vegas sans gambling?

After reading my last blog post, you're probably thinking that I'm pretty depressed. Or that I am somehow feeling let down by my self-employment experience thus far. Maybe I just need a vacation - something inexpensive and stress free. We had taken the kids to Disney World a couple of months ago, but let's face it - that's hardly what I call a vacation. More like work. Very expensive labor that leaves you deep in debt. My parents have been trying to convince us to check out Las Vegas, but we've been reluctant to go, because we're not into that whole throw-away-money-for-fun form of amusement. However, I am particularly interested in themed spaces, so my wife and I have been discussing an atypical visit in the summer.

Our idea is to spend a few days there *without gambling at all*. From what I have heard, you can usually get a good deal on hotels because they expect you to drop a ton of cash at the slots. Plus, I'm sure that the Las Vegas hotel that we would end up staying in will have lots of entertainment that doesn't involve gambling. If not, there's always the option of taking a stroll down the strip to visit any of the other themed hotels. There's one that mimics Paris that looks promising. Even if we don't pay to see a single show, I'd still enjoy just walking around and reveling at the faux architectural achievements. I'm thinking of this potential trip as a Disney World for adults - something totally plastic, commercialized and unrealistic, but visually stimulating.

I'm sure that our friends and family will say that we're crazy for going to Vegas and not gambling, but I don't care. The only reason I would go would be to see the themed environments. I'd like to one day open up a theme park of my own, so I'm interested in studying what others have done - even in Vegas. I wonder if they offer any "backstage" tours to see how some of it done?