Free Vegas: Shopping in Sin City

While Las Vegas might be known for the gambling and casinos, you can't look past all of the shopping choices available to the traveler in Vegas. There are plenty of places to go shopping in Las Vegas, and though you might lose some money in the shops - at least you'll have something to take home with you - something the blackjack table might forget to do.

The Strip has a ton of shopping options for you. Most of the mega-resort casinos have some sort of shopping mall connected to their casinos.

Caesar's Palace has the Forum Shops connected to the casino. It's a popular place for tourists and locals alike to hang out, grab a bite to eat or shop. Store include everything from GapKids and Guess? to Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Burberry among it's 150 shops. Restaurants include the popular Planet Hollywood and the Cheesecake Factory. Or if you're looking for something a little different you can get sushi at Sushi Roku or try Wolfgang Puck's Spago. There are shops for everyone here, or you it's a good place to people watch or check out the fountain shows.

Across the street from the Forum Shops are the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian. This gigantic mall has canals with gondolas just like the city of Venice. you can stroll the cobblestone streets or hitch a ride in one of the gondolas. Either way, there are a ton of shops and restaurants to enjoy as well as numerous street performers throughout the mall. One of the neat things about the Grand Canal Shoppes is that the ceiling is painted like and lit like the sky - so along with the canals it almost feels like you are strolling the streets of Venice.

If you're playing Paris Hilton for a day and feel as though the Gap, Anthropologie, and similar stores are below you, head over to the Wynn or the Bellagio. The stores in these spots are definately for the shopper who doesn't care. At these spots you'll find Chanel, Christian Dior, Manolo Blahnik as well as a bunch of other stores named after French guys with names that are hard to pronounce. And don't stop at clothing, in the Wynn be sure to stop at the Ferrari Maserati dealership located in the casino.

Fashion Show Mall is located on the corner of Spring Mountain and Las Vegas Blvd. (the Strip). This mall located in the middle of the strip is like any other mall with hundreds of stores to choose from. The only difference is that, well, there's a fashion show at various times throughout the day. You've seen them on t.v., the models strutting down walkways - well now you can see it live. Not only that, but the Fashion Show Mall is a great place to stop and rest and take a break from the heat if you're hiking the strip.

Not too far from the strip are two outlet malls - both of which you can catch shuttles to from numerous casinos and hotels. The Las Vegas Premium Outlets are located north of the strip, close to downtown. This outlet mall contains your standard outlet mall fare - Polo, Calvin Klein, Ann Taylor. This is an outdoor mall - so it's a little tough in the hottest months, but extremely pleasant during the winter, spring, and fall months. The other outlet center, called Las Vegas Outlet Center is located south on Las Vegas Blvd. and is completely indoors. Again - standard outlet mall fare includes Coach, Addidas, and Tommy Hilfiger. There is also a giant carousel that the kiddies might enjoy.

Come to Las Vegas and get your gamble on - but don't forget to save a few chips, time, and energy for the many shopping experiences that Sin City has to offer.