USA Travel Guide

The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series hasn’t even started yet, and already some folks around the office have the got the craving for cold beer and warm exhaust. We’re especially excited about the Shelby 427 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the tail end of February. Why?

Can’t you read? It’s in Vegas!

The most prestigious stock car racing series in the world might start doling out the points in Daytona on Valentine’s Day, but between you and us, we’ll wait for the glittering lights of Sin City and the 2010 NASCAR Weekend, Friday February 26 through Sunday February 28, 2010.

Last year, Las Vegas native Kyle Busch stomped eleven years of American-made dominance by gunning his Toyota Camry past the checkered flag into a first place finish. Fresh off his Nationwide Series championship victory back in November, you can bet he’ll be bringing it to the Spring Cup even harder this season. Keep your eyes on #18 on race day.

One of the really cool things about the Shelby 427, or really any race held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, is the Neon Garage. This one of the kind facility, located at the speedway’s infield, gives ticketholders an unprecedented vantage on the drivers, their teams and their stock cars, both pre and post-race. What’s more, the Garage hosts live entertainment, everything from tribute performers to the Blue Man Group, on major race weekends. (And the Sprint Cup definitely makes for a major race weekend).

Neon Garage admission may be purchased separately or as part of a package, and sure it’s a little more expensive, but there’s no denying the thrill for real NASCAR fans. You simply can’t get this anywhere else.

2010 NASCAR Weekend includes the qualifying events on Friday, Sam’s Town 300 (Nationwide) on Saturday, and finally the Shelby 427 American (Sprint) on Sunday. Expects the stands packed every single day. Learn more.

Here at USA Travel Guide, we can never go to Vegas for just one thing. We simply don’t have the willpower. So, stay close to the Speedway, but stay even closer to the Las Vegas Strip. A brand new Las Vegas hotel just a minute from the Strip, the Holiday Inn Las Vegas, is even offering a NASCAR Spring Cup package. You can get three nights’ accommodations, free transportation to the racetrack and tickets for two to Sunday’s big race. Check it out.

Have fun at the Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race in Las Vegas!

At USA Travel Guide, we don’t often feature traveling shows or exhibits, especially if show dates are no more than a couple days each. This is because we like to recommend hotels and all that, and with traveling shows that always feels a little silly. However, and this is the official vocabulary, exceptions can and will be made when the particular show in question is awesome!

Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular is awesome in the truest sense of the word: it inspires awe. It is a jaw-dropping, mouth-gaping, eye-bulging spectacle sure to thrill men and women, the young and the old, and probably some higher-functioning animals. As special effects and CGI take over the big screen, here’s a place where you can still experience the astonishing impact of live animatronics.

What is it, already? Walking with Dinosaurs is a full-length arena show featuring 15 life-size animatronic dinosaurs. The fearsome and stirringly lifelike creatures have the entire arena floor at their disposal as your live guide, Paleontologist Huxley, regales you with the fascinating history and current scientific thinking on each of them.

Much more than a walking museum exhibit, however. Huxley interacts, plays with and challenges the majestic dinos, who respond so naturally it’s hard to believe it’s not real. As one incredible creature after another takes to the arena floor – allosaurus, stegosaurus, the gigantic brachiosaurus (life size, really!), utahraptors and the king of them all, tyrannosaurus rex – you might find yourself shaken with amazement.

If I haven’t impressed upon you the gravity of this experience yet, that’s because you haven’t seen these animals in action. Remedy that by checking out their videos. Nothing can really do justice to the thrill of sitting in those stands, but here you’ll get an idea of what’s in store.

The only negative I can muster about Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular is the price. In this economy, you can find a lot of other uses for $30-60, but I’ll pay it anyway. It is so worth it! Learn more about this show.

Walking with Dinosaurs is a traveling show visiting several arenas throughout the first half of 2010. Here are some choice selections with our hotel recommendations:

January 5-6, 2010
Hampton Coliseum
1000 Coliseum Drive
Hampton, VA 23666
757-838-5650
Hotels: Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina

January 15-17, 2010
Mississippi Coast Coliseum
2350 Beach Boulevard
Biloxi, MS 39531
228-594-3700
Hotels: Ocean Club at Biloxi

March 24-28, 2010
Thomas & Mack Center (UNLV Campus)
4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89154
702-895-3761
Hotels: Holiday Inn Las Vegas

July 21-25, 2010
Madison Square Garden
4 Penn Plaza
New York, NY 10001
212-307-7171
Hotels: Crowne Plaza Englewood
Crowne Plaza Times Square

July 28 – August 1, 2010
Allstate Arena
6920 N. Manheim Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
847-635-6601
Hotels: Hilton Garden Inn Chicago / Magnificent Mile
The Silversmith Hotel