48 Gambling-Free Hours in Las Vegas

Anyone who knows me as a socially awkward bookworm always looks at me with utter shock and confusion when I tell them how much I've enjoyed my two visits to Las Vegas. How can someone who reads 80 books a year and lives for a quiet night in possibly enjoy the flashing lights and cacophony of Sin City?

Well, because it's one of the most bizarre and exciting places I've ever been to, and I love it. And I didn't even do any gambling. But here's what I did do.

1. The Neon Museum. This is my number one must-see when in Vegas. Located downtown, this nostalgic oasis of Americana allows you to wander through winding alleys lined with genuine neon signs from the bygone era of Vegas. They offer free talks that explain the history behind some of the most iconic signs. If you're lucky, a couple of signs will be lit and you can listen to the satisfying buzz of neon as you transport yourself back in time to the golden age.

2. The Bellagio fountain show. Every half hour between 3pm and 8pm, the huge fountain near the Bellagio Hotel performs a water and light show, choreographed to music. It's free, and oh so dramatic! Each hour offers a completely different show - while we were in the area, we saw a classical performance and a Beatles number!

3. The obligatory hotel tour. How can you get bored in a city where the hotels are the attractions? Where you can stroll through the most wonderfully kitsch versions of Paris, Venice, New York and Egypt in the space of an hour? Or board a roller coaster from inside one?

4. Speaking of which...Ride the New York, New York rollercoaster. I was dubious about paying for this one, because the coaster looks kind of tame from the outside, but I was so, so wrong. Worth every cent for the genuine fear I felt while riding.

5. Ogle the roof at the Bellagio. This spectacular display of gigantic glass flowers is made by one of my favourite artists, glass sculptor Dale Chihuly. Find it when you look up in the main lobby of the Bellagio Hotel.

6. Surprisingly fascinating exhibitions. On my last visit, I couldn't resist buying a ticket to the Titanic exhibition that had on display all the artefacts recovered from the ship after it sank. Each room was a recreation of different rooms of the Titanic - the grand staircase, the dining hall, the deck, etc - and they even had a huge room dedicated to the largest whole piece of the ship recovered from the wreckage (called 'The Big Piece'), a 26 foot-long piece of the hull. It was a surprisingly emotional experience!

7. The Old Vegas Strip. This area, known as downtown Las Vegas, is the site of the original Vegas strip back in 1905, before the city went super-sized. It's a nostalgic homage to a golden age, as you can see from the photo below, taken of Fremont East at sunset. Each evening, regular sound and light shows run on the LED-covered roof running the length of Fremont Street. It's tacky and bright - but that's Vegas!

8. The Las Vegas sign. Again, it's such an iconic piece of Americana, how can you not love it? And it describes Vegas as 'fabulous', which is just...fabulous.

9. Speaking of iconic signs, search for the Silver Slipper. Also in downtown Vegas, look for the iconic, sparkling Silver Slipper, a remnant of the hotel and casino that opened in the 1950s and closed in the 1980s. You can find it near the Neon Museum.

10. Eat with the Pope. The medieval-themed Excalibur hotel has, for some unknown reason, an Italian restaurant called Buca di Beppo. Inside that restaurant is another smaller area with one large round table, known as the Pope Room. You get to eat surrounded by photographs of the Pope and, the best thing, a realistic bust of the Pope sits in the middle of the table in a glass box on a lazy Susan. It's this kind of bizarreness that is the reason I love Vegas.

11. Snap photos from footbridges spanning the Strip. The new Vegas strip can be a pain to traverse as a foot passenger: you usually have to cross from one side to the other via footbridges over the road whenever the footpath runs out. But this gives you the excuse to take photos of the themed hotels along the strip - especially, if possible, at sunset!

12. Get fancy and ride a limo down the strip. I've never had any desire to ride a limo down any street ever, but in Vegas...well, it just felt right. If you're in a larger group, it's totally affordable, too.

13. Don't like gambling? Go to the kids' arcade instead. There's something super satisfying about winning metre-long strips of tokens that can be traded in for fake diamond rings and plastic toy soldiers.

14. See a show. I mean, duh. There are seemingly thousands of shows to choose from: musicals, cabaret, circus, singers, you name it. But personally I'd recommend Absinthe - a super-intimate, breath-taking and hilarious fusion of comedy, cabaret and acrobatics. It takes place in a tent, the circular stage in the middle and the audience seated on all sides, so you'll never be more than a couple of metres from the action!

15. Take a food tour. We love the foodie tours of cities offered by Secret Food Tours. In Vegas, a food tour is a particularly good idea because there's no need to make restaurant reservations and you get to try a great range of dishes in a short period of time!

16. Dine off the Strip. If you eat at only one restaurant off-strip, make it Carson Kitchen

Their tapas-style sharing dishes are creative and delicious - such as the bacon flavoured jam with harvati cheese!

17. Opt for a buffet brunch. In Vegas, there are buffets....and then there are gourmet buffets. Located inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel, the Wicked Spoon buffet offers portions of bone marrow, a gelato bar, and the most delicious mac and cheese among so much more.

And that's how to do Vegas in 48 hours without actually stepping foot in a casino.

A sound and light show featuring a Queen medley projected above the old Vegas strip