Vegas: Mirage Dolphin Habitat

At the Mirage Hotel and Casino here in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, you can escape some of the chaos outside and dip into serene pools where dolphins will splash and play alongside. Of course, that privilege does not come cheaply, as their trainer for a day program will run you about $500 per person. Yikes! I have to admit, though, that it totally looks worth it if you've got the cash to pay for it. It's a five hour long experience, so really that's only $100 an hour, which isn't that bad considering it comes with breakfast, lunch, and time spent actually interacting with the dolphins. Our visit was not so extravagant as to include that, but we were still able to see a good bit of the dolphins and we had a lovely time. One thing I'm definitely curious about looking into, now that I know it exists thanks to their official website, is their painting with the dolphins experience! As a human who likes to paint and play with color, I imagine it'd be quite the experience to create with another sentient being. Dolphins, after all, are highly intelligent. There may be some debate about whether their intelligence actually exceeds our own, but I tend to agree with Douglas Adams on the matter;

“For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons.”

― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Smart man, that Adams. 

A real hoopy frood.

So, while our visit with the dolphins didn't entail splashing around in the water with them, we definitely enjoyed watching them interact with the trainers and play a catch amongst themselves. There was an adolescent swimming around with the females, and it was super cute seeing as it alternated braving out on its own and shadowing its mum.  Thankfully for us, they didn't attempt any double-backwards-somersaults through a hoop while whistling the star-spangled banner, so we can presume that our planet is safe from demolition. Is there such a thing as too many Douglas Adams references? Perhaps, but this is not the place nor the time for such concerns.

This is, however, a place for photos. Of dolphins, some humans, and the surrounding habitat. 

Enjoy!

Vegas: Day out at the Mirage

Back in Vegas once more, Antho decided to surprise me with a trip to the Dolphin Habitat and Siegfried and Roy's Secret Gardens at the Mirage! If you're ever in Vegas, I highly recommend making it a stop during your visit. The Mirage is conveniently located right in the heart of the Strip, with many of the other major tourist destinations clustered in easy walking distance nearby. This prime location means that it's super easy to get to no matter where you're staying in the city, too! There are a lot of different ways you can take in the Secret Gardens and Dolphin habitat, but I'll go into that more in depth when we get there. First we had to get our butts to the location, which is out in the back of the Mirage, near their pools. You'll have to walk through the casino and past many shops to find your way out there, but if you're in the mood to shop or stop for a drink, a meal, whatever, you'll have plenty of chances. The interior of the Mirage is quite nice, with an indoor garden rife with opportune photo spots. Whether you want to pose inside of an old school phone box or next to a gold gilded mermaid, or simply want a selfie in the sunlight, you've got options. 

I have to admit I haven't spent a particularly large amount of time in the Mirage. I've been to the Dolphin habitat a few times in the past, on school field trips, and for private caricature events, but as a local, it's practically ingrained that you don't go to the Strip unless you have to. Typically, this means for work, like the private events mentioned above, but this summer we've been trying to play tourist more and it's been a lot of fun! I don't want to live in Las Vegas forever, and we have all these amazing entertainment options at our fingertips so I'd be remiss to leave and not at least try to take advantage of my location while I was here. Having grown up here, Siegfried and Roy were household names and I've driven by their home many times throughout my life (it was easy to spot as they had large lion and/or tiger statues adorning the posts along their fence), so it's especially nostalgic to pay homage to their legacy by visiting their signature gardens.