{"id":33462,"date":"2025-09-28T03:01:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T03:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/for-the-first-time-in-my-adult-life-i-visited-las-vegas-without-gambling-these-6-activities-made-it-the-best-trip-yet\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T03:01:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T03:01:26","slug":"for-the-first-time-in-my-adult-life-i-visited-las-vegas-without-gambling-these-6-activities-made-it-the-best-trip-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/for-the-first-time-in-my-adult-life-i-visited-las-vegas-without-gambling-these-6-activities-made-it-the-best-trip-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"For the first time in my adult life, I visited Las Vegas without gambling. These 6 activities made it the best trip yet."},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68d41b83f9db348adc0c148f?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The writer at a pierogi-making class in Las Vegas.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Rachel Simon<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically, I&#039;ve always gambled on trips to Las Vegas, in part because I felt like I had to.<\/li>\n<li>Recently, I visited Sin City and decided to steer clear of casinos \u2014 and I had my best visit yet.<\/li>\n<li>Visiting Vegas&#039; Eiffel Tower and taking a cooking class helped me see a new side of the city.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Out of all my previous trips to Las Vegas, I&#039;d only not gambled once \u2014 and that was just because I&#039;d been a teenager on vacation with my parents.<\/p>\n<p>On my next three visits to Sin City, though, it seemed essential to spend at least a few hours in the casino. Gambling wasn&#039;t about winning big (and to be clear, I never did), but rather, it simply felt wrong <em>not<\/em> to do it.<\/p>\n<p>Vegas and gambling go hand-in-hand, and even though I always ended up regretting the time and money I&#039;d spent on the floor, I still found my way there every time.<\/p>\n<p>Heading into my most recent trip to Vegas this summer, I decided to do things differently.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of watching my cash inevitably disappear in the casino, I chose to spend the three days ignoring the machines and filling my Vegas itinerary with activities that had nothing to do with gambling.<\/p>\n<p>The result was my best Las Vegas experience yet. I felt like I experienced the city in an all-new way, and made the very most of my short time there.<\/p>\n<p>I&#039;m certainly not ruling out gambling completely on any future Vegas excursions, but this trip showed me how fun and satisfying the Strip can be without heading to the casino.<\/p>\n<p>I saw a fantastic show.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68d4185157d362d375e8c480?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Kelly Clarkson&#039;s Las Vegas residency performance.\"\/><figcaption>caption tk<\/p>\n<p>Denise Truscello\/Getty Images for Live Nation Las Vegas<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There&#039;s no shortage of shows in Vegas, from Cirque du Soleil to big-name residencies.<\/p>\n<p>As a huge Kelly Clarkson fan, though, I knew I couldn&#039;t miss out on her residency at Caesars Palace, so I made sure to snag those tickets as early as possible.<\/p>\n<p>I&#039;ve seen the singer multiple times before, but she&#039;s never been better than during Studio Sessions. Alongside thousands of others, I sang and danced my heart out to songs like &quot;Since U Been Gone&quot; and &quot;Mine&quot; as Clarkson hit every high note on the stunning Colosseum stage.<\/p>\n<p>We spent a day cooling off at a nearby pool.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68d418db57d362d375e8c4a2?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The Flamingo Go pool in Las Vegas.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Rachel Simon<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Vegas in July was hot, with daily temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It was necessary to spend some time cooling off in the water.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, the adults-only Go Pool at Flamingo Las Vegas \u2014 which was just down the Strip from where we were staying, and free to visit \u2014 had just reopened after a big renovation.<\/p>\n<p>During my several hours there, I had a great time drinking Mai Tais and splashing around while the DJ&#039;s upbeat playlists kept my spirits high.<\/p>\n<p>Needless to say, the ambiance of sipping cocktails outdoors in the sun was so much nicer than if I&#039;d been drinking inside a dark casino.<\/p>\n<p>A group cooking class helped me experience Vegas&#039; food scene in a whole new way.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68d419a9183847aa39d76087?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Pierogies from a Martha Stewart cooking class in Las Vegas.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Rachel Simon<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I already knew Vegas had an incredible food scene, but during this trip, I got to be a part of it in an all-new way.<\/p>\n<p>One of my favorite experiences was the cooking class I took at The Bedford by Martha Stewart, during which I learned how to make (and eat) delicious pierogies.<\/p>\n<p>My classmates and I all left the experience with full stomachs, complimentary aprons, and included reservations at the restaurant that evening.<\/p>\n<p>I climbed the Eiffel Tower replica at a Paris-themed resort.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68d41a08f9db348adc0c145a?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The writer and her friend atop the Eiffel Tower Experience in Las Vegas.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Rachel Simon<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Paris Las Vegas Hotel is home to the Eiffel Tower Experience, a half-scale replica of the famous Paris landmark.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time ever, I actually went up the 46-story attraction instead of gazing at it from afar.<\/p>\n<p>The view of the Las Vegas Strip was incredible from the top, especially when the iconic Bellagio fountain show began and the Sphere changed visuals.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of spending my money at the casino, I treated myself to a blowout.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68d41ac9f9db348adc0c1475?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The writer and her friends in Las Vegas.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Rachel Simon<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ahead of the Kelly Clarkson show, I went to the Hairdreams Salon inside Caesars Palace to get a blowout.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to hair treatments, the salon offers manicures, makeup services, and more.<\/p>\n<p>I&#039;d recommend that anyone splurge on this before a night out \u2014 treating myself to a salon day made my trip feel all the more special and glamorous, and also gave me a moment to relax amid lots of activity.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, I ate everything I possibly could.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68d41b6cf9db348adc0c148b?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A plate of sushi in Las Vegas.\"\/><figcaption>caption<\/p>\n<p>Rachel Simon<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you&#039;re a foodie like me, you can&#039;t leave Vegas without trying a bit of everything.<\/p>\n<p>From sushi at Nobu to oysters at The Bedford to chicken parm at Amalfi by Bobby Flay, all the food I consumed on this trip was uniformly excellent.<\/p>\n<p>That&#039;s not even mentioning dessert \u2014 it&#039;s been over a month, and I&#039;m still thinking about the phenomenal slice of peanut-butter chocolate cake I had at Stanton Social Prime.<\/p>\n<p>Best of all, I had plenty of time to enjoy everything I ate, since I wasn&#039;t spending my days and nights inside the casino.<\/p>\n<p>I was able to beat crowds by making reservations earlier in the evening and eat more leisurely than I would&#039;ve if I&#039;d wanted to factor in casino time. A win-win all around!<\/p>\n<p>Read the original article on Business Insider<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>caption Rachel Simon Historically, I&#039;ve always gambled on trips to Las Vegas, in part because I felt like I had to. Recently, I visited Sin City and decided to steer clear of casinos \u2014 and I had my best visit yet. Visiting Vegas&#039; Eiffel Tower and taking a cooking class helped me see a new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33463,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-33462","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}