Hotel at a Glance: Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino

Some of Las Vegas' biggest attractions are right outside the door—the Fremont Street Experience is a block away—but guests at the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino have little reason to leave the premises. The hotel fills an entire city block, which leaves plenty of room for its 25,000-square-foot casino, multiple bars and restaurants, and a rooftop infinity pool. Back in the 1,124 guest rooms, visitors can kick back on a pillow-top bed and watch a movie on a flat-screen TV.

• Share vacation photos with ease over the WiFi network.
• 500: That's approximately how many slot machines you'll find in the casino.
• Lounge on the roof beside the pool and have a drink at the Citrus Grand Pool Deck.
• Notable accolade: TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice award.

Beyond the Las Vegas Strip: Old Vegas and Red Rock Canyon

It can feel like the entire city of Las Vegas revolves around the Strip if you never venture beyond that neon-lit corridor. But there’s plenty to see and do once you step off Las Vegas Boulevard. You can find a taste of Old Vegas on Fremont Street, where vintage signs and showgirls crowned with headdresses recall the days of Sinatra and Martin. Beginning at dusk, a canopy of more than 12 million LED lights erupts in a psychedelic light-and-music show every hour. For an aerial view, zoom down the center of Fremont Street on a zipline.

Nature puts on its own show at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a landscape of fiery-red sandstone formations and limestone cliffs just 17 miles outside the city. Motor down the 13-mile scenic drive or ditch the car and strike out on any of more than 20 hiking trails that course through the region’s otherworldly topography.