Mountain West Tournament 2014: A Quick Guide To Las Vegas

So you're coming to Las Vegas to watch your team play.  The question is what is there to do in Las Vegas when you are not at the tournament?  Well, I've got a handy list of 10 things you should do while in Las Vegas!

1. Attend another college basketball tournament!

One can never have too much basketball.  The Pac-12 Tournament is at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the WAC Tournament is at the Orleans Arena at the same time, and it's only a 5-10 minute drive to each venue!

2. Drive to the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign and take pictures.

Or you can photo-bomb other people's pictures.  Both are equally fun.

3. Drive down The Strip at night.

It really is the best time to drive down Las Vegas Boulevard.  I would highly suggest going from north (at the Stratosphere) to south (at the Mandalay Bay).

4. Walk down the Fremont Street Experience.

Experience old Las Vegas with modern touches at the Fremont Street Experience.  There's always bands and various other street performers playing.

5. Visit the Neon Boneyard.

Las Vegas has always been a place of "out with the old, in with the new" and this is just the place to see relics of the old hotels.  Here you will see many of the neon signs of demolished hotels and it's a very cool place to learn about the history of the city.

6. Go hiking at Red Rock Canyon.

With its breathtaking rock formations and dazzling natural colors of the rocks, Red Rock Canyon is a great place to go hiking.  If you have the right equipment, there is an area where you can make it to the top of one of the mountains and get a panoramic view of the Las Vegas Valley.

7. Watch outdoor shows at the Bellagio, Mirage and Treasure Island hotels.

The Bellagio has a "lake" in the front that has a jumping fountain to music.  The Mirage has a volcano at the front of the hotel that fires every hour.  Finally, Treasure Island has a pirate show happening every 90 minutes at night in front of the hotel.  The best part about all of these? They're free to watch.

8. Go visit a show.

Las Vegas has some of the best produced shows in the nation, with many different Cirque du Soleil shows, as well as off-Broadway musicals and celebrity impersonators.  Search for places on the strip that will sell tickets at a discount and go catch at least one show.

9. Visit Hoover Dam.

The architectural giant, completed in 1936, distributes power to California, Nevada and Arizona.  Go and marvel at this man-made engineering wonder of the world.

10. Visit the National Atomic Testing Museum.

This museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute and covers the history of the Nevada Test Site along with American Nuclear History, as well as some of the science equipment behind it.  A must-see for the science and history buffs.

Any other suggestions? Comment below!