Classic Americana: Vegas, Baby!

Climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, cruise the canals of Venice, scale the Pyramids, and spend the night in New York, New York. Only in Vegas, baby. While Las Vegas may pretend to be every other city in the world, none other quite compares. The first casino opened in 1941, and today the famous "Strip" hosts over 33 million visitors a year (and marries 100,000 of them).

Photo credit: Showgirls in Las Vegas (Digital Vision/Getty)

Top 3 Affordable Desert Escapes

You don't have to go to the Sahara to experience the desert. These sandy getaways, all accessible via major airports with regular flight deals from around the country, certainly don’t skimp on luxury. However, book a trip during the slow season (ie, the hottest summer months) and they can make for a surprisingly affordable vacation.

The Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix, Arizona
A desert oasis offering Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced architecture, spa and golf packages, and a full menu of activities from salsa dancing to lawn chess, this circa-1929 resort blends vintage charm with modern amenities. Kids will enjoy the comfort food at the hotel's delicious new Frank & Albert's restaurant.

Leaving Las Vegas: The Best of Nevada

Nevada's 111,000 square miles offer an array of attractions including hiking, biking, climbing, off-roading, water sports, air sports—and gambling, of course. Take a road trip across the state and check out the Valley of Fire State Park, Hoover Dam, the Armagosa Dunes, the Ruby Mountains, and Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. And with 360-degree desert and mountain scenery everywhere you look, the vista will feel anything but empty.

Photo credit: Nevada road (Photodisc/Getty)

Leaving Las Vegas: Burning Man

Burning Man—part carnival, part art event, part party, purely counter-culture—is an impossible-to-encapsulate event, which takes place annually (August 30 to September 6, in 2010) in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. Organizers describe the event as an "experiment in temporary community dedicated to radical self-expression and radical self-reliance." The free-flowing mayhem culminates in the immolation of a massive human figure, hence the name.

Photo credit: Black Rock Desert, Nevada (courtesy, Nevada Commission on Tourism)

Viva Las Vegas!

In a word, this city is all about excess—over-the-top gambling, shows, drinking, and architecture. Where else would you find hotels that replicate New York, Paris, and ancient Rome? Go ahead, get caught up in the craziness—just don't go so nuts that you end up using a drive-thru wedding chapel.

Photo credit: Las Vegas, Nevada (Photodisc/Getty)

Los Angeles Escapes: Death Valley National Park, Calffornia

Death Valley National Park, as its ominous name suggests, can be an unforgiving destination. But it is also a land of stark and primeval beauty—particularly in the winter and spring, when temperatures moderate and the desert blooms. With few places like it on earth, a visit to this National Park should be near the top of any serious off-roader's wish list.

Photo credit: Death Valley National Park (Photodisc/Getty/Jeremy Woodhouse)

Sandy Fun at Sand Mountain Recreation Area, Nevada

Off-roading and sandboarding reign supreme in northwestern Nevada's Sand Mountain Recreation Area, which offers 4,795 acres of dunes and 600-foot-high slopes for those who like to rip it up some. If speed just isn't your forte, then explore the historic 1860 Pony Express Station. Covered in sand for a century, it was rediscovered in 1976 and revitalized the following year.

Photo credit: Nevada: Sand Mountain Recreation Area

Las Vegas Highlights

Climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, cruise the canals of Venice, scale the Pyramids, and spend the night in New York, New York. Only in Vegas, baby. While Las Vegas may pretend to be every other city in the world, none other quite compares. The first casino opened in 1941, and today the famous "Strip" hosts over 33 million visitors a year (and marries 100,000 of them).

Photo credit: Las Vegas (Photodisc/Getty)