After many months of trying to decide how I wanted to celebrate my 40th birthday, I texted a slew of friends: It’s happening. We’re going to Vegas for my birthday, and you’re invited. I admit, I had some trepidation: Las Vegas has become a very expensive city, so I wanted to ensure people had a raging good time without feeling like they were being ripped off. I also have a lot of anxiety about wrangling big groups, but after conversations with my husband and a few friends, my mind was eased. After all, my group was composed of well-traveled adults, all in their 30s and 40s, who love to party but not until the wheels come off. So, off we went.
People tend to think of Vegas as a two-night city. I think it needs much more time than that, but here’s the catch: You have to do it right. After all, we’re not 25 anymore, and partying all day, every day will make for a miserable tomorrow. The key is to supplement Vegas’s Sin City reputation with good food, downtime and activities that don’t take place inside a casino.
At its most dense, my group was 19 people. Most of the time we ran in two separate parties, but we came together for specific activities, like drinks at Peppermill Fireside Lounge and a Cirque du Soleil show. And this is the best thing about Vegas: They accommodate large groups with ease. They are used to people rolling deep (and the tricky logistics that can come with that), and because of that, most places are understanding if your party arrives a little late. Even though hotels on The Strip are farther apart than they look, it’s easy for people to stay at different places, depending on the price they want to pay or their loyalty to a specific property.
If you want to celebrate a milestone birthday in Vegas, there is absolutely a right way to do so — and I’m going to tell you exactly how.
Vegas Keeps Reinventing Itself. Here’s What’s New.
Get in, loser, we’re going to Vegas again
It Matters Where You Stay
I had my eye on Fontainebleau Las Vegas ever since it opened in late 2023. I’m a huge fan of the historic Miami property, and I wanted to see how they reimagined the iconic brand for Vegas. And let me tell you, it does not disappoint. We posted up for two days in a Noble Suite on the 70th floor, which featured a wet bar, living area, separate bedroom and powder room in addition to the lush main bathroom. It’s extremely apparent how much time and attention went into every detail of the design, down to the bowtie-shaped toiletry mat atop the marble bathroom countertop. I especially appreciated the VIP check-in and lounge, a private oasis with complimentary coffee, pastries and wine. Plus, its location at the top of The Strip makes it easy to reach neighborhoods like the Arts District and Fremont Street.
After two nights at Fontainebleau, we popped over to Nobu Hotel Las Vegas, an elegant property tucked inside the bustling Caesars Palace. We checked into a Hakone Suite, which had a wet bar, massive living room and powder room, which was perfect for pre-dinner drinks and hangs with the group. The large bedroom also featured a seating area, and the main bathroom had a large soaking tub and walk-in closet. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Nobu Hotel without a Japanese-style bidet and elegant, minimalist design throughout, but my favorite part was being able to order Nobu breakfast to the room every morning, something only available to hotel guests. I enjoyed a tuna poke bowl and salmon skin onigiri. Divine!
When my flight got canceled because of the snowstorms on the East Coast, my four-night Vegas trip turned into seven, so we moved to one of Nobu’s smaller king rooms for the last three nights. It was just as lovely and offered all the same hotel amenities as the suite. So whether you’re looking to splurge or keep it simple, you can’t go wrong.
There’s More to Vegas Than Drinking and Gambling
You’re in Vegas, so of course you’re going to drink and gamble. But if that’s all you do, you’ll burn out in 36 hours, and the rest of your time will be miserable. My hot tip: Stay relatively sober during the day so you can experience some of the other things Vegas has to offer, then turn up the volume once cocktail hour hits.
Everyone should make it a point to visit The Neon Museum and take the history tour. Our guide, Trinity, was a wealth of information about both the vintage signs occupying the space and the history of Vegas itself. We did this on our first full afternoon, and I learned so much about the city that really enhanced the rest of the stay.
To escape the desert heat and get a change of scenery, visit Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart, an immersive, interactive art installation housed inside Area 15. What looks like a grocery store with weird, cheeky products lining the shelves is actually a whole tangled web of a saga that you have to explore to understand. There’s even a speakeasy tucked within.
Vegas’s Arts District neighborhood is one of its coolest, lined with great restaurants, bars, coffee shops and vintage emporiums. Whether you’re in the market for a vintage leather jacket, old casino matchbooks or retro furniture, popping into shops like Antique Alley Mall, Main Street Mercantile and Main Street Peddlers Antique Mall makes for a great afternoon. If you’re looking for designer goods and other well-known brands, The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace is worth a visit.
The biggest hack for celebrating a 40th birthday in Vegas: Make time for the spa. After all the walking, drinking and indulgent eating, it’s the least you can do for yourself. Lapis Spa & Wellness at Fontainebleau has the biggest, grandest facilities I’ve ever seen, featuring hot pools, steam rooms, saunas, a Himalayan salt room and snow room. My Odyssey Massage was wonderful, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Aufguss ritual in the event sauna. At Qua Baths & Spa in Caesars Palace, I spent a relaxing morning enjoying the Roman-style baths and a robotic Recovery Massage by Aescape. The machine is no replacement for human hands, but it was a wonderful experience all the same, as you could adjust pressure or skip certain areas of the body in real time with the touch of a button.
Pay Your Respects to Old Vegas
You can’t go to Vegas without visiting Fremont Street, which was home to the city’s first casinos before The Strip was a thing. Definitely pop into old mainstays like El Cortez, Golden Nugget and Four Queens, but there were two other casinos in downtown Vegas that had my attention during this visit: Circa and The D.
Circa Las Vegas opened in 2020, making it a newcomer to the Fremont Street Experience. The casino floor is beautiful, and many tables boast $15 minimums, which is appealingly low on the Vegas spectrum. Down the street at The D Las Vegas, you’ll find my favorite feature of any casino floor anywhere: the Sigma Derby Machine. This kitschy horse racing machine was a hit when it debuted in 1985 but started to disappear after the company went defunct and stopped producing new models. But the owner of The D is committed to keeping the last remaining Sigma Derby around, and it’s the most fun I had at the casino during my trip. Get yourself a cup of quarters from the change machine, bet on the horses and watch them go. And let me tell you: I’ve never felt richer than when my horse won and the loud clinking sound of quarters filled the room.
See an Extravagant Show
Vegas is known for its over-the-top entertainment, and seeing a show is also a great group activity because you can set up everything in advance. There are a ton of impressive magic shows happening throughout the city, but the most iconic (and one of the longest-running) is Penn & Teller at The Rio. It’s full of good family-friendly fun and some classic illusions that the duo has been perfecting for 50 years.
Over at The Bellagio, “O” by Cirque du Soleil is absolutely mesmerizing. The stage features a massive pool that the cast performs in, on and above, combining daring stunts and acrobatics that will leave your jaw on the floor.
Eat at Restaurants That Are Actually Worth It
A lot of the best restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip are eye-wateringly expensive. If you’re celebrating there, you know you’re about to splurge, so you might as well splurge on the tastiest food possible.
There are a ton of excellent Vegas steakhouses, but my favorite is High Steaks in the Rio Hotel & Casino, where the food is delicious and the service is impeccable. My group dined on seafood towers, Caesar salads, lobster rigatoni and meat of all kinds, including an elk chop and prime rib topped with foie gras butter. Over at The Venetian, one of my favorite restaurants, COTE, has the best deal in town with their famous Butcher’s Feast. For $88.88 a person, you can devour four beautiful beef cuts, seasonal ban-chan, kimchi stew with rice and egg soufflé. If you’re in the mood for a breakfast of steak and eggs or French delicacies like escargot and black bass amandine, book a res at Brasserie B Parisian Steakhouse by Bobby Flay.
Eiffel Tower Restaurant may seem like a kitschy choice, but the food is excellent. Everyone raved about the beef Wellington, and my swordfish steak au poivre was cooked perfectly. If you’re in the mood for dim sum, Washing Potato in the Fontainebleau is a great option. We all ordered a couple dishes then passed them around for everyone to try. Helmed by James Beard-nominated chef Sarah Thompson, the Wynn’s Casa Playa was one of our favorite meals of the trip. Everything from the Mexican blue shrimp ceviche to the squash tamal was packed with flavor. The bar menu focuses on different types of Margaritas and other agave cocktails.
Of course, you don’t have to stick to The Strip when dining out in Vegas. After spending the afternoon in the city’s lively Arts District, our group dined at Ada’s, feasting on creative small plates and excellent bottles from the well-curated wine list. The Greek salami with citrus reduction and kumquat and lemon pepper pork ribs were standouts.
And Don’t Sleep on the Fast-Casual Options
Not every meal in Vegas requires a reservation, and most of the hotels have robust food courts with great cheap eats. At Fontainebleau, I enjoyed Japanese hand rolls at Bar Ito, crispy chicken at Capon’s Burgers and ginger shots from Cymbiotika Wellness Bar. I ate at Mokbar by Esther Choi twice, which serves a really great gochujang teriyaki rice bowl. New York import Miznon is the place to go for hummus, falafel and lamb kabobs, and I can’t leave Vegas without feasting on hot chicken from Hattie B’s at The Cosmopolitan.
Skip the Club and Hit the Bars
I love to dance, but I’m really not one for the club, unless there’s a table, bottle service and someone else’s credit card involved. So if, like me, EDM makes your ears bleed, there’s no need to get your kicks in the crowded mega clubs. My group and I loved the vibe of Club Honey, a new party from Spiegelworld, where DJs play music you can actually dance to. And I’ll tell ya — that dance floor was full of people. When you need a breather, pop downstairs to 99 Prince Bar for a drink and upbeat ‘70s playlist.
It doesn’t get more classic Vegas than Peppermill Fireside Lounge, a strip mainstay that’s been welcoming patrons since 1972. The retro vibes are still in full force, thanks to sunken seating areas adorned in crushed velvet surrounding indoor firepits. On our first night in the city, my group was running deep at 16 people, and our two adjoining tables were big enough to accommodate everyone comfortably for introductions and welcome drinks.
As soon as you leave The Strip, you’ll be rewarded with some of the best drinking Vegas has to offer. The Golden Tiki is one of the most respected tiki bars in the country, serving expertly-made flaming cocktails and pu-pu platters stacked with classics like ribs and macaroni salad to soak up all that rum. Over in the Arts District, Dark Sister takes their cocktails and glassware seriously. I drank a Martini with blue cheese-infused vodka while my cohorts enjoyed s’mores Espresso Martinis and the Silent Fog, made with Earl Grey-infused gin, elderflower, orange, lemon and egg white.
The Strip and its many hotels also have some of my favorite bars in the city. I always have to stop at The Cosmopolitan, starting the night at Ghost Donkey, where agave cocktails and black truffle nachos are the star of the show. Grab a bite at Block 16 Urban Food Hall, then make your way to The Chandelier for more drinks where, yes, you will actually be sitting inside the property’s two-story chandelier. At The Venetian, Close Company slings cocktails from the Death & Co. crew, and it’s quickly become one of the best bars in town. The Mole Old Fashioned is excellent, but I was really impressed with the “Sidekicks,” a list of modern Boilermakers. The Champagne and ice-cold pineapple brandy was a favorite among our crew. I couldn’t resist stopping at Caspian’s Rock & Roe for a Martini and caviar bump before dinner, but if you have the time, reserve a seat at the speakeasy in the back where there’s live music every night.
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