9 Recommended Tours in Las Vegas

For a lot of tourists, the idea of Las Vegas art probably begins and ends with flashy signage. But there’s a rich history of art in the city, and its Arts District in Downtown is booming with galleries, studios, public displays and art-inspired hang-outs. Starting at the sign that marks the Arts District, the Vintage Las Vegas Arts Tour will show you just how vibrant the Las Vegas art scene is and give you a glimpse into a side of the city that few tourists make time to visit.

Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas has become the top alternative for revelers looking to avoid the Strip. The Neon Happy Hour incorporates two sides of Fremont, giving a flavor of both the local culture and the more tourist-oriented attractions. Starting at the Downtown Container Park, a shopping and entertainment complex made out of shipping containers, the tour continues along East Fremont with its hipster bars and restaurants, before crossing Las Vegas Boulevard and ending at the Fremont Street Experience. The urban promenade lined with hotel-casinos and covered by a canopy that showcases vibrant light shows is a buzzing area.

Maverick Helicopters is one of the top companies for helicopter tours in Vegas, flying visitors to destinations all around Southern Nevada. Its Vegas Nights Tour, starting from the company’s facility at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard, is not only its most affordable tour but also among its most majestic. The 15-minute ride gives passengers a sweeping view of the glittering lights and striking buildings of the Las Vegas Strip and parts of Downtown, providing a breathtaking perspective that is impossible to get from the ground.

It’s a cliché to say that Vegas was better when the Mob ran it, and while that’s certainly not true, there is a lot of colorful, fascinating Mob history in the town. The Vegas Mob Tour takes passengers to the local landmarks that played key roles in the Mob’s Vegas years, providing historical context and insight via video clips and vintage photos. The tour charts Vegas Mob history from the 1940s through the 1980s, including several locations from Martin Scorsese’s seminal Vegas Mob movie Casino.

Over three hours, this night tour encompasses the entire Las Vegas tourist district, from the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard to the vintage casinos and the Fremont Street Experience of Downtown. Weather in Vegas is usually ideal for an open-air bus tour, and this extensive journey gives you the perfect overview to pick where you want to devote your time on the rest of your trip.

All those years of Mob control in Las Vegas have led to a surplus of potential hauntings. The Haunted Vegas Tour and Ghost Hunt departs from the Tuscany Suites & Casino and takes you around to locations allegedly frequented by the spirits of mobsters as well as celebrities such as Elvis Presley, Liberace and Redd Foxx. The tour will even provide you with ghost-detecting equipment to use at a number of supposed hotspots for paranormal activity, to see if you can spot one of the specters that call Las Vegas home.

Yes, Las Vegas has museums, and this museum tour (picking up at the Tropicana, Circus Circus or Treasure Island on the Strip) takes you to several of the most prominent ones. Learn about the history of organized crime in Las Vegas and beyond at the immersive, detailed Mob Museum. See a collection of vintage Vegas signs at the Neon Museum. Delve into the cultural, anthropological, environmental and sociological background of the area at the Clark County Museum and the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.

Some of the most gorgeous natural scenery in the United States lies just outside Las Vegas, and this six-hour tour will give you a glimpse of its beauty. Tour guides take you from your hotel out into the desert landscape for a horseback ride, wildlife spotting and a campfire dinner after sunset. It’s a perfect break from the overwhelming intensity of the Las Vegas Strip – a chance for a quiet getaway within your getaway.

Many tourists come to Las Vegas with a desire to squeeze in a glimpse of the nearby Grand Canyon. With several tours available, Papillon gives its visitors the chance to see the national park by helicopter, bus and airplane. Unlike most Grand Canyon tours that tend to take visitors to the West Rim, Papillon focuses on multiple rims, allowing visitors to see the most photogenic parts of the canyon. As the only company certified to fly through the entire canyon, passengers are also able to see the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Grand Canyon West and the Colorado River.