Mandalay Bay Resort

The Mandalay Bay Resort towers at the southern end of The Strip, its golden glass buildings shining gloriously in the sun. Below, a tropical paradise awaits, with statues, fountains, and lush plants. A "beach" with wave generator and lazy rivers that you can float along is available for guests only, and is very crowded in the summer, but great during the rest of the year.

The main attraction at the Mandalay Bay Resort is its incredible aquarium. It is not free, but it's well worth the $16! Here, you can see a magical jellyfish exhibit, a shark exhibit in a pirate ship, rare golden crocodiles, Amazon creatures such as monkey fish and red-tailed catfish, and piranhas. You travel through a glass tunnel and all around you are tropical fish and colorful sea creatures. Kids love this! At a touchpool, you can reach in and feel the rays, sharks, and crabs! You can also see eels, puffer fish, and sand tiger sharks. The whole aquarium is themed as if it were an ancient city sinking into the sea. Included with your admission to Shark Reef, is an interactive exhibit called Polar Journey where you can teach robot penguins and see a simulated ice flow.
Take a fun ride on the sleek, black monorail to Luxor Resort and stand below the massive sphinx, taking in its huge size. Ride the slanted elevators inside the corners of the pyramid. Check out King Tut's tomb, just like the real one in Egypt! And ride a virtual reality ride in the arcade area. At night, see the amazing laser light that shoots out the top of the pyramid.
Or, take the monorail to Excalibur Resort and check out the amazing stained glass, swords, and shields, in this medieval-themed resort.
When you're in Las Vegas you're only 3-4 hours from Death Valley, one of the weirdest places on earth! With just a stay of one night you can see a lot in Death Valley.

Directions

Located at 3950 Las Vegas Blvd South and Hacienda Ave, Las Vegas NV 89109, call (702) 632-7777. For Shark Reef aquarium call (702) 632-4555.
This is the most southern hotel on The Strip.
You can park for free in the hotel parking for the first hour. Parking is $7 for 1-2 hours, $10 for 2-4 hours, and $12 for 4-24 hours.
The aquarium, which is called Shark Reef, is open from 10-8 Sun-Thurs, and 10-10 on Friday and Saturday. There are occasional early closures- check their website.
Admission costs $25 for adults, $23 for seniors, and $19 for children aged 4-12. Nevada residents pay $2-3 less. It is well worth the money!

Click on map for interactive view