For most days of the year, Las Vegas has gloriously sunny weather. Visitors can be caught off-guard when they arrive to rainy, windy, or cold weather. The great thing is that Vegas has a terrific variety of indoor things to do, even indoor skydiving.
If you're in Vegas when the weather is behaving badly, you have some good options:
Take Advantage of Your Hotel's Amenities
Depending on where you're staying, you may elect to stay put and take advantage of all the things to do at your hotel. Most Vegas Strip hotels have casinos, restaurants, and entertainment--enough to keep you busy all day.
Other Inside Attractions
Don't want to stay at your hotel for the day? Head out to sections of the Strip where the hotels are very close together, or are connected with trams.
If you decide to leave your hotel, take cabs to get around on the Strip. Vegas streets are unexpectedly slippery in even a little bit of rain.
[PHOTO_135199]If you're with kids, a visit to the Mandalay Bay-Luxor-Excalibur complex on the South Strip gives you access to several family-friendly attractions, and the only time you'll have to go outside is to get on and off the tram. The Shark Reef, exhibits at the Luxor, and the Excalibur's midway are all nearby.
Every type of restaurant is represented in this inter-connected complex, but Border Grill makes a good mid-range stop for the day and offers Mexican food with a twist for the grown-ups as well as kid-friendly options.
[PHOTO_135200]If it's adults only, a trip to the Venetian/Palazoo complex will give you a day of fun. Although you can take the kids here to see the faux Venice, if it's only adults you'll be able to enjoy things like the canal-side bars and the casino.
Have breakfast or brunch at one of the Venetian's restaurant before browsing the Grand Canal and Palazzo Shoppes. Stop in Delmonico's on the weekend for the Game Time Happy Hour from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Take a gondola ride and be serenaded by your gondolier. Check out the living "statues" and have a gelato in St. Mark's Square before you head into the casino.
Pedestrian bridges link you to the casinos across two streets. Directly across Las Vegas Boulevard are the Mirage, Treasure Island, and Caesars Palace. North of the Venetian, across Sands Avenue, is a bridge to Wynn and Encore. You may have a short walk outside, and while the desert does sometimes give things a good drenching, usually rain in Las Vegas so light you don't need an umbrella.
You can wander at will throughout these large resorts, but if you're tired of walking at the end of the day, head to Taqueria Canonita for a casual meal overlooking the Venetian's canals before you decide what to do for the rest of the evening. Rainy weather or not, you'll find plenty of things to do in Vegas.