Landmarks

Bellagio opened in 1998 at a cost of $1.7 billion and brought even more class to the Strip with a Gallery of Fine Art, an 8-acre artificial lake and fountain show, and other attractions such as the main lobby chandelier with more than 2,000 hand-blown glass flowers by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly, and a 24-hour botanical garden.

Caesars Palace opened in 1966 with a Greco-Roman theme that became renowned world-wide. With additions of new towers, the Forum Shops, and the Colosseum, among other changes and improvements, Caesars Palace (no hyphen needed) remains a favorite destination of visitors from around the world.

Flamingo, the first resort to bring class to the dusty railroad stop what Las Vegas was in 1946, when the resort opened, was started by Billy Wilkerson, but "Bugsy" Siegel, now a famous mob figure, took over the construction and the credit. Bugsy's monument can be seen in the park next to the swimming pool.

Fremont St is one of the original streets of Las Vegas. Fremont St Experience was developed to attract more tourists downtown. The new attraction, which opened in 1996, is a pedestrian mall covered by a 1,500 ft long canopy with 12.5 million LED lights used for animated graphic shows set to music.

Hoover Dam was finished in 1935 and is considered an engineering wonder. It was built to control the flooding caused by the Colorado river, and it created Lake Mead, another landmark that cannot be missed from a plane. Hoover Dam, originally called Boulder Dam, is 30 miles from Las Vegas.

The Little Church of the West Wedding Chapel was the first chapel built on the future Strip, in 1942, as part of the Last Frontier resort. The wooden chapel is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is now located on Las Vegas Blvd S at Russell Rd, just south of Mandalay Bay.

Luxor, the pyramid on the Strip, displays the most powerful searchlight in the world, which can be seen even from space. In front of the Egyptian-themed resort there is a replica of the Sphinx. The replica of King Tutankhamen's tomb, as it was discovered by English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922, is no longer at Luxor.

It opened in January 1906, the first real hotel, a two-story building, named Hotel Nevada. It had the first telephone in town; the phone number was "one." In 1931, when gambling was legalized, it changed names to Sal Sagev. Today, it's called Golden Gate, a "boutique hotel" with a lot of history at 1 Fremont St.

In 1989, Mirage opened the era of megaresorts. The Polynesian-themed resort has an attraction that continues to be popular: a volcano--flames erupting, every evening, as high as 100 ft, accompanied by sounds composed by Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.

MGM Grand is still considered the largest hotel in the world, with more than 5,000 rooms. It displays the largest bronze statue in the US, a lion, 45-ft tall, weighing 100,000 lbs, sitting on a 25-ft pedestal at the intersection of Las Vegas Blvd S and Tropicana Ave. Inside, real lions are on display daily in the Lion Habitat.

A replica of the Statue of Liberty, a third of the original size, the Manhattan skyline with several New York landmarks, and a 300-ft Brooklyn bridge are a few of the many New York-themed attractions at New York-New York. A 203-ft tall roller coaster, Manhattan Express, travels through and around the resort.

There is an Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas, a replica half the size of the original one in Paris, France. Besides this 60 ft tall Eiffel tower, which offers rides to the top, Paris Las Vegas includes other Paris landmarks, such as the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, and the Paris Opera House.

Stratosphere is the tallest free-standing observation tower west of Mississippi, 1,149 ft high. It opened in 1996. The attractions on the top of Stratosphere are the revolving Top of the World restaurant and observation deck and three thrill rides: Big Shot, Insanity the Ride, and X-Scream.

The 1933 neoclassical building was once a post-office and court house.. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built with federal money, the building was given to the City of Las Vegas for preserving it and it is currently used as the Mob Museum. It is located at 301 E Stewart Ave.

Vegas Vic was one of several neon signs the Chamber of Commerce used during the 1940s and 1950s to publicize Las Vegas as a tourist destination. The waving Vegas Vic is 48 ft tall and can be seen on Fremont St, next to the Pioneer Club sign (Pioneer Club itself is now closed).

The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was designed by Betty Willis in 1959, an artist who had no idea the sign would become one of the most recognizable landmarks of Las Vegas. It is located less than half-mile south of Mandalay Bay. A replica was recently placed on Boulder Hwy, between Tropicana Ave and Flamingo Rd.

CityCenter comprises, on its 67 acres, Aria, a 4,000-room resort and casino; Crystals, a retail and entertainment area; Vdara, a condo-hotel; Veer, two residential highrises; Mandarin Oriental, a luxury hotel and residential units; and Harmon, a boutique hotel. Shown at right is Veer, the leaning towers of Las Vegas.