Why visit
Twenty minutes west, the neon disappears and the desert does the talking. The 13-mile scenic loop at Red Rock Canyon is beautiful any time, but the last two hours before sunset are when the sandstone turns gold and the whole valley opens up behind you.
It is the calmest Vegas gets, and the best reset before another night on the Strip.
What to know
- Check timed-entry rules in peak season; a reservation is sometimes required.
- Bring water and stay on the paved loop.
- Go late in the day, cooler, quieter, and the light is kind.
What it costs
A modest per-vehicle entry fee; the drive is the whole point.
Where you’re going
Stop at the high point midway around, cut the engine, and just look. Five quiet minutes there is worth the drive.
You’ll want a car for this one. We’ve already handled that part.
Book on TuroMore of the city
Caramella Italian Restaurant & Lounge
All-you-can-eat Italian brunch on an open-air terrace, bottomless cocktails, and the Strip laid out in front of you. The kind of long, unbothered afternoon that turns a date into an occasion.
Mala Vida Latin Nights at Azilo Ultra Lounge
The hottest Latin night on the Strip, tucked inside its most intimate ultra-lounge. Reggaeton and Latin beats from a rotating cast of DJs, a center bar, and a crowd that actually dances.
Close Company: Saved by the '90s
A '90s fever dream from the crew behind Death & Co: inflatable furniture, a wall of CDs, a beaded-curtain entrance, and neon-bright throwback cocktails made with real craft. Nostalgia you can drink, by people who take the drinks seriously even when the room does not.