Grucci fireworks show at Station Casinos

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Thought the New Year's Eve fireworks were lackluster?

Station Casinos (of all places) may make up for it this Independence Day.

Stations has hired Grucci (which has done the past few Las Vegas Strip New Year's shows) to launch simultaneously with choreographed music at nine Station casinos -- Red Rock, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Boulder Station, neighboring Texas Station/Fiesta Rancho, Fiesta Henderson, Aliante Station, Santa Fe Station, and Sunset Station.

The fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m.

Grucci says the nine-minute "Stations' 4th of July Blast" will be the largest fireworks event in history.

No word on whether the fireworks will be from the ground (like this past New Year's fizzlement) or the rooftops, but traditionally Las Vegas isn't big on fireworks for July 4th, so we will be first in line to our local Station Casino this weekend.

Free Palms weekend for locals

Attention Las Vegas citizens!

This weekend, you can celebrate your freedom by gaining free entry to the Palms Pool during the day, then cool off at the Rain nightclub.

Just be 21 or over and show your Nevada I.D. to gain entry to:

7/3 noon: Ditch Fridays (at the Palms Pool) with DJ AM and opening set Scotty Boy
7/3 10 p.m.: DJ AM Fridays (at Rain)

7/4 noon: Back Yard BBQ (at the Palms Pool) with DJ Stonerokk
7/4 10 p.m.: Perfecto and KASKADE (at Rain)

Historic WSOP Poker Table for Sale

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Want to own a piece of poker history? How about the main event TV table used when Greg Raymer won in 2004, Joe Hachem in 2005, and Jamie Gold in 2006? That's right, the very table where many of poker's elite traded chips in their quest to become a part of poker history.

Check out the auction on eBay for this historic poker table. According to the auction details you'll receive a table cover signed by Jamie Gold when he took down the record $12 million purse in 2006 for a WSOP Main Event.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

WSOP History for Sale

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Want to own a piece of poker history? How about the main event TV table used when Greg Raymer won in 2004, Joe Hachem in 2005, and Jamie Gold in 2006? That's right, the very table where many of poker's elite traded chips in their quest to become a part of poker history.

Check out the auction on eBay for this historic poker table. According to the auction details you'll receive a table cover signed by Jamie Gold when he took down the record $12 million purse in 2006 for a WSOP Main Event.

Got Teens? Vegas Thrill Rides Best Bet

Vegas’ dirty little secret is that during its “family friendly” heyday, about 10 percent of visitors were under 21 (no stats are broken down for those under age 21).  Now that it has reverted to its Sin City image about 10 percent of its visitors are under the age of 21, although the recession did show a drop in underage visitors for 2008.  The fact is that Vegas casinos never solicited families, but were responding to guests desire for something to do for families that wanted to travel with their kids.  Vegas is also full of young families, many of whom came to the town as singles, found work and got married – just like people in other cities.  Hmmm…

Kids are neither safe nor welcome to wander around casinos unsupervised (and never allowed on the casino floor).  Many of the larger resorts are as big as a town and if you wouldn’t send their kids out to the streets of New York or Boston to explore on their own, then you shouldn’t let them run loose in a casino.  But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t great things for kids to do while here.  Kids actually like many of the same things grownups like – at least mine do.  They love great food, great swimming pools, games and entertaining shows.  Vegas is most fun for families with teens, as the large scale and noise of many casinos tires littler ones quickly.  Teens love the thrill rides and arcades up and down the Strip.

Stratosphere has three of the world’s highest rides located 100 stories above the ground: Xscream (which teeters riders over the edge of the tower 900 feet above the ground), the Big Shot - a thrill ride that shoots fun-lovers 50 meters into the air at a force of 4G’s before letting them free-fall back to the launching pad - and Insanity, an appropriately named, dizzying spinning ride that dangles passengers over the edge of the tower before whirling them around at speeds approaching 40 miles per hour.

America’s largest indoor theme park, the Adventuredome at Circus Circus, offers 21 rides and attractions.

Speed - The Ride at the Sahara takes passengers around a roller coaster loop and up a 224-foot climb at speeds topping 70 mph and then retraces the same path…in reverse.

The Roller Coaster at New York-New York Hotel & Casino is an exciting roller coaster with twists, loops and dives around the resort. It features the first-ever heart line roll, which provides a sensation similar to that felt by a pilot during a barrel roll in an airplane.

The Desperado, one of the world’s tallest and fastest roller coasters, is located near the California/Nevada border just 30 minutes from Las Vegas at Buffalo Bill’s in Primm, Nevada. The ride begins with an initial lift height of 209 feet and a breathtaking 225-foot drop.

Dinner in the Sky puts 22 people plus five staff in “sky car” platform 180 feet above the Las Vegas Strip where they dine on fillet mignon or chicken.

Pole Position Raceway offers guests 48-inches and above (who can a able to safely operate an indoor kart) the chance to drive (or ride in) a full-size, 600 HP race car for six laps around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway at top speeds of 145 mph.

Vegas Indoor Skydiving gives the feeling of sky diving without jumping out of a plane.

Bootleg Canyon Flightlines let guests “fly” 1000 feet above Bootleg Canyon.

Dive with Sharks through the Shark Reef Aquarium.  Dive-certified hotel guests of Mandalay Bay and THEhotel who are 18-years and older can dive side-by-side with dive guides and more than 30 sharks, including sandtiger, white tip and sandbar sharks, in a 1.3-million-gallon exhibit.

Richard Petty Driving Experience Ride-Along With Transportation And Tour invites those at least 16 years old (14 years for some tracks) to drive or ride along with race cars.  To participate in the Driving and Ride-Along Experiences you must have the ability 1) to climb through a 15″ high by 30″ wide window that sits 36″ from the ground 2) wear a driving suit: sizes S - 3X.

Photo courtesy of MGM Mirage.

The Palazzo

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The Palazzo

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The Venetian

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The Venetian [Flickr]

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Cosmopolitan

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