The Las Vegas pool season officially kicks off Memorial Day weekend, but most of the party pools are already in full swing. Once you had to be a hotel guest to get into a casino pool, but now 29 are open to the public.
There’s usually a fee, and drinks tend to be expensive, but these pools will be hopping all summer long as part of Las Vegas’ vibrant scene: Aliante, Aria, Bally’s, Caesars Palace, Cosmopolitan, Encore, Flamingo, Golden Nugget, Green Valley Ranch, Hard Rock, Hooters, JW Marriott, Luxor, M Resort, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Mirage, Palazzo, Palms, Palms Place, Planet Hollywood, Rampart, Rio, Rumor, Sapphire, Silverton, Stratosphere, Sunset Station and Venetian.
"Toptional": While some of the buzz surrounding topless pools has worn off, this year eight Las Vegas pools remain classified as "toptional": Artisan (Naked Pool), Caesars Palace (Venus Pool Club), Encore (European Pool), Golden Nugget (a designated area in The Tank), Mandalay Bay (Moorea Beach Club), Mirage (Bare Pool Lounge), Venetian (TAO Beach) and Wynn (European Pool). Most charge fees for non-hotel guests.
Bingo: A new bingo room has opened at Green Valley Ranch, with sessions running every two hours from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Coincidentally (or maybe not so), nearby South Point has started free bingo, with 10 $100 games running at the 9 a.m. weekdays session.
Iron Chef on the Strip: "Iron Chef America" star Masaharu Morimoto is bringing a new restaurant to the Mirage. Morimoto Las Vegas is scheduled to open in "early 2014."
Question: Is carrying an open container of alcohol still allowed on the Strip? I heard the law had changed.
Answer: A change has been proposed, but it would not alter the current law that allows alcohol on the Strip. Clark County officials are seeking a ban on glass containers outdoors (regardless of what they hold). An ordinance must be introduced and passed before the prohibition can go into effect.
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