Vegas Baby — 10 Things to See in Las Vegas — From a Hoosier’s Perspective

After spending a whole lot of time in this city, seeing more shows than I can reasonably count, wandering through casinos, finding cheap tickets, getting mysteriously upgraded into much better seats, and learning that Las Vegas is so much more than gambling, I have some opinions. Actually a lot of them to share here in the HE.

Strong ones. See if you are coming from Indiana, you probably already know about the Bellagio fountains. You know there is a giant Sphere. You know there are casinos.

I wanted to make a different list.

These are the experiences I would actually tell another Hoosier to put on their Vegas itinerary. Some are huge productions. Some are intimate. Some are nostalgic. Some are weird. One is absolutely for a ladies’ night out.

But every one of them shows you a different side of Las Vegas.

1. (Gary Indiana's Own) MJ Live at Harrah’s

If there is one thing Las Vegas knows how to do, it is a tribute show.

But MJ Live at Harrah’s is not a performer standing onstage singing a few Michael Jackson songs. It is a full concert experience built around the music, dancing and energy that made Michael Jackson one of the most recognizable performers in the world.

The show runs through the hits, the choreography and the moments that make you realize just how many Michael Jackson songs you know by heart.

This is one of my easiest recommendations for Hoosiers because it works for so many different kinds of Vegas visitors. You do not have to be a theater person. You do not have to understand magic. You do not have to be ready for anything particularly strange.

You just have to be ready to have fun.

And in a city where ticket prices can climb quickly, a good tribute show can be one of the best ways to get a full Vegas night without spending the kind of money you might expect.

My Hoosier verdict: Go if you want a high-energy Vegas show built around music you already know.

2. Mad Apple by Cirque du Soleil at New York-New York

Cirque du Soleil

If you have never seen a Cirque du Soleil production, you should see at least one while you are in Las Vegas.

My pick for this list is Mad Apple at New York-New York.

The show mixes acrobatics, comedy, music and the feeling of New York nightlife into one production. It is less “sit quietly and admire the artistry” and more “welcome to the party.”

That makes it a particularly good Cirque choice for someone who thinks they might not be a Cirque person.

The entire experience feels big, loud and unmistakably Vegas. You get the technical skill and spectacle Cirque du Soleil is known for, but with more comedy and a looser, nightlife-inspired energy.

For a Hoosier coming to Las Vegas and wanting to see the kind of production that simply does not exist back home every night of the week, this is it.

My Hoosier verdict: See a Cirque show in Vegas at least once. Make this one a serious contender.

3. Thunder From Down Under at Excalibur

Ladies, I am speaking directly to you now.

If you are coming to Las Vegas for a birthday, divorce celebration, bachelorette party, girls’ trip or simply because you survived another Indiana winter, go to Thunder From Down Under.

Yes, it is a male revue.

No, that does not fully explain the experience.

Thunder From Down Under is funny, energetic and built around the audience having a good time. What stood out to me was how much the show feels like a celebration rather than something uncomfortable or overly serious.

Vegas is one of the few places where you can put on an outfit you would never wear to Kroger, grab your friends and spend the evening screaming at Australian men.

Take advantage of that.

I have seen a lot of shows in Las Vegas, and this is one of the easiest recommendations I can make for a true ladies’ night out.

My Hoosier verdict: Leave the husband at the casino. Take the girls.

4. Colin Cloud at Harrah’s

Las Vegas has no shortage of magicians.

I have seen a lot of them.

Colin Cloud is different.

His show is built around mind-reading, deduction and psychological illusion.

He has the stage presence of someone who seems to know what you are thinking before you do, and the intimate setting makes the experience even better.

I had already seen Colin Cloud before returning to his show again, which should tell you something. In a city with hundreds of entertainment options, I do not take repeat-show status lightly.

The best part is the feeling that the show could go differently every night because the audience is so deeply involved in what happens.

You will leave trying to figure out how he did it.

You will probably fail.

My Hoosier verdict: One of my favorite choices for people who want something smarter and more intimate than a giant Vegas spectacle.

5. Donny Osmond at Harrah’s

Hear me out.

Even if you do not think of yourself as a Donny Osmond fan, this show may surprise you.

Las Vegas has a long history of residency performers, and Donny Osmond represents something I think every visitor should experience: a polished entertainer who knows exactly how to command a Vegas stage.

There is music, nostalgia, storytelling and decades of show-business experience packed into one evening.

This is also the kind of show that works particularly well for a multigenerational trip. If you are bringing your mom, aunt, grandmother or anyone who remembers the Osmonds, this one is an easy choice.

And if you are younger?

You may walk out understanding why Donny has managed to stay onstage for this long.

My Hoosier verdict: Do not underestimate Donny Osmond.

6. Museum of Illusions

You cannot spend every minute of a Vegas trip sitting inside a theater.

Well, technically, I probably could.

But most people should take a break.

The Museum of Illusions is a good daytime option, especially if you are traveling with family, friends or someone who wants photos from the trip that are a little more interesting than standing in front of a slot machine.

The exhibits play with perspective, perception and your sense of what is real. It is interactive, visual and easy to work into a day when you want something entertaining without committing to another full evening production.

Vegas can become overwhelming quickly. The casinos are huge. The Strip is loud. Everything is competing for your attention.

This is a different kind of stop.

My Hoosier verdict: A fun daytime break between the bigger Vegas experiences.

7. See a Play at The Smith Center

This might be the most important recommendation on my list.

Get off the Strip.

Las Vegas is a real city. People live here. People make art here. And one of the biggest mistakes tourists make is never seeing anything beyond the casino corridor.

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts gives you a completely different version of Vegas.

See a play. See a musical. See whatever is onstage while you are in town.

There is something special about leaving behind the flashing lights of the Strip and spending an evening in a traditional performing arts venue. It reminds you that Las Vegas entertainment is not limited to magicians, tribute artists and casino residencies.

For Hoosiers who love the theater scene back home, this is your reminder to see what Vegas artists and touring productions are doing, too.

My Hoosier verdict: The Strip is not the whole city. Do not treat it like it is.

8. New Kids on the Block at Park MGM

I paid $8.

Let me say that again.

Eight dollars.

My original seat was so high up that I was practically touching the ceiling. I looked at it and thought, “I cannot do this.”

Somehow, in the way that only seems to happen to me in Las Vegas, I ended up on the floor.

And that is part of what I love about this city.

New Kids on the Block at Park MGM was pure nostalgia, ridiculous fun and one of those nights that reminded me you do not always have to spend hundreds of dollars to have a great Vegas experience.

The lesson here is bigger than one concert: check who is performing while you are in town. Vegas residencies and concerts change constantly, and sometimes the best night of your trip will be something you did not originally plan.

9. MIND2MIND at Fontainebleau

One of the newest experiences on my list is MIND2MIND at Fontainebleau.

The mentalist duo brings a more intimate kind of mind-reading experience to one of the Strip’s newest luxury resorts.

What I like about adding this to the list is the contrast.

Vegas can do enormous arenas and productions with hundreds of people involved. But sometimes the most interesting entertainment happens in a smaller room, where you are close enough to the performers to become part of the experience.

MIND2MIND gives visitors a reason to explore Fontainebleau while seeing a style of performance that Las Vegas does particularly well: making you question what should and should not be possible.

My Hoosier verdict: Go when you want your Vegas night to feel intimate, mysterious and a little impossible.

10. Eternal Whitney: The Stage Biography at Ahern Hotel

I am ending this list with another tribute — but a very different kind of one.

Eternal Whitney: The Stage Biography at Ahern Hotel celebrates Whitney Houston through live performance, music and the story behind the woman whose voice became one of the most recognizable in the world.

This is not about recreating a giant arena concert. It is about spending an evening with songs that many of us have known for most of our lives.

There is something particularly fitting about ending a Vegas list this way.

Las Vegas is a city built on reinvention, memory, spectacle and music. Tribute shows are part of its DNA. At their best, they do more than imitate someone famous.

They remind us why we loved the music in the first place.

My Hoosier verdict: Go for the voice. Stay for the story.

The Vegas I Would Show Another Hoosier

This is not a list of the 10 biggest attractions in Las Vegas.

It is not supposed to be.

It is the Vegas I would show another Hoosier.

It is an $8 concert ticket that somehow turns into a floor seat. It is screaming with your girlfriends at Excalibur. It is sitting in a small room wondering how a mentalist could possibly know what you were thinking. It is seeing a Cirque du Soleil performer fly through the air and remembering that human beings can do extraordinary things.

It is also leaving the Strip for a night at The Smith Center.

Las Vegas is often sold as a city of casinos, expensive dinners and bad decisions.

I have found something else here.

I have found a city overflowing with performers.

Some of them have been famous for decades. Some are keeping the music of legends alive. Some are hanging from ceilings. Some are reading minds. Some are making audiences laugh.

And if you come here from Indiana, my biggest piece of advice is simple:

Do not just come to Vegas to gamble.

Come to see something.

Actually, come to see 10 things.