Las Vegas Travel Guide - Travel in Las Vegas

Here's one topic that is always on the minds of visitors to Las Vegas, where to shop? And it's no wonder either! There are literally thousands of amazing stores along the Las Vegas Strip. Of course, along with all that pizazz comes the high prices for the goodies they sell. Rent is very high along the Strip, as you might imagine, so the vendors must command the prices that will afford them their rent. If you are looking for bargains, you will probably need to be willing to venture away from the Strip a bit, or at least away from the miracle mile where the prices are likely to be the highest.

Las Vegas has two outlet malls that are easily accessible from anywhere along the central Strip area. That means anywhere from the Mandalay Bar hotel to Fremont Steet. On the north end are the Factory Outlet Stores near Fremont Street and the downtown area. On the south end is the Las Vegas Factory Outlet mall, right on Las Vegas Blvd at Warm Springs Rd. Both of these outlet malls feature the typical fare, and much lower prices than you'll find at the casino stores. However, you will also not find the same brands and quality here that you find in those places.

Farther out still are some of the mixed mall complexes like The District at Green Valley Ranch. The District is an upscale outdoor shopping mall with residences and offices located above the shops. Free entertainment is featured on Friday and Saturday evenings and some of the acts are quite good. It is not uncommon to find families sitting outside enjoying the music and sense of community the place affords. There are many well known shops here such as Williams Sonoma and Chicos, but the main draw is the adjoining Green Valley Ranch Casino Resort, one of the most beautiful casinos in all of Las Vegas. The casino was once featured on a cable reality show called American Casino that was quite popular for a time.

Back on the Strip, just a mile south of the Mandalay Bay hotel is another unique shopping opportunity called The Town Center. Set in a motif more familiar to small town America than Las Vegas, The Town Center mall is an outdoor mall with streets and walkways set much like you might find when walking was the preferred mode of travel. Though cars are allowed, most of the mall is devoted primarily to pedestrian traffic. You will find many familiar and some unique stores here, including one of the more popular Apple Stores in town. There is also a substantial movie theatre complex here as well as the local Guitar Center store.

On the west side of town near the Suncoast Casino are the Boca Shops. Offering some of the more upscale shopping in town, the mall itself is set outdoors in one of Las Vegas newer communities. If you are staying in the Summerlin area or perhaps visiting the Red Rock Casino, the Boca Shops are an excellent choice for shopping and dining. There are many well known stores here, as well as the nearby Suncoast Casino hotel. You may also want to consider a day trip out to the Boca Shops combined with a sightseeing drive out to the Red Rock Conservation Area. There you can take a leisurely drive though the amazing terrain. You will be surprised you are so close to Las Vegas!

If you have both a car and a little time to kill, you might want to consider a drive south on highway 15 to stateline and The Primm Factory Outlet Stores. This mall is built around the casino that has been at the state line forever and has grown into one massive pit stop along this busy highway. You'll find something for just about everyone here, including some gambling for the adults and even a roller coaster for the kids. This is actuially one of the best coasters around too, so mom and dad might want to accompany the younger kids. You will also find a selection of eateries in Primm, including some well known fast food options. The drive to Primm is about one hour depending on traffic. Though heavy traffic is rare, you definately don't want to come this way on Friday or Sundays when people drive in to Las Vegas from L.A. At that time this road will be at its peak, and wont be worth the waiting you will endure.

One thing to keep in mind as you shop around town is valet parking. Like all the casinos in town, most of the larger malls in Las Vegas will offer valet parking for your car. Some of them will be free, meaning only the tip you give to the valet, though some may require validation by making a purchase in one of the stores. However, unless you have an issue with walking, we have found that valet parking at the mall to be no big help. You're almost where they are already just by parking in the self parking lot. So unless it's during the holidays or the mall is particularly busy for some reason, we recommend passing on the valet and hoofing it the extra one hundred yards yourself.