Holiday time in Las Vegas: Where to go and what to see
Yep, even Las Vegas gets into the holiday swing of things — despite its desert location. You can find snow (indoors) and colorful decorations everywhere you go.
Visitors between now and the end of the year will be treated to a variety of displays and activities that would even get Ebenezer Scrooge in a cheery spirit. Here are a some of the highlights:
Giving the amazing horticulturalists at the Bellagio a run for their money, the creative team at the Wynn Las Vegas has created not one, but five uniquely-themed holiday villages this year.
The winter wonderlands include 33 decorated trees and thousands of ivory and gold poinsettias. In one of the displays, elegant buildings and a steam train that circles them appear to have been crafted from gold. It’s free and open to the public.
While at the Wynn, consider learning how to make “edible ornaments” Dec. 17 starting at 2 p.m. Master pastry chef Patrice Caillot will lead a hands-on class, teaching participants how to make decorations that taste as good as they look — from gingerbread men to chocolate Christmas trees. Tickets are $49 per person. Info and reservations: (702) 770-7070.
The weather outside won’t be frightful, so consider some ice skating at the Holiday at the Park celebration at the new entertainment and retail district between the Monte Carlo and New York-New York. Carolers will sing holiday favorites while visitors warm up with some hot chocolate. Tickets are $15 per person. Info: (702) 693-7275.
It’s “All Aboard!” as trains covered in red and white roses leave the station en route to the North Pole from the Bellagio Conservatory.
With the flair visitors have come to expect over the years, the tunnels along the track are decorated with crushed walnuts and lined with candy canes. Nearby visitors will find a family of elves decorating the 42-foot-high white fir tree. Open daily around the clock. No charge.
The long-running Tournament of Kings dinner show at the Excalibur takes on a holiday theme this month with “Twas the Knight.” Merlin and the maidens will be attired in special costumes for the 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. shows. Tickets, which include a three-course meal, start at $55.95.
Planning to be on the Strip on Christmas Eve? Then consider indulging in an Italian dinner tradition — “Festa del Sette Pesci” or, in English, “Feast of the Seven Fishes” — at Giada at the Cromwell.
Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis has created a four-course meal that, in her native Italy, celebrates the coming of the Christ child.
The tasting menu includes her signature antipasti platter followed by two fish dishes and topped off with a choice of desserts. The dinner, also available on Christmas Day, costs $120 per person. Reservations: (702) 777-3799
Click here for a Spanish version of this story
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