Viva Las Vegas Day 1

All posts on this trip: Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4

Day 1 involved a lot of driving (about 275 miles) with a couple of stops on the way. We had lunch outside of Barstow, and then stopped again at Buffalo Bill's which is in Primm, NV, just over the state line. They have a big rollercoaster called "Desperado", and the kids wanted to ride it.

For this first night we're staying at the South Point, which is about 7 miles south of the Strip. We can see it from here, but we're not all that close. It's a nice place, fairly new, and they give you a bunch of discount coupons when you check in which came in handy for a couple of free hot fudge sundaes and three free games of bowling late in the evening. The rooms are large and include a 42" plasma TV. Not bad.

We chose this spot because it looked like a nice place when we drove past it last year, and it's close to the Holy Land - BassPro Shops Outdoor World, my son's favorite place.

If you've never been in one of these stores, they are really something. We'd been in the Oklahoma City store previously, but it's a piker compared to the Las Vegas branch. There are huge fish tank displays throughout, including this area which is complete with fish, waterfowl and turtles. The bright lights in the back are from the casino area of the Silverton Hotel which adjoins the store.

Just outside the Basspro Shop is the Silverton's giant saltwater tank which is stuffed full of all kinds of reef fish, sharks and rays. It's really fascinating just to sit and watch the show.

We ate dinner at the Silverton Grill which is one of the few places in town where you can still get a 7 ounce sirloin steak, two eggs, hash browns and toast...for $4.99. And it was good too!

The day ended with a 10pm bowling extravaganza in the South Point lanes. Here's the fierce blonde bowler getting ready to smite the poor pins.

Tomorrow we'll take advantage of another coupon for a buy one/get one free breakfast buffet before heading back to the BassPro Shop where my son wants to see the fishing demonstration. After that we'll head over to the Flamingo where we'll be spending the rest of the trip.

More photos tomorrow.