Las Vegas Dance Clubs

Las Vegas Nightclub

Baby's. The concept of an "underground" club is literal at the Hard Rock Hotel, which buried at least part of this dance-club as a space-saving technique on a crowded site. An antechamber with a low ceiling, stone walls, and a tiny dance floor gives way to the main room, where a sloping seating area gradually rises to curve around the dance floor at second-story level. Video walls and servers dressed in black leather to match the black-upholstered booths from the 1950s create a futuristic noir. Guest big-city DJs play house, trip-hop, and drum and bass dance music. Thursday's "Can You Feel It?" is the signature night for locals and informed clubbers. The club is open Thursday through Saturday from 10:30 PM.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, 445S Las Vegas Blvd. S, Paradise Road

The Beach. Life is one nonstop fraternity bash at this two-story club designed to look like a South-of-the-Border party barn. Still known for a less-restrictive dress code than those imposed by the hotels, the Beach has lately jumped in on the trend of theme "parties" and promotions that vary by the night or according to whatever big events happen to be in town. It's open nightly, but hours vary, especially on weeknights.

365 Convention Center Dr., Paradise Road

Bikinis. Since Las Vegas is a city where innovation is followed by imitation, the Rio swiped pages from both the Beach and Coyote Ugly to create this "year-round indoor beach bash" in late 2002. The 14,000 square-foot club augments its theme with water tanks, Jacuzzis, and "exhibition showers."

Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, 3 700 W. Flamingo Rd., West Side

C2K. The Venetian's "megaclub" is a leased-out, separately run operation with an opera-house design. Decorated in black and chrome accented with purple, the club spans three levels and is capable of holding nearly 3,000 people. The intense nightclub competition of recent years has relegated C2K to more of a room-for-rent than a continuous operation; independent promoters book the room for themed-public "parties" often tied in to such special events as boxing matches.

Venetian Resort & Casino, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Center Strip

Club Rio. This pioneering dance club inside a casino offers all the essentials: wraparound video screens, a big stage, and a large dance floor. To combat the loss of novelty as newer clubs open in other casino-hotels, Club Rio has embraced Latin pop and house music to make Thursday's Latin La-Beat-Oh its signature night. If the dance floor gets too hot, overhead misters cool everyone down. It's open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:30 PM.

Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, 3700 W. Flamingo Ave., West Side

Curve. The Aladdin pulled victory from the jaws of defeat when it turned part of the underutilized London Club on the second floor of the casino into a busy nightspot. It's a large club with the feel of a small one, thanks to separate rooms featuring different music and an outdoor balcony with a view of the Strip for those in need of a little fresh air.

Aladdin Resort and Casino, 3667 Las Vegas Blvd. S, South Strip

Ra. Luxor's $20-million hot spot is still the most fancifully designed of Las Vegas clubs, with a theme park-style interior inspired by the "Egyptian-deco" futurism of the sci-fi movie Stargate. Live bands sometimes take to the center stage; dancers gyrate in cages. The club spotlights visiting DJs from other cities and its signature night is Wednesday's "Pleasuredome." Collared shirts for men are required. It's open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:30 PM.

Luxor Resort & Casino, 3900 Las Vegas Blvd. S, South Strip

Studio 54. This tri-level, 22,000-square-foot dance club inside the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino took over the area where a cheesy lion's mouth once welcomed you, leaving the steel beams in place for a stark industrial look. The club can sustain itself on weekends with MGM traffic alone, so Tuesday became the signature night with EDEN: "Erotically Delicious Entertainers Night." It's open from 10 PM Tuesday through Saturday.

MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S. South Strip

Utopia. This was the first truly progressive Las Vegas club that could hold its reputation against the hippest nightclubs in London or Ibiza. Management turned the non-hotel location from a negative into a positive by offering a looser "rave" atmosphere with trance and techno music from cutting-edge DJs. A rooftop patio with the view of the Strip almost becomes a second club.

3765 Las Vegas Blvd. S, South Strip

Whiskey Bar. Rande Gerber, the entrepreneur better known to some as "Mr. Cindy Crawford," banked on the popularity of his "Whiskey"-named clubs in other cities to lure celebrities and club-hoppers to Green Valley Ranch, a suburban casino several miles from the Strip. The main room still offers a picture-window view of the distant lights from its elevated perch. The club appeals to a slightly older demographic and sets the dance floor off in a separate room. During the fair weather months, the club expands outdoors to include the entire landscaped pool area.

Green Valley Ranch Resort, 2197 Paseo Verde Pkwy., Henderson