Behind The Scenes Tours of Las Vegas

© MGM Mirage/Tabu Ultra Lounge

Want to peek behind the curtain and learn more about a side of Las Vegas most people never see? There are behind the scenes tours available to feed every curiosity—some right on the Strip, others a short drive away.

The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay is a good place to begin. You can spy the Jaws stars from behind the glass like everyone else, or you can get up-close and personal (and learn a thing or two) with a 30-minute behind-the-scenes guided tour. Experts give you the skinny on the differences between sand tiger sharks and lemon sharks and share information on the more than 1,200 species of fish and wildlife in a 1.3 million gallon tank—better bring a notebook.

The Jubilee! Backstage Walking Tour at Bally's calls to anyone that's ever dreamed of being a showgirl. We doubt that dream involved wearing a 35-pound headdress and marching up and down a two flights of stairs ten times, but every job has it's down side. Learn why the dancers go through more than 1,500 pairs of stockings each year and where they get all those feathers. Maybe by the end, you'll be practicing your high kicks and considering a career change.

Aspiring magicians might also want to pay homage to the Great Houdini by sussing out the many props used by the master illusionist that can be found in the back of the Houdini Gift Shop at the Venetian. This fascinating find is magically free of charge—though you'll be hard-pressed to escape the gift shop without a souvenir.

Outside the casinos, you'll want to plan your time in Vegas around a tour of the Nevada Testing Site, one of the most restricted-access areas in the country. About 60 miles north of the Strip, the site opens its doors to visitors once a month for a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility. Check out the relics from years' worth of nuclear weapons testing and rocket experiments (that look a whole lot cooler than the ones you built in your basement), and brag to your friends when you return home. Just don't expect to see a mushroom cloud while you're there.

In the opposite direction, roughly 30 miles southeast, is the famous Hoover Dam, the 70-year-old structure that keeps the power on in Los Angeles and delivers fresh, potable water to your hotel room in Vegas. During this tour, you can hopscotch between Pacific and Mountain time zones and learn fun factoids about the massive structure, which created its own lake, Lake Mead, by damming the Colorado River.

Who knew you'd acquire such a breadth of interesting tidbits while in Vegas.