Vegas - Dec 2025

We flew to Vegas for a long weekend - mainly to see Zac Brown at the Sphere.  Rak, Kelly (Rak's girlfriend), Kim and Tom joined us as well. 

The gang in Vegas

Accommodation:

We stayed at Marriott Grand Chateau where we got a two bedroom condo and a separate one bedroom - this is a time share that Tom's friend is a member of.  The place did not have a lot of amenities but the rooms were large, comfortable and clean, the hotel was convenient to the strip and the price was better than most Vegas hotels!

Activities:

Neon Museum - Rak, Keith and Shawna went to this museum before the Snarrs arrived. It was cool to see some of the nostalgic signs lit up at night. We did the 'history' tour which was about 45 minutes and we learned about some of the hotels as we walked by the signs. Definitely recommend this activity. 

One of the signs at the Neon Museum

Walk the Strip - We walked around the strip stopping into some of the hotels to see the Christmas decor.

Decor at the Wynn

Zac Brown Concert - The main event of the weekend - we had great seats (section 204) at the Sphere which allowed us to see the band and the screens. The band had just dropped a new album so they played a mix of new and old songs. The concert was a bit weird with Zac playing rerecorded monologues between songs but the music was great as were the imagery on the screens. After the concert, we did some bar hopping staying up until 3am!

Zac Brown Concert

Arte Museum - We all went to this museum on Sunday to kill a bit of time before going to the airport. It's an experimental art museum. We were not that impressed!

Arte Museum

Restaurants / Bars:

Zuma - Keith and Shawna had dinner here the night before everyone else arrived. It's modern Japanese and everything was delicious. We joked that the Japanese should come to the US to learn how to make good Japanese food. We had sashimi, roasted cauliflower, miso cod, potatoes and mushrooms.

Dinner at Zuma

Momofuko - Keith, Shawna and Rak had lunch here sharing some bao buns and a noodle dish - all tasty.

The Griffin - Keith, Shawna and Rak had a drink here before meeting the Snarrs for dinner. The bar is cool with cozy fireplaces. 

Atomic Liquors - Keith, Shawna and Rak had a drink here before meeting the Snarrs for dinner. The bar has quite a bit of history but it's not that unique inside. 

Lotus of Siam - The Snarrs arrived later on Friday so we joined them here for a later dinner sharing a bunch of dishes, all of which were very good.  We had all been to this restaurant several times before as it's a Vegas institution - but it's now in a new location in a nicer restaurant.

Bellagio - We had drinks here after dinner.

Drinks at the Bellagio

Palette Tea Lounge and Dim Sum - We had lunch here sharing some veggie dishes and dumplings.  Food was OK.

Tamba - Rak had met the GM at this restaurant and he really liked the food so we had dinner here before the concert. We shared a few appetizers, entrees and desserts for the table - all very good.  They also have unique cocktails. The restaurant is really nice as well. 

Kamu Karaoke - After the concert, we got a karaoke room at this bar for about an hour, signing our hearts out.  Apparently Tom won 'best karaoke song selections'. 

Karaoke

Harrah's Las Vegas Piano Bar - After karaoke, we popped into this place singing along with the crowd. The guys playing the piano were not the best singers but it was still fun.

Ole Red - Rak and Kelly had returned to the hotel and as we were walking back from the Piano Bar, Kim decided we 'needed' one more beer so we stopped here. There was a live band that was supposed to be country but they didn't really do any country songs.

Ole Red Bar

Rosa Mexicana - On Sunday, we had lunch here, sharing guac for the table and then Keith and Shawna split a duck enchilada.  Food was pretty good.