Hiking the Valley of Fire in Vegas – 2TravelDads

Hiking the Valley of Fire in Vegas - 2TravelDads

Before we went hiking at Valley of Fire with kids it just looked like an Instagram heaven. That’s all that we knew about it, all from photos that people had taken and posted to Instagram. And then we visited and hiked and had up close wildlife encounters and fell in love. Valley of Fire State Park is the best Las Vegas day trip you didn’t know you need to do.

We’re going to help you plan and have the best visit possible, seeing some of the most amazing geology Nevada has to offer, and so close to Las Vegas. And you can do it all on a trip to Las Vegas or as part of a southwest road trip.

Where is Valley of Fire State Park?

Located less than an hour northeast of Las Vegas, Valley of Fire State Park is an easy drive to take you into another world off the Vegas Strip. In the Moapa Valley (park area), you will find all kinds of unique sites. You might not find pyramids or waterfalls flowing off the tops of hotels, but there are windswept hoodoos, carved out caves and passages, and petroglyphs that predate any sort of pirate display in Las Vegas.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Las Vegas Gay Travel Resources

Visiting Vegas’s Valley of Fire (With Kids) – 2TravelDads

Visiting Vegas's Valley of Fire (With Kids) - 2TravelDads

Before we visited the Valley of Fire with kids it just looked like an Instagram heaven. That’s all that we knew about it, all from photos that people had taken and posted to Instagram. And then we visited and hiked and had up close wildlife encounters and fell in love. Valley of Fire State Park is the best Las Vegas day trip you didn’t know you need to do.

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Las Vegas Day Trip to Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon Skywalk – Go Girlfriend

Hoover Dam - pixabay

From the original Las Vegas Fremont Street to the newer Strip, Las Vegas is big, it’s bold, it’s loud and it’s game-y – but oh, so entertaining! Like heading to Orlando and never getting out to see the Atlantic or Gulf Coast beaches, so too are the exploring opportunities when you’re visiting Las Vegas.

Day trip possibilities can take you in any direction – north, south, east or west. Spend your time within Vegas but rent a convertible and explore the bigger “wild west” of Nevada.

Not many of us live close to grand canyons and wild untamed rivers. As urbanites, we live in geographically mundane surroundings day-to-day and have to take a road trip to explore those mountains, national parks or beaches that seem so close, but are oh so far away.

Within a day trip opportunity east of Las Vegas are the grandest of canyons (epic truly!), and the super-truly, awe-inspiring Hoover Dam of magnificent proportions. Both are linked to the Colorado River, the Hoover Dam holding back and harnessing the power of the Colorado River, and the Grand Canyon being etched over millennia by the Colorado River. I recommend you get out and explore these two wonders.

By Stacy Rosien – Full Story at Go Girlfriend

Nevada Gay Travel Resources

 

Lake Mead and the Valley of Fire – Go Girlfriend

Lake Mead, Valley of Fire - Pixabay

We’re a big fan of the craziness of Las Vegas – both in exploring the everything-is-so-big Las Vegas Strip and the freaky sights and sounds of Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. But there comes a point of overload and a need to get outside the city and enjoy the natural beauty within a day’s easy drive.

Day trip possibilities can take you in any direction – north, south, east or west. Spend your time within Vegas but rent a convertible and explore the bigger “wild west” of Nevada.

If you’re from the north, trees, grasses, lakes and rivers are in vibrant abundance. Not so much in the desertscape of the Mojave Desert – home to Las Vegas, Nevada. Yet even the desertscape can hold amazing beauty in its starkness and harsh environment.

From the mountains framing the Las Vegas Valley basin to the mesa’s, washes, canyons, valleys and sand … lots of sand and scrub … sits some epic sightlines and vistas. And did you know not 30 miles from Las Vegas sits the largest water reservoir in the United States that offers over 800 miles of shoreline for swimming and water recreation activities?

By Stacy Rosien – Full Story at Go Girlfriend

Nevada Gay Travel Resources

 

Queer Las Vegas – How the Most Jaded Place on Earth Cured My Gay Soul – Gay Star News

Queer Las Vegas - Gay Star News

Living in a city like London can force you into a rut. Coming as a tourist, it’s a big city of a thousand attractions, bars, restaurants and buses. Sometimes, living here is like being run over by a bus made of smog and being dragged through a crowd of constantly disapproving people in suits, who are also made of smog. You need something to pull you out of the haze.

I needed a jolt. I needed a place so ridiculous, so perfect in its absurdity; a place literally made of electricity. Las Vegas.

The city could provide the shock to the system my jaded gay brain sorely needed. Las Vegas is like a city made on a dare. Las Vegas was where I needed to be.

Las Vegas is a City of Resorts

I spent the entire taxi ride from the airport to the hotel with my face pressed against the window. Severely jet-lagged – my body thought it was midnight when the blazing Nevada sun was telling me something different – the upcoming towers looked like a mirage.

In Vegas, you need to throw away all your hang ups about inauthenticity. I don’t care if you only go for the finest Colombian fine grain coffee in your favorite artisan coffee shop, that’s not what the City of Lights is about. It’s pure showmanship. It’s brash in the most extreme possible way. You’ll only enjoy it if, like Ripley at the end of Alien 3, you dive straight into this boiling hot nonsense.

By Tom Capon – Full Story at Gay Star News

Nevada Gay Travel Resources

 

Top Male Revue in Las Vegas Welcomes the LGBTQ+ Community

Aussie Heat

The folks at Aussie Heat recently contacted us to help get out the word that we’re welcome at their Las Vegas show.

They’re also giving away a VIP show package to one lucky PurpleRoofs.com reader – comment on this post below for a chance to win.

Las Vegas is full of surprises, including a male revue that stands out for its all-inclusive attitude. Everyone in the audience is treated equally by these body-baring hunks. From the beginning, this show has welcomed men and does not shy away from giving lap dances and inviting guys to partake in the on-stage fun. Check out the tantalizing cast on the cover of Las Vegas PRIDE magazine!

We’re talking about the Australian-born show, Aussie Heat! Celebrating three successful years in Las Vegas, Nevada, Aussie Heat has captivated audiences with more than 600 performances. After catching the world’s eye on Australia’s Got Talentand So You Think You Can Dance Australia, this group now takes male revue to a whole new level. Aussie Heat is comprised of eight professionally trained dancers in street, break and hip-hop dancing. Recognized as Vegas’s most hands-on, interactive male revue, the show recently reached #4 on Trip Advisor out of all shows in Las Vegas.In 2015, Aussie Heat debuted at The D in downtown Las Vegas, and within a year quickly relocated to center-Strip, where they continue to burn up the stage at the V Theater inside the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. Performing four nights a week, Aussie Heat now features six new dancers, new dance numbers, and an all-new beachy look that honors their down-under roots. That’s right, this show just gets better and better!

Unlike typical, formulaic male strip shows, Aussie Heat’s “Strip-Hop” performances are genuine, original numbers that break the mold of male revues. Known for their talent first, the Aussie Heat cast unleashes hip-hop moves, skilled acrobatics,and other forms of contemporary dance. The unparalleled revue sets the stage on fire by delivering the ultimate night out complete with sultry routines, intimate audience interaction and tantalizing innuendos, leaving each guest on the edge of their seat.

To celebrate their third anniversary, Aussie Heat is offering a special bachelor party promotion, where bachelors receive $10 OFF tickets and the groom is FREE, plus guaranteed onstage experience for the groom.In addition, all VIP ticket groups of 10 or more include complimentary transportation. QLife even offers a discount ticket code for 20% off on Sunday Funday Gay Nightat Aussie Heat!

“There is no other show like Aussie Heat In Las Vegas. We enjoy providing a unique experience our audience feels connected to, while having a wild time,” said Aussie Heat emcee and manager, Adam Barr. “We feel so lucky to celebrate three years onstage in Las Vegas, and we’re excited to continue performing a one-of-a-kind show for our fans!”
Aussie Heat explodes with interactive seduction and world-class choreography, performing four nights a week at the V Theater inside Miracle Mile Shops. Tickets to the electrifying show start at $54.99 (plus applicable tax fees) and can be purchased online at the  V Theater Box Office. For more information, visit http://www.aussieheatlv.com, or follow on Facebook @AussieHeatLV, Instagram@AussieHeatLV and YouTube @AussieHeat.

Nevada is Much More Than Vegas – Gay Star News

Nevada - Gay Star News
Photo: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

Vegas is like nothing else on Earth. And Las Vegas Boulevard, known more commonly as the Strip, is like nothing else in the city. To call the Strip iconic probably plays it down. The Statue of Liberty is iconic. So is the Palace of Westminster. The Strip is extra. 100-percent, 24-carat extra.

Bright lights, slot machines as far as the eye can see, slushies with a higher alcohol content than neat vodka; that’s what you see when you think of Vegas. Neverland on acid. Yet the City of Lights is just a single, glorious destination in Nevada and it’d be a crime not to venture out and see the state. Vegas is the perfect base from which to explore and, given the number of direct flights from the UK, the most accessible too. But first things first…

Every hotel, restaurant and casino worth its salt is situated in and around the Strip. There’s one for every budget, from the Bellagio if you’re blowing the bank (or you win big on a table while you’re there) to the gargantuan Caesar’s, to the more reasonably priced Flamingo, coming complete with a flock of flamingos in its garden. And nearly every hotel has a casino.

The rules of everyday life are suspended on the floor of the house. Servers will bring you a steady flow of free drinks and snacks (all you need do is tip), gamblers will huddle around machines and tables, smoking freely, and natural light is very hard to find, making it easy to forget the world outside.

By Andrew Gonsalves – Full Story at Gay Star News

Nevada Gay Travel Resources

Lesbian Travel: Area 51

Area 51

A getaway to Vegas needs to include slot machines, poker, taking a cruise down the Las Vegas strip and walking the freaky Fremont Experience – that’s the schtick that is Las Vegas! But there’s so much more the area has to offer just outside the bustle of sin city.

Day trip possibilities can take you in any direction – north, south, east or west. Spend your time within Vegas but rent a convertible and explore the bigger “wild west” of Nevada.

North – Area 51 throughout Rachel, Nevada (more below)

South – explore the lower Colorado River and stand at the border of California, Nevada and Arizona

East – explore Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Hoover Dam and farther East to the Grand Canyon

West – drive into Death Valley and explore the Rhyolite ghost town!

Area 51 – Does Area 51 really exist?

While I’m no expert on aliens or the conspiracy theories surrounding the uber-secret, hidden-in-the-middle-of-the-Nevada-desert, circled-within-mountains military base with top secret access, I am a nerd by-product of the popular culture mythology surrounding this secret Area 51. Feeding my inner nerd with a day to spare, I jumped in my Camaro convertible and set the GPS for Rachel, Nevada.

By Stacy Rosien – Full Story at Go Girlfriend

Nevada Gay Travel Resources

Great Cirque du Soleil Sale in Vegas

Cirque du Soliel summer sale

Purple Roofs is partnering with Cirque du Soleil for a great sale on their shows in Vegas. We’ve seen most of these, and loved Zumanity, Mystere, and Ka in particular.

Right now, tickets are starting at $49. The deets:

Experience Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas this fall with unbeatable deals starting at just $49! Purchase in advance and save. See Zumanity, The Beatles LOVE, Mystere, “O”, Michael Jackson ONE, KA and Criss Angel Mindfreak LIVE!… all at prices you have to see to believe. Visit cirquedusoleil.com/lasvegas to purchase tickets now.

Cirque du Soleil Giveaway

We also have five Cirque du Soleil prize packs, each including the following limited edition Cirque du Soleil prizes:

USB Fans, Bags, Sunglasses, Fidget Spinners, Juggling Balls, Water Bottles, and Magnets

Comment on the post for a chance to win. If you win, we will contact you for your address.

Las Vegas Gay Travel Resources

Downtown Las Vegas

Las Vegas It’s Friday night and Las Vegas is buzzing, but not from the sounds of slot machines or the spinning of roulette wheels. It’s a different kind of buzz that fills the Arts District. A man stands at a microphone with the light of a neon sign serving as his spotlight. Passersby walk through the Arts District, taking in the various vendors’ stalls. A boy picks up a vegan chocolate bar, and the man, like a Greek stentor, shares his spoken-word poetry. A woman browses local artwork and as she moves on down the street she proclaims loudly, “I’ll have to pick that painting up later.” Nearby, a group of gay boys files out of a local bar holding inventive sugary cocktails that each deserves its own PANTONE color. The poet continues to speak, creating a vibrant urgency, and people dance through the stalls to the beat of his trochees. The neon lights of Downtown Las Vegas’ Arts District are nearly drowned out by the illuminated vendors who have completely transformed the outdoor 18-block district into a creative amusement park of art and local culture. The rumba of salsa music has old and young locals twirling under the disco-ball twilight. Clouds of smoke from the freshly deep-fried zeppole waft across the dance floor and mix with spray paint fumes puffing like a chimney from a young boy creating a mural. He’s plastering the wood wall with dragons, wizards, castles, and all his middle school fantasies. A hula-hooper leads an exercise class as crowds gather round holding bags of recently purchased handicrafts. “Do you feel free?” the instructor shouts to the dozens of men, women, and children hoola-hooping along. “Yes!” the crowd shouts back in a united voice that doesn’t match their wild gyrations. There is a new type of freedom in this city that visitors will discover in the sprawling creativity of revitalized downtown Las Vegas.

By Joseph Pedro – Full Story at Passport

Las Vegas Gay Travel Resources

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