When the NHL Golden Knights arrived at T-Mobile Arena in 2017, it was the first Las Vegas team in the big four American professional sports leagues. Just a few years later, the city has added the NFL and MLB and two more state-of-the-art venues, with the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium and A’s coming to a nearly $2 billion ballpark of the future on the Strip in 2028.
While these teams give thousands of traveling fans a reason to make Las Vegas their home team road trip every year, there are many more options for visiting sports fans. These let you create multi-game visits combining different sports in a way possible in no other destination. Some are authentically local and family friendly, with shockingly affordable tickets and a low-key vibe in more intimate venues. In many cases they play in months that aren’t historically Vegas high seasons, so you can also get a great deal on flights and lodging.
America’s favorite ballpark
The Las Vegas Aviators are the AAA affiliate of the soon to arrive A’s and play in the 10,000-seat Las Vegas Ballpark. Brand new in 2019, it has since won many awards, including repeatedly leading Ballpark Digest’s fan vote as the Nation’s Best AAA Ballpark. Open air but designed to stay cool even in summer, it’s family friendly, with tickets often under twenty bucks, plus fireworks, regional craft beers, classic ballpark food, and an outpost of beloved local eatery BBQ Mexicana. The stadium is in suburban Summerlin, very close to the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa, and also convenient to the JW Marriott Summerlin and Suncoast Hotel & Casino.
The women who win
Joining the NFL, MLB and NHL is the WNBA Las Vegas Aces, who have consistently been among the best in the world since arriving here in 2018, including back-to-back league championships in 2022 and 2023. The Aces are a partnership between the Davis family that owns the Raiders and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady. Easy for visitors to access, the Aces play in the Michelob Ultra Arena within the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. That makes any place on the Strip convenient, but especially the connected lodging, including Mandalay Bay, the luxury Four Seasons and the W Las Vegas.
Football but faster—and in summer
There have been many attempts to bring football inside, but the IFL, or Indoor Football League, is the sport’s longest running and highest professional level. It’s also intense, with a smaller field and fan pleasing rules like no punting, lots of blitzing, and far more ways to score. The IFL Vegas Knight Hawks fill the void for football fans left game-less after the Super Bowl, as the season runs from late March through mid-summer—with tickets from just $24. They play in the new (2022) 5,567-seat Lee’s Family Forum, a fun modern venue in Henderson that is also home to…
…the other Knights
Few sports teams anywhere have so much local fan support as city’s beloved Golden Knights, also the top road game choice for NHL fans from other cities, making tickets hard to come by. Much more accessible are little siblings the Henderson Silver Knights, the team’s minor league AHL affiliate, with the same ownership. The AHL and NHL seasons run concurrently from October to April, so if you are in town and need a hockey fix but cannot get Golden Knights tickets, this is a great alternative. Or you can do both. They play in the intimate Lee’s Family Forum with its signature “Modern Medieval Theme,” in suburban Henderson, right next door to the Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa and Casino.
America’s first sport
Lacrosse is said to be the continent’s oldest sport, played since the early 1600s. But it is new here, as the Desert Dogs of the National Lacrosse League are the city’s latest expansion team, playing an inaugural 2022-23 season in the Michelob Ultra Arena. Owned by a partnership including all-time hockey great Wayne Gretzky, LIV Tour golfer Dustin Johnson and former NBA star Steve Nash, the Dogs moved to a new home in the same Lee’s Family Arena that hosts the Silver Knights and Knight Hawks. The four-decade old NLL has a cult following and a season running from December to June. If you are in Las Vegas in April, it is possible to catch all three teams and sports at this one stadium.
The world’s favorite sport
Soccer had fits and starts of popularity in the United States for decades before finally achieving mainstream popularity. The same has been true in Vegas, where pro soccer has come and gone for half a century. But the Las Vegas Lights FC have been going strong since 2018 in the USL Championship, the minor league of Major League Soccer (MLS). The very long USL season runs from March to October, and the Lights play at Cashman Field, in the heart of Downtown. This is convenient to the sports-centric Circa casino resort as well as all the Downtown and Fremont Street properties, including the Golden Nugget, Plaza, El Cortez, The D, Downtown Grand, Golden Gate, and more.
Doubling down for sports fans
Las Vegas is not just great for watching sports, it’s also a good place to play yourself. Several teams play in suburban Summerlin and Henderson, both hotbeds for visiting golfers, with courses around Las Vegas Ballpark including TPC Summerlin and Bear’s Best, while the area near Lee’s Family Arena has the 36-hole Revere, Reflection Bay and Legacy. Summerlin is also convenient to the world-class hiking and biking of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, while Henderson is easy to combine with the Speed Vegas Motorsports Park, where you can drive fantasy supercars such as Lamborghinis and Ferraris at extreme speeds with professional drivers.