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One-armed bandits, beautiful desert terrain and free drinks (for gamblers, at least). Suspend your disbelief and enjoy the glitz.

Las Vegas demands the suspension of disbelief - the moment you start to take it seriously you miss the point. It's glitz for its own sake, over-the-top hustle and flash as means and end. It's crowds of people in polyester pantsuits, big hair and gold chains, staring at neon signs and spinning lemons like deer hypnotized by headlights. Not that Vegas doesn't have a serious side: billions are at stake on the craps and blackjack tables and in the battle of the theme parks - but you're given enough distractions to ignore it - until you lose. If you tire of pulling the handle on that one-armed bandit and drinking watered-down (albeit free) screwdrivers, the surrounding area has some of the region's most beautiful scenery.

The only natural feature to account for the location of Las Vegas is a spring north of downtown. Once used by Paiute Indians on their seasonal visits to the area, it was re-discovered by Mexican scout Rafael Rivera in 1829. The area became known to overland travelers as las vegas - 'the meadows' - a place with reliable water and feed for horses. Las Vegas became a regular stop on the southern emigrant route to California, the Spanish Trail. In the 1850s, Mormons built the town's first structures, a small mission and fort; the fort became a ranch house, but there was little development until 1902, when much of the land was sold to a railroad company. The area that is now downtown was subdivided when the tracks came through, with 1200 lots sold on 15 May 1905 alone - a date now celebrated as the city's birthday.

As a railroad town, Las Vegas had machine shops, an ice works and a good number of hotels, saloons and gambling houses. The railroad laid off hundreds in the mid 1920s, but one Depression-era development gave the city a new life. The huge Hoover Dam (then known as Boulder Dam) project commenced in 1931, providing jobs and growth in the short term and water and power for the city's long-term growth.

Also in 1931, Nevada legalized gambling and simplified its divorce laws, paving the way for first big casino on the Strip, El Rancho, which was built by Los Angeles developers and opened in 1941. The next wave of investors, also from out of town, were mobsters like Bugsy Siegel, who built the Flamingo in 1946 and set the tone for the new casinos - big and flashy, with lavish entertainment laid on to attract high rollers.

The glitter that brought in the high rollers also attracted smaller spenders, but in larger numbers. Southern California provided a growing market for Las Vegas entertainment, and improvements in transport made it accessible to the rest of the country. Thanks to air conditioning and reliable water supplies, Vegas became one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. In recent years, Vegas has bent over backwards to remake itself into a family resort destination, building theme parks inside its hotels. Hotels have outdone each other with working volcanoes, million-gallon fishtanks and miniature Manhattans. All of which - along with dozens of artificial lakes in the suburbs - has put a huge strain on the city's water supply, but it hasn't slowed the development juggernaut.

Events

It's hard to outdo the nonstop party that is Las Vegas, but the city does have a few annual events and festivals. Locals wear the green for the St Patrick's Day parade in March. It's chaps and chili during the Helldorado Days Rodeo & Western Festival in May and the National Finals Rodeo in December. October brings both the Jaycees State Fair and the Cashman Field PGA Invitational Golf Tournament.

When to Go

The summers are hot and the winters are cool, making spring and fall the best times to visit. The daily high averages around 100°F (38°C) from June to September, and around 55°F (13°C) from December to January; the rest of the year is temperate. It's pretty dry most of the time, but thunderstorms are most common in the summer (June to August) and can cause dangerous flash floods.

Activities

The rough-hewn areas around Las Vegas offer great hiking. Red Rock Canyon, about 20 miles (30km) west of the city, has multicolored sandstone scenery. Toiyabe National Forest, further west, features 12,000ft (3700m) Charleston Peak and trails that wind through pine forests and desert scrub. Camping is allowed.

For boating and water-skiing, smear on the sunscreen, slither into your wetsuit and head over to Lake Mead, about 30 miles (50km) east of Las Vegas. You can even scuba diving here. The lake's 500 miles (800km) of shoreline offer plenty of sunbathing spots.

Skiers can thrill to the downhill at the Lee Canyon Ski Area on Chesterson Peak in the Toiyabe National Forest, about 80 miles (130km) northwest of Las Vegas.

Getting There and Away

Las Vegas is served by McCarran International Airport, where travelers from other US cities and Canada and Europe have the best connections.

Amtrak's Desert Wind train runs daily between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Los Angeles via Las Vegas. Greyhound has bus service between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Phoenix, Arizona. Green Tortoise offers a low-budget, communal bus experience between Las Vegas and major cities on the West Coast.

One of the best ways to get to Las Vegas is by car. Highways traverse the desert and converge on Las Vegas from the major cities of the Southwest.

Other Attractions

Glitter Gulch
The Strip