Vegas Strip – Iconic Casinos & Must-See Attractions
Our first day in Vegas was all about exploring the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. From upscale resorts to themed casinos, this walk gave us a taste of everything that makes Vegas larger than life.
🔹 The Wynn Las Vegas
We started our day at The Wynn, one of the most luxurious casinos on the Strip. With its elegant design, upscale shops, and peaceful atmosphere, it set a relaxed tone before diving into the glitz. We went here first so that we could enjoy the vegan breakfast options at Terrace Pointe Cafe. We enjoyed the vegan Chick’n & Waffles and a vegan omelette. Both were really enjoyable and a great way to fuel us for the long day ahead!
🔹 The Venetian Resort
Next, we walked to The Venetian, where indoor canals and gondola rides make you feel like you’re in Venice. It’s easily one of the most photogenic places on the Strip and a must for any Las Vegas sightseeing itinerary. Having visited the real Venice 3 times, it was a lot of fun to see some of the historic locations recreated so realistically!
🔹 Caesars Palace
A short stroll brought us to Caesars Palace, an icon of the Strip. Roman columns, dramatic statues, and the famous Forum Shops make this one of the best casinos to explore even if you’re not gambling.
🔹 The Bellagio Las Vegas
At the Bellagio, we caught the famous fountain show (it runs every 30 minutes in the daytime and every 15 minutes at night) out front, then wandered through the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. This ever-changing floral display is one of the most unique free things to do in Las Vegas. The current display is titled Glam Menagerie: A Surrealist Summer and you can visit the Bellagio Website to take a virtual tour. Note that we came back at night on a different day to watch the show and were treated to performances of “Viva Las Vegas” and “This Kiss.”
🔹 The Cosmopolitan & Aria
We made brief stops at The Cosmopolitan, known for its modern art installations and Instagram-worthy decor, and Aria Resort & Casino, a sleek, contemporary resort in the CityCenter complex. While at the Aria resort, we grabbed an incredible lunch at Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese dim sum restaurant.
🔹 New York-New York Hotel & Casino
Things got livelier at New York-New York, where we watched the Big Apple Coaster roar overhead and explored faux city streets inside. The vibe here is fun and energetic.
🔹 Excalibur & Luxor
From medieval castles to ancient pyramids: Excalibur and Luxor are back-to-back themed resorts full of family-friendly fun and eye-catching architecture.
🔹 MGM Grand Las Vegas
We popped into MGM Grand, one of the biggest hotels in the world. It’s a great spot if you’re into shows, dining, or major sporting events.
🔹 Paris Las Vegas
Across the street, Paris Las Vegas brought a romantic European vibe with its Eiffel Tower replica and cobblestone walkways. You can even go up to the observation deck for sweeping views of the Strip.
🔹 Harrah’s Las Vegas (Our Hotel)
We wrapped up the day at Harrah’s, our hotel for the trip. It’s centrally located, budget-friendly, and perfect for walking to nearby attractions. There is also a stop on the Las Vegas Monorail attached to the hotel, making it very convenient to access the Convention Center and other resorts along the strip. After all the walking, crashing here felt amazing.
📝 Travel Tip: Walking the entire Strip in one day is ambitious. If you’re short on time, consider using the monorail between some of the major resorts or hop in a rideshare to skip the long stretches.
Day 2: Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive & Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart
On day two, we ventured beyond the Strip and discovered some of the best day trips from Las Vegas.
🌄 Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
A 25-minute drive from the city, Red Rock Canyon offers a breathtaking break from the neon lights. The 13-mile Scenic Drive loops through red cliffs, desert trails, and panoramic viewpoints.
Some of the places we stopped included:
- Calico Hills for short hikes and dramatic photos
- High Point Overlook for sweeping desert views
- Lost Creek for an easy walk through shaded canyons
It’s one of the best outdoor activities near Las Vegas, especially for photography and light hiking. Also, considering that it only costs $20 per car to enter and spend as much time as you want (you can exit and re-enter as well), it is one of the best values for an activity in the Las Vegas area!
Travel Tip: The Scenic Drive opens at 6 AM which is when we arrived. The weather was absolutely perfect – there was a cool breeze and the temperature was around 70 degrees F, which was a welcome break from the 100+ degree weather we had been experiencing along the strip. Even after spending over 3 hours wandering the area, the temperature was still very pleasant.
🍩 Ronalds Donuts
After spending the morning driving through and wandering around the Red Rock Canyon area, we had worked up a bit of an appetite, so on the way back into town, we stopped at Ronalds Donuts to pick up some incredible vegan donuts (they have non-vegan donuts as well). They have one of the largest selections of vegan donuts we’ve ever seen!
🌮 Lunch at Tacotarian
After returning to the hotel and resting for a bit in the air conditioning, we headed out to find lunch. We ended up at Tacotarian in Downtown Las Vegas, which is a fully vegan restaurant serving tacos, burritos, and other Mexican-inspired dishes. The variety of options was incredible and the staff were super helpful in picking what to eat from the long menu.
🌀 Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart at Area15
That afternoon, we returned to Vegas to visit Omega Mart, part of the immersive art world of Meow Wolf inside Area15. What looks like a surreal supermarket quickly turns into a mind-bending, multi-room experience full of interactive art, secret doors, and an unfolding sci-fi story.
This is a must-see for fans of interactive installations, and one of the most unique indoor attractions in Las Vegas.
🥘 Vegan Korean BBQ at Master Kim’s
For dinner, we had an incredible “all you can eat” Korean BBQ meal at Master Kim’s. If you aren’t familiar with Korean BBQ, they bring you various items to cook at your table over a grill plate along with miscellaneous side dishes. This particular restaurant has an entire vegan menu, so we got to enjoy vegan metas and vegetables with fantastic marinades.
Day 3: Day Trip to Hoover Dam
No trip to southern Nevada is complete without a visit to the Hoover Dam, one of the greatest engineering marvels in the United States. But before we hit the road, we knew that no trip to Las Vegas would be complete without eating at a buffet; so we headed over to Resorts World where you can find Crossroads Kitchen, a fully vegan fine-dining restaurant that offers an incredible vegan brunch buffet on Sunday mornings!
🧇 Vegan Brunch Buffet
Visiting Crossroads Kitchne for vegan brunch was honestly one of the main draws for visiting Las Vegas! Breakfast/Brunch is the meal that is most rarely done well for vegans, so to visit this buffet that had so many incredible options for us, was simply an experience not to be missed. On the buffet they had a selection of fruits, yogurt parfaits, vegan cheese, bagels with various spreads (including vegan smoked salmon), chickn & waffles, stuffed french toast, pancakes, vegan bacon and sausage, vegan scrambled eggs, and two made-to-order pasta dishes.
📷 Exploring the Dam
About 45 minutes from Las Vegas, Hoover Dam straddles the Nevada-Arizona border. We walked across the top of the dam, admired the views from the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, and stopped in the visitor center to learn about its history. Note: this is not a place to visit if you are afraid of heights!
If you’re interested in tours, the Powerplant Tour takes you inside the dam for a closer look at the massive turbines and inner workings.
🚤 Lake Mead
On the way back, we stopped at the Lake Mead overlook near Hoover Dam to take in the view of one of the largest manmade lakes in the U.S. The scenery was pretty incredible – it almost looked like being on Mars and it was very bizarre to see this huge body of water in the middle of the dessert with essentially no green vegetation nearby. It was definitely something we’ll never forget.
Final Thoughts on Our 3-Day Las Vegas Itinerary
From glamorous casinos and iconic Las Vegas hotels to dramatic desert landscapes and mind-bending art exhibits, this 3-day trip showed just how much variety the city has to offer. Whether you’re planning a first-time trip to Las Vegas or looking to explore off the beaten path, we hope this itinerary inspires you to see more than just the inside of a casino.
✅ Looking to plan your own Vegas getaway? Contact Adventure Alchemists now to book your trip today — we specialize in crafting custom vacations that turn your travel dreams into vacation gold.