Cheap Thrills in Vegas
(also see our separate pages about free attractions and non-free attractions)
First we made a page about free
attractions in Vegas. Then we followed it up with a page
about fun things you have to pay for.
But there's a middle ground -- things that either cost a couple of
bucks, or which are free but not big and super-exciting like the
Bellagio Fountains or Fremont Street Experience. That's what this
page is about: Things that are either really cheap, or free but
not mind-blowing. I'm just getting this page started, so if
there's anything you think I should add, please let me know!
Get smashed for cheap
Casino cocktail waitresses serve free booze to anyone as
long as they're actually playing a game.
And the cheapest game in Vegas is the penny slots, which are
everywhere, even in the fancy casinos. Sure, you have to play 20
credits x 9 lines ($1.80/spin) in order to win the jackpot, but who
says you have to try to win the jackpot? Nothing's stopping you
from
playing a penny a spin...slowly. One spin every 12 seconds works
out
to $3 an hour into the machine, and you'll probably win about $2 of
that back, for a net loss of $1 an hour while you're drinking it up. It
really does work -- in my test at Circus Circus I played just one penny
per spin and the waitress showed up in seven minutes to take my
order. And in that seven minutes I was already ahead $1.50.
You should tip the cocktail waitress (especially
if you want her to keep the drinks coming), but the good news for cheapskates is that
$1 every other drink is actually sufficient, so your drinks
will cost only 50¢. (See our separate article about tipping.) Just be
sure to tip on your first drink (not the second), so the waitress knows
you're a tipper.
Welcome to Las Vegas sign
Take your picture under the world-famous "Welcome to
Vegas" sign, a
Vegas landmark since 1959. It's in the median on Las Vegas Blvd.
(the Strip), 3/4 of a mile South of Mandalay Bay. Many
visitors miss the sign, because it's not in a popular
place: the last casino on the Strip is Mandalay Bay (and the sign
is due South of that), and there ain't really nothing there, except the
sign.
In 2008 the county finally opened a
small parking light in the median so that tourists wouldn't have to
risk death by running across Las Vegas Blvd. to get under the
sign. But that helps only those who are driving -- if you're on
foot (or you tried to drive but the parking lot is full), then good
luck crossing the road!
You can take the
Deuce bus directly there, or take the SDX bus to Mandalay Bay and then
walk 15 minutes South. (See the bus
page for more on the buses.) Though again, once you're there on foot, there's no legal way to cross the road.
Here's the Wikipedia article on the welcome sign.
$5 tour of the Strip
Get on the Deuce (the double-decker bus), sit on the top
near the front, and get a great view of the entire Strip.
This used to be only $2 until they hiked the rates, but $5 still isn't
bad. (And if you pay $7, you can get a 24-hour bus pass.)
If you got a day pass, then when going northbound, get off
at the Stratosphere, cross the street, and then get on the southbound
bus. Without a day pass, the bus will go to the Fremont Street
Experience and then the downtown transfer center, where they'll
probably
make you get off and wait for five minutes before the bus heads South
towards the Strip again, but you won't have to pay to re-board.
Going southbound, with a day pass, get off at the Mandalay
Bay, then cross the street to pick up the northbound bus.
Without a day pass, you'll go to the South Strip Transfer
Terminal (SSTT) where they'll probably make you get off and wait for
five minutes before the bus heands North towards the Strip again, but
you won't have to pay to re-board.
$1 massage chair at Flamingo, Imperial Palace, and Stratosphere
I wasn't expecting much when I saw these bill-operated
chairs, but I figured I could blow a dollar to check it out. Boy
was I surprised. I expected the chair to just vibrate, but
instead it actually kneads
your back and head -- and feels kind
of creepily like human hands. It's not just a static program,
either, it keeps changing. A mere dollar gets you three minutes
in the chair. Absolutely worth it, if just for the
experience. On a price-to-entertainment ratio, this is one of the
best cheap thrills in Vegas. At the Flamingo and Imperial Palace
the chairs are just outside the buffets, and at the Stratosphere
they're in the mall.
Free prize at Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood has a special slot machine set up
right outside the entrance. You get a free spin, and every
spin wins something. The cheapest prize is a coozie or a
bottle opener (your choice), but it's not unusual to get more valuable
prizes like the free Lettuce Wrap from P.F. Chang's. The couple
ahead of me got $50 in free slot play. The top prize is $1
million, but don't hold your breath. The catch is that to redeem
your prize you have to go inside and wait in line at the Player's Club.
If you like free spins, the Four Queens downtown also has a
free-spin machine set up, but there's no guaranteed win on their
machine. (However, yours truly won a baseball cap. Ha ha, in your face!)
Casino Royale has their own free spin thing, but the rules are poorly explained and the value is lacking. I'd skip this one.
Street performers
I don't know what took them so long, but starting circa 2010
street performers are now populating the strip, mostly the South Strip
between Tropicana and Flamingo. The most common are the folks in
costume, who hope you'll take your picture with them for a $1 to $2 tip. As I write this we've got the
Mad Hatter, Captain Jack, Hello Kitty, Woody & Buzz Lightyear, (from Toy Story), Elmo,
Sexy Cops, Sponge Bob, Spiderman, Pikachu, a fat guy in women's lingerie, a Transformer, and more.
There are also musicians and magicians, and again $1-2 is
the standard tip. The beggars are usually anything but amusing,
but sometimes they'll come up with a good sign which is worth a dollar
to me to get a picture of. Yesterday I got one which said,
"Ninjas killed my father. Need $ for kung-fu lessons." Of
course I had to break it to him that ninjas are Japanese and Kung-Fu is
Chinese.
Many of the performers don't actually live here, they just
come in to do a little work and then go back home. Others do live
here, but don't do their gig for very long. So what I'm getting
at is that you never know who you're gonna see -- it's a constantly
changing cast of characters -- literally..
Know of any other cheap
thrills? Let me know!
Thrills should cost $3 or less, and be
available on the Strip or downtown.
Also see our separate pages about about free attractions and paid attractions.
Last Update: August 2011
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