Vegas was the best last-minute choice I’ve ever made. When my mom and I were planning our trip to L.A. and Tokyo, we decided to sneak in a few days in Las Vegas with my grandma because we have family there we’d never even met.

Even though I’m not super into night life, I loved Vegas. There are so many fun things to do for those of us that aren’t into the club scene. Here’s what we did on a 3-day trip to Sin City!

Airport Transfer to Las Vegas

Never in my life have I been to an airport that is so convenient to the city center that Las Vegas McCarran.

We hopped in a Lyft for a few minutes and paid such a cheap rate to get to our hotel. If you’re used to taking Lyfts from the airport, you know that finding the ride share lane can be an absolute disaster.

At McCarran, the process of getting from baggage claim to the ride share area is so clearly marked that it was easy as pie. Here are some promo codes for money off your first rides at this link!

If it weren’t for the traffic, we probably would have only been in the car for 5 minutes. It was amazing to have such a short ride to our place after traveling from Asia and being on 3 flights in the same day!

Where to Stay in Las Vegas

When my grandma decided she would meet us in Vegas, she was adamant about staying at MGM. We agreed since we wanted that stereotypical Las Vegas experience.

My warning to you is not to stay at any hotel that doubles as a casino if you are allergic to or unwilling to be around cigarette smoke. All three of us are allergy-ridden in almost every possible way, so our only night at MGM Grand was miserable.

If you’re all good in that area, then book away! If you’re anything like us, then consider The Signature instead. It’s MGM’s nonsmoking property, and you still get access to MGM Grand’s incredible pool and other facilities through a bridge connector if you wish.

The Signature itself also has a very nice pool, Starbucks, and spa. The staff and the front desk was so helpful in getting us moved to The Signature, and the rest of our time there was perfect. Highly recommend!

Renting a Car

Because we were in Vegas to visit family, we decided renting a car for a couple of days would be nice to get around. If you’re planning to venture out of central Vegas, then I do recommend renting one.

It’s super convenient when you’re ready to return it, too, since most rental companies have connections at local hotels and will allow you to return it at your hotel’s parking garage.

See Cirque du Soleil

This was my favorite part of the whole trip, and one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. You can’t leave Vegas without seeing Cirque du Soleil. Because Vegas is one of their locations with tons of shows regularly, you can pick whichever one you’d like to see.

Some are more family-friendly, while others are for adults only.

We went with Mystère, and it was incredible.

Because the shows are so popular, I do recommend buying tickets online in advance. We had to see the show the night we arrived even after all the traveling we’d done that day, since they were all sold out for the rest of our trip.

Even though we were exhausted, the show woke me right back up because it was so spectacular.

Walk down the strip at sunset

I’m all about the Tennessee hills, but I’ll admit that the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen were in Vegas.

One of my favorite things from this trip was just walking down the strip at sunset until the sky went dark. It’s 100% free, entertaining, and you can expect the unexpected.

You never know what you’ll see on the Las Vegas strip!

See the Bellagio fountain show

This ties into the above tip, but it deserves its very own. The Bellagio fountain show is another sight that is completely free, and breathtaking. Every afternoon and evening the fountain show comes on. The schedule is every 30 minutes from 3pm to 8pm, and every 15 minutes from 8pm to midnight, Monday to Friday. Here’s a link to the website so you can stay up-to-date on any scheduling changes: https://bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en/entertainment/fountains-of-bellagio.html?. Don’t miss out on this!

Get a picture at the iconic Fabulous Las Vegas sign

I’ll go ahead and warn you: there will most likely be a line to get this photo. It’s on the way from the city to the airport, so just do yourself a favor and plan ahead to get a pic on your way to McCarran.

Our Lyft driver made a quick pit stop at the sign so I could hop out and snap this picture on our way out of Vegas. You can’t leave Vegas without seeing the iconic sign!

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