16 Awesome Things To Do In Las Vegas For Free

There is always something happening under the bright lights of the infamous Las Vegas Strip. The iconic buildings and monuments of the city are all located on this 4-mile stretch. There’s no better way to take in the feeling of the city and its outstanding architecture than by taking your own private walking tour.

Pass beautiful casinos and hotels and even see Nevada’s very own Eiffel Tower, a perfect half-scale replica of the one in Paris. It puts on a light show during the night just like the one in France. Street performers in extravagant costumes patrol the streets and station themselves along the sidewalk. A word of warning, if you want a photo with them, they will be expecting a tip and can become quite adamant about it. Remember, you can’t cross the street. There are dedicated pedestrian bridges to keep pedestrians separated from motorists.

Sitting in front of the elegant Bellagio Hotel is an 8-acre lake with dazzling fountains and a free water show. Lights, music, and dancing fountains create an eye-catching show that changes every day. You might hear Lady Gaga in the afternoon, Elvis around dinnertime, and Frank Sinatra at midnight.

This impressive choreographed water show takes place every 30 minutes in the afternoons and every 15 minutes from 8 pm until midnight. You will know when a show is about to begin. A couple of minutes before one starts, the nozzles begin to slowly break the water surface while the lights illuminating the hotel tower turn to a vibrant purple hue.

At the Silverton Hotel & Casino, sits a 117,000 gallons aquarium with tropical fish, rays, sharks, and colorful coral. Multiple times per day, live mermaids swim through the tank to wave at passersby. Your kids will meet these mythical women up close and personal.

A few times a week, a scuba diver feeds the manta rays, with a microphone to tell the crowd more about these magnificent creatures. A separate touch tank is available several times a week. A passionate marine biologist talks to your kids while they interact with starfish, snails, and more.

Don’t leave Las Vegas without snapping the perfect Instagram picture. The iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign was erected in 1959 and its design has never changed. Evoking the golden age of the city, this sign gives a retro flair to your snapshots.

The sign marks the southern tip of the Las Vegas strip. Originally, tourists had to race across dangerous streets to pose in front of the sign. Now, the city has built a busy parking lot just for picture takers. Go early in the morning to get that beautiful golden hour glow and hopefully miss a crowd of social media influencers.

You will know you have reached Downtown Las Vegas’ Container Park when you see the 34-foot tall metal praying mantis out front. Every night at sunset, flames shoot from the mantis’ antennae. In line with the green movement, this open-air shopping center was constructed from 43 repurposed shipping containers. Inside there are multiple bars, restaurants, and retail stores. Browse through the boutique shops to see local art and hand-made jewelry.

Kids will be entertained at the Treehouse, a playground with a 33-foot tall slide and huge foam building blocks. An outdoor stage in the middle of the complex has free live entertainment. There’s even a wedding chapel on the top floor if you want to tie the knot before you leave!

The Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel is hiding a secret sanctuary right off the bustling strip. Walk right off the busy street and step into its 15-acre grounds to see The Flamingo Wildlife Habitat. This oasis is filled with flamingos, ducks, parrots, pelicans, koi fish, and turtles.

Relax by the waterfalls and sit and watch the birds interact for a while. If you want a memento, rescued parrots are available to take a photo with you and your family.

The Mirage hotel and casino weren’t interested in building fountains. Instead, they made their very own volcano. The Mirage Volcano erupts with a fiery explosion of smoke and flames over a bubbling lagoon while drumbeats announce its arrival. It fires every hour on the hour between 8 pm and 11 pm.

The great sound system and choreographed drum music makes the show extra intense. If you are close enough, you can feel the heat from the flames.

The iconic Bellagio hotel makes it onto this list for a second time. Every season their talented team puts together a themed showcase, full of flowers, trees, and whimsical figures. They start the year with an extravagant Chinese New Years’ display. Pink cherry blossoms take over for spring, bright colors erupt for summer, hues of red and orange give guests a spectacular vision of autumn, and a beautiful Christmas themed display is made for winter.

Walk directly from the lobby to the displays, housed in an impressive 14,000 square foot conservatory. Fifty feet above your head is an ornate glass ceiling with intricate framework. Hopefully, you will be lucky enough to visit Las Vegas throughout the year and see every season’s display.

Stretching over five blocks of downtown Las Vegas is the eye-catching Fremont Street Experience. Ninety feet above passersby in a pedestrian mall, you can see a light show on the world’s largest LED screen, Viva Vision. It boasts ultra hi-def images along with 3-D effects. An amazing video show plays every hour, with images and music that will wow you.

Throughout the year, there are free live rock shows and other performances on Fremont Street as well. Check the schedule and see who is playing.

Head to the Wynn Hotel to see a show at The Lake of Dreams. A 20,000 square foot lake is framed by a roaring 90-foot waterfall and more than a thousand pine trees. Thousands of LED bulbs light up, the music blasts, and the show starts. Visuals are mixed with puppets, including a giant frog in a top hat. You will never see anything like it somewhere else.

The show runs every single night, with a new one starting every 30 minutes, so you have no excuse to miss it.

When you walk through St. Mark’s Square at The Venetian Resort, you will wonder if you are still in America. Its canals are modeled after Venice during the Renassicace. Witness a juggler in a harlequin costumer or an opulent opera singer.

Gondolas paddle on by, costumed street performers abound, and many historic landmarks of Italy have been expertly recreated. Stroll over the Bridge of Sighs and marvel at the stunning Campanile Tower. Walk inside the lobby next to see the incredible detail painted in the frescoed ceilings. The centerpiece is a recreation of the golden Armillary Sphere in all its splendor. Snap some pictures and tell your grandkids about your trip to Italy.

At Harrah’s Piano Bar, “Big Elvis” performs all of his top hits with gusto. Pete Vallee has been doing this for years and has perfected the stage presence of the real Elvis. This classic, only in Vegas type of show, is a fan favorite. Best of all, this is no cover charge. They do ask that you buy one of their drinks for the show but they are fairly priced.

Request a favorite Elvis song and hear it sung just like the real thing. Watch as people get up and join each other on the dance floor.

The Golden Nugget Hotel is the proud owner of a 61-pound gold nugget, the largest in existence. It has aptly been named “The Hand of Faith” due to its unique shape and is free to view in their lobby.

This giant gold nugget was found by Keven Hillier in 1980 in a small Australian town, while he walked the hills with his new metal detector. He only had to dig down about a foot before being awarded his unexpected prize. The hotel bought it from him for more than a million dollars.

Las Vegas might be the only place where you can find yourself surprised by a thunderstorm- while still inside a mall! At Miracle Mile Shops, they have a famous indoor rainstorm. A water feature in the mall’s lobby starts to fog, which soon billows all over the floor. Music starts, thunder roars, and the rain starts to pour down.

The weather in the Las Vegas desert is often so dry and stifling, getting misted by the rain and fog is a welcome relief. You can catch the rainstorm every hour during the week and every half hour during the weekend.

Walking through Caesar's Palace Hotel, you may find yourself in a beautiful upscale shopping mall. The Forum Shops are a luxury shopping center with amazing architecture and intricate designs in the ancient Roman style. The biggest names in designer fashion sell the latest trends next to marble sculptures and opulent tiles.

If you’re not interested in shopping, catch the animatronic show, called Fall of Atlantis. Music and sound effects start playing while fire and water shoot into the air. Nine-foot statues fight against one 20-foot dragon. This is definitely not something you see in every mall.

The show plays every hour starting at 11 am. Between shows, you and your family can stop by the 50,000 gallon aquarium in the mall with hundreds of varieties of tropical saltwater fish.

Make your way to the Circus Circus Hotel & Casino to see amazing acts performed daily. The show usually starts with a silly and fun skit, like bumbling clowns, and ends with something awe-inspiring. The performances change daily but there are high-flying trapeze artists, feats of strength, jugglers, contortionists, aerial acrobats, and more.

The action takes place upstairs in an area full of carnival and arcade games perfect for kids. On the weekends, the shows take place every half hour and on weekdays every 45 minutes.

While Las Vegas has a reputation for decadence and bad fiscal decisions, there is so much to do for the family or couple on a budget. See how many of these free activities you can fit on your next trip to Vegas so you can save some of your money for the slots!