Ready, AIM, Fun! Let Loose in Las Vegas by Throwing, Shooting, Smashing Stuff
The world is a stressful place. We get it.
Fortunately, Las Vegas is here to help. From boozing it up at a legendary nightclub to winding down in a chair by the pool, there are countless ways to let loose in Sin City, without judgment.
Are you the type of person who likes to blow off steam by throwing, shooting, or smashing things? You’re in luck. Tantrums aren’t considered socially acceptable for adults but read on for some excellent Las Vegas alternatives.
Throwing stuff
Darts
You don’t need the arm of a professional pitcher to chuck darts in a bar, just a steady hand and (hopefully) good aim.
Most bars have a dart board or two, but Las Vegas is soon to get its first dedicated dart bar with 20 traditional oak dartboards, semi-private throwing lanes, and a life-sized carousel bar with 27 seats. The social club, Fight Club Las Vegas, opens this fall at the Grand Canal Shoppes inside The Venetian Resort.
Described as a modern homage to British fairgrounds and pubs (the birthplace of darts), the Las Vegas venue will be one of a dozen other Flight Clubs around the world. At 16,000 square feet, however, it will be the largest to date. They Vegas-sized it for us.
Axes
If you always dreamed of becoming a lumberjack or a Viking, axe throwing may be for you. You won’t chop down trees or engage in bloodthirsty pillaging, but you will safely throw real axes at a bullseye, and that’s pretty awesome.
Just off the Strip at the Area 15 entertainment complex, take aim with an axe in a high-tech throwing lane or private room at Dueling Axes. It’s a lot of fun for beginners and pros, and there’s even a Cosmic Axe Night with black lights and a DJ on Fridays and Saturdays.
Amateurs and league players will enjoy an authentic axe-throwing experience at Axe Monkey in Chinatown Las Vegas. The venue has more than 20 lanes and axes made from real pine logs. On the other end of the Las Vegas Strip near Town Square Las Vegas, Sin City Smash features a one-hour axe-throwing experience among its other offerings (more on that below).
At Axehole in Downtown Las Vegas, meanwhile, there are more than just ordinary axes. Throwing packages include axes and other tools too like spears, ninja stars, tomahawks, metal throwing cards, and shovels. Dig it?
Shooting Stuff
Guns
Gun ranges are all the rage in Las Vegas and most give you the option to shoot a variety of guns including pistols, sniper rifles, and fully automatic machine guns in a safe and satisfying way. The opportunity to shoot a ton of guns is particularly appealing to international visitors who don’t necessarily have easy access to such artillery in their own countries.
While the luxury Strip Gun Club is the only range on the Strip, there are also many other quality ranges in the area. Range 702, just off the Strip, has 16 dedicated shooting lanes and packages that range from beginner to Black Ops. Fire at a zombie’s face or save a hostage at The Gun Store or choose from 80 different types of firearms at veteran-operated American Shooters.
If you want to make a day of it, take a field trip to an outdoor shooting range in the Mojave Desert on the Bullets and Burgers tour. It includes transportation to and from the range, a shooting experience with machine guns, high-powered rifles, handguns, and a burger lunch with fries and a drink.
Meanwhile, at Machine Gun Vegas, you can have a literal shotgun wedding. You and your partner will say your “I do’s” as you fire the same Glock 17.
Paintball
Transform yourself into a living Jackson Pollock painting and declare war on your friends in the competitive game—an extreme sport—paintball.
Located about 10 miles south of the Strip, Combat Zone will have you crawling through dirt, watching your back, tiptoeing around corners, and hiding behind obstacles like a seasoned soldier. Dressed in combat gear and armed with a paintball gun, you’ll try to both shoot your opponents and avoid getting shot yourself and eliminated from the game. Players can choose from three fields with three impact speeds (you may not be using bullets, but paint capsules hurt too).
Smashing Stuff
Rage Rooms
Smashing up your Las Vegas hotel room is reserved for rock stars. Fortunately, we have a workaround that won’t land you in jail. Rage rooms, or smash rooms, are safe spaces where you’re encouraged to break every object in sight.
It turns out that smashing stuff is a great way to relieve stress and eliminate aggression. It’s also much cheaper than therapy with a shorter waiting list. Plus, since you’re covered from head to toe in protective gear, you won’t have to worry about getting cut, scratched, or otherwise hurt.
At Wreck Room in Chinatown Las Vegas, you’ll spend 30 minutes smashing glassware and old electronic equipment (keyboards, computers, printers, and scanners) with crowbars and baseball bats. You might even find a VHS tape among the pile with a title that deserves a good beating. Rage like a bull in a china shop. They supply the china.
There’s also a dedicated rage room at Axehole (mentioned above). The smash room here gives you 15 minutes of therapeutic smashing action. And let loose in a variety of ways at Sin City Smash (also mentioned above) including a rage room that simulates an actual workplace or kitchen and a splatter painting room. They provide the paint. You provide the splatter.
Best of all, you don’t have to clean up.
Reservations and a signed safety waiver may be required for the activities mentioned above. Most of these activities cater to groups of all sizes and can be used for parties and events. Be sure to contact the individual venue for cost and for age and other requirements.
