The Top 5 Most Awesome Dumb Things to Do in Vegas

Yes, you know that Vegas is a place to let loose and be crazy, and all that. But when people throw around that phrase “only in Vegas,” just what are they talking about? What are the really out-there things you can do in Las Vegas that you can’t do at home? We’re not talking about drinking on the sidewalk, shooting Uzis, zip-lining over Fremont Street, driving a fancy race car, skydiving, or even hanging out with the Downtown llamas (yes, those are all things). We’re talking about the stuff you’d have to say is either really amazing or really, really dumb. Yeah, that’s what you want to be doing—because Vegas.

Dive With Sharks at Mandalay Bay

Yes, there are other aquariums where you can get your hands on baby sharks and jellyfish. Yes, there are spots in the ocean where you can be dropped in a shark-proof cage to see the deadly animals in action. But is there anywhere else you can dive with sandbar, sand tiger, white tip reef, and about 30 other shark species? Nowhere we know. The experience—for certified divers only—includes a video and admission for up to four friends to watch. Because bragging is so much better when someone else is doing it for you.

Vegas Lockdown Escape Rooms

Who volunteers to be locked up when you could be out and about in Sin City? You might, if you’re into this new thing that’s been blowing up in a few places (Vegas maybe more than anywhere), where you and your friends get locked in together and have to solve your way out. There are several “escape room” experiences that have opened in Las Vegas in the past year or so, but Countdown seems to be a fan favorite, with a Sherlock room offering a spin on the problem-solving classic sleuth, an Atelophobia horror experience, and something called Project Poseidon that looks very alien-creepy (hopefully no probes). The success rates on these hour-long experiences aren’t that high, so you know they are challenging.

Jump off the Stratosphere

Look, you’ve probably heard about this for years, and you can see the tower right from the airport (and everywhere else in town), but let’s be honest—on the dumb–awesome scale, this never gets old: 109 stories up in the air, you can actually go on rides that “catapult” you off the side of the building, spin you around 64 feet off the edge, or yeah, make you jump off of it (on a guided line). We don’t care how jaded you are, this is all still pretty nuts.

Pilot a Fighter Jet

There are a ton of different ways to get up in the air around Vegas, from helicopter tours to the Airline Captain for a Day simulator. But if altitude and adrenaline are what you seek, it’s hard to beat Sky Combat Ace, a company that literally puts you in the pilot’s seat (with a trained professional behind you), in one of those crazy Top Gun stunt fliers. Several packages are available, from mellow sightseeing to a total dogfight. Tell us again about how you hired a stripper for your bachelor party. Yawn.

Own the Construction Zone

You know those medications that warn you not to “operate heavy machinery”? You’ll want to avoid those before hitting Dig This, a concept that appeals to the inner four-year-old boy in all of us (yes, all of us), giving you a chance to drive serious earth-moving machines without getting arrested. Dig trenches, build mounds, stack huge tires, even play basketball with an excavator. Sure, for some this might fall closer to “dumb” than “awesome,” but maybe those are the people who just don’t get it.