Las Vegas – Around Town

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Created on Tuesday, 03 June 2003 03:37

Written by Petra Lattmann

Although the glitter and lights of the Las Vegas Strip can captivate and hold many visitors, those who venture just beyond the reaches of the Strip can experience a very different Las Vegas with culture, adventure and plenty to do with the family.

Over 100 hands-on, interactive exhibits can be found at the Lied Discovery Children's Museum where children of all ages can explore the arts, humanities and sciences as well as traveling displays, programs and entertainment (833 Las Vegas Blvd. N., Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm.) And for those who like to laugh, in nearby Henderson you’ll find Ron Lee's World of Clowns. It’s a great place to see exactly how clowns and animated sculptures are made, including works for Disney, Warner Bros., and Universal Studios (330 Carousel Pkwy., free tour Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm.)

Chocoholics will be beating their way down the road to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden where they can witness chocolate making first hand. You can take a sample with you to nibble on while you stroll through a three-acre garden stocked with 350 different species of desert plants (2 Cactus Garden Dr., free tours daily, 8:30am-7pm.)

For an artistic adventure, The Arts Factory offers an eclectic mix of artists, architects, photographers, graphic designers, and galleries all gathered under one roof. Included are The Nevada Institute of Contemporary Art, The Small Works Gallery and The Contemporary Arts Collective (101-109 East Charleston Blvd.) The Las Vegas Art Museum also houses international, national and regional art (9600 W. Sahara Ave., Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm and Sunday, 1pm-5pm.)

If you like the glitter of Las Vegas, but not necessarily at night, visit the Liberace Museum, (1775 E. Tropicana Ave., Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm or Sunday, 1pm-5pm) or the Elvis-A-Rama Museum (3401 Industrial Rd., 10am-7pm daily.) Both sights offer stunning collections of memorabilia, including costumes, instruments and automobiles. If you are a Trekkie aficionado, then Star Trek: The Experience is for you! This interactive adventure features a motion-simulated journey through the galaxies, as well as costumes, weapons, makeup displays, special effects and props (3000 Paradise Rd. in the Las Vegas Hilton, daily 11am-11pm.)

You’ll catch a spectacular laser-light show when you take in the Sunset Stampede. Four times a day you can view a 10-minute extravaganza of sight and sound in a misty garden with a crashing waterfall, and a huge geyser, with animated wolf howls and realistic sounds of a wildlife stampede enhanced with exciting lighting effects (5111 Boulder Hwy., free daily shows at 2, 6, 8, and 10pm).
And for those who like driving on the edge in the fast lane, you can schedule a session to drive or ride shotgun in a stock car with the Richard Petty Driving Experience at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Reservations are required to drive your own NASCAR Winston Cup stock car (http://www.1800bepetty.com/), but ride-alongs can usually be done spur-of-the-moment.

If you prefer a higher heart-thumping experience, consider a bungee jump from a 170-foot tower at AJ Hackett Bungy (810 Circus Circus Dr., Sunday-Friday 11am-8pm, Saturday till 10pm) or flying without wings at Flyaway Indoor Skydiving, a 21-foot vertical wind tunnel (200 Convention Center Dr., daily from 10am-7pm.)