Lions come in every day to MGM Grand to be displayed at the Lion Habitat. While they can’t be pet since they are safely situated behind thick glass, you can oooh and ahh at them as they do normal things like sleep, eat, sleep, play and sleep. It’s free, too, which makes it all the more enticing.

Head Downtown to check out the Freemont Street Experience. The experience features a huge Viva Vision canopy with 12 million synchronized lights, creating quite a show. Set to music, animations include tributes to infamous songs, personas and American nostalgia. Shows run from 8:30 p.m. to midnight.

Want to see some wild birds while visiting Vegas? The Flamingo Hotel offers a chance to check out its namesake, the exotic flamingos, in the specially created Flamingo Wildlife Habitat. Housed outside amidst waterfalls, tropical floral and fauna, bubbling streams and more, Chilean flamingos, birds, ducks, swans and even turtles intermingle at this popular and free Las Vegas attraction. You can’t pet them, but you do get to see them in a near-natural environment.

Watch as fire spews from a man made volcano, erupting nightly at the Mirage. After undergoing a serious facelift in 2008, the new volcano shoots fireballs from it every hour, complete with flowing lava and a primal soundtrack composed by Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and Indian table player Zakir Hussain. It doesn’t take too long for the eruption to wrap, but for a free attraction, it certainly entertains and captivates.

You’ve seen these dancing fountains in movies for years. The fountains, found in an 8.5-acre lake in front of the Bellagio hotel, are a must-see while in town. Particularly impressive in the evening with lights and music, these dancing fountains feature complex choreography to a variety of tunes from yesterday and today. The free shows operate every 30 minutes from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday – Friday; 12 p.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and holidays. They also run every 15 minutes from 8 p.m. to midnight.

There is more than one “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign on Las Vegas Blvd. The iconic one, where everyone stops to get their photos taken, is South of Mandalay Bay. It’s a quick ride from the resorts and the airport. Be sure to bring a camera and take some pics … there are always people here snapping photos. From time-to-time, you’ll even catch celebrities, news reporters and impersonators hanging out at the sign. There’s normally a bit of a wait, so go early in the morning if you don’t like crowds. During the afternoon and early evening are the longest lines, when tour buses and limos stop.