Not a football fan? Las Vegas offers plenty of alternatives to the Super Bowl
If you’re not a football fan, then it can be easy to feel sidelined at Super Bowl events and parties.
Seeing the sparse amount of people out and about in the Las Vegas Valley during the big game can make anyone feel in the minority, but it’s the perfect time to visit the cinema, have an outdoor adventure or explore the city’s cultural offerings.
“There’s plenty of options in Las Vegas if you don’t want to watch the game,” said Dawn Chistensen of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “There’s world-class dining, shopping and shows.”
All Century movie theaters in town will show a special screening of the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” at 2 p.m., because Feb. 2 is actually Groundhog Day. It is also a great time to catch up on this year’s Oscar-nominated films that are still in theaters, like “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “American Hustle” or “Her.”
Clark County takes an appropriately desert-centric approach to its Groundhog Day event by replacing a rodent with a reptile. Visit the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area visitor center any day between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. for Mojave Max Watch. Everyone can predict the date and time Mojave Max the desert tortoise — a Clark County mascot — will emerge from his winter brumation, the reptilian version of hibernation.
Regardless of whether animals foretell six more weeks of winter, Las Vegas’ National Weather Service office said the weather Sunday will be mostly sunny with temperatures in the mid-50s. So rather than feigning excitement for football or killing time between highly anticipated commercial breaks, an outdoor activity could be a fun alternative.
With the price of admission to the Springs Preserve, at 333 S. Valley View Blvd., near Alta Drive, Las Vegas Valley residents can enjoy the outdoor scenery and indoor galleries on display Super Bowl Sunday.
In the preserve’s Origen Museum, “Leonardo Da Vinci: Machines in Motion” boasts 40 life-size machines for visitors to try out. The contraptions were built with materials Da Vinci would have used and are accompanied by some of his drawings, including his hang glider, a bicycle-powered flying machine and a printing press.
If you decide to take the artistic route, the Exclusive Collections Gallery in the Forum Shops at Caesars is having the final day of the Chinese New Year exhibit with artist Jia Lu from noon to 4 p.m. The free exhibit opened in January to celebrate the Year of the Horse through Lu’s paintings.
You could disregard the pizza-and-wings stereotype of Super Bowl food, and check out The Farms farmers market in the Fantastic Indoor Swapmeet, at 1717 S. Decatur Blvd. The market offers sustainably grown food and art and crafts from local vendors, plus free face painting for the kids every Sunday.
Or defy the sedentary standard of spectating by doing something physical.
Delgado Dance, on South Grand Canyon by West Flamingo Road, is offering a $15 beginner line dancing “bootcamp.” Instead of just watching the game, make a play at line dances like the “the Watermelon Crawl,” “the Black Velvet” and “the Jam.”
For NFL consumers, football is a serious hobby.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimates Las Vegas will see 292,000 visitors because of the game, an increase of 2.5 percent over last year. They estimate the nongaming revenue generated by the Super Bowl will be $113.7 million, an increase of 2.9 percent.
But if the big game is not your ideal way to spend the day, you could take the opportunity to develop new interests.
Sahara West Library, at 9600 W. Sahara Ave., is offering free guitar lessons from noon to 1 p.m. for people of all ages and skill levels. Sessions are also being offered on Feb. 9 and Feb. 16.
Not everyone likes football, but everyone loves a musician.
Contact reporter Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Follow him on Twitter @WesJuhl.
