It started with an invitation from my friend. She invited me to go to Las Vegas, Nevada with her to celebrate her 30th birthday! Since I loved the trip I took to Las Vegas last year, and I wanted to celebrate her birthday with her, I happily accepted the invitation. It was going to be a short but fun 3 day trip to Las Vegas.

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I flew out of Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday, May 19th around 9pm. I arrived in Las Vegas at 12:30am on Friday the 20th. My friend, and the other two friends she invited, arrived a bit earlier on Thursday. However, my trip would officially start later in the morning on Friday.

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Day 1: Friday Fun Day

This was my first full day in Las Vegas. Not going to lie, I was still very tired and jet lagged from my flight. Nonetheless, I managed to pull myself together to start the day!

• We started the day off with a little bit of gambling. I actually won a few bucks which never happens!
• We then went to chill out by the pool, with drinks of course, for a few hours.
• My friend and I left the other girls to grab Popeyes for lunch
• We all took a nap for about an hour (we were all very tired!)
• We pregamed (drank some alcohol prior to going out) for a bit before leaving our room
• At 10pm, we went to the Sahara Hotel to see Magic Mike!
• We walked around the Fremont Street Experience for a little bit after the show
• Around 1:30am, we called it a night and went back to the hotel

So, we had a pretty chill day for the most part until the evening. That’s when we started to hype up a bit, because we were excited to have our friend celebrate her pre-birthday. Even though Friday wasn’t her actual birthday, we wanted her to celebrate the day and have a great time.

Tip and Things To Know:

• A lot of the hotels have not only casinos but stores, restaurants, shops, and other food options. You literally don’t need to leave your accommodation to get what you need
• Drink lots of water if you’re out and about, or chilling by the pool. Vegas is HOT and you will be very dehydrated if you don’t drink water.
• Wear a lot of sunscreen as well!
• The drinking age in the USA is 21 years old. Make sure you’re of age and drink responsibly no matter if you’re going out or staying in.

Related Post: Honest Thoughts on Las Vegas

Day 2: A Walk In The Sun

Saturday was all about walking the Vegas strip and exploring the multiple hotels, casinos, and shops. This is a must when you’re in Las Vegas! There’s so much going on on the strip, it’s hard to know where to start. But here is what my friend and I did while the other girls relaxed by the pool in the morning:

• Walked along the strip to go eat breakfast at a restaurant – had to wait about 20 minutes.
• My friend had to get a COVID test for her upcoming cruise, so we did that
• We took an Uber back to MGM and explored the floor – these hotels are HUGE with lots of different things in them. It’s pretty cool and impressive.
• Walked to New York New York, Caesar’s Palace, and other hotels and casinos
• Walked around shops like the Grand Canal Shops which were inside the hotels
• My friend and I had dinner at Maggino’s for her actual birthday. We had a lovely time

Unfortunately, we really didn’t hang out with the other girls for most of the trip. They were busy doing their own thing. Regardless, I was there for my friend and we celebrated her birthday together!

Tip and Things To Know:

• Wear comfy shoes – you’ll be walking around A LOT when you’re exploring the strip
• Wear comfy, light, and breathable clothing
• WEAR SUNSCREEN
• You can use the bathrooms in any casino and they’re usually pretty clean
• You can gamble at any casino without issues
• Just spend an hour or two exploring the hotels – they’re packed with not only casinos but shops, stores, restaurants, cafes, even high end stores. It’s really cool to see.
• Make sure you have water on hand – it’s HOT

Related Post: Top Tips for Visiting Las Vegas

Day 3: Solo Mini Day Trip

Today was the day everyone left early to head back to Philly. I, on the other hand, had a flight out of Vegas at 11pm, so I had the whole day ahead of me. The day before, I decided to do a full or half day tour of some description to pass the time. I ended up going with a 3 hour day trip to The Hoover Dam (which I’ve already been to) and The Seven Magic Mountains! The tour went like this:

• Hotel pickup at 11am (along with other pickup spots).
• We drove about 30 minutes from the strip to The Seven Magic Mountains – a collection of colored, vertical rocks out in the middle of the desert.
• Then, we went to The Hoover Dam – spent about 20 minutes on the bridge
• Drove to the Arizona border and looked at the dam from behind – loved the views!
• Went to Hemenway Valley Park to see the black goats which roam the area

After we were dropped off at our respective hotels around 3pm, I still had about 5 hours to spare until I had to leave for the airport. Ultimately, I decided to stay close to Treasure Island because I knew where the Uber pickup spot was. So, what did I do for the remainder of the day? Well, this is what I did:

• Had a lovely solo dinner at Maggiano’s
• Walked throughout the Fashion Show Mall, which is right next to Treasure Island
• Walked to the Wynn Hotel to walk around their casino and shopping area

Afterwards, I got an Uber to the airport. I was full from dinner, tired from walking in the heat, and I was ready to head home. I got to the airport and made it to my flight without any issues.

Tip and Things To Know:

• There are designated Uber/Lyft pickup spots at the hotels – they’re usually not in front of the hotels on the strip but on the sides, in the back, or in parking garages. So, be sure you know ahead of time where the pickup spot is before getting an Uber. Sometimes, you’ll spend 10+ minutes walking across the hotel just to get to the area.
• the shopping malls have multiple floors – I’m talking like two to three more floors. Pace yourself and allow some extra time for wandering around
• If you have TSA Pre-Check – know that if you take late evening flights (like I did) or very early morning flights, the pre-check line will most likely be closed. So, be prepared to go through security on the regular lines.

That’s pretty much it for my little weekend in Las Vegas for my friend’s 30th birthday party! My friend said she enjoyed her time and birthday, despite not everyone really being together for most of the trip. But there’s always her birthday next year, or just anytime really.