Things To Do In North Las Vegas

Story Airways helps define Las Vegas vacations, creating memories up to 6,000 feet off the ground. High up in the air, passengers kick back in private airplane cabins for 30-minute flights. During trips they can drink in views of the Strip, Red Rock Canyon, and desert vistas, or challenge geese to drag races while staying abreast of cockpit happenings via a headset connected to the pilot and nearby communications towers. Though flights are generally shared, for an added fee patrons can claim the entire cabin for themselves and even tie the knot on board.

The certified flight instructors at Airwork Las Vegas operate a fleet of Cessna airplanes and Schweizer helicopters that act as educational tools for aspiring pilots. Introductory flight lessons introduce students to safety precautions, controls, and technical jargon during ground school before they take to the skies. Clients can also enroll in a variety of flight-training sessions that will give them more flying time in order to earn a pilot’s license or taste all eight cloud flavors.

Adventure Helicopter Tours parades sightseers about the skies above Los Angeles for aerial appreciation of the city's many landmarks. The outfit hosts 12 separate tours around southern California, including those that fly over the homes of celebrities, providing ample opportunities to pass judgment on their backyard barbecuing skills. Other options include a romantic sunset excursion, and a route that flies past the Hollywood sign. Every passenger on an Adventure Helicopter Tours excursion enjoys window seating and a two-way MP3 stereo headset for easy communication with fellow sightseers.

For one night only, Yost Theater's stage serves as the centerpiece of the Rock Star Beer Festival, a celebration that gives attendees the opportunity to taste unlimited samples of more than 40 craft beers. The VIP tent supplements the brews with mixed-drink samples from Cocktail City Vegas, and Chicago punk outfit Mest and Gwen Stefani?certified tribute No Duh will play throughout the evening. A portion of the proceeds benefit Beer for Boobs, a nonprofit that provides funding for breast-cancer research.

Plates piled high with Emerald Isle favorites such as corned beef and shepherd’s pie grace Kavanaugh's tables, which open their mahogany arms to families as well as those looking for a casual pint. The rustic, clover-laden interior is the setting for limerick recitations and scrumptious meals such as the corned beef and cabbage—thickly sliced slabs of meat paired with seasoned cabbage and buttery boiled potatoes ($14.99). The ground-beef shepherd’s pie bakes up lean beef, peas, carrots, and mashed potatoes culled from Mr. Potato Head's personal entourage into a golden-brown crust ($12.99). A flavorful host of American-style pub fare complements the Irish cuisine, with Sean Patrick’s burger charting in at a robust half-pound ($5.99), and appetizers such as nachos ($4.99) and chicken wings ($7.99) courting frothy pints of Guinness. A Little Leprechauns lunch menu ($3.99) allows parents to inundate youthful lads and lassies with old-country culture in a friendly atmosphere, without the threat of ferocious Celtic tigers.

The Charcoal Room features top-grade cuts of meat, an extensive wine list, and fresh fish daily. The atmosphere is equal parts fine-dining class and low-key relaxation, like a news anchor whose desk is concealing a pair of sateen parachute pants. Peruse the menu to discover substantial steaks such as the pan-seared bone-in rib eye (22 oz., $32) and petite cuts such as the filet mignon (7 oz., $28). Classic salad styles such as the wedge ($7) or Caesar ($7) are perennially in good taste, complementing meat with the finest of chlorophyll. The boneless baby-back ribs ($10) and lobster mac 'n' cheese ($14) turn the traditionally difficult-to-eat into forkable fare. Since swords themselves always return from the grill too hot to eat, swordfish ($32) makes for a blade-inspired meal not forged by a sweaty blacksmith. Collect a cartel of iron-eaters who prefer their steak prepared on top of more steak and request a corner booth facing the door at The Charcoal Room.