When to go to Las Vegas

There's hardly a bad time to go to Las Vegas - if you wanted to avoid crowds, well, you'd have planned your vacation with a different destination in mind. Luckily, the city offers so many options that even immense crowds can congregate in Sin City and it won't feel all that claustrophobic. You'll find fewer tourists on the casino floor during the weekdays, assuming a convention isn't in town, than you will the weekends. If you want to immerse yourself in the raucous Vegas nightlife, like spending a night at the Ghost Bar or Pure, well, you'll just have to pony up the extra cash for a weekend stay, rubbing elbows with the thousands of Los Angelinos and other visitors that descend on the city during the weekend.

The cheapest time to Visit Las Vegas is during its (relatively small) off season. Hotel prices drop as thermometers rise, making the months of July and August ripe for better deals. The same goes for January and February - since Christmas and New Year's are two of the city's biggest draws, there is a tendency for there to be a slight drop off in business after the holidays pass. It is also no coincidence that the cheapest time to visit Las Vegas is concurrent with its poorest climate changes.

Regardless of the popularity of Las Vegas, urban sprawl and giant glassy towers are not the best way to beat the desert heat. And if you think the best time to go to Las Vegas is when it hits sweltering triple digit temperatures, you are in the minority. The opposite goes for the early months - just because it's surrounded by rock and dust doesn't mean that it can't get cold in Sin City. In January you might just be forced to wear a jacket when venturing outdoors. To be fair, the weather is unlikely to shift your itineraries too much - unless you think that hanging out by the Hard Rock Hotel pool is going to be the highlight of your trip. In that case, you'd be best served to purchase tickets for the spring or early fall.

Most of the shows you'll find in Vegas run nearly year-round, so you don't have to worry too much in this respect. The only things that disappear are the seasonal shows - these often disappear after the conclusion of Christmas and New Year's in Las Vegas.

For gamblers, the best time to visit Las Vegas is during the Super Bowl, or the opening weekend of March Madness. If you are a sports fan who is even vaguely interested in wagering on football or basketball, these Las Vegas events are hard not to be swept up in. You will see a small increase in price for these occasions, but since the Super Bowl occurs during the tourist offseason and March Madness is just as the prices are starting to ratchet up, there are still values to be had, especially in some of the smaller casinos on or just off the strip. Just because you are staying at Circus Circus instead of Mandalay Bay, the scores on the large screen sportsbook televisions won't change. Every play elicits a huge crowd reaction - it truly can be the best time to go to Las Vegas, no matter how your team does.