I haven't been myself, but my husband has gone climbing at Red Rocks for years. If you like to hike, there are stunning trails. April would be a great time of year for it. :) Hope you have a great trip!

As you probably know, most of the hotels have themes. Look at the top ten list and see what grabs you. My favorite happens to be New York, New York. Each has it's own special feature. A few years back my Brother and SIL had their 25th anniversary at the Paris.

We are not gamblers either, but I will spent an hour at the slot machines. There are some that are interactive, so I find those fun.

I would get tickets for at least one show ahead of time. We saw Bette Midler which was great. Things can close out so even a show like a Cirque Du Soleil can be booked up.

I would check to see what conventions are in town. This might sway when you want to be there.

How long to stay is so personal. What is your reason for going?

Las Vegas in April looks to be in the high 70's. It's dry, so no problems with hair frizzing! Depending on what you are doing, most things are casual. I'm sure there are very upscale restaurants, we didn't though.

I look at Vegas as an adult playground. It's fun to experience it at least once.

ellen, reason for going is just because its one of those places we have never been and have heard so much about. DH is actually not so enthusiastic about going, he thinks its just for gamblers, but will go for me, as I have gone to other places for him.

We've only flown in/out of Vegas for our trips to SW Utah. Would recommend a drive out to Hoover Dam which is very interesting. And I'd also recommend driving to Zion and/or Bryce Canyon. We're not gamblers either, but it can be fun to just walk up the strip and check out the scene. I would also recommend checking out what show/entertainer might be playing. I happened to find out the Eagles were in concert at the MGM the night before our flight out a couple of years ago and scored tickets. It was awesome!

If Zion and/or Bryce Canyon interest you, I'd plan to stay there as it's about a 3-4 hour drive to Zion, 2 hours between Zion & Bryce. If you plan to hike and sightsee you might as well stay there for a couple of nights. We stayed in Springdale which is just outside Zion but there is a National Park lodge inside the park that might have reservations.

We stayed in Springdale too. It's not luxury accommodations so enjoy that at your Vegas hotel while you can. We stayed at the Venetian in Vegas.

We've stayed at both the Bellagio & the Palazzo. I prefer the suite rooms at the Palazzo & there are more restaurant options at the Palazzo/Venetian property. Staying in a fountain view room at the Bellagio is also a nice experience. DH & I are not gamblers but do enjoy going to shows. Shows I've enjoyed are: Love, The Beatles Cirque show, Jersey Boys, the Michael Jackson Cirque show, Raiding the Rock Vault & Million Dollar Quartet. I was kind if bored at "O," but others like it. La Reve gets great reviews. I'd love to see Elton John if he was in town. During the day, I'm happy to escape winter, hang around the pool & read. 3 nights is good.

April is a good time of year. Light jacket for nights.

While not the newest hotel, DH likes to stay at the Mirage. It's more in the center of the strip. He likes their work out room, spa and pool. We don't gamble either, but play slots some - like an hour here or there. I don't like to burn money, so I set a limit. If I loose that, I'm done. When I win at least double what I put in, I cash out.

If you stay at one of the MGM resort hotels (Mirage, MGM Grand, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, Monte Carlo, Excalibur, NYNY, Luxor and a few more) you can buy tickets to their shows earlier than if you are not staying at one of them.

Shows - I like Mystere (Cirque du Soliel) better than O. DH has seen Absinthe, and says it's the best show in Vegas, but it isn't not for the easily offended. Love is good if you like Beatles music. Blue Man Group is fun. We've seen Jersey Boys in Vegas, Chicago and locally (if you like Frankie Valli/Four Season music). Rod Stewart and Cher put on good shows. Look at ticket sales websites to see who is performing when you're in town. We've been to Vegas just to see Heart. Carrot Top is hysterical. We've seen him in Vegas and recently in Biloxi.

Favorite places to dine - Mon ami Gabi (on sidewalk in front of Paris). Olives (Bellagio). Spago (Shops of the Forum). The Palm (Ceasars Palace). The Patio at Spago (also Shops of the Forum). Mesa Grill (Ceasars Palace). BLT (Mirage).

After dinner, watch the fountains in front of Bellagio.

Depending on what time your flight arrives, two nights might be sufficient. We usually stay for three. Valley of Fire is about a 60 minute drive but good hiking. Hoover Dam is about 40 minutes away. Tours take longer, and frankly I'd skip it. I've never been but DS and DIL went. To do a good Grand Canyon tour (south rim) is too far away, and the west rim is where they try to sell people in Las Vegas and it is nothing like you would see on the south rim).

I wouldnt mind seeing Cher, but I dont think she plays Vegas, she isnt there in April anyway. Hopefully, we are going to see Michael Jackson Cirque show, I love his music. I would like to see the Grand Canyon too, probably will get to see the south rim, but oh well.

Rose, if you are set on the Grand Canyon. It's not that close and I would fly in and out from Vegas if I wanted to add that on.

I would concentrate on staying in Vegas the first time. Then on another trip I would do the Red Rocks, Hoover Dam etc.

I hope that your husband is pleasantly surprised. You really don't have to gamble. Just seeing all the hotels and the features that they offer is fun. My kids thought the roller coaster at NY, NY was one of the best they have ever been on. I loved the deli!

Also, it's fun to fly in or out at night to see all the lights from the plane.

I view vegas as an adult disney. So much to see and do, but we have low tolerance for noise and flash. We enjoyed seeing the buildings...the Venetian with the canal and the gondolas, NY NY with everything NYC except the smell that comes up from the subways, Mandalay Bay with the aquarium, the glass flowers on the ceiling at the bellagio, the eiffel tower, and lots of shows to go see and some really terrific restaurants. It's also one of the best places I've ever been for people watching. BTW, we don't gamble either. Plan on doing a lot of walking, even if you buy the bus pass to get you from casino to casino as some of these places, like Caesar's Palace, are ENORMOUS! So last time we were there, we spent 2 days and that was plenty. If you want to go see hoover dam and any of the nat'l parks, i'd allow more time. Loved Bryce Canyon...most beautiful spot on earth I've ever been.

I've been for conferences a couple times and felt I was able to see quite a lot of the sights in 3 days, even working around the conference. The casinos work so hard to attract folks to gamble that they drop a ton of money on eye candy and non-gambling attractions. Fountains! Shows! Midway games! Rides! It's a spectacle, and I found it fun, even though I am also not a gambler.

Elton John and Rod Stewart play in Celine Dion's stage when she is not there. I don't think Cher has been there in a couple of years, but that's where she was when we saw her. fwiw, I was highly disappointed with Fremont Street - original part of town/gambling. For a first time trip, there is enough to see and do. Like Annie said, just walking through many of the hotels and casinos is interesting. Be sure to walk through The Venetian.

Don't miss Chihuly's art glass flowers at the Bellagio. And the Conservatory floral display. Wynn's new casino/resort is gorgeous.

Red Rock and Hoover Dam aren't that far outside the city.....easily do-able with everything else if you're staying more than 3 days. I'd allow two days for the strip depending on when you arrive...just to see the hotels and shops and trying the restaurants. The south rim, the most popular, is 4-5 hours away. The north rim is closer but I think is different than the south rim.....Indian reservation, pine trees.

We prefer to stay on the strip. Then you can walk to lots and lots of other casinos. We have stayed at Treasure Island, Flamingo, Circus Circus, Luxor, Bally's, We stayed at Palace Station once, but I wouldn't recommend it. Too far away from other places.

I am a fan of Pawn Stars, so next time I go I might try to visit that pawn shop. We liked the Valley of Fire - we rented a car for a day. We went to an Improv theatre once, but did not enjoy it. Some friends rode the roller coaster on top of the Stratosphere, but we didn't. We went on a couple of bus tours one time, but about all I remember from that was driving past Liberace's house.

Do be sure to nose around the shops in the casinos too...they have some fabulous bling! I guess they want to nab the money of the lucky ones before their luck turns!

As an alternative to the big casinos, you can stay at the Renaissance just off the strip. They don't have smoking or a casino. It's not super fancy like the Venetian, but its got the peace and quiet, yet it is still strip and monorail adjacent. There is also a Mandarin Oriental that is smoke/casino free on the strip but I have not stayed there.

Avoid: old downtown (no reason if you don't gamble or want the nostalgia), the Palms and that area, the Hard Rock/Planet Hollywood (too many bachelor/bachelorette parties), and the way off strip areas like near the convention center (too far from anything).

There are now some great restaurants in Vegas, with famous chefs opening restaurants, like Bouchon (Thomas Keller) and Rivea (Alain Ducasse), plus lots of less famous but still great places at much lower price points. There is also lots of mediocre food, needless to say. Great shops, including outlet malls. Shows of all types -- from Cirque to comedy should keep the nights filled.

My tolerance is about two to three nights. I've done five+ for work and it sent me home screaming!.

When DH and I went we stayed 3 nights, but one of our nights I was at a concert and the next day I was too shot to enjoy much. We stayed at the Stratosphere and went to the top and had lunch up at the revolving restaurant. We're not gamblers either, but we did play slots and had fun. DH loved Ceasars and I loved touring the Bellagio. We absolutely did not get to see all we wanted to see. We went to Freemont Street on a recommendation but didn't enjoy it-I guess it is old Las Vegas-and we found it to be kind of trashy.

We went to Hoover Dam-loved it, and Red Rocks (the day after my concert so I dozed while DH hiked a bit). I'd been to Red Rocks before and love it-but I wouldn't combine it with a LV stay.

When my DD and I went, we stayed at the Westin but it wasn't on the strip-it was super nice. My next trip I plan to stay on the strip and go without my DH as he's not much of a night owl. But I did love it-I love to people watch and every person we met was super friendly. Even the *ahem* ladies of the night near the old part of Vegas who scared my DH.

I'm excited for you that you are going to see Michael Jackson One. It wasn't your typical Cirque show - less acrobatics but fantastic special effects & great music. I'd definitely see it again.

We stayed at the Mandalay Bay hotel and liked it. DD liked it a lot because it has a man made beach and we are, well, dd and I, are beach people. We enjoyed Elton John a great deal. Two hours away, by bus shuttle or car, is St. George, Utah with lots of terrific hiking in Snow Canyon and others. St. George is also a hub for weight loss spas and hiking excursions to Zion and Bryce, mentioned upthread. Wonderful guides but make arrangements way prior to your trip. Weather is great then.

Depending on when you go in April, Death Valley may still have wildflowers.

I dont gamble and and forget they allow you to smoke everywhere so a night on the way to a national park is more than enough for me

We definitely want to stay in a hotel on the strip. I will look for those hotels. thanks

ETA, I am liking the looks of the Paris Las Vegas, we have never been to Paris. It is on the strip. The reviews looks good on it. Any comments on this hotel?

littlebug, we watch the Pawn Stars too, hope to go there.

If you google the top ten, Pais is on the list. If you time it right, get a window seat in their restaurant and view the Bellagio fountain at night.

One night I stayed at the Bellagio in a room that faced the strip but was fairly low. All of a sudden I hear what sounds like gun fire and I'm like, "Whoa!!" Then I realized it was the sound of the fountains going off...could hear them but couldn't see them.

Well the Paris Hotel is out. I need to find a non smoking hotel or DH will be really unhappy. I was looking at the Trump, which sounded great until I read there is a train tracks behind the hotel. Any suggestions?

Check out lasvegas.com for lots of info.

You shouldn't have any trouble finding a non-smoking hotel room, even a non-smoking floor. Restaurants are non-smoking. It's the casinos that can be smokey & some casinos have non-smoking areas within the casino. If you want to gamble, we find the Bellagio to be less smokey than the Palazzo. Something to do with their air filtration system. Stay at the Paris & gamble elsewhere if the Paris casino is smokey.

Anyone stay at the Trump Hotel.

The hotels and casinos have heavy duty air filtration systems. Unless you go in the casino or eat in/near them, you won't smell smoke (or it won't be strong if their system is not very good).

We don't smoke and the smell gives me migraines. We always get a non-smoking room... I believe they are on non-smoking floors, otherwise a neighbor would smoke and you would smell.

Allison that is what I thought that the filtration systems should be very good, but the reviews I have been reading is that unless the whole property is smoke free, you can still smell it. DH absolutely hates that smell, he gets sneezing fits, where he almost cant stop sneezing! Maybe Vegas is not the place for us, if there is so much smoking. :>(

It seems like many gamblers smoke. We go to Biloxi to see shows sometimes. It is horrible there. Even the smoke free section of the casino stinks.

Vdara is a non-smoking hotel. Here is an article stating that several MGM Vegas hotels recently converted to all non-smoking guest rooms.

MGM makes all guest rooms non-smoking

thanks for the link romy,

Check for non smoking restaurants and coffee shops. I still see the waitress pouring my cup of coffee with the ash hanging their waiting to fall in my cup

oh my goodness kippy, is it really that bad in Vegas, was that recently? I am reading they are quietly trying to make most areas non smoking now.

I've been to Vegas many times and despite it's negative qualities like the smoking and the heat (it was 116 degrees when we got married there) I can completely understand why most people want to experience it at least once. But we're not smokers, gamblers or drinkers and especially now as older adults we'd certainly get board fairly quick.

What I would do if it were me is I'd experience the strip at night and go do other things during the day. At night you can visit the different hotels, go to dinner and/or a couple of the shows as you mentioned, but during the day, I'd prefer to go to some of the parks and enjoy the natural scenery. Because I hate crowds, I'd skip the Grand Canyon and head out for a day drive and maybe a picnic in neighboring Utah. Zion is very pretty and Bryce, well, it is absolutely breathtaking, much better (IMO) than the Grand Canyon. It's not nearly as populated and the drive there is also quite interesting to see. Closer to the strip is Hoover Damn, which I found to be interesting and also a pretty drive.

I'm not trying to encourage or discourage you from going. All restaurants have been non-smoking since 2007. Smoking is allowed in casinos & possibly bars that do not serve food.

Roseabbey - I don't know if you are still planning your trip but DH & I are in Vegas for a couple of nights before heading to the Scottsdale area. If your DH is that sensitive to smoke, do try to stay in one of the non-smoking hotels. Maybe smoking has become more popular, maybe I'm more aware due to this post, but the casinos at the Venetian & Palazzo are smokey. We both recently had colds & the smoke is bothering both our throats. We saw Love, The Beatles at the Mirage last night - another smokey casino with pumped in fragrance to cover it up.

Thank you romy. I dont think we are going. DH is very sensitive to smoke,so I dont think it would be a good trip for him. I will have to go myself sometime with friends.