Go back in time to when the Rat Pack ruled Las Vegas, Liberace defined glamour, and Elvis was King.
Before the mega-resorts and the theme-park Strip, a handful of larger-than-life entertainers made a small desert town the most famous nightlife destination on earth. The Kings of Vegas Tour takes you back to their Las Vegas — with a storyteller for a guide, the stories the postcards left out, and the homes of the stars and the people who really ran the town — Howard Hughes, the executives behind the big casinos and companies, even the mobsters. Some are gone; some are still standing.
It's a small-group tour, and your seat at a live tribute show is included. Meet at Alexis Park Resort, 375 E Harmon Ave, just east of the Strip.
Chapter one
Frank, Dean and Sammy — with Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop — turned the Copa Room at the Sands into the coolest room in America in the early '60s. Tuxedos, cocktails, and a show that never played the same way twice.
The Sands is gone now, imploded in 1996. The stories aren't.
Chapter two
A candelabra on the piano, rhinestones on everything, and a wardrobe that stopped the show before he played a note. Liberace didn't just play Las Vegas — he dressed it.
At his peak he was one of the highest-paid entertainers in the world, and Las Vegas was his stage.
Chapter three
In 1969 Elvis walked onto the stage of the brand-new International Hotel and made Las Vegas his own. He kept coming back until 1976.
The International became the Las Vegas Hilton, and today it's the Westgate — still standing where the King played.
Chapter four
The stars didn't just play Las Vegas — they lived here. So did the people who really ran it. Your guide drives you past the homes of the rich and powerful of the 1960s and '70s: the stars, Howard Hughes, the executives who ran the big casinos and companies — and even the mobsters.
Some are long gone. Some are still standing, hiding in plain sight — if you know where to look.
The finale
The tour brings you back to Alexis Park Resort in time for curtain. The 3:00 PM tour ends at All Shook Up, the Elvis tribute. The 5:00 PM tour ends at Sinatra Live!
Your general-admission seat at The Modern Showrooms is included — no add-ons.
Included
Not included
Departs from Alexis Park Resort at 3:00 PM, ending at All Shook Up; or 5:00 PM, ending at Sinatra Live!.
375 E Harmon Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89169
Open in Google Maps →The tour starts and ends at Alexis Park Resort, home of The Modern Showrooms. Hotel pickup is not included — please make your own way to Alexis Park Resort.
Drop-off: The tour returns to Alexis Park Resort, where your show is.
Typical duration: About 2¾ hours + the show
Your guide tells the stories of classic Las Vegas as you drive past the homes of the rich and powerful of the 1960s and '70s — the stars, Howard Hughes, the casino and company bosses, even the mobsters; some are gone, some still stand — and the places where Sinatra and Elvis ruled the town.
A general-admission seat at The Modern Showrooms at Alexis Park Resort: All Shook Up, the Elvis tribute, after the 3:00 PM tour, or Sinatra Live! after the 5:00 PM tour. The show is set by the departure you book.
No. The tour starts and ends at Alexis Park Resort, 375 E Harmon Ave, just east of the Strip. Guests make their own way there.
About 2 hours 45 minutes. The 3:00 PM tour returns by 5:45 PM and the 5:00 PM tour returns by 7:45 PM.
$129.95 per person, all-in — the tour and your show seat, with no fees added at checkout.
Small. It is a small-group tour, not a big coach tour.
Photo credits: The Desert Inn, 1950s by 1950sUnlimited (CC BY 2.0); The Dunes and its sultan, 1957 by David Lofink (CC BY 2.0); other historic photos are in the public domain. All via Wikimedia Commons.