What do in Las Vegas for BLACKHAT World & DEFCON: Ultimate Sidequests
Black Hat USA runs August 1 through 6, 2026 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. But if you ended up here, you probably already know that. Here's a link for any other information on that.
They wouldn't give us a press pass, so we're not going to push anything else specific on their end. Suck it, nerds.
Calendar
Trainings: August 1 to 4
Summit Day: August 4
Briefings: August 5 to 6
DEF CON 34: Starts August 6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and runs through August 9.
Vendor parties are part of the week too. GuidePoint Security runs a party at Swingers - The Crazy Golf Club inside Mandalay Bay on Summit Day evening, plus there are CISO dinners and happy hours all week.
If you're looking to network, that's probably cool. If you're actually into drinking and swinging golf clubs, we would recommend Atomic Golf.
They have good drink packages. The only problem is that the way the sun hits you, you might be vaporized before you get through your bucket. So we recommend going after sundown.
Enough of that. If you're looking for something else to do in Vegas that's cool and that you won't regret.
Shoot Guns & Blow Shit Up
Machine Guns Vegas and Battlefield Vegas are two distinctly different things that both include gunpowder.
If you don't like the sun and you want a luxury shooting range experience, we recommend Machine Guns Vegas.
Think of something between John Wick and James Bond. It is a nice high-end lounge minutes from the Strip with a VIP setup and a full indoor shooting range. A sleek spot to fire handguns, rifles, and full-auto weapons.
If you have a ton of money to spend, we'd say go snipe some explosive targets at Battlefield Vegas.
Battlefield Vegas is more of a “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” approach where you can roar through the desert, blow stuff up, and put big holes through things. Located one block off the Strip on a five-acre lot with military vehicles and a full armory, you can shoot belt-fed machine guns or buy packages to drive and fire an M1A1 Abrams or M60A1 tank.
Yes, both cost money. Yes, both are fun.
Strip Nightlife & Adult Options
Wynn/Encore is undoubtedly the best day club and nightclub in town. The only problem is they've had some management changes that put things on hold. Until they are done figuring things out, we've got some other options.
If you're looking for some conventional nightclubs, here's a link to that article. (Just bear in mind the Wynn/Encore situation.)
Now for some unconventional nightclubs. When in Vegas...
Visit Spearmint Rhino Las Vegas
Spearmint Rhino is a mandatory bucket-list item to check out. Open 24 hours just off the Strip, it features multiple stages, VIP suites, and a full bar with plenty of baddies in high-end lingerie.
We are good friends with them, so if you want to go, you get free entry and a complimentary drink just by clicking here. Natasha will follow up.
Steakhouses, Chinatown & Esther's Kitchen
When you need actual food and want to skip basic convention hall garbage:
Classy Steakhouses: If you want top-tier steak on or near the Strip, hit Bazaar Meat by José Andrés (Sahara) for an insane, aggressive carnivore experience, SW Steakhouse (Wynn) for prime cuts right on the water, or Golden Steer for old-school Las Vegas mob history and table-side Caesar salads. If you want to go to Golden Steer, we recommend you get into your time machine and go back to 2018 so that you can make a reservation. Though, you could probably just walk in and tip somebody, because this is Vegas.
Esther's Kitchen: Located in the Arts District, Esther's Kitchen serves incredible seasonal Italian food with legendary house-made sourdough, fresh pastas, and great cocktails. This is a locals' favorite. This is where the local chefs go to eat. If you are a foodie, Esther's Kitchen or Herbs & Rye are the spots.
Chinatown: Swing through Chinatown along Spring Mountain Road if you're looking for some random stuff with amazing food. Also great prices. They're not going to get you like they will on the Strip, but it's only going to be a quick Uber drive. Definitely worth it. Check out Raku for late-night izakaya or Chef Kenny's for Asian cuisine.
The Mob Museum (Downtown)
Located downtown in an actual historic federal courthouse, this place is entirely indoors and lets you spend a few hours soaking in all that gangster history. Real mob artifacts, wiretaps, Prohibition history, and a legit working speakeasy in the basement.
Latin Night @ Electric Mushroom (Downtown)
One thing we would certainly recommend, if you're looking to have a fun, unique time, is checking out the Electric Mushroom downtown. On Wednesday nights they have a Latin night with a great DJ, a really good venue, and it's cheap to go with reasonably priced drinks.
The Neon Museum (Near N Strip)
If you don't know the history of the city, check out the Neon Boneyard. Packed with great historical context, seeing these massive retired casino signs up close, especially at night, is practically a spiritual experience. Some historians debate this might be one of the modern wonders of the world outside the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
AREA15 (Near N. Strip)
AREA15 is an entertainment complex about a mile off the Strip housing arcade bars, axe throwing, golf simulators, VR attractions, and its own nightlife events.
Inside sits Meow Wolf's Omega Mart, which looks like a supermarket, then opens into an interactive art installation with hidden rooms and portals. Most people spend 90 minutes or more inside without noticing the time pass. It's like an immersive alien nightmare fuel dream sequence art experience. If you haven't been, we highly recommend it.
Pinball Hall of Fame (Near S. Strip)
Located directly on the Strip, this place is cool as hell and legit feels like Mr. Robot. All you need is a pocket full of quarters (they have change machines everywhere inside).
Day Clubs
They tend to be a sausage fest, but if you like expensive drinks, warm water, hot weather, and loud DJs, this will be right up your alley.
That said, get a cabana, and you'll be a boss.
Here's a full guide:
Skip the Desert Hiking (Hit Emerald Cove Instead)
If you're more of the holistic, nature type, you just need to get out of Dodge. The surrounding areas are as lovely as they are deadly. Literally, people die.
Vegas sits in the Mojave Desert, and August is brutal. Average highs run around 104 degrees, and stretches above 110 degrees are common. The National Park Service closes several strenuous trails at Lake Mead National Recreation Area through late September because of the extreme heat risk.
So we recommend that you skip the canyon trailheads this trip and come back in a few months.
If you're still drawn to the unforgiving beauty of our desert surroundings, take a 50-minute drive and kayak Emerald Cove on the Colorado River in Black Canyon.
Water stays around 55 degrees Fahrenheit year-round because it comes from deep intakes at the Hoover Dam. But it feels a lot cooler than that when you're getting blasted by the angry sun from Mario Bros.
Canyon walls tower overhead while you paddle, offering a cold-water contrast when the air above is sitting in the triple digits.
