NEVADA | LAS VEGAS
In Las Vegas, 21 ideas -- all under $21
For the budget-minded, the list of free or low-cost events includes Mandalay Bay's weekly blues concert, a carriage ride on Mt. Charleston and dueling piano competitions.
21 things to do in Las Vegas for under $21
Finding reasonable prices in Las Vegas
Once upon a time, Las Vegas was synonymous with bargains. Then cheap buffets, lounge acts and inexpensive hotel rooms gave way to
1. THE SUNBELT CLASSIC AND ANTIQUE AUTO MUSEUM
Jim Rogers, the owner of Sunbelt Communications, has more than 300 restored vehicles on display in his car barn. But he doesn't advertise the collection, and tourists can see it only by appointment. Call (702) 649-0110 to arrange a time or join a scheduled tour. The museum opens at 6 a.m. weekdays, except holidays, at 1420 Gragson St. Go to www.sunbeltcars.com for details. Free.
2. FREE STUFF AT THE MALLS
The Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority offers the Shop Vegas Passport. Print out the coupon from www.visitlasvegas.com/vegas/pdf/shopping_passport.pdf and redeem it at one of the seven malls listed on the coupon. Free.
3. WIRELESS INTERNET
The lobbies and casino areas of the Palazzo and Venetian are among the few spots on the Strip where you can find unfettered access. Power up and log on. Free.
4.-6. DUELING PIANO COMPETITIONS
At three locations, pianists play and the audience chooses a winner by applause. Check out the Piano Bar at Harrah's Las Vegas (9 nightly), Kahunaville restaurant at Treasure Island (9:30 nightly) and the Bar at
7. TOUR LAS VEGAS HISTORY
Las Vegas City Hall has a historic walking tour, displaying such items as Mayor Oscar Goodman bobbleheads, a 1959 map of the city and the 1923 city budget. Ask the city clerk for a brochure for the self-guided tour. City Hall is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, except holidays, at 400 Stewart Ave. Free.
8. CASINO COLLECTIBLES ON THE CHEAP
To find great casino memorabilia, go to the Broadacres Swap Meet in North Las Vegas, a 20-acre, open-air market with 1,150 vendors. The meet runs 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays and 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at 2930 N. Las Vegas Blvd. Fridays, 50 cents; Saturdays and Sundays, $1; kids under 12, free.
9.
Instead of spending big bucks to see Midler's "The Showgirl Must Go On," you can hear six members of her 13-piece band performing as Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns, a weekly act at the Lounge at the Palms. The band performs at 10:30 p.m. Mondays. Free.
10. THE BIRDMAN COMETH
Joe Krathwohl, a.k.a. the Birdman of Las Vegas, does astonishing bird tricks with a menagerie that includes Hawaiian cockatoos, Amazon parrots and the endangered Andean condor at 1 and 3 p.m. Fridays through Sundays inside the 80,000-square-foot Hawaiian Marketplace, 3743 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Free.
11. RIDE MT. CHARLESTON
Las Vegas Carriage offers 20-minute rides around the 11,000-foot mountain, about 40 minutes northwest of Las Vegas. Take a horse-drawn carriage in summer or a horse-drawn wooden sleigh during the winter. The rides start from the Mt. Charleston Lodge, 1200 Old Park Road. Call (702) 596-6715 for reservations. $20 per adult, $10 per child.
12. FLOAT ALONG WITH MASQUERADE SHOW IN THE SKY
Twenty-five members of the public can ride the floats during an hourly show of dancers and musicians who parade on elevated tracks over the casino floor at the Rio All-Suite Hotel-Casino. The shows run hourly from 7 p.m. to midnight Thursdays through Sundays. Make reservations at harrahs-web.vegas.com/rio/masquerade.html. $13.
13. WEEKLY BLUES CONCERTS
At 9 p.m. every Wednesday, the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay offers "Nothing but the Blues" concerts inside the
14. THE GAY DISCOUNT CARD
You don't have to be gay or lesbian to get a Q VIP discount card. Q Vegas, the town's major GLBT magazine, distributes the card, which provides discounts to the Atomic Testing Museum and the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, among other places. Send an e-mail to vip@qvegas.com with your name, e-mail address, mailing address, phone number and birth date, and the mag will send the card to you. Free.
This 4,500-square-foot storefront is a hidden treasure where you can play 200 or so vintage pinball machines. It's a nonprofit effort run by Tim Arnold, a former arcade chain owner with a collection that dates to the 1940s. The Pinball Hall of Fame is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily at 3330 E. Tropicana Ave. For more information, visit www.pinballmuseum.org. 25 cents to 50 cents per game.
16.-17. EAT AT VEGAS COOKING SCHOOLS
If you hunger for an inexpensive gourmet meal, try one of the two local cooking schools where some of those vaunted Strip chefs trained. The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Las Vegas currently serves lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays at Opus Too, 2350 Corporate Circle in Henderson (www.artinstitutes.edu/lasvegas/aboutus_facility.asp?facid=69). To confirm days and hours and make reservations, call (702) 369-9944. $9.95. Also try Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, which has a 10,000-square-foot restaurant called Café Bleu (www.vegasculinary.com/onsite_restaurant.asp). It is open 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for lunch Tuesdays through Fridays and 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. for dinner at 1451 Center Crossing Road. Call (702) 851-5322 for reservations. At both places, the students cook and wait the tables. $19 to $21.
18. LAUGH AT IMPROV STUDENTS
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