Things to Do in Las Vegas in Your Twenties

When drawing up your “things to do before turning 30” list, bar-hopping in Las Vegas should feature high. Start at Commonwealth: a 6,000sqft (557sqm) downtown tavern with a rooftop terrace, live DJs, a banging dance floor and ever-changing cocktail menu. From here, hop between dive bars, seedy cocktail lounges and speakeasies such as the Downtown Cocktail Room, Atomic Liquors (the oldest bar in Vegas) and Corduroy. Hangovers are a guarantee.

The Summer League Games are a highlight on the Las Vegas calendar. Former and current NBA basketball players play in the four-tournament-style games. You can watch slam dunking legends alongside undrafted rookies courtside while escaping the searing desert heat outside. The games traditionally take place at the Cox Pavilion and Thomas & Mack Center, both on the official UNLV campus.

If you are in Las Vegas in your twenties, you have to go to a legendary pool party. In fact, it should be written into Nevada state law. Head to Daylight Beach Club at Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. It’s a 50,000sqft (4,650sqm) day club with EDM Saturdays, Hip Hop Sundays and past DJs that include Dash Berlin, French Montana and Steve Aoki. Bust out your best beachwear, book a cabana by the pool close to the action and let the rosé flow all day long.

Las Vegas can be an expensive city for young people, but the laughs are free. The Dirty at 12:30 is a free-entry, late-night stand-up comedy show every Friday at the Southpoint Hotel and Casino. Safely assume from the name you’ll get more than dad jokes here. Hosted by Gabe Lopez, the night often draws in 350 people (there’s seating for 185). Expect regular celebrity cameos, unbilled walk-ons by established comedians and sets by upcoming comics.

Allow a lazy afternoon melt into evening at this ever evolving community-driven festival in the city’s Arts District that pulls together art, music, food and fashion in a laid-back space. Watch a live gig, eat delicious bites from food carts and browse various stalls. The event is underpinned by the First Friday Foundation, which works with the local community to harness creativity in the city. If you happen to be in town on the first Friday of the month, you’ve no excuse but to head down.

Want to ski by day and hit the bars on the Strip by night? Take a break from the bright lights and head to Lee Canyon, a one-hour drive from downtown Las Vegas and located in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Here, you’ll find year-round outdoor adventure across 195 acres (79ha) of terrain and 27 trails accessed via three chairlifts. The area gets on average 161 inches (408cm) of snowfall a year and offers ski and snowboard lessons as well as snow parks and lodgings.

Going fully nocturnal in Las Vegas is to be expected. That’s because the city has the biggest upscale nightclubs in the world featuring the best DJs, sound systems, lighting, dancers and all-night parties. The LIGHT Vegas in Mandalay Bay, for example, is a glitzy LED-drenched mega club with regular performances by Rick Ross, Tyga, DJ E-Rock and music covering EDM, hip hop and pop. No two nights are the same – all you have to do is party like it’s your birthday.

The High Roller is one of the newer additions to Las Vegas and offers a unique perspective on the city and the Strip. Grab a drink at the bar and hop inside the 550ft (168m) Ferris wheel; the ride takes approximately 30 minutes from start to finish, so when you’re done, you can continue exploring the shops and restaurants inside the LINQ.

Ice skating might not seem possible in the desert, but the Ice Rink begs to differ. The Ice Rink on top of the Cosmopolitan attempts to inject a little winter wonderland into the Las Vegas desert. Grab your friends, hot cocoa and some s’mores and enjoy the 4,200sqft (390sqm) rink to the sound of classic Christmas tunes.

The ultimate college drinking game has a permanent home at O’Sheas. Located inside the LINQ on the Strip, anyone can walk in and join a game. While you wait, you can enjoy the live music or try one of the 50 types of beer on tap (if you’re not into beer, try the Irish Bloody Mary or Pot of Gold). The cheap drinks and the multitude of table games make O’Sheas a favorite of Las Vegas’s younger crowds.

The kid inside you will come alive atop the Strat Hotel & Casino. The tallest building in the city boasts three thrill rides at its peak, each designed to thrill and terrify its patrons. If that’s not enough of an adrenaline rush for you, try skydiving; SkyJump holds the world record for highest decelerator descent at 829ft (253m).

People come to Las Vegas as a getaway, and that’s exactly what you must do in an escape room – get away. Whether it’s in the basement of a serial killer, an abandoned prison wing or a mob hideout, Las Vegas has embraced the escape room phenomenon with open arms. Escape rooms are best for large groups, but individuals and couples can join the fun, too.

For a real “throwback Thursday,” drive out to the West Wind Drive-In Theater. It’s one of the few drive-ins left in the U.S. and is ideal for group outings. It’s the cheapest movie theater to go to in Las Vegas, and you can bring food and drinks inside.

Anyone staying at the New York New York or Monte Carlo will have easy access to the Park. It’s a dining and entertainment district – marked by a 40ft (12m) statue known as Bliss Dance – that sits between the two properties and has become a popular place to visit, especially during events at the T-Mobile Arena. When concerts aren’t going on, you can find live artists, music and performances taking place in and around the park.

For a high-flying thrill, check out Slotzilla in downtown Las Vegas. Patrons have a choice between the traditional zipline or the Zoomline, a much higher and longer ride down the entire length of Fremont Street. Once you’re done there, check out the brand-new interactive Fear the Walking Dead experience.

If you’ve got the time and the money, check out Cirque du Soleil’s MJ ONE, which pays tribute to the life and career of Michael Jackson, complete with high-flying acrobatics and intricate choreography. Millennials will instantly recognize numbers from the show such as “Billie Jean,” “Dirty Diana,” “Bad” and “Smooth Criminal.” Tickets aren’t cheap, but well worth every penny.