Note: This story was written before Matt Kelemen's untimely passing.
So you’re hitting Vegas for a three-day weekend without a clear plan. The options seem infinite, and you have vague plans to explore the property you are staying at, but you still want more. Maybe it’s something that will require transportation, but you don’t want to be disappointed after shelling out ducats for a ride share. You’ve come to the right page.
Photo by: Wade Vandervort
If you haven’t been to AREA15 yet, plan on spending a half-day (or evening) there. The menagerie of venues is a hop, skip and a jump away from the Strip and is anchored by a must-experience tenant in fantasy supermarket Omega Mart. It’s grocery store with an inventory of whimsical items for sale, but Omega Mart also has hidden passages to a vast multistory backroom that serves as corporate headquarters for the enigmatic Dram Corporation.
Omega Mart has some new elements to check out, including artist Whitney Lehn Meltz’s conceptual installation “Them,” low-sensory chill space Aurora, newly unlocked surreal space The Room Formerly Known As and the Actualizer Appreciation Happy Hour tiki bar.
Photo by: Christopher DeVargas
Meanwhile, at pyramid-shaped Luxor, Fantasy: The Strip’s Sexiest Tease continues its reign with new dancers, acts and routines. The topless revue celebrated Military Appreciation Month last weekend, but the ladies of Fantasy and emcee/singer Lorena Peril appreciate servicemen year-round. This is the place on the south end of the Strip that Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines personnel should prioritize, where Ashton, Abby, Mariah and company meet and greet audience members after the show and sign souvenir posters.
Connoisseurs of kinetic dance should plan on visiting MGM Grand to see Jabbawockeez, a troupe of masked dancers that has dazzled Vegas visitors since 2010. Jabbawockeez gained national attention two years earlier on MTV reality series America’s Best Dance Crew and parleyed its notoriety into what has become a body-rocking institution. It’s family-friendly and do-not-miss entertainment for hip-hop aficionados with a meet-and-greet offering and 30% off admission for locals for Memorial Day Weekend.
The Cabinet of Curiosities at Horseshoe Las Vegas provides a different kind of meet and greet in its Mixology Masterclass. The bar has a diverse collection of odd items, antiques and bric-a-brac to peruse while sipping libations, but it also offers master mixologists the chance to teach the art of making exquisite cocktails, as well as the history behind them. This week, from Thursday through Sunday at 1 p.m., the subject is “The Art of Agave: Uncorking the Secrets of Tequila Cocktails.” Be sure to check out adjoining speakeasy The Lock while visiting.
Photo by: Courtesy
Be sure to check out Night Swim at Golden Nugget if downtown is the destination and cooling off in pools during warm evenings is appealing. Golden Nugget is well-known for its 200,000-gallon shark tank aquarium built into its 17-cabana The Tank pool complex, but on Friday nights it transforms into a party with fireworks and music provided by DJ Flow. Live bands are featured on the first Friday of each month, but DJs begin spinning Saturday nights as of this month so guests can get wet all weekend.
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