Since You Asked — Wildlife on the Strip

If you read my first blog post, you know there’s a lot more wildlife in Las Vegas than what can be found in the club scene. But I know what you’re thinking: “Hey, Dave, that sounds nice and all, but Vegas time is precious time and I’m not leaving the greatest four-mile stretch on Earth to go traipsing all over.”

Fine, but in that case, can I interest you in some wildlife right on the Strip?

Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat is located at the Mirage. The Habitat is home to dolphins, as well as S&R’s famous white tigers. A general-admission ticket is only $22 and you can easily see everything in an hour or two, so it’s perfect if you need a break from the tables or you’re waiting for the buffet to open. They also do a lot of school tours, so if you live in the valley and are a teacher or have school-age children, you should look into it.

But if you really want to get up close and personal (dolphinal?), they offer the Dolphin Trainer for a Day program. It’s not cheap ($400), but it’s definitely worth it. It goes for a half-day (morning and afternoon sessions) and you get to do everything.

It’s an immersive program, literally (as you can see from the photos), where you shadow the trainers who care for and work with the dolphins every day. You go through their routines with the dolphins, which include taking vitals, addressing any ongoing medical needs, feeding, and training exercises. You’re not on a tour; you’re a working staff member. While the dolphins are putting on a show for the general-admission crowd, doing tricks for their trainers, you’re right there in the water with them. If you’ve ever thought about going on a “swimming with the dolphins” tour in the Caribbean, this is much better — you get to spend much more time with the dolphins, it’s a much smaller group (only two other people were doing the Trainer for a Day program on the day I did it), and best of all, when you’re done, you’re still in Vegas!

They provide everything you need, so you don’t have to worry about logistics. They lend you a wetsuit and issue a locker for your belongings, and there are shower facilities for afterwards. They also take tons of pictures for you, which they give you digitally after the program, so you don’t have to worry about carrying your phone or not being in the moment. And it’s only a five-minute walk back to the casino, so you can work on winning back the $400 you spent on the program!