Best Hotel Attractions in Las Vegas

Treasure Island's nightly pirate show, a smoke-and-fire-filled pirate battle between a ship of bare-chested men and a ship of sexy showgirl "sirens," is free. Shows take place at 5:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and 10 p.m.

The Mirage's recently revamped man-made volcano, voted Vegas' "Best Manmade Wonder" by the Las Vegas Weekly, erupts nightly from 8 p.m. to midnight at the top of every hour. Best of all, it's free. In addition, the Mirage has Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, which is home to white lions, white tigers, panthers, leopards, and bottlenose dolphins. It costs $15 for adults, $10 for kids 4 to 12, and nothing for children 3 and under.

Tourists flock nightly to Bellagio's 8.5-acre lake and its 1,200-plus dancing water fountains, musically timed to shoot water as high as 460 feet in the air to the tune of over 25 songs. Every 15 to 30 minutes throughout the day, the Fountains of Bellagio can be seen dancing along to anything from an Elton John hit to Handel's "Hallelujah" chorus.

St. Mark's Square in the Venetian is a great place to catch a free show. The Ariste del Arte performances take place at the top of the hour from noon to 6 p.m. (with a break at 3 p.m.), featuring classic Italian song, elaborate costumes, and stilt walking; the Venetian Trio musical performances take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. In addition, you can take a gondola ride for $16 a person. For a taste of celebrity worship, visit Madame Tussauds Wax Museum at the Venetian for $25.

The MGM Grand's lion habitat, a glass-caged area with a waterfall, a tree, and a rock outcropping, is free for guests and nonguests alike to view. The cage isn't the lions' permanent home; they are well-cared for on an 8.5-acre ranch 12 miles away. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer began its relationship with lions in the 1920s, when the first studio lion roared at the opening of a Goldwyn picture on the silver screen.

The Mandalay Bay's 1.6 million gallon Shark Reef Aquarium features all kinds of sharks, endangered green sea turtles, piranhas, rare golden crocodiles, moon jellies, sawfish, and giant rays. Admission is $16.95 for adults, $10.95 for children 5 to 12, and free for children 4 and under. If looking at sharks through the glass isn't enough for you, the hotel's Dive With Sharks program allows for a closer encounter.