The Las Vegas Strip refers to a region of the South Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada. It is internationally known for the concentration of casinos and resort hotels found within the vicinity. The Strip is roughly 6.8 km or 4.2 miles long. It is situated south of the Las Vegas city limits within the unincorporated towns of Winchester and Paradise.

The majority of the Strip has earned the designation of an “All-American Road.” It is a very scenic route to travel once the sun goes down. Out of the world’s 25 largest hotels by room count, 15 are located on the Strip, with a combined amount of more than 62,000 rooms. Many of the largest resort, casino and hotel properties in the world are found here.

Dramatic architecture is one of the signature aspects of the Las Vegas cityscape. There are a variety of modern restaurants, hotels, high-rises and casinos flanking the Strip. It has established he city as being one of the most popular tourist destinations.

The Pair-O-Dice Club was the first casino to be built in 1931 on Highway 91. The first casino to be built on what is now considered to be the Strip was the El Ranch Vegas. It opened with 63 rooms on April 3, 1941. The casino was alive and well for almost 20 years before being demolished by a fire in 1960. The success of this hotel spawned a second hotel on what would turn into the Strip in the future. It was called Hotel Last Frontier in and was constructed in 1942.

New York’s Bugsy Siegel and other organized crime figures took interest in the growing gaming center; leading to other resorts such as the opening of the Flamingo in 1946 and the Desert Inn which opened in 1950. The funding for a variety to projects was given by the American National Insurance Company. This was based in Galveston, Texas, an empire notorious for gambling.

The majority of the shows and attractions on the strip are found on the hotel casino properties. Some of the more popular attractions that are free, internationally recognized and visible from the Strip include the volcano at The Mirage, the fountains at Bellagio, and the Fall of Atlantis and Festival Fountain at Caesars Palace.

Numerous Cirque du Soleil shows attract thousands of visitors including: Zumanity for ages 18 and older, held at New York-New York, Kà at the MGM Grand, Mystère at Treasure Island, and O at Bellagio. There is also the ever popular Criss Angel Believe at the Luxor. There is currently only one movie theatre that is found right on the Strip; the 10 screen Regal Showcase Theatre in the Showcase Mall. It is next to the MGM Grand which initially opened in 1997 and is operated by Regal Entertainment Group.