Springs Preserve Las Vegas Winter Lights Festival

Springs Preserve is holding it's annual winter light festival with over a half-million sparkeling Christmas lights decorating the grounds. Guests will enjoy entertainment from roaming performance groups, carriage rides, visits with Santa Claus and Theater Las Vegas' original puppet show "Dickens Done Over."
Holiday-inspired treats and green gift options will be available throughout the Preserve. The Festival runs 5 to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday from Nov. 28 to Dec. 21, 5 to 9 p.m. daily from Dec. 22 to 24 and Dec. 26 to 30 (the Preserve is closed on Christmas). Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for children ages 5 to 17 and free for Annual Pass members and children 4 and under. Entry includes admission to all museums and galleries. Springs Preserve 333 S. Valley View Blvd Las Vegas, Nevada (between US 95 and Alta Drive) Phone: (702) 822-7700 Map

Las Vegas City Center

Las Vegas City Center is located front row on the Las vegas strip. This massive construction project is the most expensive privately funded project in U.S. History. The first phase of MGM MIRAGE's CityCenter, a gargantuan, $11+-billion, 68-acre project, is under construction on the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and Monte Carlo. Phase two will eventually occupy the space behind and between Monte Carlo and New York New York. The Boardwalk Hotel was demolished along with a few local businesses to make room for this immense project. Harmon Road will meander through CityCenter and cross I-15 via an already completed bridge.
The massive city center will include:
- 4,004-room 61-story ARIA Resort & Casino (Cesar Pelli)
- 165,000-square-foot casino (Pelli)
- 400-room + 227 condos - Mandarin Oriental Hotel/Residences (Pedersen / Tihany)
- 400-room + 207 condos - The Harmon Hotel/Residences (Foster and Partners)
- 1543-unit Vdara Condo/Hotel tower (Rafael Viñoly)
- Twin, 337-unit luxury condo towers Veer (Helmut Jahn)
- 500,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space The Crystals Mall (Daniel Libeskind)
- $40 million worth of modern sculptures and installations by world famous artists
- 225,000 square feet of convention and meeting space
- 900,000 square feet for back-of-house operations
- 2,000-seat theater
- 70,000-square-foot spa
- 7,500-car parking garage
- Fire station
- People movers (trams)
- On-site power plant

When completed in late 2009 City Center CityCenter will have a 1/4-mile Las Vegas Strip frontage. The project's center will the 61-story ARIA Resort & Casino with 4,000-rooms, designed by world renowned architect Cesar Pelli. There will be plenty of glitz in the form of light shows projected against building facades. Reports from MGM MIRAGE state that a new Cirque du Soleil show, called Elvis, will premiere at the CityCenter Resort on opening day.

Las Vegas Monorail

The Las Vegas Monorail is a great way to see the sights in Vegas. Glide along at speeds of up to 50 miles an hour as the traffic crawls along the strip. There are seven stops: MGM Grand, Bally's/Paris Las Vegas, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah's/Imperial Palace, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas Hilton and Sahara. You can get an all day pass for just nine dollars. Park your car at your hotel and take a ride in the sleek air conditioned monorail.
Free things to do in Las Vegas

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

The Lake Mead Visitor Center is located off of U.S. 93, four miles southeast of Boulder City and should be your first stop if you have never visited before. The drive from Las Vegas to Boulder Harbor is 33 miles and takes about 45 minutes. Although much of Lake Mead must be experienced by boat, the various campgrounds, marinas, lodges, and other facilities clustered around the lake make it possible for non-boaters to enjoy it as well. If your visit is only going to last a few hours take a ride aboard Lake Mead Cruises which offer paddle wheel boat tours of the lake. Food service is available at Las Vegas Boat Harbor, Lake Mead Marina which is now a part of Las Vegas Boat Harbor, and Callville Bay. Facilities include snack bars, restaurants and some lounges. Most provide beautiful panoramas of the lake or views of the boat harbor. Take a break from Las Vegas and enjoy the beautiful desert scenery around Lake Mead, Nevada.