Travel Log: Las Vegas

It was May 15, 1905, when 110 acres were auctioned off just west of the present-day Las Vegas Boulevard. Gambling was legalized in 1931 and less than a decade later, the city's population was 8,422. Today, Las Vegas is perhaps the most colorful pallet of neon in the world.

Everyone has heard of and seen The Strip, but the little-talked-about downtown Las Vegas has just as much to offer with such icons as the Golden Gate (the city's first hotel, built in 1906) and just as much neon with the Fremont Street Experience and its supporting street performers.

And then there's something about stacking chips and counting cards ...

DID YOU KNOW?

• It's mandatory that video slot machines pay an average minimum of 75 percent.
• More than 38.9 million people visit Las Vegas each year.
• The neon cowboy on Fremont Street is the world's largest mechanical neon sign.
• Seventeen of the 20 biggest hotels in the United States are in Las Vegas.
Courtesy of http://www.visitlasvegas.com/vegas/index.jsp

THINGS TO DO
Learn how to gamble -- Nobody wants to be "that guy" who walks up to the craps table, sits down, has money to spend but doesn't know how to play. So learn. Gambleversity is an online tutorial that details step-by-step the rules of various casino games and strategy to remember before knowing when to hold 'em or fold 'em.

For more information, click here.

Ride the coaster -- Set over a replica of New York Harbor, the 4,777-foot-long Manhattan Express roller coaster reaches speeds up to 67 mph and is located at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino near the south end of The Strip. This coaster was the first to feature a 180-degree heartline twist, and it also includes a C-shaped, 540-degree spiral that nearly 1.4 million passengers ride each year.

For more information, click here.

Take in a show -- Eliminate the idea of a smoky room, a piano and a lone person standing on stage in a flood of silence. Las Vegas shows are as much a part of the city as casino chips. More than 130 shows and events are taking place in Las Vegas this weekend, from musicals to magicians, impersonators to hypnotists.

For more information, click here.

Gaze at the Fountains -- There are certain things that just have Las Vegas written all over them, and the Fountains at Bellagio are among them. Music, water and light combine to put on a dramatic 10-minute show at the lake in front of the Bellagio. Shows occur at least once every 30 minutes with 1,200 nozzles and 4,500 lights entertaining passers by on foot and car.

For more information, click here.

MUST-VISIT RESTAURANT
Piero's -- This fine Italian restaurant is a popular gathering place for celebrities visiting Las Vegas and is within walking distance of the Las Vegas Convention Center and The Strip.
• Cuisine: Italian
• Price: $30 and up
• Hours: Daily 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Web site: http://www.pieroscuisine.com/

WEATHER FORECAST
Sunny all weekend with highs ranging between 79 and 82 degrees. Click here for the five-day forecast.

BOOK YOUR TRAVEL
Let NASCAR.COM help with your last-minute travel arrangements. Click here for travel.