Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Horseback Riding
The new equestrian center at the South Point Casino (p. 62) is bringing the cow-
boys back to Vegas, filling the arena there with world-class horse shows and rodeos
nearly every weekend of the year. If you'd like to get back in the saddle yourself,
however, your best options are to head east rather than south, towards Red Rock
Canyon (p. 292).
Bonnie Springs Ranch
55
9
(
%
702/875
-
4191; www.
bonniesprings.com;
$
35 per hour; AE, DISC, MC, V; for more go to p. 294)
has
complete stables, offering trail rides daily starting at $30 per person. Its competi-
tor,
Cowboy Trail Rides
55
9
(
%
702/948
-
7061; www.cowboytrailrides.com;
shortest trail ride is
$
69 for 1
1
⁄
2
hr.; AE, DISC, MC, V)
is a family-owned operation
that offers campfire cookouts along with its rides. Both allow children over the
age of 6, can customize their itineraries to suit beginners or more advanced rid-
ers, and neither enforces a weight limit (though if you're an adult, you do have to
be able to get on and off your mount with minimal assistance). Which is better?
Cowboy Trail Rides is pricier but offers a wider range of hikes, and (some assert)
better mounts. But if you're a beginner, either one should do fine; really it's all
about being a cowboy for the day, in the midst of some of the most glorious
scenery in the U.S.
Indoor Skydiving
In the 1960s, the military constructed the first vertical indoor wind tunnel to
develop the skills of its sky-diving troops. The object was for these soldiers to fall
from the sky and land on target with a James Bond-like accuracy. “Controlled
bodyflight,” the technique created from these training sessions, is still in use by
the military. I guess the word got out from all those soldiers whooping it up on
gusts of air, and a bit over a decade ago the first tunnels were opened to civilians
and a new extreme sport was born.
I'm not a skateboarder, I've never tried surfing, but I have to say that if a wind-
tunnel opened up in my home town of New York City, I might well become a
tunnel rat. The sport is that exhilarating, an out of body body-centric thrill that's
a rush like no other. While exiting from an airline feels like a fall, here you grab
as much air as possible so that you can be lifted up, Peter Pan without the pixie
dust. It's expensive, but so frigging fun I'd say it's worth it. This is one of those
extraordinary experiences you come to a city like Vegas to try.
You have the ability to try this new sport at
Flyaway Indoor Skydiving
555
(200 Convention Center Dr., just off the Strip;
%
702/545
-
8093 or 702/731
-
4768; www.flyawayindoorskydiving.com/lv.html;
$
70 for flights and instruction,
various packages for more than one session, visit the website first or pick up a
coupon for
$
5-
$
15 discounts; daily 7am-10pm; AE, DISC, MC, V),
Las Vegas' only
tunnel. After watching a training video; signing a terrifying waiver; and suiting up
with goggles and a floppy, wind-catching jump suit; you'll be taken to the tunnel
where one by one you'll lie down on the steel cable mesh. Below it sits a 1,000
horsepower DC-3 airplane propeller. An instructor holds your hands guiding you
towards the center of the stream, helping you control your trajectory and, when
you're done flying, fall easily into the padded walls of the tunnel. Though you'll
only get to try this three times for the initial payment, it feels much longer; this
is one of those activities where time slows to a crawl.
