Las Vegas [May 2025]

morning | afternoon | evening | after hours

Las Vegas

S ay what you will about the bottomless buffet. We say the bottomless roster of awesome activities is what best captures the vibe of Las Vegas, any time of day (or night). And we do mean any. Whether you’re on the hunt for entertainment, adventure, culture, food and/or drink, you’ll find amazing options around the clock. To illustrate the point, we’ve pulled some of our favorite local pursuits into a 24-hour agenda. To be clear, this lineup is meant only as inspiration. You’d have to be superhuman (with the metabolism to rival your apparent wingspan and time-travel powers) to tick off every one of these items on the same day. Over the course of a few days, however, you could easily — enviably — hit 100%.

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Seven Magic Mountains

Pickleball | credit: Chicken N Pickle

Morning fun

Afternoon adventures

Evening escapades

After hours

Plan your trip

Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel, Downtown Las Vegas

Zipline launch at The LINQ Promenade

The Neon Museum

Gondolas at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas

Pop culture kiosk at the National Atomic Testing Museum | credit: Chris Wessling

Meow Wolf's Omega Mart at AREA15

KÀ by Cirque du Soleil

Summer House

Get a high score at the Pinball Hall of Fame

Fremont East District

Bleau Bar at Fontainebleau Las Vegas

Secret Pizza at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

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3:00 a.m. Everybody knows the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” neon sign at the southernmost end of the Las Vegas Strip. What most people don’t know: The best time to visit and pose for selfies is in the middle of the night. Lines seem to be shortest between the hours of 2 and 5 a.m. Even on hazy nights, lights from the sign make photos shine. 4:00 a.m. Happy Hour looks different at the Hard Hat Lounge, a dive bar on the outskirts of the Arts District. Sure, you’ll find $4 well drinks, $5 draft beers, and $3 Pabst Blue Ribbon specials from 2-5 in the afternoon, but the historic "Double H" also offers Happy Hour specials from 2-5 in the morning. And if your professional life happens to require a hard hat, so much the better: Construction workers get $1 off select beverages all day.

5:00 a.m. Who says you can’t have ramen for breakfast? Not the folks behind Chinatown’s Shokku Ramen, where true adventurers opt for the Shinigami Challenge: Down 24 ounces of spicy broth and three pounds of noodles in eight minutes. Success means your meal is free, and your photo goes on the Wall of Warriors. 6:00 a.m. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area on the western edge of the Las Vegas Valley offers breathtaking views of the Las Vegas Strip in the distance. Early mornings, the park’s 2.4-mile Calico Tanks Trail also serves up a panoramic perspective on the rising sun. Be sure to bring a headlamp for the tromp out.

1:00 a.m. Even by the standards at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which is known for its top-notch dining options, the hidden New York-style pizza shop on the third floor is a true standout. Fittingly, the place is called Secret Pizza; you get there by walking down an unmarked hallway lined with old album covers. The menu is simple: Slices, sodas, beers, that’s it. Happy Hunting. 2:00 a.m. A shrunken head collection, animatronic birds and live music performed in a giant clam shell all contribute to an unforgettable atmosphere at The Golden Tiki, the undisputed king of Las Vegas Polynesian-themed bars right now. Swing by the hotspot — located a 5-minute drive west of The Strip — after midnight and try a Mai Tai, Jungle Bird or any of the other signature drinks on the surprisingly varied menu.

11:00 p.m. Flight Club, an attraction inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, pairs traditional darts with modern technology to create a whole new level of fun if you’re traveling in a group. Reserve an “oche” (per Flight Club, “Rhymes with ‘hockey’…it's your space from the throw line to the dartboard, as well as your own semi-private seating area), and squeeze as much play as you can into the allotted 90 minutes. But be warned: You’ll lose time to the excellent drinks and finger foods. 12:00 a.m. You can’t take a trip to Las Vegas without at least a little gambling. The casino at Fontainebleau Las Vegas is particularly beautiful, with the resort’s signature bowtie insignia hidden in the design like Easter eggs for you to find. Plus, the Fontainebleau is one of several local casinos that offers players cards, which earn you money-saving rewards for every dollar you spend onsite. With Fontainebleau Rewards, you can cash in for such things as a treatment at the renowned Lapis Spa, declared the World's Best Casino Hotel Spa at the 2024 World Spa Awards.

7:00 p.m. Shanghai Taste, in the heart of Chinatown, serves up pilgrimage-worthy Shanghai-style Chinese street food. Dumplings are the name of the game here; the restaurant boasts more than 3,000 soup dumplings served daily in addition to noodle soup, scallion pancakes, fried rice and noodle dishes. 8:00 p.m. One of the best entertainment values in Las Vegas remains the Pinball Hall of Fame, which still charges no more than 50 cents to play most of its 150 vintage pinball machines. The venue is run by members of the Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club, and all machines belong to a member named Tim Arnold. Because the place is a nonprofit, all revenue goes to local charities.

5:00 p.m. Weekday afternoons, by contrast, are for martinis at Summer House restaurant inside the Durango Casino & Resort on the southwest side of the Las Vegas Valley, about 20 minutes' drive from The Strip. Here, Happy Hour features $10 martinis from 3-6 p.m. every weekday. Other specials include $5 wines and $4 beers, as well as tasty bites such as tostadas, a cheeseburger, Tavern-style pizza and more. And speaking of weekday deals, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that they generally extend to lodging, too. If at least part of your visit occurs midweek, room rates are likely lowest. 6:00 p.m. If you’ve ever watched the winter Olympics on TV, you’ve surely seen curling— basically shuffleboard on ice and surprisingly fun. So here’s your chance to try: CurlVegas, in an office park near Harry Reid International Airport, offers 90-minute beginner classes that end with a friendly competition to test out your newfound skills.

1:00 p.m. The three-course, fixed-price lunch at Estiatorio Milos inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas is renowned as one of the best deals anywhere on the Las Vegas Strip. For $45 per person, you can choose from appetizers such as Greek spreads or salad, entrees such as whole grilled Mediterranean sea bream or roasted organic chicken breast, and desserts such as baklava or Greek spiced walnut cake. 2:00 p.m. Henderson’s Chicken N Pickle is a stellar place to play the fastest-growing sport in the nation — pickleball — and to refuel with such specialties as smoked wings, rotisserie chicken, and even pickled chicken, a culinary nod to the sport at hand. You’ll have your choice of eight covered outdoor courts and six indoor courts, where you can book by the hour. CNP also boasts three bars, equipment rental, and an open-air courtyard. Fun fact: investors include NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

7:00 a.m. Start the day with a mind-charging Turkish coffee at Alchemy Coffee at a strip mall in Summerlin. Every cup of this delicacy (brewed in a long-handled pot, or cezve) comes with a bonus: a small piece of Turkish delight. And if you prefer more elaborate coffee drinks, the crème brûlée latte, with its hardened shell topping, is a standout. 8:00 a.m. There’s something otherworldly about Ugo Rondinone’s Seven Magic Mountains in the middle of the Mojave Desert near Jean Dry Lake south of Las Vegas — a modern-day pop-culture Stonehenge of sorts, with seven spires made of eye-poppingly vivid giant boulders. Visiting in the morning means smaller crowds and cooler temperatures. Keep your eyes peeled for jackrabbits, too.

9:00 p.m. Craft cocktails are elevated to an art form at Liquid Diet, a hard-to-find bar in an old garage in the Arts District. Among the choices on a recent night: red-pepper martini, lemongrass gin fizz, and a chocolate chip banana bread sidecar. The vibe is chicly sparse, with the drink menu written on butcher paper and glassware clearly sourced from estate sales across the Valley. 10:00 p.m. With buskers and millions of LED lights overhead, the Fremont Street Experience is a spectacle everyone knows. In the Game, an arcade on the section of Fremont east of Las Vegas Boulevard, is more of a secret. The attraction has traditional games such as Pac-Man, immersive virtual reality games, and challenge games such as Whack-a-Mole. A menu of carnival food favorites rounds out the experience.

3:00 p.m. The best views on the Las Vegas Strip are atop The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Tower, which, at 1,149 feet is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States. Beyond otherworldly views—which you can take in from a recently renovated observation area with comfortable seating, viewfinders and explanatory signage— the Tower boasts a fine-dining restaurant (Top of the World), a bar (108 Drinks), and several thrill rides. 4:00 p.m. Shows are an iconic part of the Las Vegas experience, and KÀ, from Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, is one of the few with weekend matinees. These afternoon performances tend to be far less crowded than their night-time counterparts. And extra availability means you can sit closer to the stage for less.

9:00 a.m. There are several delicatessens in the Las Vegas Valley, but Siegel’s Bagelmania is second to none. Some of the shmears may be a bit unorthodox — jalapeño or strawberry, for example — but this is the place to throw caution to the wind, especially if you’re in the mood for a bagel sandwich, or bagelwich, as the famed versions here are called. Most are the size of a small child’s head, with names like “Foxy Loxy” and “Spicy Feinstein.” 10:00 a.m. Back in the 1950s, Las Vegas was the closest major city to one of the largest nuclear testing sites in the United States. That history comes to life in fascinating ways at the National Atomic Testing Museum on the East Side, a 5-minute drive from The Strip. Save time for the exhibit about pop culture’s fascination with the atomic bomb — you won’t believe some of the artifacts there.

The Strip at dawn

The STRAT Tower

The Strip at night

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Bellagio fountain

11:00 a.m. Popstroke, at the Town Square mall, is not your typical mini-golf attraction. This one includes two 18-hole putting courses, each with miniature fairways, bunkers, and rough patches, just like a regular green. A smartphone app lets you keep score and order food and drinks as you move along the course, while going before midday lets you avoid the harshest UV exposure while you play. 12:00 p.m. You could easily spend an entire day at AREA15, the arts and entertainment destination that is home to Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart and other attractions. And maybe you’ll come back and do so. But to avoid crowds during your first encounter, arrive at opening time: high noon. Be sure not to miss Haley’s Comet, a cross between ziplining and hang-gliding that whirls you — suspended from the ceiling — around the interior of the building.