Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
know that, yes, the car dealership does accept Imperial Palace Casino chips in pay-
ment. Folks here claim that this is the largest vintage, historic, and specialty car
showroom in the world.
A note on admission:
Free passes are widely available for
this attraction. You'll often find them being given out in front of the hotel or on
the Imperial Palace website. If you don't find them in either of those places
(unlikely), look through any of the tourist magazines for a pass.
Or you can pimp your vacation . . . I mean ride, at the
Wynn Penske Ferrari
Maserati Dealership
(in Wynn Las Vegas;
%
702/770
-
2000; www.penskewynn.
com; admission
$
15; daily 10am-10pm; AE, DISC, MC, V),
which is about a quar-
ter the size of the Imperial Palace showroom, at nearly double the price. No his-
tory here either; all you'll see are insanely overpriced (think a quarter mil for a
car), new Ferraris and Maseratis. I include this for informational reasons alone; if
you really want to see it, you can peer in from the front and see about half the
showroom without paying a cent.
You get to zip around a racetrack at the
Las Vegas Mini Grand Prix
5
9
(1401 N. Rainbow Rd., just off U.S. 95 N;
%
702/259
-
7000; www.lvmgp.com; ride
tickets
$
5.50 each,
$
25 for 5; Sun-Thurs 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-11pm; AE,
DISC, MC, V),
and that goes for speed-freaks age 32 or 13. A car-themed amuse-
ment park, it has a Chucky Cheese-like arcade and food-service court indoors,
and four outdoor go-kart tracks that anyone 36-inches or taller can ride, plus one
timed racetrack just for those with actual driver's licenses. For kids with NASCAR
fantasies, this is the best place for them to safely get behind the wheel and go for
it—one of the racetracks here is the longest in Vegas. There are also three coun-
try fair-type thrill rides, for those young 'uns who have no interest in cars. If
you're planning on visiting midweek, be sure to call first as all tracks and rides are
not always in operation.
One word of warning:
You'll need your own set of wheels
to use the ones here; the Grand Prix is a looong drive from the Strip and would
be an expensive taxi ride.
Nothing actually moves forward at the
Las Vegas Cyber Speedway
(in the
Sahara;
%
702/737
-
2111; www.saharahotel.com;
$
10 per ride,
$
25 for an all-day
pass that also includes the Speed roller coaster; must be 48 in. tall to ride;
Sun-Thurs 11am-8pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm; AE, DISC, MC, V)
but this virtual real-
ity ride, recreating a NASCAR race, sure makes you feel like you're hurtling
through space. When you mess up and hit a wall or another car, it gives a lurch
strong enough to let you feel the impact. You'll feel the curves; you'll feel the
bumps; in fact, if you're like me, you'll feel pretty nauseous and sick by the time
you climb out. I had to get off early, but the other “racers” I was competing
against were high-fiving each other, triumphantly waving the computer print-outs
that showed average speeds, number of laps around the track, and the winner of
the race. A good early-in-the-day bachelor party frolic, it could be a fun, competi-
tive warm-up for what's to come later.
CONTEMPORARY ART
Time was when the
Las Vegas Art Museum
55
(9600 W. Sahara Ave.;
%
702/
360
-
8000; www.lasvegasartmuseum.org;
$
6 adults,
$
5 seniors,
$
3 students;
Tues-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm; AE, DISC, MC, V)
filled its halls with paintings
done by the mayor's mother (no joke) and other local power players. That may be
