Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

5 unconventional ideas for Valentine’s Day in Las Vegas

Grand Canyon + Hoover Dam: June 6, 2016

Tom Donoghue / DonoghuePhotography.com

The Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam on Monday, June 6, 2016, courtesy of Maverick Helicopters of Las Vegas.

As the marriage capital of the United States, Las Vegas is perhaps synonymous with romance and special occasions like Valentine’s Day.

And with the most romantic holiday of the year just days away, restaurants, shows and even nightclubs valleywide are quickly filling up, according to Nevada Restaurant Association director of business development Tim Hacker.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty big day,” Hacker said. “There’s usually a rush for reservations."

But Valentine’s Day fun can be found off the beaten Las Vegas path, too. From helicopter tours to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and even shooting ranges, the valley has its fair share of unique attractions that doesn’t include expensive dinners, wine glasses or Boyz II Men serenades. With that in mind, here are five out-of-the-box ideas for spending this year’s Valentines Day in Las Vegas with your special someone:

1. Go on a helicopter tour

Not a fan of the valley's restaurant and bar scenes? Helicopter tours offering scenic views of places like the Grand Canyon, Red Rock Canyon and Hoover Dam run from the adjoining private terminals at McCarran International Airport and Henderson Executive Airport throughout the day on Valentine’s Day. Most also offer limousine pickups to and from your residence or hotel.

On the Strip, Sundance Helicopter’s “City Lights Tour” and Maverick Helicopters' “Vegas Night” offers riders a limousine pickup and drop-off before and after a 15-minute ride over Las Vegas Boulevard.

— $89 to $400 per person

2. Drive supercars at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Companies like Richard Petty Driving Experience, Exotics Racing and Dream Racing offer a NASCAR-like experience, even for first-time drivers, in cars like the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Dodge SRT8 Hellcat, Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and a selection of over 50 combined Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin and Audi cars to choose from. And with openings on Feb. 14 at the time of this article’s publishing, the three companies offer the chance to either drive or take rides as a passenger around the speedway’s 1.2 mile-track.

— $109 to $3,299 per person

3. Go to a shooting range

With over a dozen shooting ranges valleywide, couples can spend part of their Valentine’s Day firing anything from a machine gun to a pistol. For those looking for belated Valentine’s Day fun, the Clark County Shooting Complex, covering nearly 900 acres in the north valley, won't be open on Monday, Feb. 13 or on Valentine’s Day, but reopens Wednesday from 8 a.m to 10 p.m.

— $50 to $989 per person

4. Go indoor skydiving

A 1,000-horsepower motor producing winds of up to 120 mph will keep you and your date floating on air at Vegas Indoor Skydiving, located across the street from the Las Vegas Convention Center. Packages at the original indoor skydiving facility include flight instruction and training, and range from three minutes to one hour.

— $75 to $1,000 per person

5. Watch wrestling at T-Mobile Arena

Nothing says “I love you” like watching grown men and women body slam and hit each other with chairs inside a boxing ring. The WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” fight returns to Las Vegas for the first time in 2017, just hours before the clock ticks to midnight for Valentine’s Day. Names like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair and Chris Jericho will take the ring on Feb. 13 at T-Mobile Arena.

— $34 to $350 per person

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