After making more than 50 trips to Las Vegas, which add up to more than a year of my life spent there, I’ve ventured far off the beaten path. In this post, I’d like to offer some tips on some of the best places in the Valley to take great photographs.
It may seem obvious and it’s most certainly not off the beaten path, but one of the best places to pull out your camera is the Bellagio Conservatory. The displays change seasonally, so you’re almost always likely to see something new, and the Bellagio artists do beautiful things with flowers. I’ve got tons and tons of great pictures of the conservatory; these are just a couple of favorites.
Right across the street, a more “secret” spot is the top of the parking garage at the Showcase Mall on the east side of the Strip. Take the pedestrian overpass across the street at Park MGM; between Marshall’s and Denny’s, walk straight ahead behind the stores and the parking garage will be on your left. Take the elevator to the top floor and you’ll get eye-level views of the NY-NY roller coaster, among photo ops. You might also see over the wall and get a glimpse of the villas at the super-exclusive MGM Mansion.
Aerophiles will appreciate that the McCarran flight plan runs very close to the Strip, depending on the weather that day. Paradise Road east of the Strip (especially over by the Double Down Saloon) and Sunset Road, a couple of long blocks south of Mandalay Bay, are great places to get virtually head-on shots of approaching planes.
The top of the Stratosphere Tower has several places for great frames. The Top of the World restaurant and bar slowly rotates to give you a 360-degree view of the valley. The observation deck also has fantastic views of the Strip and downtown, and you can watch people leaping from the SkyJump attraction, which in itself is heart-stopping.
My final suggestion is Red Rock Canyon. If you’re feeling active, it’s a great place for hiking and rock climbing. Or you can just do the 13-mile scenic drive, which has plenty of places to pull over and take in the scenery. If you’ve never been, you’d never guess that things look like this only 30 minutes away from the Strip.
Valley of Fire is pretty breathtaking as well – and only an hour drive out of Vegas – whoever thought that desert scenery could be so beautiful!