Only-in-Vegas gifts sure to delight
Only a few days left to find that special gift unique to Las Vegas. What now?
Begin the search at Bonanza Gift Store (2440 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-385-7359), a 40,000-square-foot cornucopia of gifts and souvenirs that is the personification of Las Vegas. Self-proclaimed as the “World’s Largest Gift Shop,” the store has everything from the very nice to seriously kitsch: clay poker chips, mechanical card shufflers, Las Vegas dice clocks, Rat Pack T-shirts and the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas flashing sign. If nothing else, you’ll find something for yourself.
A similar store with even more gifts and souvenirs is Gamblers General Store (800 S. Main St., 702-382-9903). Its grandiose tag is the “World’s Largest Gambling Supply Superstore” and maybe it is with some 15,000 gambling products including playing cards, dice sticks, custom chips, money wheels, raffle drums, poker tables, bingo supplies and casino memorabilia.
Another place that personifies Las Vegas is The Mob Museum (300 Stewart Ave., 702-229-2734). It tells the story about organized crime and law enforcement. After viewing exhibits starring such infamous characters as Al Capone, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, Sam Giancana, Joe Bonanno, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and John Gotti, wander into the gift shop to discover tommy gun key chains, Mob Museum golf balls, gangster playing cards, an Al Capone bobblehead, “The Official Book of Mob Humor” and the Henry Hill T-shirt imprinted with his famous quote: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”
What do you need to know about the Erotic Heritage Museum (3275 Industrial Road, 702-794-4000)? Las Vegas is eroticism so why not a little something from the city’s only sex museum? Before heading into the gift shop, view the sculptures and artifacts, porn star hall of fame, historic literature in the erotic library and wedding chapel. Then consider buying original poster art, DVDs, T-shirts and other fun souvenirs with an emphasis on fun. Keep an open mind while shopping.
While San Francisco has its sourdough bread and New Orleans its beignets, Las Vegas has its ubiquitous buffet. A gift certificate to the one of the Strip’s grand buffets screams Las Vegas. There is not a nicer feeling than knowing your gift is being consumed by someone who can eat and eat and eat and eat. A thank-you note will follow.
And which buffet? There are many but for more than 30 years, the Sterling Brunch at Bally’s (702-967-7258) has been the go-to buffet to enjoy Perrier-Jouët Champagne and American sturgeon caviar. Offered every Sunday morning, the indulgent brunch serves up endless Alaskan king crab legs, lamb, lobster tails, prime rib, sushi, truffle mashed potatoes, banana bread pudding, French toast, yogurt parfait with granola, a custom omelet station, chocolate-covered strawberries, and on and on and on. In addition, items can be ordered including lobster bisque, Caesar salad, eggs Benedict, Belgian waffles and BLT Steak’s famous chopped vegetable salad. To properly prep for the meal, a guided tour of all offerings is given upon request.
Nothing says Merry Christmas quite like a lapel pin shaped like the “Fat Man” bomb. This nuclear gift is in the specialty gift shop at the National Atomic Testing Museum (755 E. Flamingo Road, 702-794-5151). The museum showcases its collection of more than 12,000 artifacts and exhibits that explain the history of the development and testing of the nuclear bomb — much of it taking place just up the road from Las Vegas. That’s why gifts like a Miss Atomic Bomb 1957 refrigerator magnet, NATM barbecue mitten or radiation patch have become must Vegas-only-type gifts. The most popular are the Albert Einstein “Little Thinker” doll.
A distant cousin to NATM is Area 51, a military testing site about 80 miles north of Las Vegas. The area around it includes the town of Rachel on the “Extraterrestrial Highway.” This popular destination is home to the Little A’Le’Inn (775-729-2515) and its cafe that sells Area 51 snow globes and alien sunglasses. There is a great deal more to mention, but the intense secrecy surrounding Area 51 makes it difficult to discuss.
Las Vegas is more than aliens, buffets and showgirls. The “more” can be found at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum (900 Las Vegas Blvd. North, 702-384-3466) where interactive exhibits (animated dinosaurs) are on display along with the recently introduced Thalattoarchon. The name means “lizard-eating ruler of the sea.” It was 30 feet long with a large head and 100 sharp teeth when it lived in Nevada about 250 million years ago. This makes sense since Nevada was covered with water during the age of the dinosaurs. The gift shop has Meet the Button Bunch Stegosaurus, science experiment kits, Halloween snake and coloring books in which children can learn to draw sharks.
Besides Elvis, Wayne Newton and Steve Wynn, one of the most recognizable Las Vegas names is Hey Reb!, the school mascot of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. Created by legendary artist Mike Miller in 1982, Hey Reb! can be found on hats and shirts around the world. Its popularity skyrocketed following the basketball team’s NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship in 1990 and it still exists because Hey Reb! is Las Vegas. Plenty of Hey Reb! gear can be found at the UNLV bookstore (4505 S. Maryland Parkway, 702-736-3955).
