Why take a Las Vegas helicopter tour?

Gambling can become repetitive, depressing, sometimes lonely and certainly expensive. As a result, helicopter tours have become quite a popular alternative in good ole’ Sin City, sometimes serving as a romantic adventure, a different way to get the party started, a unique approach to exchanging wedding vows or simply just an activity to get you out of the casino.

As most already know, helicopters are lower flying aircrafts designed to allow their passengers a clear view of what lies below. And in Las Vegas, some of the most beautiful attractions are even prettier from a bird’s-eye view.

Before heading out for dinner, a show, a night of gambling or all of the above, how about a night tour? From 6-8 p.m. nightly in Las Vegas, travelers can take a short 12-15 minute helicopter tour, complete with a champagne toast and photograph to capture the moment.

Night tours will fly you at a low altitude above the spectacle of hotel-casinos on Las Vegas Boulevard, better known as the Strip, and over the 12 million twinkling lights of downtown Freemont Street. In the past decade, downtown Las Vegas has undergone a $70-million neon canopy project that most consider an attraction just standing below. Imagine the sight from above.

A night flight helicopter tour around Las Vegas costs about $70 person. For a few bucks more you can spend a little more time in the sky on a day tour, soaking in the dessert sun over one of America’s favorite cities. Daytime tours are 20 minutes long and cost about $80 per passenger. While night flights are filled with neon and flashing lights, day tours accentuate all the colors of popular themed hotels like New York-New York and showcases the sunlight reflecting off of mirrored buildings like Mandalay Bay.

For a little more than $100, you can take a helicopter tour over and through the Grand Canyon. And if you’ve got some money to spend, you can even get married on a Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour. The whole ordeal will cost you around $3,000, but that includes the limousine chauffer from your hotel lobby to the chopper and a two-and-half-hour tour above and inside the Grand Canyon, as well as over the Strip. The wedding tours have packages for the couple, a minister and two witnesses. Additional guests can be booked in advance.

In a Grand Canyon helicopter wedding, the pilot will take couples and their party to the banks of the Colorado River, where a ceremony takes place. Brides get a 12-rose bouquet and grooms, a rose boutonnière. The tour also has a dramatic ending, flying directly over the Strip and leaving wedding parties at their limo, which will drop off anywhere on the Strip. Photography, videography and additional flowers are not included, but Graceland Wedding Chapel can help with that in a moment’s notice.
Graceland Wedding Chapel (800) 824-5732

Couples interested in getting married should purchase their marriage license ahead of time. If you fail to bring one, most companies will tack on an additional $55 at check in to do the job. Also, be sure to check your country’s marriage requirements before arriving.

Other helicopter tours near Las Vegas include Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam and Area 51.
For more information on Las Vegas helicopter tours, call Las Vegas Tours at (888) 888-7501. For Grand Canyon wedding tours, call Grand Canyon Helicopters at (702) 835-8477.