13 Las Vegas Attractions 

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• Cirque du Soleil

You may think you’ve got Las Vegas covered, right down to your favorite place to stay, the hottest club and even that lucky blackjack table. But Vegas is ever-changing, always coming up with great things that you didn’t even know you wanted to do. Here are 13 (hopefully lucky) Vegas activities for summer 2013.

1. Dig This (DigThisVegas.com): If you loved playing in the sandbox as a kid, Vegas offers the “adult” version. At this large lot, you can move dirt and stack gigantic tires using real construction cranes and bulldozers. By the end of the session, you’ll feel like you can move mountains—which is actually what you just learned to do. Sessions start at $249.

2. Hofbräuhaus (HofbrauhausLasVegas.com): Slap on the lederhosen and visit a re-creation of the iconic Munich beer hall where it’s Oktoberfest every night. Bands are imported directly from Germany and Austria, Hofbräu brand beer flows, and the menu is loaded with traditional favorites like bratwurst, schnitzel and giant pretzels.

3. Mob Attraction (MobAttraction.com): The mafia ran Sin City in the mid-20th century, and Mob Attraction lets you learn about how some of the era’s most “colorful” characters rose to power. Interact with live actors in a Prohibition-era adventure where you’re recruited to make a delivery to a mafia don, then have to explain yourself to the cop on the beat. Tickets are $18-$33.

4. Zarkana (CirqueDuSoleil.com): Cirque du Soleil, which changed the Vegas entertainment landscape when it opened Mystère in 1993, blows your mind once more with Zarkana, a rock opera that marks a return to Cirque’s acrobatic roots. Tickets start at $69, and the show will be at the Aria Resort & Casino (3730 Las Vegas Blvd., 866-3597757, AriaLasVegas.com). If you don’t make it to Vegas, catch acrobats from Zarkana performing July 4, at Provo’s Stadium of Fire (FreedomFestival.org).

5. Score! Interactive Sports Exhibit (ScoreLV.com): Become the sports superstar you’ve always dreamed of being as you sign a multimillion-dollar contract with your favorite team. Try a series of challenges, from finding out how fast you can change a NASCAR tire to throwing a fastball. Between stations, visitors will find tons of memorabilia highlighting the greats, from boxing to basketball. Tickets start at $28.

6. Flightlinez Bootleg Canyon (FlightlinezBootleg.com): The folks at Flightlinez have been the experts for years at sending people zipping over Fremont Street in the downtown area. Now they’ve expanded to Bootleg Canyon, where you can admire nature by day as you zip along on a 1.5-mile course that hits speeds of over 60 mph. Rides start at $159.

7. Warhol Out West (Bellagio.com): Andy Warhol famously predicted, “In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” He didn’t foresee that the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art would one day house 60 of his works. The exhibition runs through Oct. 27, and yes, there are soup cans. Tickets are $11-$16.

8. Fat Bar (FatBarLasVegas.com): Half the fun of walking The Strip at night is being able to carry whatever beverage you want in an open container; the other half is the people-watching. You can have the beverage and watch the people at this sidewalk-adjacent open-air bar on The Strip. There’s a Fat Burger menu to go along with a full bar and, of course, a light show as far as the eye can see.

9. Guns & Ammo Garage (GunsAndAmmoGarage.com): Up until a couple of years ago, there was only one gun range in Las Vegas—now there are several. Guns & Ammo Garage is a good option for the first-timer who wants to experience what it feels like to shoot an UZI at your very own zombie target. Packages start at $99.95 for adults.

10. Sapphire Pool & Day Club (SapphirePoolLV.com): Combining a long-standing Vegas tradition (the strip club) with the hottest trend in town (the day-time pool club), the pool party runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays; there’s even a free limo pickup, because we know where the rest of your cash is going.

11. Blue Man Group (BlueMan.com): These longtime Strip fixtures still have crazy musical instruments, lots of drums and splattering paint, but the stage is now at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino (3770 Las Vegas Blvd.), where the trio have a few new tricks up their black turtleneck sleeves in a show that’s even more interactive and all-ages friendly. Tickets start at $59.

12. Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp (RockCamp.com): Itching to get the band back together, or dreaming of jamming with your favorite ax-men of all time? You can do either just off the Strip at Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp, which features 12 studios. The “Rock Star for a Day” experience starts at $299.

13. SlotZilla (VegasExperience.com): Scheduled to open in June, this 11-story platform, shaped like a giant slot machine, is the launching point for a 1,700-foot zip-line ride under the Fremont Street canopy. It’s impossibly huge, all lit up, provides thrills, comes with a sense of danger and it’s something you don’t need to do, but now that you’ve found out about it, you can’t help but want to try it. You can’t get any more Vegas than that.

The Travel Tramps blog at CityWeekly.net and host the The Travel Brigade Show podcast.

Twitter: @travelbrigade