Las Vegas Is Filled With Hidden Kitschy Wonders—Here’s a Local’s Guide to 11 Experiences You’ll Find Nowhere Else

Las Vegas is a city known for embracing the high and low. You can just as easily land in a $5,000 per night penthouse suite and munch on $2 hot dogs while tossing pennies in one of the city’s last remaining coin-operated casinos. Indulgence truly takes many forms in Sin City.

So when it comes to keeping visitors dazzled and delighted, Vegas pulls out every trick in the book—and a few outside the book, too. Wandering around the Strip, with its flashing marquee lights and sky-high fountain jets, it’s hard not to slip into a YOLO mindset. After all, there’s a reason Las Vegas is often called the “heart of American escapism.”

Here are some of the wackiest and most unmissable experiences that you can only find in Las Vegas. As they say, what happens here only happens here. So on your next trip to Las Vegas, don’t leave without trying one of these.

See a free circus show.

One of the longest-running casinos on the strip is also home to the world’s largest permanent circus. Carnival Midway’s cast of trapeze artists, aerialists, jugglers and clowns perform every hour on the half hour, starting at 1:30 p.m. (on weekends, the show kicks off at 11:30a.m.). The best part of the show? It’s free. Surrounding the stage are dozens of traditional fairground games (think balloon darts and ring toss) and over 200 arcade games. Once you’ve claimed your prize, head over to Adventuredome, a 5-acre indoor amusement park adjacent to the casino that’s home to two rollercoasters: Canyon Blaster and El Loco.

Get spanked after your meal.

There’s no false advertising at Heart Attack Grill. The whimsical diner on Fremont Street is designed with artery clogging in mind. As soon as you arrive, you’re outfitted in a hospital gown, and led to a table by a server dressed as a nurse. The comically succinct menu offers only burgers in various heights; choose from “single bypass” all the way up to “octuple bypass.” If you don’t finish your plate, your server-nurse reserves the right to publicly spank you. It’s all part of the fun, and cheers can be heard across the dining room as each victim is led up to receive their punishment.

Go singing in the rain … in a mall.

Vegas has a thing for ceilings painted like the sky. You can find them at both the Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes as well as Paris Las Vegas. Miracle Mile Shops, however, takes the illusion one step further. At the mall’s free Rain Show feature, water literally pours out of the ceiling as dramatic thunder rumbles. There’s lightning, images of dancing water spirits, and a footbridge that you can cross to get rained on. Not a bad way to cool off on those 110-degree days.

Feel your stomach drop on a coaster.

If you’re planning to ride the Big Apple Coaster—New York New York’s outdoor roller coaster—then definitely go at night. The line might be a little longer, but the views will be entirely worth it. As the ride climbs 76 feet, and then another 144 feet for the second drop (not to mention two loop-de-loops), you’ll watch the lit-up Vegas skyline do somersaults around you. The ride isn’t free ($25 per person) but don’t worry, you can probably make it all back in the casino after.

Teleport to Venice.

There’s something uncanny about cruising past replicas of the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s belltower inside an authentic Venetian gondola as the Nevada sun beats down. Talk about escapism! The ride, offered at the Venetian Resort, is admittedly on the short side, but the talented gondoliers, who serenade guests with classic Italian songs and arias, make it a memorable trip.

Find history in an unlikely place.

No one knows exactly why a chunk of the Berlin Wall is displayed inside a men’s restroom at Main Street Station. The historic casino, located across from Fremont Street Experience, is full of miscellaneous treasures and antiques, including a chandelier from Figaro Opera House in Paris, a giant brass boar from Nice, and a 1927 Pullman train car. Female-identifying guests can ask for a peek, too; just find a security guard to escort you in.

Be enchanted by a mermaid.

Already checked the Fountains of Bellagio off your list? Then it’s time for a different kind of water show. At Silverton Casino, you can see a live mermaid swim, twirl, and blow heart-shaped bubbles in a 117,000 gallon aquarium with hundreds of tropical fish, stingrays and sharks. The free show happens every half hour from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday (on Sunday, the show is 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m). If you feel like trying on the tail yourself, consider enrolling in mermaid school.

Tie the knot with Elvis.

There are dozens of wedding chapels scattered around Las Vegas, but few are as delightfully retro and photogenic as Sure Thing. The all-pink, by-appointment-only chapel is decked out with velvet drapes, a vintage photo booth, and an electric organ. Pay extra and you can be married by a female Elvis impersonator or enjoy a burlesque performance after your ceremony. Just remember to tip your dancer.

Take a spin at 1,100 feet.

If you’re looking for a luxe night out, you could do worse than Top of the World. The upscale menu features lobster tacos, Wagyu New York strip steak and specialty cocktails, but the real highlight is the view: the revolving restaurant sits on the 106th floor of Vegas’ highest freestanding structure, and if you time it right, you’ll be able to catch stunning views of the sun setting behind the mountains.

Hang out with real flamingoes.

Just past the Flamingo Las Vegas’ lobby, you’ll find an unlikely sanctuary for swans, pelicans, koi fish, turtles, and the hotel’s mascot: pink Chilean flamingos. The 4-acre wildlife habitat is free and open to the public from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and its waterfalls, ponds, and palm-shaded nooks make a welcome escape from the madness of the Strip.

Enjoy live music with a side of caviar.

If New York City’s Boom Boom Room and Dean & Deluca had a baby, it would surely result in Caspian’s, the new caviar bar located inside Caesars Palace. Crab caviar tacos, oyster and champagne pairings, and Golden Osetra are on the menu, but it’s the hidden live music venue that sets the place apart from other caviar joints in town. Show up any night from Tuesday to Saturday to rock out in an intimate, jewel-toned lounge. Caesar himself wouldn’t have it any other way.