When you’re a young gambler visiting Las Vegas by your lonesome, or maybe a few like-minded pals, the casino becomes your home away from home.
In fact, many hardcore players soaking in the Sin City experience for the first time seldom feel that infamous 110-degree heat searing the sidewalks, as they remain glued to their favorite table game or machine all day.
And for good reason…
With every casino on the iconic Las Vegas Strip offering an all-you-can-eat buffet of blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette, slots, and video poker, who has time to gorge themselves at the actual buffet? With a steady stream of complimentary cocktails arriving on demand, who needs to sit in a crowded bar and pay $10 bucks for a beer? And with beautiful dealers in the “party pit” area strutting their stuff while they deliver the cards, what’s the point of seeing one of those exotic revue shows that The Strip is known for?
Fortunately, the best Las Vegas casino resorts have readily embraced a new role as family-friendly destinations that cater to guests of all ages and inclinations. Nowadays, a decent chunk of the 40 million annual visitors to the gambling capital of the world never even place a bet.
Instead, they’re off feasting at world-class restaurants run by celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse, Gordon Ramsay, and Giada De Laurentiis. Or shopping at any number of high-end retail outlets featuring designs by Burberry, Fendi, Prada, Michael Kors, and many more. Or catching a show with musical luminaires like Celine Dion, comedians extraordinaire like Penn & Teller, and the acrobats of Cirque du Soleil.
Just like the Las Vegas Strip serves as the flame to which top gambling talents flock – advantage play specialists, poker pros, and elite sports handicappers – the city’s bright lights also attract the very best restaurateurs, entertainers, and fashionistas to excel at their craft.
And that’s great news for anyone arriving in Las Vegas with no intention to gamble.
If you’re a non-gambling spouse or family member coming along for the ride, but you’d still like to cut loose on the Las Vegas Strip, this page is for you. Below you’ll find four of the best casinos along Las Vegas Boulevard where guests who don’t gamble can have a blast.
Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
One of the more impressive sights greeting visitors to the Las Vegas Strip, the appropriately named Caesars Palace is a monument to extravagance and excess in the true Sin City spirit.
The Bacchanal Buffet is regularly voted as the best buffet in town by reviewers from USA Today and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and when you see (and smell) this glorious spread in person, you’ll immediately know why. Unlimited mimosas get the Bacchanal Buffet party started, and for reasonable prices of between $55 and $65 (depending on the hour), you’ll have carte blanche to devour everything from prime rib to fresh crab legs, Australian lamb, and green applewood smoked wagyu beef.
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino
If the Forum Shoppes at Caesars Palace are all about shoppers experiencing the lap of luxury, the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood feel more like the world’s greatest mall happened to be built inside of a casino.
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
The Venetian, and its adjacent sister casino the Palazzo, are the perfect place for non-gamblers to savor the essence of Sin City.
Most people know all about the Grand Canal Shoppes, a sprawling multi-story shopping district intertwined with the Venetian’s famous outdoor canals.
But the Venetian is also home to an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience known as The VOID, where teams can take part in truly spectacular VR adventures utilizing cutting-edge technology.
Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower (AKA “The Strat”)
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll start this entry off by letting you know that the Stratosphere isn’t exactly an upscale casino resort like the other three venues listed above.
With that said, the Stratosphere – which was recently rebranded as “The Strat” – is a perfectly nice place to stay on The Strip when you’re looking to save a few bucks.
And those savings will surely come in handy when you’re looking to have a good time at the Stratosphere. As the tallest point in the entire city – the 1,149-foot tower is actually the highest freestanding observation deck in America – the Stratosphere’s famous tower takes full advantage of its lofty status.
