While attendees of Emergency Nursing 2024 in Las Vegas will have plenty of education sessions and social events to keep them busy from Sept. 4-7, they’ll also have a chance to sample the town’s legendary restaurants, entertaining shows and other fun activities on and off the Las Vegas Strip.
The Las Vegas Strip is filled with restaurants, shows and other fun activities to keep Emergency Nursing 2024 attendees entertained during their free time.
Nevada State ENA Council Treasurer Jodie Lane, ED, MSN, RN, a clinical educator for emergency services with Valley Health System in Las Vegas, recommends several of her favorite Las Vegas dining spots, starting with Oscar’s Steakhouse at the Plaza Hotel & Casino, located under a glass dome and featuring a classic Vegas, mobster-themed ambiance.
She also likes the Golden Steer, a swanky 65-year-old steakhouse with a Rat Pack vibe, and Pampas Las Vegas, a Brazilian churrascaria restaurant in the Miracle Mile Shops.
For an entirely different gastronomical and sensory experience, Lane recommends BLACKOUT Dining in the Dark, where customers eat their meals in total darkness, relying on their sense of smell and taste to discover what they’re eating.
“It’s pitch black, and so, they guide you how to eat,” she said. “It’s really kind of an unusual thing to do. And the food is very good.”
For those arriving in Las Vegas early to take advantage of the long Labor Day Weekend or tacking on a few extra days to stay in Vegas after the conference, consider attending one of the city’s renowned concerts and shows. Songstress Christina Aguilera will perform at Voltaire in The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on Aug. 30 and Aug. 31. Nearby The Venetian is Sphere, the new $2.3 billion, 18,600-seat auditorium, which hosts concerts and features a wraparound, immersive LED screen. Showing at Sphere throughout the conference is “Postcard from Earth,” an immersive, multisensory film billed as “a sci-fi journey deep into our future as our descendants reflect on our shared home.”
Red Rock Canyon offers a calm respite away from the hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas Strip.
Las Vegas also has magicians, like Penn & Teller, Criss Angel and David Copperfield; comedians, including Carrot Top, Eddie Griffin and Jimmy Kimmel; musical revues, such as Frankly Frank, Soul of Motown and Jersey Boys; and high-flying acrobatic shows like Cirque du Soleil.
For those who want to step away from the glitz and excitement of the Strip, Lane recommends checking out the city’s natural wonders, such as Red Rock Canyon and Mount Charleston, where she notes the temperature is usually about 30 degrees cooler than downtown Las Vegas. “The helicopter tour out to the Grand Canyon is really fun, too,” she said.
If it’s quirky or historic museums attendees want, Lane suggests the Mob Museum, also known as the National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement, and the Atomic Museum, a national science, history and educational institution affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.
Host to concerts and shows, the Sphere is a cutting-edge music and entertainment arena known for its wraparound LED screen, immersive audio and video, and 4D physical effects.
Other offbeat museums include the Neon Museum, which boasts some of the city’s most iconic neon signs; Pinball Hall of Fame; and the Hollywood Cars Museum, which features classic film and TV vehicles like the DeLorean from “Back to the Future.”
In that same vein, Lane says UFO enthusiasts should check out the Area 51 tour, which visits locations of reported extraterrestrial sightings and the Area 51 military base. But don’t confuse Area 51 with AREA15, an immersive entertainment district minutes from the strip that features rides, entertainment, food and fun drinks.
However conference attendees choose to spend their free time at Emergency Nursing 2024, the Las Vegas area is waiting with an abundance of options for food and entertainment activities that they’re up for.