Attractions Near Las Vegas, Nevada

Located in Boulder City and designed by Rees Jones, Cascata is named for a more than 400-foot waterfall that runs down a mountainside and into a river that then runs through the expansive clubhouse. Opened in 2000 and ranked the No. 1 golf facility in the United States by the Zagat Guide, the course plays 7,137 yards from the green tees.

With its myriad elevation changes, Cascata has a slope of 74.6. There are five sets of tees, plenty of water and the greens are well guarded. The course is set up so you can't see one hole from another. Cascata, owned by Harrah's, is open to the public, but greens fees are $400 and up.

Cascata
1 Cascata Drive
Boulder City, NV, 89005
(702) 294-2004
http://caesarspalace.com/golf/cascata-golf

Designed by Bobby Weed and Raymond Floyd, TPC Las Vegas sits in the foothills with views of the mountains to the north and the Las Vegas Strip to the south. The course itself is verdant where needed, but it is a target-golf experience, with lush greens set amid desert landscape. The course plays 7,063 yards from the tips and has four sets of tees on each hole. The course has been included on Golf Digest's Best Places to Play list and GolfWorld readers selected it one of the Top 50 Public Courses in 2009.

TPC Las Vegas
9851 Canyon Run Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89144
(702) 256-2500
http://tpc.com/lasvegas

If you want to get a club in your hand but stay out of the Las Vegas heat, check out King Putt Mini Golf's indoor facility. Located in North Las Vegas, this site has an 18-hole course on which golfers use glow-in-the-dark balls. On each hole, there is a kitschy animal sculpture that glows in the dark, including a squid attacking a shark, an elephant and a baboon. To get on the golf course, you must walk through a "jungle" that glows under black lights. The facility is open daily.

King Putt Mini Golf
7230 West Lake Mead Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89128
(702) 823-1519
http://kingputtlv.com

In addition to golf, the Las Vegas area has many outdoors opportunities, including hiking through rock formations at Red Rock Canyon to the west of the city, taking a day trip to the Grand Canyon or rafting on the Colorado River.

But one of the biggest attractions in the area is Hoover Dam, which when completed in 1936, was the largest hydro-electric dam in the world. It is now the 35th largest. Located about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas on the Arizona-Nevada border, you can take a tour of the dam, the power plant or the visitors center. Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the dam, is a popular water sports destination.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Charleston Blvd. & State Route 159
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 515-5000
.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo/blm_programs/blm_special_areas/red_rock_nca.html

Hoover Dam
Highway 93
Boulder City, NV
(702) 293-8321
http://usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/