I don't like Vegas, but I'm going.....

The Neon Museum. It's just plain cool, and is very Vegas without being a money-sucking tourist trap. Great for just wandering around, although the tours are worthwhile. Best experienced starting at dusk for obvious reasons.

Nicole Suddard said:

The National Atomic History Museum is one we always hit when we're in town for SEMA.

Oohhh that looks awesome! 

And Keith, the Neon museum looks awesome as well! There is just so much to do out there. 

Alli will be working all day Mon-Wed. 

Hoover Dam

Neon Museum

Valley of Fire

All close enough that they're a quick drive, but away from the madness enough that they're kind of nice and chill. Valley of Fire especially is kind of a hidden gem. It's so close but also so awesome.

Everyone's mostly hit on places I'd suggest already.  I'll second/third/whatever the Neon Museum.  If you want to take a bunch of pictures, I'd go during the day.  If you mostly just want to see the signs at their best, do a night tour.  FYI - I don't think they allow DSLRs on regular tours.

I've been to Speedvegas, and I understand the "E36 M3show" vibe, but I still enjoyed it a lot.  Probably the only time I'll drive a Huracan, especially at speed.

Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire are both very worthy of your time.  Red Rock Canyon visitor growth seems almost exponential through the last ten years, though, so it is insanely crowded on weekends.  Make that an early in the day weekday trip if possible.

I'd avoid renting any on the strip exotic car rental.  I can't see the appeal of cruising a sports car in stop and go traffic.

If you want to get a bit of a taste of old touristy Vegas, head down to Primm, and check out their rather cheesy casinos.  One of them has Bonnie and Clyde's death car.

If you hit the point where you just can't stand the crowds anymore and have to get farther away from everything, 2 hours of driving will put you smack in the middle of the Mojave National Preserve.  3.5 hours will get you to Joshua Tree National Park.  Bring water, lots of it.

In reply to eastsideTim :

When we hit the Neon Museum, we showed up just before sunset. Walked around with ambient light, then saw the place gradually light up as the light faded.

Meow Wolf is a fun experience as well. I'd recommend trying to hit it right when it opens so you're at the head of the pack, it's got a story that's revealed through problem solving/exploring and having people near the end of the journey as you're at the beginning would take away from that.

A vendor bought me some time at Speedvegas a few years back. It was kinda fun, I was able to get the Lambo dancing around a bit and got in trouble for being a little too aggressive in a Mercedes GT (seriously, the tower radioed the car and told me to knock it off). The track wasn't fantastic and I would have much preferred driving it in the daylight. At night, all the turns looked very much the same but they are not.

I went ahead and booked a few cars at the Las Vegas Speedway.

Ferrari 488

Cayman GT4 RS

Mercedes AMG GTR

My friend that does instruction for Extreme Experience thinks I'll like the Merc the best. He said the 488 is a pretty raw driving experience.

Doing that one afternoon while the better half will be working. So we are still looking at what to do those Mon-Wed evenings.

We are definitely going to spend an evening downtown for the Fremont experience and walk around some of the old school casinos.

All the new fancy stuff doesn't entice me like the old school stuff.

If you're in the market for a libation, Able Baker Brewing in the Arts District is worth visiting.  Probably the best brewery in town.  

Puddy46 said:

If you're in the market for a libation, Able Baker Brewing in the Arts District is worth visiting.  Probably the best brewery in town.  

That sounds good! Always up for a good beer. 

If you are going to Fremont, the Neon Museum is just around the corner. Like Keith said, arrive just before dark, lots of cool stuff there, the tour is worth the extra $ for the stories of each sign.

Food:  Definitely Capo's Speakeasy on Sahara.  Throwback to when mobsters didn't want to be seen, so the lights are so dim they give you little flashlights to read the menu.  Great Italian grub.  You'll find that making a reservation with an Italian last name actually helps.  I tried to get one with my German last name and they said they were booked.  My date (whose last name was Antolini) got a table for us no problem 30 seconds later.  Yama Sushi has an all-you-can-eat sushi.  You just pay something like $40 and they keep bringing platters of amazing sushi.  In and Out Burger.  No brainer.  Best burger joint on the planet.

Carroll Shelby museum and Hollywood car museum are both neat.

If you like nudey places, Vegas does it RIGHT.  Olympic Gardens and Sapphire are very classy places.  Cheetahs and Spearmint Rhino, not so much.  I used to enjoy them, but I'm getting too old to look at naked women who are young enough to be my daughter.

Freemont street experience is fun.

If you decide to gamble a few dollars, find the oldest Casino you can in Old Town.  Probably the Golden Nugget IIRC.  The slots will be looser.  Old Town is much cheaper real estate, and old casino means they've already made billions, unlike casinos on the strip which are torn down and rebuilt every 10 years so they can be the newest best thing.  Those 50' marble columns in Caesar's Palace?  You're paying for them, which means you'll lose more money gambling.

Just wanted to come back and thank everyone for all the suggestions. I got yet another eye infection a few days ago so haven't been on the internet for a few days. Developing an allergy to your animals after you've had them for a few years really sucks. 

The Ms and I are definitely going to have nail down the other stuff we want to do those evenings. Curtis thanks for the Italian place suggestion, she thinks that sounds really cool and so do I. 

We probably won't be able to do much in the evenings. She is working a trade booth for her company so she will be up at 5am and likely working until 5pm and maybe later. So I know she will be pretty zapped for energy, her RA really hits her hard when she has long days on her feet like that what she will be doing there.