Tag: Active Vegas
View All TagsGolf / Golfing / Golf Courses / Paiute Golf Resort / Off Strip / Off Strip Adventures / Active Vegas / VegasChatter Reviews / → All Tags
Why A 30 Minute Drive For Golf Is A Must
They told us it was too far of a drive, too windy to navigate with success and too long to score low. Every time the topic was broached it seemed somebody new would emerge from the shadows to provide a reason why we should avoid the three championship courses at Paiute Golf Resort in northwest Las Vegas. But, every conversation concluded in the same manner, “Yeah, but those courses are terrific.”
Paiute Golf Resort is the perfect example of why it’s important to experience something for yourself rather than to rely solely on the opinion of others. Too far of a drive? Sorry, but we don’t consider a 30-minute trek up the I-95 to play a Pete Dye (Whistling Straits, Ocean Course at Kiawah Island) layout to be anything more than a walk in the park. Too windy? We’ve made multiple pilgrimages to the legendary golf complex in Bandon, Oregon. You haven’t felt wind until you’ve tried to tee off into the ferocious gusts that sweep in from the Pacific Ocean onto Oregon’s southwest coast. Too long? Sure, at 7,604 yards, the Wolf Course checks in as the longest track in Nevada. But there are five tee options for golfers of varying skill sets.
Active Vegas / Off Strip Adventures / Lake Mead / Adventure Vegas / → All Tags
As Vegas Heats Up, Don't Forget About Lake Mead
With summertime in full swing, Vegas turns up the heat literally. As temperatures rise into consistent triple digits, it can make just about anyone take desperate measures to stop the scorch. And, while there are all the usual remedies such as crowded pool scenes, endless yards of frozen alcoholic goodness, or spending hours inside spinning away on the latest slots, may we suggest something different?
Trust us, those are all very worthwhile options, but if plans to explore the Vegas desert are being reconsidered due to 100+ degree, we have the perfect getaway for you.
Active Vegas / Fun Vegas / Events / Downtown / Downtown Vegas / → All Tags
Santa Hats, Speedos, And Downtown, Oh My
Hey, that pasties lady on Fremont Street shouldn't be allowed to have all the nearly nude fun.
Next month, Downtown Vegas will host the Ho! Ho! Speed-Oh! run in benefit of Opportunity Village. If that name sounds familiar, it's the charity championed by Penn on this most recent season of Celebrity Apprentice.
VegasChatter Reviews / Golf / Golfing / Golf Courses / Primm / Primm Valley Golf Course / Off Strip / Adventure Vegas / Active Vegas / → All Tags
Want To Hit The Greens? Consider Heading For The Border
A 40-minute ride south on the I-15, before the elevation begins to rise and the driver becomes subject to the laws of California, lies Primm, Nevada. A dusty locale situated in the Mohave Desert, Primm signifies both beginning and end -- the commencement of an action-packed weekend in Las Vegas for those commuting from California, the final stop on the ride south for those departing Nevada.
To call Primm a city would be akin to designating the MGM Grand a sovereign state. The 2000 census population for Primm was just 436 people. It's more of a rest stop than a city, but it's a rest stop with plenty of attractions and, in typical Southern Nevada tradition, plenty of excitement.
We made the trek down to Primm under the guise of a round of golf at the Primm Valley Golf Club, but with an 8:00 a.m. tee time, there were plenty of hours left in the day for us to explore the various attractions the city has to offer.
Active Vegas / Off Strip Adventures / → All Tags
The Best of VegasChatter's Off Strip Adventures
We know life is busy and it's hard to remember everything. So, just for you, we've compiled the very best of our Off Strip Adventures to date. Even better (as well as easier), we've included one for each personality type so there's less to commit to memory. Just pick your adventure and file it under Vegas fun for your next off Strip outing!
For those who like to feel like their life is on the line: We would be remiss not to recommend the one off Strip adventure where your life is ACTUALLY on a line, right? Of course, we would! That's why Bootleg Canyon Ziplines is the best choice for those who want to experience desert views while hanging on for dear life. Did we mention you zip down the side of a mountain at 40+ miles an hour? Yeah, this one will definitely get your heart beating.
Golf / Golfing / Golf Courses / Active Vegas / Off Strip / → All Tags
Behold The Splendor That Is Shadow Creek (Or, Eee! They Let Us Into Shadow Creek!)
Amid the blue-collar community of North Las Vegas -- where the style and swagger of the world-renowned Strip gives way to the more traditional American ambience of pickup trucks, apartment complexes and fast food eateries -- lies an emerald paradise whose beauty is matched only by its ferocity. Carefully secluded from the outside world, it's where privacy and splendor converge to stop time, if only for a few hours, before the necessary return to the rank and file.
With an understated elegance mindful of tradition, Shadow Creek golf course embodies the opulent lifestyle of Las Vegas without the overblown penchant for excess. You don't golf Shadow Creek, you experience it, just as one does not simply stare at the Mona Lisa or merely listen to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Shadow Creek transcends the expectations of what a golf course should be and emerges to the classification of what it truly is: A work of art.
VegasChatter Reviews / Golf / Golf Courses / Golfing / Active Vegas / Bear's Best / → All Tags
Trying To Stay Out Of The Sand at Bear's Best, And Failing
Of all the possibly thoughts that could have been running through this writer's mind during a recent outing at Bear's Best Golf Course, this was the cogitation that had seared itself into our cerebrum. The surrounding beauty of the nearby mountains, a unique layout and the tranquil environment with which Bear's Best calls home were temporarily forced to take a backseat to a third-tier quote from an Adam Sandler movie.
We didn't plan for this to happen. Nor did we want it to. But, 18-time Major Championship winner Jack Nicklaus had set a bear trap in West Las Vegas... and we happily walked right into it.
Events / Active Vegas / Downtown / Downtown Vegas / → All Tags
Runners Colored Downtown, Will Next Bathe It With Awesome
The happiest 5K on the planet made its way from Australia to Las Vegas last weekend and left downtown painted in hues of orange, yellow, green, and purple. The Color Run course never touched Fremont proper, instead sending runners through residential neighborhoods and past pawn shops, antique stores, and bail bondsmen while getting shot in every orifice (or at least that's what it seemed like) with colored powders. And, it was amazing fun for 8,000 participants. One might shrink at the idea of tourists running outside the casino district downtown, but there were some cute and historical buildings mixed in with a lot of potential. We heart a colorful downtown even more.
For those that missed the Color Run (actually more of a Color Walk from what we saw, but that's ok, too!), there are a couple other upcoming opportunities to amaze through our Downtown bubble.
VegasChatter Reviews / Golf / Golfing / Active Vegas / Off Strip / Arroyo Golf Club / → All Tags
Amid The Mountains And Quiet Lies Arroyo Golf Club
The first thing you'll notice is the quiet. It's unmistakable. Perhaps, it takes a few holes or maybe you become cognizant of this feature while standing on the tee box at No. 1. But, either way, there will come a point during any golfer's round at Arroyo Golf Club at Red Rock when they realize this course is almost completely devoid of ambient noise and distraction.
That's a big plus in this golfer's book, which is not to say we dislike courses that fail to offer such a benefit. But, this Chatter'er has long subscribed to the notion that the game of golf is as much about the physical and mental challenge as it is the opportunity to unplug from the world and relax for a few hours.
As if the serenity weren't enough to put our minds at ease, Arroyo Golf Club is nestled close to the base of the nearby Red Rock mountains in the Vegas suburb of Summerlin, meaning every hole that faces west offers a beautiful vista of the remarkable surrounding landscape. As you have no doubt already gathered, Arroyo scores well in the ambience and aesthetics categories.
Off Strip / Adventure Vegas / Active Vegas / → All Tags
A Special Gem, Thousands of Years in the Making
We love The Strip, but we also love the awesome outdoor adventures that can be had, in many cases, not too far away. After sharing our trip to Mount Charleston, VegasChatter reader David M. reached out to us with some added input that we thought was important to share with everyone.
The Spring Mountains are a larger mountain range of which Mount Charleston is the tallest and thus best known. Although, they are found throughout the mountain range, we hadn't mentioned its really neat standouts. Sometimes you don't realize what you missed until it's too late. And, in the interest of ensuring it doesn't happen to you, we introduce the region's unique Bristlecone Pine Trees, as shown throughout this article thanks to the photography skills of David M. These trees, which only grow in a few select places in the world, chose right here smack in the middle of the Las Vegas mountain range to grace us with their presence.
VegasChatter Reviews / Golf / Golfing / Active Vegas / Off Strip / Painted Desert / → All Tags
Cold Weather, Fast Rounds And Our Trip To Painted Desert
The prominent topic in Las Vegas over the last few weeks -- both in face-to-face conversation and via social media -- has been the city's displeasure with the unseasonably cool temperatures that have swept across the landscape. Never mind the fact that not a single flake of snow has found its way onto the valley floor. (Although, quite a few things did freeze over including the fountains of Caesars.) Nevertheless, we live in the desert. We moved here because we prefer warm temperatures.
That's not to say that a colder climate is devoid of benefit. A big advantage awaits golfers unafraid of donning an extra layer of fabric to brave the Vegas morn. The chilly air has kept a large percentage of golfers away from the courses, paving the way for casual four-hour rounds spent focusing on one's game rather than the amount of time it's taking the group in front to clear the green.
We capitalized in full on nature's recent gift to the brave with an early January round at Painted Desert, an 18-hole layout situated on the western side of town. Designed by Jay Morrish and opened to the public in 1987, Painted Desert stakes claim to being one of the first desert layouts in Las Vegas. Tight fairways with a few strategically placed water hazards are two course characteristics to keep in mind when approaching the first tee.
Off Strip / Adventure Vegas / Wetlands Park / Active Vegas / → All Tags
The Wetlands Of Las Vegas (Yes, You Read That Right)
At VegasChatter, we always keep our ear to the ground to keep you up-to-date on what's going on. Recently, a VegasChatter fan gave us a tip about the Wetlands Park just southeast of The Strip. We did some digging around and found some great reviews and interesting tidbits on this unique find!
Only 20 minutes away from the center of The Strip, the Wetlands Park might just be the closest off Strip adventure one can have. The park offers visitors a completely different experience than what others in the area can provide. Lush green banks along large ponds of water isn't a common sight in Vegas, however, it can be found in the wetlands!
