There are two official visitor centers in
Las Vegas. One, run by the Las Vegas
Convention & Visitors Authority, stands
half a mile east of the Strip on the west
side of Paradise Road, at the entrance to
the vast Convention Center at 3150 Paradise
Rd (daily 8am-5pm; tel 892-7575 or
1-800/332-5333, ). The other, the
headquarters of the Las Vegas Chamber of
Commerce, is at 711 E Desert Inn Rd (Mon-Fri
8am-5pm; tel 735-1616, ).
Although both will mail information in
response to requests, once you're actually
in Las Vegas there's very little point in
visiting either, and neither is easily
accessible on foot. You can find much the
same array of glossy brochures and leaflets
displayed in the lobby of your hotel. All
Las Vegas's major attractions are run for
profit, and you'll be bombarded with all the
information you need without having to go
out in search of more.
Similarly, it should be easy to pick up a
decent map of the city at the desk of
your hotel or car rental agency. The
streetscape changes so fast, especially
along the Strip, that it's essential for
that map to be as recent as possible.
Surprisingly enough, free handouts tend to
be more reliable than commercial
publications that may have been on the
shelves for years.
Las Vegas on the internet
The following is a selective list of
useful websites to help you plan before and
during your trip. Websites run by individual
casinos, and by hotel reservation services,
are listed in the Accommodation section. The
Internet Café of Las Vegas is located
two blocks west of Las Vegas Boulevard,
between downtown and the Stratosphere
, at 320 E Charleston Blvd (tel 897-0142).
The best source for information on the
city's gay scene.
Extensive listings and reviews from What's
On magazine, plus an on-line reservation
service.
The official site of the Las Vegas
Convention & Visitors Authority is
packed with information on lodging,
activities, transportation, and tours, and
also carries loads of facts and figures
about the city itself.
Entertaining "inside scoop"
from Las Vegas's taxi drivers, with an
emphasis on nightlife. The huge "Hack
Attack" forum holds a mass of personal
opinions on hotels, shows, and just about
everything else.
Information, reservations, and reviews
for Las Vegas entertainment, including all
the big shows.
Las Vegas Review-Journal , with
the latest details from the paper's
"Neon" supplement and a useful
searchable archive of every article for
years.
Not Vegas-specific, though it does have
links to the casinos, but a primer of rules,
strategy, and the like for all types of
casino games.
