After Hours in Vegas: Dining, Entertainment and More

After you are done exploring the NACS Show Expo floor and connecting with your peers next week in Las Vegas, use your free time to take an adventure. Las Vegas has no shortage of attractions.

Shows and Entertainment

Las Vegas has all sorts of shows, from comedy magic to cutting-edge spectacles, plus concert venues with A-list acts. You’ll also find live music in hotel lounges, strolling singers in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian and a free concert series at the Fremont Street Experience.

The buzziest entertainment venue in town is the $2.3 billion Las Vegas Sphere, which is currently showing a 4D version of “The Wizard of Oz” with 360-degree views, falling apples and a hyper-realistic twister. Avoid booking seats in the area with an obscured view. Though cheaper, the section is blocked from the entire top half of the screen, seriously hampering the Sphere experience.

Cirque du Soleil is synonymous with the Strip and has several jaw-dropping shows, from long-running “Mystère” at Treasure Island to the newest, “Mad Apple,” at New York-New York. Both are solid choices, but “O” at the Bellagio is absolutely breathtaking. The emotional story takes place on a stage with an enormous pool of water. In addition to acrobats, aerialists, knife dancers, singers and swimmers, it has an entire underwater crew you never see.

Part adult cabaret, part circus, “Absinthe” is an intimate, offbeat alternative to Cirque du Soleil from the production company behind “Superfrico” and the “Atomic Saloon Show.” The irreverent variety show mixes comedy, vaudeville and burlesque in a tent in front of Caesars Palace. The show is acclaimed, but the risqué and raunchy humor isn’t kid-friendly.

“Awakening” at Wynn is another Cirque alternative, and it’s good for all ages. It’s like an all-encompassing video game, with aerialists, acrobats and large-scale puppetry in a technologically advanced theater-in-the-round.

If you prefer an afternoon show, head to the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood for the Popovich Comedy Pet Theater, a variety show with furry and feathered friends performing unbelievable tricks. All the animals were saved from shelters and are now living their best life in the spotlight.

World-Class Dining

Among the newest culinary hits are the tandoori-grilled specialties of London’s two-Michelin-starred Gymkhana at Aria and upscale Afro-Caribbean steakhouse Maroon by Kwame Onwuachi at the Sahara Las Vegas. Recently named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Onwuachi is a James Beard Award-winning chef.

When Wicked Spoon opened at the Cosmopolitan, it changed the buffet game, offering individual portions of creative, high-end dishes on small plates rather than in chafing dishes. The lauded Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace takes a similar approach on a much larger scale, with 10 kitchens, nine chef-attended action stations and hundreds of food items, including crab legs, lobster claws and classic Vegas shrimp cocktails. 

Many Vegas buffets faded into obscurity after the Covid pandemic, but Garden Court buffet at Main Street Station downtown is an old-school buffet at a budget-friendly price. For a unique glimpse at world history, check out the men’s casino bathroom. The urinals are attached to a large slab of the former Berlin Wall.

Block 16 Urban Food Hall at the Cosmopolitan was the first to equip its food court with popular cafés by celebrity chefs rather than chains. The newest is Via Via Food Hall, near the lobby at The Venetian. 

While the cafés and food counters at Italian marketplace Eataly at Park MGM often offer food samples and cooking demonstrations, Bar Ito in the Promenade Food Court at Fontainebleau Las Vegas makes five-star cuisine accessible to a larger audience. It’s a sister restaurant to Michelin-starred Chef Masa Ito’s Ito, an exclusive sushi bar with only 12 seats, on the Fontainebleau’s top floor. 

The Chinatown cultural district is frequently commended for its burgeoning food scene, including Shanghainese classics at ShangHai Taste, sushi at Kame Omakase and all-you-can-eat selections at 888 Korean BBQ. Cafes, bakeries, coffee shops and bars are tucked into strip malls and plazas spanning several blocks, with traditional Chinese architecture along Spring Mountain Road.

Offering views of the iconic Fountains of Bellagio, The Mayfair Supper Club pairs gourmet cuisine with cabaret-style entertainment. Other high-end Bellagio restaurants have the fountains as a backdrop, but this one stands out for its live musical performances and glamorous atmosphere.

Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino is a family-friendly medieval feast and show in a large arena setting filled with jousting, horses and knights. Arrive early or stay after to explore the Fun Dungeon, an enormous arcade filled with more than 200 games and a carnival midway, just beyond the arena doors. 

For a taste of all Vegas has to offer, sign up for a Lip Smacking Foodie Tour. Guests on these curated Strip, Downtown or Chinatown tours receive VIP treatment, preferential seating and popular dishes at some of the city’s most celebrated restaurants.