SLOW SALLY & CREW

Las Vegas is famous for its casinos, nightlife, neon lights, weddings, fine dining, shopping, entertainment, and luxury. So what the heck were we – 2 frugal, outdoorsy Vanlifers travelling with a dog – doing there? It’s a question a lot of our friends and family were asking and if you follow our blog, it’s one that you’re probably asking too.

In this Q&A style post, we’re sharing our answer to that question and others, such as “Can you camp in Las Vegas?”, “Is Las Vegas dog-friendly?”, and “Was it worth it?”. I bet the answers to some of these questions will surprise you. Read on!

Q1: Why Did We Visit Las Vegas?

The answer is simple: because it’s there… because it’s larger than life… because we’ve seen it in so many movies and just had to experience it for ourselves. With each passing year, it seemed that our route through the US brought us closer to Las Vegas, as though we’re being drawn by some inexplicable force. This year, when we decided that the West Coast would be the focal point of our trip, we made sure to choose a route that would lead to Vegas.

Q2: Can You Camp In Las Vegas?!

Yes! There are a few options: unreasonably expensive RV Parks; illegal boondocking (strictly enforced); and dispersed camping on public lands located an hour or more outside of the city.

Q3: Where Did We Camp?

We opted to camp at the Circus Circus RV Park, beneath the glowing neon lights of an unsettlingly creepy clown. We stayed 2 nights, at an average price of $74 USD/night (the cheapest sites were gone when we showed up). It was the most we’ve ever paid for a campsite. You would think that $74 would afford some luxury; not in Las Vegas! The campground was a large parking lot with subpar amenities, but it was right on The Strip… location, location, location!

We did briefly consider boondocking (as we’ve done in other cities), but sleeping in a vehicle is prohibited in Las Vegas and the by-law is strictly enforced. Some Vanlifers with stealthy vans have successfully boondocked, but it’s not easy. With her RV detailing, plentiful windows, and obvious curtains, Sally (our van) is anything but stealthy; we didn’t even want to try it.

Q4: Did We Gamble?

We did! We spent a whopping $5 on the quarter slot machines. At one point we were ahead, up to $7, but in the end, we lost it all. High rollers, indeed!

Q5: Was Las Vegas What We Expected?

No. We always imagined Las Vegas as a strip of buildings in the middle of the desert, so we were blown away to discover a metropolis cradled by mountains, many of which were still snow-capped in March. The surrounding landscape was more visually stunning than either of us expected and The Strip itself was far more expansive and extravagant. We were picturing more old neon signs and less glitz and glamour… I think what is now Historic Downtown Las Vegas is what we had in mind. What surprised us most was the extensive suburban development; it never occurred to us that Las Vegas would have suburbs.

Q6: What Did We Like Most?

The Strip

We were really impressed with The Strip, which we weren’t even sure that we’d like. Yes, it has a distinct resort-y feel to it, but WOW, it’s like nothing we’ve ever seen – especially at night. The scale and extravagance of the buildings, the grounds and the boulevard were awesome. Excessive indulgence is a central theme – but it’s fascinating.

Neon Signs Downtown

The old historic Strip is downtown, along Fremont Street. Fremont Street and the surrounding area are full of the types of neon signs that I had expected to find in Las Vegas. I just can’t get enough of flashy, old neon signs and had a lot of fun photographing my favourites.

The Arts District

We stumbled upon the Arts District after a long day of sightseeing. We were there for the grandma style pizza at Good Pies and couldn’t believe our good fortune at discovering this overlooked treasure. The district has chill vibes, cute coffee shops, plentiful patios, easy street parking, and beautiful murals; it wasn’t Las Vegas-y at all but honestly, it was our favourite part of the city and an area we would come back to.

Q7: What Did We Like Least?

This may be an unpopular opinion, but there was a lot that we didn’t like about Las Vegas. I had originally planned to do a separate airing of grievances post, but that seemed a big dramatic… so here’s a summary:

• The no dogs on the strip between 12 PM and 5 AM rule (more on that below)
• The crappy amenities at the overpriced Circus Circus RV Park
• The sketchy neighbourhood between The Strip and the historic downtown, which is not enjoyable to walk through
• The lack of public seating anywhere in the city, which appears to be part of a war on homelessness
• The Fremont Experience (a pedestrian mall encompassing the historic Strip downtown), which had cheap tourist trap vibes and emanated a distinct urine smell

Q8: Is Las Vegas Dog Friendly & Did Walter Like It?

Drew Carrey was quoted saying: “Everything and anything you want to do, you can do in Las Vegas”. If you are a dog (or a dog owner), this couldn’t be further from the truth. Las Vegas has A LOT of rules about what dogs can and can’t do, and it’s not what you would expect. Let me explain.

Not Dog-Friendly

Our entire plan for Las Vegas was to walk The Strip, admiring the buildings, lights, and expansive hotel grounds from the street. It was a nasty surprise when we discovered that dogs aren’t allowed on the Strip between 12 PM and 5 AM, in other words, most of the day! Perhaps we should have researched this in advance, but I’ve never heard of dogs being prohibited from walking leashed on a public street. To be fair, The Strip is more like a resort than a typical street.

The impact on our plans was massive. We wound up taking turns exploring The Strip at night, while the other person stayed in the van with Walter. In the morning, we quickly devoured our breakfast and got out on The Strip bright and early, so that we could see as much of it as possible before noon. When the clock struck 12, we had to flee The Strip in an Uber and return to the RV Park; it was like Cinderella, but for dogs.

We read several blog and reddit posts stating that The Fremont Experience in historic downtown was dog friendly. After walking an hour from The Strip to get there, we discovered that they have recently made ‘no dogs’ an official rule, and signs are posted throughout the mall. Once again, we took turns (argh!).

Dog-Friendly

We were astonished to discover that many of the hotels and casinos welcome dogs. True story! It’s not advertised but if you enter the hotels with a cute, well-behaved mutt and ask permission, it’s typically granted (at least in our experience). Walter joined us in exploring and gambling in parts of the Venetian, Cesar’s Palace, the Bellagio, and Paris Las Vegas.

Some restaurant patios along The Strip, and many in other parts of the city, allow dogs. Walter accompanied us for meals on several patios, but his favourite was without a doubt the Brew Dog – a restaurant and brewery that welcomes visiting dogs with open arms (and a big bowl of cold water). All three of us loved it there.

Both downtown RV Parks allow dogs. Circus Circus even had a decent little dog park area.

Walter’s Experience

Walter enjoyed all the pets and attention he got from other tourists who had to leave their dogs at home. He was thrilled to be allowed into some of the casinos and hotels, his tail was wagging all the way. He loved waiting eagerly for crumbs to fall while hanging out on the patios at Brew Dog and Good Pie, and couldn’t believe his good fortune when the kind staff at the Dig It coffee shop let him right in. His only dislikes: the no dogs after 12 PM rule on The Strip and the scary moving sidewalks near the Venetian!

Q9: Was It Worth It?

In our opinion, it was worth seeing Las Vegas and we have no regrets. We were so curious to discover what this larger-than-life destination was all about, and it was fab to finally see it for ourselves. The campsite was a splurge, but relatively cheap compared to a lot of the other accommodation options on The Strip. Having Walter with us inevitably complicated things, and in ways we never imagined, but we made it work.

If you are thinking about visiting Las Vegas with a van and a dog, we highly recommend doing a lot of research ahead of time. The best options for camping and activities will vary depending on how much money you want to spend, the parts of the city you want to visit, the type of van/RV you own, and your dog’s personality and preferences.

Hunter Thompson, author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, insists that “a little bit of this town goes a long way”. I have to agree, and a couple of days was enough for us.

Stay Tuned

From Las Vegas, we make our way to Death Valley National Park, which is famous for being the hottest, driest, and lowest place in the United States. We get off to a disorganized start but eventually find ourselves winning at camping. More about that in our next post!