North Las Vegas is a city in Nevada.

Understand

North Las Vegas is primarily a residential and a somewhat industrialized city in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, lying in the Mojave Desert.

Get in

Air travel to the city of North Las Vegas is handled by McCarran International Airport, which sits just south of the Las Vegas Strip, and about 15 miles south of North Las Vegas. There is a small airport in North Las Vegas, but that is used mainly for general aviation, private planes, and scenic tours.

Interstate 15 can be traveled northbound from the Los Angeles metro area, and southbound from Salt Lake City to the Las Vegas metro area.

Although the Union Pacific Railroad (UPR) provides freight train service to the Las Vegas metropolitan area, that doesn't help those in need of passenger train service. Until 1997, Amtrak's Desert Wind train used to provide service into Las Vegas using UPR tracks. Currently, Amtrak trains will provide motorcoach bus service into Las Vegas; generally after a train ride getting you somewhat close, such as to Kingman, AZ or Bakersfield, CA. From there, and as part of your Amtrak ticket, a motorcoach will then provide bus service into Las Vegas. Needless to say, for a rapidly growing metro area like Las Vegas, this isn't sustainable. There are studies and plans in the works to provide rail service once again on (UPR) tracks, as well as high-speed rail to Southern California.

Get around

A car will provide the best option for getting around North Las Vegas, as well as the Las Vegas metro area itself. Cars also tend to be relatively inexpensive to rent in the metro area. Although you may hit the occasional traffic jam, freeways are usually not severely clogged. Because the region is laid out on a grid pattern, navigating is not too difficult in the area.

If you must get around by bus, it's not totally horrific in the Las Vegas area as it could be in many western U.S. cities. Bus service in North Las Vegas, as well as Las Vegas and Henderson, is provided by the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC). Fares are $2 per bus ride. However, it may be more useful to purchase a 24-hour pass for $5 when boarding the bus. If you plan to be in the area for a while, RTC also sells a 5-day pass for $20 at many supermarkets and check cashing institutions, but this pass is not available on the bus itself.

Taxi service in North Las Vegas is handled by calling for a taxi and then waiting for it to come and pick you up. Do not expect to hail a cab off the street as though you were in New York or Chicago. Taxis are only plentiful and easily accessible at McCarran Airport, hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, or Downtown Las Vegas where they are queued up waiting for passengers. Outside of these areas, expect to call a cab and generally wait 20-40 minutes for it to come to you.

See

If time permits, and you don't mind watching a movie on your vacation, consider a visit to West Wind Drive-in; especially if visiting from out of the country where drive-ins are infrequent. And for an added bonus; it's normally a double-feature, so you get two movies for the price of one.

Do

• 1 SOBE Ice Arena, 2400 N Rancho Dr (at the Fiesta Rancho), ☏ +1 702 631-7000. Vegas' only ice rink integrated into a casino/hotel complex. 

If golf is your thing, there is plenty of that to do in North Las Vegas. Some options include Aliante Golf Club as well as North Las Vegas Golf Course.

It's not on par with L.A.'s Griffith Observatory or Chicago's Adler Planetarium, but the Community College of Southern Nevada's Planetarium and Observatory can still help give an understanding to the skies and open space beyond. Show times are on Friday and Saturday only, and there's also an adjacent astronomy store that's open during the show times. Be aware, however, that chairs do not lean back, so there is a lot of looking up on your part.

Although it is not in North Las Vegas, the very near Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 1200-acre complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The speedway also consists of a fan zone called The Neon Garage which has live entertainment, areas for fans to watch their favorite driver's car get worked on, and is home to the Winner's Circle.

• 2 Exotics Racing School, 6925 Speedway Blvd. After a training session, get behind the wheel of a Ferrari F430 F1 or other race car and go up to 130mph with an instructor in the passenger seat. From $249 depending on the car and number of laps. 
• 3 Sun Buggy Fun Rentals, 6825 Speedway Blvd Bldg B Ste 101 (I-15 N to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway; 3rd Right behind Shelby's corner cafe), ☏ +1 702 644-2855. 7AM-7PM daily. Dune buggy rentals and off-roading experiences at the Las Vegas dunes. 

Eat

North Las Vegas has numerous restaurants and fast food places to choose from. It does not have as many high-end establishments as Las Vegas does, but still has a large variety of options and many of them are open 24 hours a day.

• 1 MRKT Sea & Land, Aliante Hotel, 7300 Aliante Parkway, ☏ +1 702 692-7777. Opens 5PM daily. Fine dining that features premium beef and poultry selections as well as seafood such as king crab, lobster, and scallops. MRKT also has one of North Las Vegas' most extensive wine lists. 

Sleep

• 1 Aliante Casino + Hotel, 7300 Aliante Parkway, ☏ +1 702 692-7777. A casino-resort hotel on the northern side of the Las Vegas valley, about a 30-minute drive from the Strip. 
• 2 Hitchin' Post RV Park and Motel, 3640 N Las Vegas Blvd, ☏ +1 702 644-1043, toll-free: +1-888-433-8402, fax: +1 702 644-8359. Sites are cramped but cheap. They take your name but don't take reservations if they are nearly full (beware!). 
• Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 4540 Donovan Way, ☏ +1 702 649-3000. 
• 3 Santa Fe Station, 4949 N. Rancho Dr, ☏ +1 702 658-4900. 
• 4 Texas Station, 2101 Texas Star Ln, ☏ +1 702 631-1000. 

Go next

Routes through North Las Vegas

St. George ← Mesquite ←	N  S	→ Las Vegas → Barstow
Ely ← Pioche ←	N  S	→ Las Vegas → Kingman