I've been to Vegas several times, and I'll be going again next month. This time though, a friend of mine is going to fly out and visit for a couple days while I'm there and she's a first-timer. She's not a planner (like I am)- lists are my THING, so I put together a list on her behalf (I know she's just thrilled about) and I figured I'd share it with all of you as well.
Day 1: She arrives at 10:30pm, so nothing planned except maybe a drink or two at the hotel.
Day 2: We're staying at Harrah's which is centrally located on the strip so I divided the time between north and south of the hotel. This day I focused on the north.
The Venetian and The Palazzo- walking around the hotels, seeing the gondolas. (Free)
Neon Sign Museum- What better way to see the Vegas history than to visit the neon sign boneyard of casinos past (and it's accessible!).
Fremont Street Experience- One mile from the Neon Sign Museum in downtown Las Vegas. World's largest golden nugget, World's largest video screen, World's largest slot machine. You get the picture. (free).
The Volcano at The Mirage- Explosions, fireballs and music are incorporated in this show Sunday-Thursday 8:00pm & 9:00pm and Friday-Saturday 8:000pm, 9:00pm & 10:00pm. (Free).
*optional: The Downtown Container Park- Just a shot walk from Freemont Street, the Container Park has food, drinks, shopping and entertainment housed in shipping containers. This is also accessible.
Day 3: Today we're focusing on the area of the strip south of the hotel.
The High Roller/ Eiffel Tower- I listed these together because I think you should chose one or the other to get an elevated view of the strip. The High Roller costs $22 or you can do a happy half hour for $35 which includes an open bar. The Eiffel Tower costs $16 during the day and $22 in the evening. Both are accessible.
The Big Apple Coaster at New York-New York- This coaster takes you inside and outside of New York-New York and costs $15. Be warned though, they have dynamic pricing during peak hours so plan accordingly.
The Bellagio Fountains- No doubt you've seen these fountains in every movie set in Las Vegas, and you can see them in person for free. The show runs multiple times per day so it's nearly impossible to miss it. (Free).
The Linq Promenade- The High Roller is located here along with shops, restaurants (including the only In-N-Out on the strip) and bars and is a great area to relax and take a break from sightseeing.
Day 4: She flies home in the afternoon, but I left the morning open; maybe brunch at Hash House A Go Go.
After the trip I'll update this with what we actually end up doing and what she thought. If you don't want to miss the update you should sign up for my mailing list at the bottom of the page!
*UPDATE* We ended up doing everything on this list except for The Volcano, Container Park and the Big Apple Coaster (only because it was closed as it was too windy). We chose the High Roller over the Eiffel Tower because of the views and it being the world's tallest Ferris Wheel. In addition to this list we also zip-lined at the Fremont Street Experience ($25/$45) and checked out the Flamingo Habitat at the Flamingo Hotel (free). My friend says that there's nothing that we did that she would have skipped. Her favorites were all the things that made Vegas, Vegas like Fremont Street, the Fountains at the Bellagio and walking up and down the Strip. Her must see recommendation is the Neon Museum and I agree!
Suggestion: Ride The Deuce whenever you can. It's cheap and runs from the Welcome to Las Vegas sign all the way down Las Vegas Blvd to Fremont Street. This was literally the only way I could do as much as we did in such little time because there's no WAY I could have walked all of this, and it's fully accessible!