TRAVEL BY ARK

A great place worth visiting, less than an hour away from Las Vegas , is the Hoover Dam . Spanning the Colorado River between the borders of Nevada and Arizona , this colossal dam is a mighty engineering feat. Not only does it produce a large amount of electricity, but it also provides a steady water source for surrounding states and helped tame a once quite destructive river. In addition to these, Lake Mead - the result of the dam - acts as a National Recreation Area, available to the public for boating, fishing, swimming, and more. Because this lake provides water for so many areas in the southwestern United States, chances are you have eaten food that used water from Lake Mead. Unfortunately, due to an extended drought in recent years, the water level of the lake has gone down considerably. This can be seen by the ring of white calcium deposits on the rock surrounding the lake. I highly recommend visiting Hoover Dam and taking a tour of the powerplant. It is impressive to ...

If you are looking for some fun, and family-friendly activities while on the Las Vegas Strip, you should definitely check out Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay . This aquarium offers viewings of a large variety of marine life, including several sharks as the name would suggest. In addition to being able to see different species, there is also an opportunity to touch sting rays and other critters in a designated area. During our visit, they also had a special exhibit included with admission. This exhibit focused on polar region animals, and was entirely a virtual interactive exhibit. With the aid of technology you could walk on ice rafts before they cracked, or help a sperm whale swim to catch up the group and much more.

Wow! Le Reve - The Dream is a fantastic show and words can hardly describe how awesome it is. If you are visiting Las Vegas and looking for a show to see, this is it. Shown at The Wynn aqua theatre-in-the-round, this show offers it all: music, dancing, comedy, drama, romance, thrilling acrobatics, synchronized swimming, and extremely high dives - all within a dynamic stage. The story tells a tale of The Dreamer, who ultimately must choose between true love and fiery passion. The entire show paints a picture of her dream sequence, controlled by The Dream Master, and goes back-and-forth revealing what true love and passion each have to offer. The cast does such a wonderful job telling this story with no words - only with the movement of their bodies and body language. With the set constantly changing from solid stage to water, the actors' roles change also, whether they be swimmers, dancers, or acrobats. Aside from the phenomenal performances by all the cast, for me, the most ...

Las Vegas has loads of restaurants and cuisines to choose from - making the task of picking what to eat somewhat overwhelming. Every famous chef you've heard of has a restaurant or two in Vegas. Aside from that, there are numerous award winning restaurants with outstanding chefs at the helm. We were very happy to take suggestions on where to eat - one of which brought us to our favorite dining experience while visiting. Mon Ami Gabi , part of the Paris Hotel, sits in the front of the hotel on Las Vegas Blvd, looking across at the Bellagio Fountains. They have a lovely cafe with indoor and patio seating that is perfect for breakfast or brunch. Aside from the lovely ambiance, the food was delightful. It was difficult to decide because everything sounded so good, but our waitress offered some suggestions. Rachael chose the bananas foster waffle, complete with a caramelized banana sauce and served with real whipped cream that was divine. With her order she had a side of thick ...

My personal favorite thing about our visit to Las Vegas was the Neon Museum . Located north of downtown, right off Las Vegas Blvd, this museum is a collection of retired, iconic signs that used to light up the Vegas skyline. We took the tour which included the Neon Boneyard, the largest exhibit, housing old signs - most of which are on display with up-lighting and some which have been restored to light up. Also included, while we were visiting, was a special exhibit called "Lost Vegas", which displayed some of Tim Burton's art throughout the boneyard. This gave a unique twist to historic Las Vegas through the eyes of Burton. Overall, purchasing a ticket gives you an hour to walk through and enjoy the displays, most of which are outdoors. You can follow along with the program and read about different displays, or get even more detail by downloading the self-guided audio tour. We took our tour about half-an-hour before sunset, and the resulting pictures were great. Honest...

Whether you love the party atmosphere, go for the gambling, or are a bit skeptical of Las Vegas like I was, that city really does have something for everyone. Outside of the neon lights and extravagant hotels and casinos, Las Vegas is a convenient place to fly into on your way to numerous destinations, including Hoover Dam , Zion National Park , Grand Canyon National Park , Death Valley National Park , and much more. As first time Vegas visitors ourselves, let me share some tips we found useful: Go during the week. To avoid the extra crowds and get better rates at hotels, book a stay on the strip during the week, where you can easily walk to many places you want to see. Walk into and browse the different hotels and casinos. Each one has a unique theme to attract visitors. It is free to browse, but be aware, you can find it difficult to find your way out sometimes. There are lots of one-of-a-kind attractions all along the strip. CVS and Walgreens are your friend. If you do want to ...

Hi! I'm glad you are reading this. My name is Andrew King, and I wanted a place to share stories and pictures taken by my wife and I on our traveling adventures. To avoid super long posts, I will keep regularly updated, short entries, that break our trips down in smaller details. For now, we just got back from an amazing trip, where we visited Las Vegas , Zion National Park , the Grand Canyon , Phoenix , and more. Here are some pictures to highlight the trip. Stay tuned for more updates from this trip and more. Hope you enjoy!