Interesting things happen when the mercury rises. For starters, Buster Poindexter’s 1987 single “Hot Hot Hot” becomes a lot less charming. You might also find yourself tempted to hunker down in the comfort of your air-conditioned hotel room. Fortunately, this town has come up with many ways to stay cool in the dog days of summer without compromising your fun. There are countless options, but these are some of our favorites.
1. Lake Mead tours
Get out of here, but not too out of here. Gray Line’s Lake Mead tours take you about 40 minutes away from the Strip and onto a charming Mississippi-style paddleboat on Lake Mead. You can choose to make it a dinner cruise on the lake or add on a tour of Hoover Dam.
Vegas Indoor Skydiving
2. Vegas Indoor Skydiving
Quit fanning yourself with your copy of VEGAS2GO and try this on for size. This vertical wind tunnel uses a jet engine (beneath a safe, bouncy trampoline mesh, of course) to simulate free fall and, well, makes a darn good fan on hot summer days.
3. The pool
“Of course!” you might think. The whole point of a pool is to cool off. But have you seen the wealth of options Las Vegas offers you? You have your pick of family-friendly pool complexes, pool clubs with world-class DJs, European-style hideaways, lazy rivers and even man-made beaches. Who can say no to that?
4-D theater attractions
4. 4-D theater attractions
You can’t beat a chilly movie theater on a hot summer day. And while these “4-D” theater attractions won’t send you careening through the fabric of space and time (as the name would imply), they’re fun and family-friendly entertainment escapes with interactive effects featuring Marvel Super Heroes at Madame Tussauds at The Venetian and Dora the Explorer or SpongeBob SquarePants at Adventuredome inside Circus Circus.
Thrill Rides
5. Minus5 Ice Bar at Monte Carlo and Mandalay Place
You chill at this cool little bar until you run out of ice-related puns. Nearly everything at this temperature-controlled bar is made of—no joke—ice imported all the way from Canada. That includes the walls, the seats, custom ice sculptures, the bar itself and even drink glasses. It’s the only place where you’ll want to wear a parka in Las Vegas in the summer.
6. Thrill rides
The Canyon Blaster and El Loco at the climate-controlled Adventuredome at Circus Circus are a great place to start, or you can feel the wind racing against you at New York-New York’s Big Apple-themed roller coaster. Adrenaline junkies might like the added rush of Stratosphere’s Sky Jump, X-Scream, Big Shot or Insanity, atop the tallest tower west of the Mississippi.
7. Frozen daiquiris
From downtown to the Strip, you can pick up a little bit of flavored frozen bliss to go and carry it around in a football or ridiculously sized guitar. Favorites include The D, Rockhouse, O’Sheas and the Library of Alexandria of frozen drinks: Fat Tuesday.
Wildlife attractions at Flamingo & The Mirage
8. Wildlife attractions at Flamingo and The Mirage
Just think of the Flamingo and The Mirage as having the most epic backyards ever. These two lush jungle retreats have plenty of shade and even more wildlife than you’ll find almost anywhere else in the city. At the 15-acre Flamingo Wildlife Habitat, you can watch Chilean flamingos, koi and majestic ibises. Up the Strip, Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden at The Mirage is home to dolphins and three new white tiger cubs.
9. Concerts on the Beach
Who’s up for some live music and a dip in the pool? Mandalay Bay Beach’s concert series has become a summertime staple, with a stage overlooking a sprawling pool and beach complex, so you can put your toes in the sand or wade in the surf to your heart’s content. Future acts include Jake Owen, Counting Crows and ’80s all-star concert experience Retro Futura, but you can catch Dirty Heads and Pepper on Aug. 8.
