A Visit to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum

My daughter married George Clooney. And you can too! Or you can cuddle up, Girls Next Door-style to Hugh Hefner, rub Jennifer Lopez’s ample behind until she blushes or even sink a putt with Tiger Woods. Those are just a few of the many fantasies you can fulfill at Madame Tussaud’s Las Vegas where we made an impromptu visit last week during my daughter’s spring break.

After wandering around the Venetian,  we rode up the ramped people-mover to check out Madame Tussaud’s, but started to walk away after seeing the ticket  price of $25. A uniformed man whispered to us, “Hey ladies, how about this?” and offered us a $10 discount, so off we went to strike a flirty pose with Marilyn Monroe, smirk right back at Elvis and even visit the Oval office and spend a moment with the President.

And what a bargain it is, considering that Catherine had the opportunity to slip on a wedding dress, grab a bouquet, and marry George Clooney in the small wedding chapel, toasting the entire event with a fake bottle of champagne. And I, the proud mother, captured the magic moment on film. Even though she was closely followed by a line of women waiting to be joined in holy matrimony with George as well, the event was no less special.

We decided that’s one of the joys of Vegas – not just that there are opportunities like this, but that

you don’t feel guilty partaking of them. Visiting  a wax museum in Paris, London or Roman – mais, non! Not when you are in world-class cities, surrounded by more history, art and culture than you can possibly take in even during a lengthy visit. But in Vegas, where everything is fake, fake, fake you’re free to indulge! Bring on the four-story museum devoted to M&M’s, a stroll along the fake canals of Venice enclosed in a shopping mall, and the slutty vamps of the TI – Treasure Island pirate show. We did it all that and more, and loved every bit.

So here’s my travel tip to get your discount: Go up to the ticket window, look at the prices, then start to walk away. Then you’ll be offered a discount too. Oh, and tell George we said hi.