If you plan to go to Las Vegas in the winter, remember that Sin City can get rather chilly in the winter months. Though outdoor activities might be somewhat restricted, you can focus on either of two approaches to make sure you still have a memorable visit. If you plan ahead to come during the holiday season, you'll find some festive activities for the family, and the colder weather may encourage you to explore some indoor activities that summer visitors often skip.
The week between Christmas and New Year's Eve draws large crowds to Las Vegas, with plenty of festivities on Dec. 31, including invitation-only parties in the casinos and fireworks over the desert sky. Reserve your hotel room early as many of the major properties sell out. The city often has two countdowns to the new year--one at 9 p.m. local time (midnight EST) and the second at midnight PST. The Strip is closed to vehicular traffic the night of New Year's Eve and celebrations take place there and on Fremont Street in the downtown area.
If slightly smaller crowds are your preference, try the National Finals Rodeo or Las Vegas Bowl Week, both held in December. The rodeo features events such as calf roping, bareback riding and barrel racing, with millions in prize money up for grabs for the winners in both men's and women's events. The Las Vegas Bowl pits the winners of the Big West and Mid-American conferences in a game at Sam Boyd Stadium.
The winter is a good time to check out some Las Vegas activities that you might skip if you visit the Strip in the warmer months. Top museums in the area include the Atomic Testing Museum, which provides a history of nuclear testing in the desert north of Las Vegas from 1951 to 1992. You can also visit an exhibition dedicated to the flamboyant Vegas showman known as Liberace. It includes a number of his heavily jeweled costumes and pianos. The kids will enjoy the indoor theme park Adventuredome behind Circus Circus.
It's Vegas, after all, so you've got to do some gambling while in town no matter what the season is. Virtually all casinos in Las Vegas have slot machines, and most have the popular table games of blackjack, craps and roulette. You can find good poker rooms almost everywhere, including The Venetian, Caesars Palace and Bellagio.
