A Wynn-er of a Golf Course

There are more than 60 golf courses in the middle of the desert, which is amazing in itself, but the 18-hole, par-70 Wynn Golf Course at Wynn Las Vegas ups the “;wow”; factor. Opened in 2005, Vegas' newest course is the only one at a resort on the Strip. More than 800,000 cubic yards of earth were transported for the dramatic elevation changes that were initially considered impossible to create.

The landscaping is dressed up with a 37-foot waterfall, 100,000 new shrubs, 4,800 new trees, and 1,200 trees that were salvaged and moved from the Desert Inn Golf Course that formerly occupied the 137-acre site. Some of those trees are more than 50 years old and stand more than 60 feet tall.

Green fees are $500. Caddies accompany each group of players to point out the challenges of each hole and to assist with club selection, green reading, bunker raking and divot replacement.

Star-gazing

Madame Tussauds Las Vegas at the Venetian allows you to get up close to your favorite celebrities, or rather, their wax facsimiles.

From Brad Pitt to Britney Spears, John F. Kennedy to Jennifer Lopez, Muhammad Ali to Marilyn Monroe, this attraction has immortalized more than 100 luminaries from the realms of sports, business, politics, television, music and movies. The wax figures are so lifelike (down to wardrobe and wrinkles), you expect them to move and talk. Some actually do!

At other interactive exhibitions, find out if you have what it takes to be an “;American Idol.”; Sing a tune, then listen to a critique by Simon Cowell.

Then pretend it's your wedding day. Dress in a gown and veil, walk down the aisle of a flower-bedecked chapel and say “;I do”; to the man of your dreams, George Clooney.

Or join in a pro-am tournament with Tiger Woods as your partner. At the 18th hole the pressure is on you to make the purse-winning shot. Spectators cheer you to sink that putt.

Cool pools

The 5-foot waves and sand (1,700 tons of it) at Mandalay Bay Beach are no mirage. It's an 11-acre oasis with the tropical allure of Hawaii. The three-story Beachside Casino offers casual dining on the first floor (come barefooted and in your swimsuit, if you like), gaming on the second (beach attire is welcome here, too) and five 250- to 500-square-foot villas with a private deck, wet bar, MP3 player and 50-inch flat-screen TV. Plan a party; they each accommodate up to 16 guests.

From May through September, usually on weekends, Mandalay Bay's Concerts on the Beach spotlight entertainers such as Styx, the Beach Boys, REO Speedwagon, and Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band. Bring a mat, towel or blanket and stake your spot on the sand for an evening of entertainment under the summer sky.

Water babies also should check out the Tank at Golden Nugget. It's a $30 million, three-story pool complex where you can swim inches away from sharks, stingrays, blue runners, jack crevalles, black groupers and other sea creatures. A 200,000-gallon aquarium is the centerpiece of the complex.

In the driver's seat

Step into the Auto Collections on the fifth floor of the Imperial Palace's parking garage where displayed on 125,000 square feet are more than 250 antique, classic, exotic, custom-made, sports and race cars, most for sale at $20,000 to $5 million. Renowned manufacturers include Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Cadillac, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Jaguar, Mercedes, Audi and BMW.

Bring your checkbook; currently up for grabs are a 1914 Mercedes 50 H.P. Touring, the only known example in the United States; a 1930 Stutz “;Jones Special”; entered in the 1930 Indianapolis 500; a 1956 Bentley S1 Continental Park Ward Coupe owned by Hollywood producer Jack Warner; and a 1963 Austin Mini driven by Charlize Theron in the 2003 movie “;The Italian Job.”;

Siegfried and Roy's world

Far from the savannas of Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, tigers, lions, leopards and panthers prowl in the heart of Vegas. Famed illusionists Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn turned their fascination for big cats and dolphins into an attraction at the Mirage that's a cross between a zoo and an aquarium.

Conservation and education are the cornerstones of Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, part of which is, as its name implies, a research facility for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. To that end there are no “;circus-type”; shows, but you'll likely see the staff interact with the dolphins in play sessions that encourage them to do flips, spins, jumps and other natural movements.

Sign up for the five-hour Trainer for a Day program and you'll have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of assisting experts in the care and training of the dolphins. You'll go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility and learn the hand signals and terminology used to train the animals.

Ultimate burger

You wouldn't expect to find a burger on the menu of Mandalay Bay's posh Fleur de Lys, but chef Hubert Keller's FleurBurger 5000 is definitely befitting of a gourmet palate. For a mere $5,000, you get a 10-ounce Kobe beef patty, 1 ounce of Perigord black truffles and 3 ounces of foie gras. It's served on a brioche bun with a Perigord red wine sauce, pomme frites and a bottle of Chateau Petrus 1995 poured in Ichendorf Brunello stemware from Sweden.

Priced at $20,000 per person, Keller's Extravagance Menu is for those who want to impress a date. The divine six-course meal features an amuse bouche of Osetra caviar, foie gras with quince compote, butter-poached lobster with bamboo risotto, filet Rossini with potatoes gratin, fresh fruit minestrone with basil sorbet and a “;decadent chocolate feast.”;

Pinball wizard

Come to the Pinball Hall of Fame with lots of quarters. Crammed wall to wall in its 4,500 square feet are 200 machines dating from the 1950s through the 1990s, all ready to be played. The games are owned by Tim Arnold, a former arcade operator from Michigan. He started collecting them in the 1970s when he was running amusement parlors in Lansing and Ann Arbor because he couldn't bear the thought of paying distributors $50 to scrap them.

Today, Arnold owns about 1,000 vintage pinball machines. He opened the nonprofit Pinball Hall of Fame in February 2006 to display part of his collection and to invite visitors to play them. Profits support charities, including the Salvation Army and St. Jude's Ranch for Children.

Deep blue in the desert

There's water, water everywhere — nearly 1.6 million gallons of it — at Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef Aquarium, which showcases 2,000 marine critters representing 100 different species, including sawfish, stingrays, barracudas, crocodiles, piranhas and 15 types of sharks.

Occupying the aquarium's 90,560 square feet are 14 saltwater and freshwater exhibits, the newest of which is home to a rare Komodo dragon. The world's largest heaviest lizard, it can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds. Only 75 are exhibited at zoos and aquariums in North America.

Themed settings, including a shipwreck accessed via an acrylic tunnel providing a 270-degree underwater view, mirror the creatures' wild habitats. Best of all, you can enjoy this amazing undersea safari without getting wet.

Quiet on the Set

Getting married in the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel can have all the pizazz of a major Hollywood production. Like a sound stage, it can be transformed into your choice of 32 “;sets,”; including a Western saloon, a medieval castle and a fog-shrouded graveyard. Depending on the theme, James Bond, King Tut, the Godfather, the Phantom of the Opera or another colorful character could officiate.

For the Pink Caddy wedding, “;Elvis”; drives a 1964 pink Cadillac down the aisle of the chapel with the bride and groom in the back seat. He performs the ceremony there and in the DooWop Diner Wedding Chapel, which is furnished with checkerboard floors, a soda fountain and a jukebox that plays 1950s hits. The newlyweds dance as the King croons their song, usually “;Can't Help Falling in Love.”;

Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars Palace also provides an incredible “;set”; for patrons. Research has shown hypertension and other conditions can be alleviated if you lounge in a steam room or sauna for 10 or 15 minutes, then cool your body for the same length of time.

Instead of a ho-hum cold shower or plunge pool, Qua created an Arctic Ice Room in its men's and women's areas where snow drifts from a domed ceiling year-round. Adding to this wintry setting are mint-infused air and an ice fountain that produces crushed chips on demand to refresh and exfoliate the skin.