There is perhaps no other city in the world that overflows with kitsch, bad taste, wealth, vice, gambling and at the same time is as romantic as Las Vegas. The richest people in the world go here to have fun, and the city has become a kind of symbol of the entire state of Nevada.

Already more than 180 years ago, a 60-member caravan of the Mexican merchant Antonio Armijo, who was trying to get to Los Angeles with his people, came to the Mojave Desert. However, his Indian guide lost his way and the caravan got lost on a plain that had not been on maps at all until then. People camped here, but found that there was no water, which threatened their continued existence. Armijo therefore sent his men to all parts of the world to go in search of water. One of the groups actually discovered a spring of living water and the Mexicans named this place “Las Vegas” or “The Meadows”.

After about 10 years, the Mormons came to the area and tried to settle here, but they could not withstand the onslaught of the Indians. Only when the railway was introduced here in 1905 was the town founded. Originally, it was just a dusty village with one main street and a few wooden huts. At that time, no one had any idea that one of the most vibrant entertainment centers in America would grow here.

According to iamaccepted, the golden age for Las Vegas was the 30s of the 20th century, when gambling was legalized here, which meant a large influx of finance for this desert state. In the 1940s, the first large hotels and casinos could start to emerge. In addition, a highway was built between Las Vegas and the California coast, which allowed for trouble-free traffic. The fifties were again marked by the construction of large hotel and gaming complexes on both sides of the Las Vegas Strip. The most luxurious hotels of the time included, for example, Royal Nevada, Hacienda, Moulin Rouge, Stardust or Dunes.

However, the casinos in Las Vegas began to gradually increase in competition, especially when gambling was also allowed in Atlantic City, New Jersey. For most clients from the East Coast of the US, this was quite appealing. Investors in Las Vegas therefore decided to fight the competition by building a giant Mirage hotel with 3,600 rooms and a casino in 1989. The hotel’s equipment was also stunning, guests could admire previously unseen attractions such as a pool with dolphins, an artificial waterfall, a forest with a live tiger or a miniature volcano even spewing fire and water.

It didn’t take long and another huge complex with 2,900 rooms, the so-called Treasure Island, grew up nearby. A pirate ship was built on the artificial lagoon as an attraction, on which interesting battles take place. Part of the performance is also fire from the guns of the British war frigate, which is finally destroyed and sinks to a depth of 30 meters.

The local architecture is not very attractive, sometimes even too kitsch, as evidenced by the glass pyramids of the Luxor Hotel, Caesar’s Palace, various castles, imitations of the Big Apple, a replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statue of Liberty or the American Venice. And to make matters worse, more and more hotels, motels, complexes with congress centers, game rooms, theater halls, halls for various shows and variety shows are constantly being built.

The heart of Las Vegas today is Las Vegas Boulevard, or rather the 7.2 km long part called The Strip. The street is lined with hotel complexes that are also giant casinos. Even if you take to the streets after dark in Las Vegas, it’s definitely not dark anywhere. Countless strings of brightly colored bulbs and crazy neon panels glow all around you, and giant screens flash into your eyes. There are 1.2 million lights in the city center alone, and new ones are still being added. In the past, the main boulevard was dominated by a huge glowing cowboy, which the locals called Vic. He greeted each visitor with a wave of his arm and the greeting “Hello, people!”

Las Vegas is known for its vibrant nightlife, even after midnight it feels like high noon here. People are having fun, they are not in a hurry, and players of all ages are attracted here. However, you don’t need to have pockets full of money to have fun here, there is a wide range of attractions for everyone. You can try your luck in roulette, dice, poker, blackjack or other card games. Here you can also get acquainted with other exotic games, such as Pai Gow originating from China. If you’re not into table games, you can sit down to one of the countless slot machines or play bingo. However, you always need to know when to stop. Las Vegas can also be proud of the largest gaming machine in the world, which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. It can be found at the Four Queens Hotel and is about the size of a large motor home.

If you desire a different kind of entertainment than gambling, you can go to a concert, a musical, a Travesti show, a circus performance with artists and much more. As in the past, the most famous artists from all over the world come to Las Vegas today. Famous names took turns here and you could meet Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Whitney Houston and countless others in the clubs. The probability that you will meet one of the famous stars is really high in Las Vegas even today.

Many loving couples also come to Las Vegas to say their “I do” right here. Both famous and lesser-known people have succumbed to the charm of the city, which is why several chapels have sprung up here that offer wedding services from A to Z. Around 100,000 couples get married in Las Vegas every year, which means that about 280 weddings take place here per day. However, wedding guests come to the city of gambling not only for its romantic charm, but also because it is very easy to get married here. They do not hold you back with any unnecessary paperwork, and arranging the wedding takes only a minimum of time.

If all the glitz and the lights make you dizzy, you can explore other interesting places in the desert and mountainous state of Nevada. Las Vegas is a great starting point to, for example, Reno, which is kind of a smaller copy of it. Nearby are also naturally attractive locations, such as the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Monument Valley or Pyramid Lake. The Nevada Mountains are also ideal for all winter sports in the winter months.