Las Vegas, NV offers some dynamic entertainment venues with Hollywood-designed productions, A-List stars and amazing effects. There are also quite a few attractions - some included in the amazing category that are offered Free to visitors in the area. The list runs from shows to museums, special effects and historic as well as natural sites, all worth taking the time to visit. You’ll also find a few free rides in this list, a great convenience on the hot sweltering days of late spring through early fall.

Air Force Thunderbirds at Nellis Air Force Base / 4445 Tyndall Avenue / Nellis Air Force Base Visitor Center / 702- 652-4018 When not on alert, the Air Force offers one hour tours to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 pm (arrive at the gate by 1:45 pm, drivers license and proof of insurance or car rental agreement are required). Included are a guided museum tour, includes a guided museum tour, video presentation, hanger tour and a close-up view of a Thunderbird F-16s. Home based in Las Vegas since 1956, the Thunderbirds train here from mid-November to mid-March.

Bellagio conservatory / 3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd. / Las Vegas / 888-488-7111 Water fountains, a pagoda and over 7,500 plants are tended to in this beautiful airy conservatory. The whole thing is changed out about six to eight time a year to achieve the maximum advantage of prime seasonal variations in plantings. Over 100 staff gardeners keep everything perfect. When visiting this attraction, check out the Chihuly glass sculpture in the lobby, it is simply amazing! (age restriction - guests must be 18 years of age to enter Bellagio)

Dragon Battle at the Excalibur / 3850 S. Las Vegas Blvd. / Las Vegas / 702-597-7700
A fire breathing dragon wows the kids, but most adults will expect a bit more even though it’s a free show. Merlin saves the day when the dragon decides not to put up much of a fight. Catch it on the hour starting at dusk at the Strip entrance to Excalibur.

Ethel M Chocolates / Two Cactus Garden Drive / Henderson / 702-433-2500 Only five miles from The Strip, Ethel M Chocolates is a candy lovers dream. Tour the factory and watch the delectable delights being made and at the end you will be offered a tasty sample. This all may be free, but you probably won’t want to leave without buying a box!

Fall of Atlantis / 3570 S. Las Vegas Blvd. / Las Vegas / 702-731-7110 This is a fountain show and an aquarium, located adjacent to the Race for Atlantis The premise deals with the children of Atlas who are fighting for control of Atlantis. Anamitronic “gods’ start a battle of fire and water as a huge winged creature watches over the chaos. During your stay in Las Vegas, be sure to take a tour of the aquarium, which is also free and one of the best shows around.

Fountains at Bellagio / 3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd. / Las Vegas / 888-488-7111 A five to ten minute show is staged every 15 to 30 minutes depending on time of year. Spectacular is the word to this presentation. Imagine 1,200 fountain nozzles in a quarter-mile long lake accompanied by lighting, music and it’s own waterjet choreography! By far one of the best shows in Vegas and it is FREE!

Fremont Street Experience and Neon Museum / 425 Fremont Street / Las Vegas / 702-678-5777 Over 2 million lights and a mega sound system create a fantastic visual statement over Fremont Street. In homage to the neon and glitter of the Vegas Strip, the best signage from the early days has been saved in the Neon Museum and they all play a part in combination with the current Fremont light show to enliven the spirit and brighten one’s day.

Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History / 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy. / Las Vegas / 702-895-3381 Located on the UNLV campus, the museum is full of the vibrant life of the desert. Live reptiles, paintings of birds, artifacts and culture of the native Indians, Mormon settlement of the area and the local flora and fauna are all covered in this fascinating museum.

Masquerade Village at the Rio / 3700 West Flamingo Rd. / Las Vegas / 702-252-7777
Although you may want to rent costumes and be participants in Rio’s floating Carnival parade, viewing is free to those who wish to just watch. The parade often stops for onlookers to board the festivities, so show your enthusiasm and perhaps catch a free ride!

MGM Grand Lion Habitat / 3799 S. Las Vegas Blvd. / Las Vegas / 702-891-1111
Watch eight descendants of MGM’s original Leo Lion as they feed, groom themselves, sleep and frolic in their huge glass enclosed habitat. Information placards reveal general lion facts about their pride and habits, go inside and find a group cute lion cubs. Pictures of visitors with the lions can be purchased and are processed immediately.

M & M's World / 3785 S. Las Vegas Blvd. / Showcase Mall / 702-736-7611
M & M World is four floors of “yummydom”, a treat for children and adults alike and the attractions are all FREE! From the famous spokes candies in a movie set, an M & M Academy, a 3-D Movie, Colorworks (where there are every color M & M under the rainbow) and surprise treats are all part of the offering here and then some. Of course if you want to spend some money in the gift shop there are more M & M logo items that you ever imagined. For luck, how about taking home some gold or silver M & Ms!

Pirate Battle at Treasure Island / 2880 S. Las Vegas Blvd. / Las Vegas / 702-794-3939
Every 90 minutes from 4 to 10 pm (11:30 pm weekends), a Pirate Battle erupts outside of Treasure Island. A popular fight to the finish between the Spanish ship Hispaniola and British frigate Pinafore. It’s action all the way as cannons roar, muskets fire, flames flare up and falling pirates splash down into the watery brink. Yo ho ho, it’s a Jolly Roger of a good time!

Ron Lee's World of Clowns / 380 Carousel Pkwy. / Henderson / 702-434-1700
One man’s fascination with painting clowns has lead to a full fledged studio factory that makes clown and cartoon sculptures. Tours of the factory are very popular where visitors can see all of the creative process of creating the sculptures. Along side the fantastic displays of Ron Lee’s works are contained personal and publicity memorabilia of circuses and their famous clowns.

Sunset Stampede / 5111 Boulder Hwy. / ten miles from The Strip / 702-456-7777
Located inside Sam’s Town, this eight minute show is a campy version of the Wild West. There are fountains, special effects and music, with night performances including a laser light show. Not polished as many Vegas presentations, this show is a bit of chuckle fun for the whole family.

Tiger Habitat at the Mirage 3400 S. Las Vegas Blvd. (inside the Mirage) / Las Vegas / 702-791-7777 Siegfried & Roy have an amazing habitat at the Mirage for their gorgeous white tigers. Amid waterfalls and an all white background, the multi-million dollar exhibit was designed to give the animals a sense of security. One of the most popular attractions on The Strip and it’s Free! Look for the Mirage’s tropical fish tank it is a show stopper too!

Volcano at the Mirage / 3400 S. Las Vegas Blvd. / Las Vegas / 702-791-7111
The sun goes down at it’s showtime every 15 minutes outside the Mirage. A cascading waterfall becomes a mighty volcano with flames shooting a100 feet into the air, flames leap in a ring of fire around the lagoon as explosions fill the air with sound. It’s hot in more ways than one, a very popular attraction!
Natural & Outdoor Sites

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge / Nevada Route 160 and Bell Vista Rd./ 3 miles from Pahrump / 775-372-5435 There are 24 known endangered species living in Ash Meadows Refuge, so the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service keeps limits on human activity. There are nature trails, picnic facilities and interpretation areas, a great place to bring the camera for landscapes and wildlife.

Chloride a mining town outside Vegas / U.S. 93 at the Nevada–Arizona line / 520-565-4888
Once this was a silver mining camp, the oldest of it’s kind in Arizona. Today a few of the original buildings remain and adjacent is a reconstruction of a Wild West town complete with Saturday high-noon shoot-outs once a month. Of interest are the rock paintings of artist Roy Purcell located a couple of miles into the hills.

Extraterrestrial Highway / Nevada Route 375 / near Rachel / NV On a remote desert basin in southern Nevada a highway run through the military’s remote testing facility aka known as the legendary "Area 51." Attracting a far-out crowd, the state declared it the "Extraterrestrial Highway" in 1996 and little green highway signs have been added to bolster the legends. Along this road is the Little A’le’inn, a local bar known for it’s UFO memorabilia, Alien burgers and Star Trek drinks.

Grapevine Canyon / near Laughlin / U.S. 95 and Nevada Route 164 / 800-452-8445
An hour away from the strip, Grapevine Canyon in the Newberry Mountains is known for it’s ancient petroglyphs. Park rangers lead hikes into these remote areas and know of some of the best petroglyph creations of the early Native Americans.

Hot Springs various locations / Ash Springs - off U.S. Route 93 north of Las Vegas / Sunnyside - off State Route 318 / Roger's Springs - off North Shore Road - SSR 167

Pioche mining town in Lincoln County / U.S. 93 north and Cotton Ave. (3 1/2 hours out of Las Vegas) / 775-962-5544 They do accept donations but there is no admission fee in Pioche which once was Nevada's wildest “town” in the mid-1800s. Over 12,000 people once lived here, however it has been a ghost town for most of the 20th century. The “Million Dollar” Courthouse and the Lincoln County Museum are two sites worth seeing. Other ghost towns in the region include Delmar, Hiko, and Crystal Spring.

The Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings / Off Interstate 15, / 35 miles south of Las Vegas / 702-874-9362
By eastern standards, the building is not so very old, but in history - it’s rich and colorful. Bullet holes still remain in the walls. Built in 1913, it is perhaps the oldest stamped metal building in existence. Furnishings include the original poker tables, a cherry wood bar that predates the building and an old potbelly stove. It was in this saloon in 1942, where Clark Cable awaited to hear news of his wife, Carole Lombard, who had died in a plane that crashed into peaks nearby.

Other Freebies:

Free Trams connect the following hotels and offer complimentary monorail rides:

• Bally's and the MGM
• Bellagio and the Monte Carlo
• Mirage and Treasure Island
• Mandalay Bay and the Excalibur, with a stop at the Luxor.

Free Shuttles (DO NOT confuse these with the “cute” trolleys which are slow and may drop you off where you may not want to go):

• Fremont Hotel to Sam's Town
• Sam's Town to the Stardust and the Fashion Show Mall
• Tropicana Hotel to the Hard Rock and Palace Station
• Hard Rock to the Stardust
• Barbary Coast to the Gold Coast and the Orleans
• Rio to Harrah's
• Stratosphere to the Starbuck's shopping center on Las Vegas Boulevard and Convention Center Drive

Reserve Early...while your preferred accommodations are still available.