Las Vegas lives by its slogan, “What happens here, only happens here,” which rings true for many experiences up for grabs on and around the Strip.
With 40 million visitors a year to satisfy, the “entertainment capital of the world” attracts visitors who want to indulge in excess and decadence, seek exclusivity and do things they usually wouldn’t. In turn, Vegas provides a playground where the average person and the hedonist can engage in the sublime, the superb and the spectacularly over-the-top. The iconic city raises the stakes on “only here” with its unique cultural institutions, once-in-a-lifetime moments, A-list headliners, prestigious spirits and other rare recreational pursuits. If you are looking for something to do that you’ll brag about later on, here are seven singularly Vegas experiences.
Bright lights, Big city
Las Vegas has an oddball history: a railroad town that became a gaming mecca thanks to a famous mobster (Bugsy Siegel), the birthplace of the mega-resort, a haven for a reclusive aviation pioneer who checked in to the Desert Inn and never checked out (Howard Hughes), the marriage capital of the world (Elvis and Priscilla) and many more unbelievably true tales. Two distinctly Las Vegas museums tell the stories of the city their way: The Neon Museum and The Mob Museum. The Neon Museum collects, preserves, studies and exhibits iconic Las Vegas signs. These historic emblems might look like faded, twisted heaps of junk to some, but look closer and see large-scale pieces of tech-driven land art that meld typography, light and design. Many have been restored, re-illuminated and deeply threaded into the city’s fabric via nostalgia or necessity.
Also located Downtown, The Mob Museum takes visitors on a wild ride through sordid acts of organized crime in town and worldwide. The building itself was the first federal office in Las Vegas. It features one of the courtrooms from the famed 1950 Kefauver Committee hearings, which led to the acknowledgment of a national crime syndicate and revealed lax enforcement.
The Mob in pop culture at Las Vegas’ Mob Museum.
The Neon Museum.
The Right Puff
While this one is only available to guests of the exclusive Aria Sky Villas enclave, cigar lovers might reconsider where they stay the next time they visit Las Vegas. The Cigar Cart arrives at your Villa in the care of a Cigar Sommelier outfitted with a selection of hard-to-find blends such as Fuente Opus X, Padron 40th, Davidoff Oro and more. Aria Sky Villas works with a cigar producer to create a series of exclusive, opulent rolls only for Sky Villas guests. The cigars pair with high-end spirits such as Macallan single malt whiskeys and Louis XIII cognac, which are suited to each guest’s tastes and delivered to the mega-suites.
Sphere of Influence
While U2 wrapped up their shows at Sphere Las Vegas last spring, several nights a week inside the venue, they still perform the best of their residency through the film V-U2, directed by The Edge and his wife, Morleigh Steinberg. Captured over three nights of the band’s sold-out residency at Sphere, the film is part of a growing slate of programming for Sphere Experiences, which run almost every day and complement the residency performances, allowing people to see what the Sphere can do. Sphere Experiences also include the Darren Aronofsky film Postcard from Earth. Created by the Sphere team in 2021, the Sphere’s proprietary Big Sky camera system captured the content — the camera, lens, and all its components are entirely internal technology on which they have 10 patents.
Visit the Birthplace of Disco
Disco is back. Live entertainment and hospitality trailblazer Spiegelworld and Caesars Entertainment embrace the revival by creating Discoshow, a fully immersive production, restaurant (Diner Ross) and bars (99 Prince and Glitterloft) that transport the disco-curious back to 1970s New York City. Enter at 3535 Las Vegas Boulevard (The Linq resort) and step into cocktail bar 99 Prince, modeled after a New York City subway station from the ’70s, where so many disco nights began.
The Discoshow transports the disco-curious back to 1970s New York City.
The bar takes its name from the street address of disco pioneer David Mancuso’s legendary parties. Via 99 Prince, head up to the Glitterloft with makeshift furniture, industrial ceilings and vinyl DJs drawing inspiration from Mancuso’s Loft. Diner Ross, located adjacent to Glitterloft, carves out an original food genre they call “New York American,” inspired by Manhattan all-night diner Florent. Then, step inside the 70-minute show experience and the artists and the audience become one. The setting envelopes the audience in the disco sound and movement, and they hear the era’s great anthems as they were meant to be enjoyed in the club.
Special Spirits
In every casino, almost anything goes (within reason) to whet the appetites of major players, from craps table pizza deliveries to the presentation $55,000+ bottle of 2016 Screaming Eagle at dinner. As such, Vegas’ cellars and bars stock spirits you cannot get anywhere else. Wynn Las Vegas Director of Wine Brian Weitzman leads this charge, constantly pursuing prestigious bottle acquisitions. At the resort’s Japanese restaurant Mizumi, discover Dassai Beyond the Beyond selections exclusive to the U.S. (from $15,888 to $47,988). The same goes for Wynn’s three liters of Screaming Eagle, Harlan and Bond at SW Steakhouse ($8,048 to $16,876). All are sourced directly from the winery or sake brewery. “Other restaurants may be able to buy 3L of Harlan at auction, then put them on the wine list, but it is more impactful to source winery direct because then there is perfect provenance,” Weitzman says.
Over in Aria’s Lobby Bar, The Macallan celebrates 200 years with the TIME : SPACE collection showcased at an experiential pop-up open through January 2025. This Macallan lounge is the only place to try some of the brand’s most exclusive offerings, generally held for private buyers. Also, explore cocktails featuring rare vintages like the Retrograde mixed with TIME : SPACE Mastery, a unique single malt with layers of complexity that embraces 200 years of history.
The Macallan is celebrating 200 years with the TIME : SPACE collection.
Dine Like De Niro
Martin Scorsese’s iconic Casino turns 30 years old in 2025, and there are two restaurants that served as locations for the film where you can still dine in like Ace (Robert DeNiro) and Ginger (Sharon Stone). Piero’s on Convention Center Drive played the role of Nicky Santoro’s (Joe Pesci) restaurant in the film. Its depiction is based on the real-life mobster Tony Spilotro’s association with the Las Vegas Tower of Pizza restaurant in the 1960s. Piero’s owner Freddie Glusman, who’s a Las Vegas legend in his own right, hosted the filming over six days and, since 1982, has set his tables nightly for local and visiting glitterati (George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Frank Sinatra, Rolling Stones, Jerry Lewis, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Justin Timberlake).
This place isn’t just movie magic; it’s authentic old-school Las Vegas, and the proof is in the veal parm. Characterized as the “Switzerland of Las Vegas,” Piero’s is where many real-life “figures” take their last meals before going on a federal vacation.
Downtown, Oscar’s Steakhouse in the Plaza Hotel & Casino, named after former mayor Oscar Goodman — Spilotro’s real-life attorney — is also featured in Casino (it’s where Sam and Ginger fight over dinner). The Plaza appears in hundreds of movies, television shows and music videos, including Diamonds Are Forever and Back to the Future.
Catch a Concert
While some cities benefit from an A-list artist’s touring show every few weeks, you can see the world’s best entertainers any night in Las Vegas as it owns its “entertainment capital of the world” title. On November 8 and 9, Adele will perform two of her last six shows at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace. Also on November 8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center grounds, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the world’s largest automotive aftermarket trade event and the top convention in Las Vegas, hosts Cage The Elephant and Sublime, with Fitz And The Tantrums and Petey for SEMA Fest. Babyface, Pitbull, Lionel Richice and the Eagles are all in town during the American Film Market.