Millions visit Sin City every year, and once there, never wander far from Las Vegas Boulevard’s resorts and casinos. However, there are many great sites within easy distance that can make quite an adventure beyond gambling.

Consider experiencing replicas of many areas of the world, all within walking or taxi distance right on the Strip. And they make great backgrounds for selfies. If you’re in a Caribbean mood, go to the Mandalay Bay Resort, with sandy beach next to surfboard waves in its enormous man-made lake. If you want a taste of France, visit Paris Resort, where you’ll wander and wonder at almost-life-sized replicas of the Eiffel Tower and the Arch of Triumph. If you prefer Italian, roam the Palazzo, the Venetian, Caesars Palace or Bellagio luxury resorts. The posh architecture is not the only hint of Italy there, because the many Italian restaurants inside bring it all to you with great taste. For those who prefer a Middle East flavor, there’s the Luxor. It’s shaped like a huge pyramid, and has Egyptian statues all around, including at the outside entrance a big replica of the famed Sphynx. Pose, point and shoot!

Once you’ve experienced the imitation foreign wonders of Las Vegas, take day trips to nearby real American fantasies. The mighty Grand Canyon is just an hour’s ride by helicopter. Some flights offer added thrills of landing for a catered meal on the North Rim, then a mile drop down to canyon bottom and the Colorado River.

It’s just a 30-minute ride by car or ten-minute flight to one of the man-made wonders of the world. Hoover Dam provides water to millions of homes, farms and ranches in Nevada, Arizona and California.

Historically, building the dam in the 1930s required thousands of workers to spend several years there with families. For relaxation, they went to the little gambling town just 30 miles away, and that was the beginning of Las Vegas. It became the gambling and entertainment capital of the world.

Tours of the dam include a breathtaking visit to the very inside bottom through the enormous engine room. Where the dam controls the water flow of the Colorado River, it has created Lake Mead. Available on the lake are all kinds of sailboat, motorboat, fishing and other water adventures.

For those who enjoy hiking and biking in a beautiful setting, there’s Red Rock Canyon, a 20 minute drive from the Strip. For the more hardy exercisers, at its top is Mount Charleston, where summer hiking is great, and in the winter, ski trails welcome winter athletes.

Beyond gambling, Las Vegas provides all kinds of adventures. They expand from hotel replicas and foods from many lands around the world, to the real wonders of Grand Canyon and Boulder Dam.