LAS VEGAS OFFERS MUCH MORE THAN JUST GAMBLING- Whether you stay in town, among the lights, or venture to any of the surrounding outdoor recreation areas, there's plenty to keep you occupied.

In Las Vegas, the gambling never stops: Day and night, weekday, weekend; 4:00am on Christmas Day, the tables are open and free drinks are being served. But Las Vegas has much more to offer, and if gambling is not your style, or you get sick of it, here are a few other activities you can try.

Roller coasters-
The Las Vegas area is home to many roller coasters, including:

A roller coaster at the New York New York casino that begins inside, then runs outside, around the casino, then along the Las Vegas Strip, then turns riders upside down before bringing them back inside.

The World's Largest Indoor Roller Coaster, located INSIDE the Circus Circus casino.

The World's Highest Roller Coaster, located 950 feet above the ground on top of the Stratosphere Tower. A word of caution: The 1000' tall Stratosphere has not done well financially since it's construction, and in fact, the parking garage remains incomplete four years after the rest of the place was finished. The week the roller coaster opened, a piece fell off and sailed through an observation window. They shut it down, fixed it and said the kinks were worked out, but whenever I thought about riding the roller coaster, I would look at the unfinished parking garage, think of the money problems surrounding the place, and continue driving down the Strip to find amusement elsewhere.

The World's Tallest Roller Coaster, located about 25 miles south of Vegas at a casino in Primm, Nevada, at the state line. (NOTE: There may exist a taller roller coaster now. I know there's one called Superman, which I believe is in California, but it shoots riders out, then straight up a vertical incline, then backwards to it's starting point. This may not fit the strict definition of a roller coaster. There may be others that are taller too, but who really cares? If you want to ride it, go ahead and shut up about it already.)

Hoover Dam-
An engineering marvel built in the 1930's. The dam sits on the Nevada/Arizona border about 30 minutes east from Las Vegas. It's some 700 feet tall and about the same distance wide at the bottom. This is but one of the interesting facts you can learn by taking the tour. There are also four gigantic bypass tubes bored into the mountain that redirected the river during construction of the dam. They are still there and function as emergency overflow drainage tubes. You can see one from the road that runs along the top of the dam on the Arizona side, and it looks like a giant tube that leads to Hell itself. I think it's as mesmerizing as the dam.

Lake Mead-
When the Hoover Dam was complete, the Colorado River began turning itself into what is today known as Lake Mead. I have spent many 110° summer days with my friend Tony Harris and his wave runner flying all over that lake. It's especially cool to cruise around behind the dam and get a perspective few people get a chance to enjoy. If you don't have a boat, the lake is nice place to go swimming, especially on blistering hot days in the desert sun.

The Grand Canyon-
It's a little farther away from Vegas, about five hours, but on Easter Saturday 1996, me, my wife Lisa, her sister Laura, and Laura's boyfriend Justin, made it there and back in about twelve hours. That included a short run along the rim of the canyon, followed by a drink at a lodge.

Shows-
There is always something going on in the casinos. The list of performers who visit Las Vegas is endless. The last show I saw was comedian George Carlin at Bally's Hotel and Casino. I'm a big fan, and the show was awesome. Some of the regular Las Vegas shows include Sigfreid and Roy at The Mirage, magician Lance Burton at The Monte Carlo, and Mystere at Treasure Island. Call the casinos while you're there- every one of them has a show of some sort going on.

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