Las Vegas 2021: What to Expect
Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we’re in Las Vegas, Nevada; one of the most popular travel destinations in the United States. Things are a bit different this year with the pandemic, so we wanted to share some travel tips and insights about visiting Vegas during the pandemic. People are starting to travel again, and Vegas is slowly making a COVID comeback. Some things haven’t changed, but others have, so let’s see what Vegas is like this year!
Mask Requirements
The biggest change in Las Vegas is the mask requirement. You can’t go indoors to any establishment without wearing a mask. This includes casinos and restaurants. Make sure you always have a mask (or two) with you in Vegas so you won’t be turned away from any establishments. Since it’s hard to socially distance on the Strip, even outdoors, I recommend keeping your mask on all the time unless you are heading out of town into the nearby recreation areas to hike.
Hand Sanitizer
Since we travel with kids, we’ve always carried hand sanitizer, but now it’s essential. I always have a little bottle in my pocket. I recommend also bringing a small spray bottle of hand sanitizer; if you’re gambling, you can use this to spray the buttons on the machine. If you forget yours, there are hand sanitizer dispensers everywhere, so don’t worry too much about it. I have also started carrying some hand lotion because the hand sanitizer really dries out your skin.
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Cleanliness in Vegas
I have never seen Vegas this clean before. The restaurants, stores, and casinos are all sparkling. Even the streets seem cleaner! The hotels are doing a great job employing people to ensure constant cleanliness; you’ll notice a lot more people cleaning in the common areas. Regardless, we still come prepared to clean our own spaces, just in case. We always carry disinfecting wipes and wipe down tables before we eat. Vegas is doing a great job, but being prepared gives us extra peace of mind.
Vegas Dining
Las Vegas restaurants are open, but with limited capacity. This makes reservations a must for dining out in Vegas! Without a reservation, you can expect a long wait or you might even be turned away from some of the more popular restaurants because they just can’t cram as many diners in like they could before.
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Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon is a great place for hiking near Las Vegas. For now, they are requiring reservations to visit. This helps keep the crowds down and allows you to enjoy the recreation area with social distancing. It’s easy to reserve, just go to the website and pick your one-hour entry time. You can stay as long as you want, you just have to choose a time window to enter the park. It does get full on weekends and holidays, so make sure you are planning ahead!
Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam is one of the best day trips from Vegas, but at the moment, the Hoover Dam tours are on pause. You can still visit the dam, and walk across it, but you can’t join the tour. Keep checking the website to see when tours open up again, as it shouldn’t be too much longer. More info: https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/
Gambling in Vegas
Las Vegas is open for gambling! However, you’ll noticed some changes. The slot machines are open as usual. Not all of the tables are open, and you might notice some plastic dividers around the tables to help with social distancing.
Las Vegas Monorail
Many visitors like to use the monorail to get around Las Vegas. It is currently closed, but scheduled to reopen in May. Check ahead if you are planning to rely on the monorail. That way you can have a Plan B if it’s not open when you visit. Their website is https://www.lvmonorail.com/
Download Your Hotel’s App
If you have an app for your hotel, it can minimize the contact you have with the staff. Depending on the hotel, you may be able to check in on the app and use a digital key to get into your room, bypassing the front desk (and the crowded lobby) all together.
Las Vegas Car Rental
Getting around Las Vegas has always been a bit challenging. Do you take an Uber, taxi, or public transportation? Parking is often pretty expensive at hotels, so that’s not something we normally do. However, given the pandemic, a lot of hotels are offering free parking. If you are extremely COVID-conscious, this may be your preferred option over riding in other cars all the time. Having your own car also makes it easier to explore some of the Las Vegas attractions that are not on the strip.
Las Vegas Buffets
One of the things that a lot of people love about Las Vegas are the buffets. People will choose their hotel based on how good the buffet is. Sadly, most buffets in Las Vegas have closed due to COVID, so don’t plan your trip around your favorite Vegas buffet. They WILL re-open, so keep checking the websites and start planning your buffet attack plan! But now that it is buffets are stargint to open up.
Las Vegas Shows
Like the buffets, the shows in Las Vegas are on hold. If you want to see Cirque du Soleil or any of the other big shows in Las Vegas, you’ll need to wait a bit longer. They are slowly starting to schedule shows out for the future, so it won’t be too much longer until you can see your favorite show in Las Vegas. But as May has started, more and more shows are opening up!
Grab Some Wolters World Travel Gear!
We felt really comfortable when we visited Las Vegas in February of 2021. We did spend a lot of our time off the strip in some of the recreation areas surrounding Las Vegas, but we were also very comfortable with the cleaning procedures in place at all of the hotels and casinos we visited. Want more tips of traveling in the USA? Check out these other blog posts!