Mandalay Bay Shark Reef

In Las Vegas, you're used to hearing the word "shark" to describe a slimy swindler at the black jack tables, but at this Las Vegas hotspot, the sharks have a totally different poker face—the kind that'll rip off a limb and clear an entire beach in 60 seconds. No need to fear losing a leg or the deed to your house at Shark Reef Aquarium (3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, 702-632-4555) at Mandalay Bay, though. The ocean life conservation opened in 2000, and was re-branded in 2007, tacking on "Aquarium" to its title. In the middle of the dessert, Shark Reef's more than 1,200 species and 2,000-plus animals are content in their own private ocean created by 1.6 million gallons of seawater.

Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, Shark Reef is one of the country's most highly regarded aquariums and one of the only not located on or near a body of water. Employees at the Shark Reef Aquarium double as guides and teachers, introducing students and families to sea creatures through tours and at the touch pool, where guests can touch eels, stingrays and crabs. Some of the workers at Shark Reef take the hands-on approach a step further when they clean the tanks—donning a scuba suit made of stainless steel mesh so they don't attract a hungry shark. But the real stars of the attraction are, of course, all of the marine mammals, fish, turtles and even a komodo dragon. Don't miss walking through the glass-topped tunnel, in which you'll get to walk under a nine-foot nurse shark or a school of angelfish. But the namesake shark is probably the best-represented. Here, you'll find reef, whitetip, bonnet-head, tiger, sandbar, zebra and lemon sharks—just to name a few—so get your cameras and nerves ready.

If you visit, we recommend getting in via Mandalay Bay's Bayside Buffet—for just $37.99 a person, you get to eat and walk with the fishes. How sweet is that?