Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

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Go to the Mandalay Bay Hotel and see the shark exhibit. It will cost about $ 15-18 to get in, kids 4 & under are free. Besides sharks, they have crocodiles, piranhas, giant lizards, mora eels, sea turtles, jelly fish and more. You can even touch the little rays. The tunnel acquarium was cool, too.

Mandalay Bay (at the south end of the Strip) has Shark Reef aquarium. If you never visited an aquarium before, then probably it is worth a visit. The attraction is very small - it took us about 25 minutes to see everything was there to see. Shark Reef did not match any aquariums we have seen in USA (Seattle, Baltimore, Camden, and Florida) or abroad (Sydney, Australia) and, in my opinion, it was not worth spending $15.95.

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Mandalay Bay, at the south end of the Strip, has the usual casino offerings. In addition, it has Shark Reef, an aquarium to rival those of some cities (OK, it doesn't match Sea World in San Diego). It's a real indoor adventure. Go to the web site for times and tickets.

Mandalay Bay has much to offer, aside from the hotel and casino, there is a huge sports book, abundant restaurants, shops and night spots. Strongly recommend the Burger Bar on the 2nd floor of Mandalay Place, and Rum Jungle, the restaurant turned night club.

This hotel is famous for its Boxing Matches.
It also houses a shark reef. See sharks, crocodiles, sea turtles and monitors to name a few of the different species.
Open 10am-11pm
Admission: Adults $15.95
Children 5-12yrs $9.95
Children under 4 - free

Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay is a walkthrough aquarium where you get the chance to get up close and personal with a variety of fish and sea creatures including, of course, sharks.
You walk through various themed areas – Jungle, Temple and Shipwreck – guided by both your “passport”, which includes some handy photographs for identifying various species, and an extremely informative audio guide. Along the way you will see some of what must be some of the most beautiful and bizarre creatures on the planet. Spots, stripes, bright reds, vivacious blues and poster paint yellow catch your eye, as does the range of shapes and sizes from dainty Angelfish to huge Tarpons and gracefully sleek Stingrays. Try and look out for the Lookdown, whose flat face makes it seems as if it has just run into a wall, and the magnificent Lionfish, a blend of stripes, fans and tendrils that looks like it should be fantasy rather than reality!
Rays swim in a small pool where you encouraged – under supervision – to touch them. It’s a strange sensation. I though they would be soft and squashy but instead they felt rather hard and leathery. A nearby display of jellyfish again look like creations of an imagination run wild.
The culmination of the tour is the shipwreck where, in a huge tank, sharks and fish swim round, under and above you. The sharks are amazing creatures, inspiring an almost primeval sense of both fear and respect. Wait for one to swim over our head so you can see its rows of teeth and feel that slight tremor go up your spine!
Education and conservation are two of the aims of the aquarium - it has links to various organisations that promote research and conservation – and I liked the last page of the passport guide that gives some small tips about how people can try and help conserving the environment.
The adult admission cost of 15.95 dollars (I think it is less for children) is very reasonable for what is an interesting and informative exhibition. I’d recommend a visit.

So the waves don't exactly measure up to the wedge in Newport, but for a nice poolside experience, I would recommend the pool at Mandalay. If you don't like to gamble, there's not much else to do on a hot day in Vegas besides lay at the pool, and this is a good one. Two problems: you have to be a hotel guest, and finding a lounge chair can be a challlenge. But other than that, it's a great place to relax with a tropical beverage and friends!

This tour costs $15 per person. I would do it once but not twice. this was very pleasant and was suprisingly full of sights and things to do. There is even a touch tank that visitors can touch the sting rays.