10 free things to do in Las Vegas

In 2003, Las Vegas visitors dropped a cool $32-plus billion into the local economy. The average gambler budgeted $480 per trip. If you’re a tightwad, however, you can minimize your losses with a free walking tour. All you need is a map and a good pair of walking shoes, and Las Vegas will leave you rich in spirit.

Here are 10 free things to do in Las Vegas.

1) White tiger exhibit at the Mirage. Famed illusionists Siegfried & Roy once presented a world-famous magic show complete with lions and rare white tigers at the Mirage hotel. When Roy Horn was bitten and dragged offstage by a white tiger in the fall of 2003, the show was canceled. Fortunately, Horn is recovering, and you can still see the big cats that are the show’s legacy. Step inside the Mirage’s lobby, and there to the left, several of the rare white tigers play and nap inside a lavishly painted habitat resplendent with swimming pool and fountains. The white tiger habit is open throughout the day and evening. When you’re finished gazing, cross Las Vegas Boulevard (aka The Strip) and walk directly to The Venetian hotel to enjoy …

2) Gondola watching at The Venetian. Whether you’ve visited Venice or not, you’re bound to enjoy the surreal experience of watching gondoliers maneuver their elegant wooden boats through the “canals” of a 500,000-square-foot shopping mall.

The mall, also known as the Grand Canal Shoppes, is located in The Venetian hotel. Yes, just down from Ann Taylor and Brookstone, handsome men in striped shirts and ribboned hats gurgle Pavarotti tunes until they echo off the faux Italian storefronts. Couples cuddle amorously in the gondolas … or laugh nervously that they’ve subjected themselves to such a spectacle. Watching is free; a gondola ride will cost you $15 per adult. Ready for more faux Italy? Cross the street to …

3) Caesars Palace. Stroll to the Forum Shops, and watch a seven-minute show of special effects as Roman statues come to life. All the fun of Rome without the traffic jams or oppressive summer heat! Cross the street and hike south to …

4) Gaze upon the Eiffel Tower. Paris Las Vegas opened in September 1999 complete with faux Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. The Eiffel Tower has legs rooted in the hotel’s giant casino and stretches 50 stories into the Nevada sky.

Have a seat on the rim of one of the hotel’s fountains and simply gaze upon this focal point of the Las Vegas strip. No charge to gaze, but if you’d like to take the hair-raising “Eiffel Tower Experience” ride to the 50^th story, it will cost you $9 to $12 per adult depending on day of the week. From the Eiffel Tower, head for the front door of Paris Las Vegas to …

5) Stroll the streets of Paris. Feel the surrealism as you open the door to Paris Las Vegas, walk through a noisy casino, and find yourself ambling down the cobblestone pathways of The City of Light. Most people find themselves doing a double-take, not just because of the French boutiques, street performers and singing bread deliverymen, but because of the effect the ceiling creates on visitors. Ceilings are painted turquoise with billowing clouds, and are lit in such a way to trick the eye into believing you’re walking around Paris, outdoors, at dusk. Walk south to …

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