When you think of Las Vegas, you think of casinos. It’s no wonder, as the city practically invented the modern integrated resort with its towering hotels, giant gaming floors, and an assortment of amenities like shops, restaurants, cinemas and nightclubs But the city no longer holds a monopoly over casino gaming since players can now go online to enjoy their favorite games and even take advantage of the myriad of online casino bonuses offered by leading operators right across the United States to get deals to rival anything they’d find on the strip.

But, despite being able to play slots on a smartphone, millions of visitors still pass through Vegas’ airports and arterial roads, all looking for exciting entertainment. 

Of course, while many still prefer the land-based casino experience and enjoy having a flutter with the feel of felt under their arms, even more visitors arrive to the city looking for other things to do. 

Over the years Las Vegas has developed a very broad offering, including boutique shopping, world-class golf courses, and even gondola rides. 

While fun and interesting, none of these activities quite offer the white-knuckle excitement that many visitors to the strip after looking for. These guests don’t go home disappointed though as Nevada’s most famous city has plenty of things to do that’ll get your heart racing. 

Roller Coasters

Roller coasters are usually the domain of theme parks. They can cost millions to design and build and cost a small fortune to run, but as a testament to the volume of guests that Las Vegas is able to attract, several casinos have proven it’s possible to make operating these white-knuckle attractions commercially viable. 

In the mid-1990s, Primm, a small city on the outskirts of Las Vegas where Nevada and California meet became home to the world’s tallest and fastest coaster. Known as Desperado, this hyper-coaster dropped riders 225ft and got them to a top speed of 80 mph. 

Sadly, Desperado currently runs sporadically, but it still stands around the Buffalo Bill’s Hotel and Casino. 

In Las Vegas proper, there are still plenty of coaters that operate regularly. This includes the Big Apple Coaster at New York-New York which sees riders hurtle along in cars styled like yellow Manhattan cabs, reaching speeds of 67 mph and navigating a full loop and a heartline twist. 

That’s still not all, the Adventuredome offers visitors several adrenaline-inducing rides, including the Canyon Blaster, El Loco roller coaster and the Chaos tilt-a-whirl. Meanwhile, visitors to the top of The Strat can get their blood flowing with the unique Big Shot, Insanity, and X Scream rides. 

Driving Experiences

Las Vegas offers one of the world’s most diverse selections of combustion-powered activities. In addition to the dense calendar of racing that you’ll find at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including several NASCAR events, there are plenty of opportunities to get behind the wheel yourself. 

At the track, there are several driving experiences on offer, including the chance to feel the power of a real NASCAR race car. 

That’s not all though. If you prefer going off-road, ATV quad bikes and buggies are available for hire for you to blast through the red Nevadan desert dust. This is also a great opportunity to explore the areas away from the city and appreciate the engineering marvel required to build a major city in such a hostile environment. 

Other options include bulldozer driving, the Shelby American Museum, and supercar rentals to make you look like the highest of high rollers. 

Sports

Throughout most of its modern history, Las Vegas has played host to a smorgasbord of sports, including boxing, hockey, and football. 

No matter what time of year you visit, you’ll almost certainly find a major sporting event taking place. Throughout the NFL season, you can catch Raiders games at Allegiant Stadium, while the Golden Knights play regularly at the T-Mobile Arena through the NHL’s regular season. 

Then there are the one-off and annual events, such as the upcoming Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix and a regular schedule of boxing and UFC matches. 

No matter what games you watch, you can be sure you’ll be right on the edge of your seat in Vegas.