Las Vegas Under 21
We rolled into Las Vegas just after midnight on the 11th of August 2025, at the height of summer, with the Strip lit up as if it were the middle of the afternoon. My best friend and I were both 19, which, in a city built almost entirely around things you are only allowed to do at 21, is a slightly strange age to arrive.
Vegas was one of the stops on a longer road trip across the USA. We had started in Los Angeles, then San Diego, passed through Joshua Tree, and after Vegas we would carry on to Death Valley, Yosemite and finally back to Los Angeles. I will be writing about every stop, but this one deserves its own article, because Las Vegas when you are under 21 is a very particular experience: some doors are firmly closed, but a surprising number of others are wide open.
Getting There: Route 66 on Fumes
We drove up from Joshua Tree in our usual silver Jeep Wrangler Sahara, taking a stretch of the historic Route 66 on the way. It is a beautiful drive through the Mojave Desert, and also one of the emptiest roads I have ever been on.
That emptiness almost caught us out. The Jeep Sahara was many things, but fuel-efficient was not one of them, and at one point we found ourselves with around 20 miles of range left and no gas station for more than 100 miles. Those were a quiet few miles in the car. Then, luckily, a gas station appeared by the side of the road, right on Route 66, at one of the spots where people stop to take photos of the Route 66 sign painted on the asphalt. I have never been so happy to see a fuel pump in my life, and of course, we took our photo of the road too.
My advice: if you are driving from Joshua Tree to Las Vegas through the Mojave and along Route 66, fill up before you leave and do not count on finding fuel along the way. Services out there are few and far between, and the ones that exist are not always open.
Finding a Hotel When You Are Under 21
The first obstacle comes before you even arrive. Most of the big casino resorts on the Strip require the person checking in to be at least 21, so as a couple of 19-year-olds, our options were very limited.
We checked carefully beforehand, and back in 2025, the only acceptable hotel we found that would take us was The Westin, which is just off the Strip, close enough to walk to everything. It worked perfectly for us.
One word of warning: these policies change. Several booking sites now list 21 as the minimum check-in age for the Westin too, so whatever you read online, including this article, always confirm the age policy directly with the hotel before you book.
What You Can and Cannot Do at 19
In Las Vegas, 21 is the magic number. You cannot drink, you cannot gamble, and most nightclubs and pool parties are off-limits. What surprised us, though, is how much of the city is still open to you.
For a start, you can walk freely through the casinos. In most resorts, the casino floor is the main route from one part of the building to another, so you will spend a lot of time walking past slot machines and gaming tables, and nobody will stop you.
Gambling, of course, is where the line is drawn: in Nevada, gambling under 21 is a misdemeanour, and underage players forfeit any winnings. As for what we got up to at Caesars Palace, let's just say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
As for nightlife, we did not go to any parties or clubs, but that was by choice: we only had two nights, and we preferred to spend our time visiting the city. We did, however, end up at a strip club one evening. In Las Vegas, most of the fully nude clubs do not serve alcohol, and some of them admit anyone over 18, which makes them one of the very few adult venues where under-21s can actually get in.
The Strip, the Bellagio Fountains and the Venetian
Walking the Strip is an experience in itself. Every resort is trying to outdo the one next to it, and you go from a fake Paris to ancient Rome to Venice in the space of a few blocks.
The Bellagio Fountains are a must, and they are completely free. In front of the hotel, hundreds of jets of water shoot up from the lake and move in sync with music, with shows every half hour during the day and every fifteen minutes in the evening.
The Venetian is the other one you cannot miss. Inside, the resort has recreated Venice, complete with canals, gondolas, bridges and a painted sky on the ceiling. As Italians, seeing a version of Venice in the middle of the Nevada desert was hilarious. It is not exactly Venice, to put it mildly, but that is half the fun.
The Sphere and Fremont Street
The newest landmark in Vegas is the Sphere, a giant ball just off the Strip whose entire outer shell is one enormous LED screen. At night, it turns into a giant eye, a planet, an emoji or whatever else they decide to project on it, and you can see it from all over the city. Even without going inside for a show, it is worth seeing up close.
Fremont Street, downtown, is the other side of Las Vegas: the old Vegas, where the city's first casinos were built. Today, it is a pedestrian street covered by a huge illuminated canopy that comes alive with light shows at night, with street performers, music and crowds everywhere. It is louder, rougher and more chaotic than the Strip, and definitely worth an evening.
Shooting at Freedom Firearms
This was one of the two best moments of our stay. As Italians, firearms are something we had never had the chance to try: in Italy, guns are very strictly regulated and certainly not something you can just go and shoot for an afternoon. In Las Vegas, on the other hand, there are shooting ranges all over the city, and we went to Freedom Firearms.
It was a special experience for both of us, and a big part of that was the staff, who were extremely pleasant and professional from start to finish.
There is also a certain irony to it: at Freedom Firearms, anyone over 18 can shoot, and younger teenagers can too with a parent present, so at 19 we were allowed to fire a gun but not to order a beer.
Driving a Ferrari 488 Pista at Dream Racing
The other highlight was Dream Racing, at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a little outside the city. Here, you can choose from a huge selection of supercars and drive them on a real racetrack.
Since I had raced before, professionally as well, I knew exactly what I wanted: the Ferrari 488 Pista, the track-focused version of the 488, with a twin-turbo V8 producing around 720 horsepower. Taking a car like that onto a proper circuit was, to say the least, an unforgettable experience, and probably my favourite moment of the whole stay.
The good news for anyone under 21 is that Dream Racing lets you drive from the age of 16, as long as you have a valid driving licence, with a parent or guardian signing a waiver if you are under 18.
Eating in Las Vegas
Since we only had two nights, we did not do much at night in the clubbing sense, but we did eat well. One of the places we tried was Gordon Ramsay Burger at Planet Hollywood, right on the Strip, along with a few other nice restaurants around the city. Restaurants are one of the parts of Vegas where your age does not matter at all, so it is worth planning a couple of good dinners.
Getting Around: Monorail, Walking and Extreme Heat
To get around, we used the Las Vegas Monorail, which runs behind the resorts on the east side of the Strip, and we walked everywhere else. A word of warning about walking, though: distances on the Strip are deceiving. The resorts are so big that the next hotel always looks closer than it actually is.
And then there is the heat. In August, Las Vegas is extremely hot, with temperatures that regularly reach around 40°C, and walking between resorts in the middle of the day can be exhausting. Carry water, plan your walks for the evening when you can, and do not be ashamed of cutting through every air-conditioned casino along the way.
A Show, Next Time
We did not see a show on this trip, but this was not actually my first time in Las Vegas. On a previous trip, I had come with my father, and we went to see Michael Jackson ONE, the Cirque du Soleil show at Mandalay Bay. It was amazing, and if you have an evening free, a show is one of the best things you can do in Vegas, whatever your age.
Tips for Visiting Las Vegas Under 21
- Do the things you cannot do in Europe. Shooting was a highlight for us, and there is much more: there are experiences where you can drive a tank, and even crush a car with one, plus all sorts of adventures out in the desert. We would gladly have done more of them. If that is your thing, you do you.
- Check the hotel's age policy directly. Most Strip resorts require you to be 21 to check in, and policies change, so confirm with the hotel before booking.
- Walk through the casinos, but do not gamble. Walking through is fine, but gambling under 21 is illegal in Nevada, and any winnings are forfeited.
- Look for experiences with lower age limits. Supercar driving at Dream Racing starts at 16, and shooting ranges like Freedom Firearms at 18.
- Fill up before crossing the Mojave. If you are driving from Joshua Tree, do not count on finding gas along Route 66.
- Respect the heat. Drink plenty of water and save the long walks for the evening.
- Use the monorail. It saves your legs, and in August, your energy.
Leaving Las Vegas
After two nights, it was time to leave the lights behind. We got back in the Jeep and headed towards Death Valley, and on the way, we made a detour we had not planned at all, which I wrote about in Area 51 Alien Center: A Wrong Turn from Vegas to Death Valley.
