College Visit Guides

Fly-in guide · 1 day, 1 campus

UNLV in 1 Day: A Fly-In Visit to Las Vegas

A parent-first plan for flying in to see the University of Nevada, Las Vegas: how to book a campus tour, free visit-day parking, three hotels from budget to upscale a short walk or drive from campus, times from Harry Reid International Airport, the free Barrick Museum and DISCOVERY Children's Museum for siblings, and Las Vegas weather by season, every fact sourced and checked Oct 29, 2026.

Students walk past the entrance of the Lied Library at UNLV, a modern building with gray metal panels and the words Lied Library above a shaded entry, with a curved concrete wall and a leafy tree
Students outside the Lied Library at UNLV, Las Vegas (Apr 2026). Photo: Airman 1st Class Jennifer Nesbitt, U.S. Air Force · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).

The short version

Trip at a glance

School
UNLV, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)
Days
1 on campus, plus travel. Arrive the day before a morning tour.
Fly into
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), about 22 minutes from the Paradise Road hotels by car with no traffic.
Best base
Hyatt Place Las Vegas on Paradise Road, about a 16-minute walk or 4-minute drive to the Office of Admissions.
Car or no car
You can skip the car: rideshare drops off at the Student Recreation & Wellness Center, right by Admissions. If you drive, parking is free on a registered visit.
Registration
Book a campus tour on UNLV's Schedule a Tour calendar. Tours run six days a week.

1. Who this guide is for

This plan is for parents flying in with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, to see UNLV, a campus UNLV describes as blocks away from the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip.

Campus visits check in at the Office of Admissions in the Student Services Complex, Building B (SSC-B), across from the Student Recreation & Wellness Center and next to Cox Pavilion.

Why this order

  • Arrive the day before and stay on Paradise Road, west of campus, about 22 minutes from the airport by car.
  • Tour day: a registered campus visit includes a 30-minute admissions overview and a 90-minute campus tour, with an optional residence-hall tour and admissions counselor meeting.
  • Afterward, the free Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art is about a 5-minute walk from SSC-B, or drive about 14 minutes to the DISCOVERY Children's Museum downtown.
Pick the right visit
  • Campus Tours run six days a week and are open to prospective students and guests; book on UNLV's Schedule a Tour calendar.
  • College Spotlight Tours are 1-hour tours for an in-depth look at specific majors, such as business, engineering, fine arts and the Honors College.
  • Shadow a Rebel lets a student attend a class, eat lunch and explore campus with a current student, Monday to Thursday when classes are in session; request it at least 10 business days ahead.
  • UNLV also offers a weekly virtual campus tour and Spanish-language information sessions for students and families.
Tour availability varies by season.
  • UNLV modifies its tour schedule in late spring and summer because of consistently high temperatures, so check the calendar for summer tour options.
  • Las Vegas summers are very hot: July averages about 105°F highs at the airport, so book a morning tour and bring water.
  • School groups of 10 or more can request a group tour (up to 100 people) at least 10 business days ahead.

2. The suggested 1-day plan

  • Drive times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, and walking times use OpenStreetMap foot routing, with addresses geocoded by OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Times to campus are to SSC-B, home of the Office of Admissions.

Arrival day: fly in and check in on Paradise Road

  1. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) → Hyatt Place Las Vegas

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~22 min, 6.8 mi
    Driving and walking
    Rideshare, taxi or rental car

  2. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) → Red Roof Inn Las Vegas

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~22 min, 6.7 mi
    Driving and walking
    Rideshare, taxi or rental car

  3. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) → Virgin Hotels Las Vegas

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~22 min, 6.5 mi
    Driving and walking
    Rideshare, taxi or rental car
  • All three hotels sit on Paradise Road, west of campus, within about a 20-minute walk of SSC-B.

Visit day: UNLV campus tour, then the Barrick Museum or DISCOVERY

  1. Hyatt Place Las Vegas → SSC-B (Office of Admissions)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~4 min, 0.8 mi
    Driving and walking
    ~16 min walk, 0.7 mi

  2. Red Roof Inn Las Vegas → SSC-B (Office of Admissions)

    Driving (no traffic)
    Rideshare to the RWC
    Driving and walking
    ~19 min walk, 0.9 mi

  3. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas → SSC-B (Office of Admissions)

    Driving (no traffic)
    Rideshare to the RWC
    Driving and walking
    ~20 min walk, 0.9 mi

  4. Driving? Hotels → Tropicana Parking Garage

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~4 min, 0.8–1.3 mi
    Driving and walking
    Drive

  5. Tropicana Parking Garage → SSC-B

    Driving (no traffic)
    On campus
    Driving and walking
    ~4 min walk, 0.2 mi

  6. SSC-B → Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art

    Driving (no traffic)
    On campus
    Driving and walking
    ~5 min walk, 0.2 mi

  7. SSC-B → DISCOVERY Children's Museum (360 Promenade Place)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~14 min, 7.6 mi
    Driving and walking
    Drive or rideshare
  • Driving? Free parking comes with a registered visit: print the permit from the confirmation email you get the day before, put it on your dashboard and park on level 2 or above of the Tropicana Parking Garage.
  • Heading home: the Tropicana Parking Garage is about 22 minutes from LAS with no traffic.

3. Campus by campus

Students walk past the entrance of the Lied Library at UNLV, a modern building with gray metal panels and the words Lied Library above a shaded entry, with a curved concrete wall and a leafy tree
Students outside the Lied Library at UNLV, Las Vegas (Apr 2026). Photo: Airman 1st Class Jennifer Nesbitt, U.S. Air Force · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Campus

UNLV, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)

Where visits start
  • Check in at the Office of Admissions in the Student Services Complex, Building B (SSC-B), 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas.
  • From the Tropicana Parking Garage, leave by the north entrance and turn right; Admissions is across from the Student Recreation & Wellness Center (RWC) and next to Cox Pavilion.
  • Can't make a guided tour? UNLV's self-guided tour route starts at the Student Services Complex and takes about 90 minutes.
Visitor parking
  • Parking is free during a registered campus visit. The permit arrives in your confirmation email the day before; print it and keep it visible on your dashboard, since it's valid only on your visit day.
  • Park on the second level or above of the Tropicana Parking Garage near the Thomas & Mack Center. If the garage is full, you can park at the Thomas & Mack Center.
  • From the airport, head north on University Center Drive, turn right on Thomas & Mack Drive, then right at the stop sign.
Getting there
  • Using Lyft, Uber or a taxi? Ask to be dropped at the Student Recreation & Wellness Center (RWC); the Office of Admissions is directly north of its main entrance.
  • Hyatt Place is about a 16-minute walk to SSC-B, and Red Roof Inn and Virgin Hotels are about 19 to 20 minutes on foot.
  • The tour includes a lot of walking, so UNLV suggests comfortable clothes and a bottle of water.
What to know
  • The photo in this guide shows students outside the Lied Library, UNLV's main library, which the self-guided tour says has 2,500 study spaces.
  • The self-guided tour also passes the Student Union, the Clock Tower in the Academic Mall and the Barrick Museum next to a 9,000-square-foot Xeric Garden.
  • UNLV's campus maps show every building, including SSC-B and the Thomas & Mack Center.
Contact
Campus visits: campusvisits@unlv.edu or 702-774-UNLV (8658). Group tours: unlvcampus.grouptours@unlv.edu or 702-895-5765. Office of Admissions: 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV 89154.

Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: UNLV: Campus Tours (tour types) · UNLV: College Spotlights · UNLV: Parking and Directions · UNLV: Group Tour Guidelines · UNLV: Self-guided campus tour (PDF)

4. Where to stay: Paradise Road, next to campus

Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.

Hotel · Our pickMid-range

Hyatt Place Las Vegas

4520 Paradise Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89169

Why here

  • About a 16-minute walk or 4-minute drive to SSC-B, the closest of these three to Admissions, and Expedia describes it as steps from UNLV.
  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 3-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.

Good to know

  • Expedia lists 202 rooms, a free breakfast buffet, an outdoor pool, self-parking for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 18. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateBudget

Red Roof Inn Las Vegas

4350 Paradise Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89169

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 2.5-star property, so we place it in the Budget tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's about a 19-minute walk to SSC-B and about 4 minutes by car to the Tropicana Parking Garage.

Good to know

  • Expedia lists 199 rooms, an outdoor pool, free self-parking and a minimum check-in age of 21 (18 with a valid military ID). Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateUpscale

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Curio Collection by Hilton

4455 Paradise Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89169

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 4.5-star property, so we place it in the Upscale tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's about a 20-minute walk to SSC-B and about 4 minutes by car to the Tropicana Parking Garage.

Good to know

  • Expedia lists 1,503 rooms, a casino, a seasonal outdoor pool, 7 restaurants, free self and valet parking and a minimum check-in age of 21, so a parent must check in. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

All three hotels are on Paradise Road, west of campus. Hyatt Place is the shortest walk to Admissions; Red Roof Inn and Virgin Hotels are about 20 minutes on foot or a quick rideshare to the RWC.

5. Meals between tours

Hours change, so check before you go.

On campus

The self-guided tour points to the Student Union for a bite to eat and the Dining Commons buffet, with a salad bar, grill and made-to-order pasta.

Near your hotel

Hyatt Place includes a breakfast buffet, and Virgin Hotels lists 7 on-site restaurants, per Expedia.

6. Things for siblings along the route

With siblings

Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art

UNLV campus, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV 89154

About a 5-minute walk from SSC-B. UNLV calls it the only free art museum in the city of Las Vegas; when exhibitions are on display it's open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Official page →

With siblings

DISCOVERY Children's Museum

360 Promenade Place, Las Vegas, NV 89106

About 14 minutes by car from campus. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., plus Mondays during holidays and school breaks.

Official page →

With siblings

A Rebels game

Las Vegas, NV

Check the UNLV athletics calendar for a home game on your dates.

Official page →

7. Practical tips

Getting to campus

  • Rideshare drivers should drop you at the Student Recreation & Wellness Center (RWC), right by the Office of Admissions.
  • Driving? Print the free visitor parking permit from your confirmation email before you leave the hotel.

Flying in and out

  • Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) is about 22 minutes from the Paradise Road hotels and from the campus parking garage with no traffic.

Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Las Vegas Harry Reid Airport)

  • Spring: April averages about 79°F highs and 57°F lows, with about 0.2 inches of rain.
  • Summer: July averages about 105°F/82°F, with about 0.4 inches of rain.
  • Fall: October averages about 81°F/60°F, with about 0.3 inches of rain.
  • Winter: January averages about 59°F/41°F, with about 0.6 inches of rain.

Parent checklist

  • Book a UNLV campus tour on the Schedule a Tour calendar, or a College Spotlight for a specific major.
  • Watch for the confirmation email the day before and print the free parking permit if you're driving.
  • Book flights into Harry Reid International Airport (LAS).
  • Book a hotel on Paradise Road.
  • Pack comfortable walking shoes, a water bottle, sunscreen and a hat.
  • After the visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.

8. Student-athlete recruiting visits

For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.

Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.

Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.

1 Division I

NCAA basics for parents

  • Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
  • Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
  • Division I (UNLV, University of Nevada, Las Vegas): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
  • Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.

Planning around the season

  • Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
  • Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.

Student-athlete sources

All checked Oct 26, 2026.

  1. NCAA, 2026-27 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete (pp. 3, 21–25)
  2. NCAA.org: NCAA Recruiting
  3. NCAA: Division I and II Recruiting Calendars and Guides
  4. NCAA Directory: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  5. UNLV, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Athletics (official site)
  6. UNLV, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Athletics: Staff Directory
  7. UNLV, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Athletics: schedule of events

Trip planner

Plan this trip

Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.

Which schools?
Driving or flying?

Emails aren't active yet. Your plan appears right here on the page, with a preview of the email we'd send. Nothing you type here is sent or saved. Only if you use the route planner in your plan is the starting point you type there sent to our map provider, Geoapify, to plan the drive; we never store it. Privacy

Sources

All checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.

  1. UNLV Visit: Campus Tours
  2. UNLV Admissions: Schedule a Tour (events calendar)
  3. UNLV Visit: Parking and Directions for your Campus Visit
  4. UNLV Visit: Group Tour Guidelines
  5. UNLV Visit: College Spotlights
  6. UNLV Campus Maps: Student Services Complex, Building B (SSC-B)
  7. UNLV Admissions: Self-guided campus tour (PDF)
  8. UNLV: Visit
  9. Expedia listing: Hyatt Place Las Vegas (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Las-Vegas-Hotels-Hyatt-Place-Las-Vegas.h84311.Hotel-Information)
  10. Expedia listing: Red Roof Inn Las Vegas (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Las-Vegas-Hotels-Red-Roof-Inn-Las-Vegas.h891435.Hotel-Information)
  11. Expedia listing: Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Curio Collection by Hilton (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Las-Vegas-Hotels-Virgin-Hotels-Las-Vegas.h198225.Hotel-Information)
  12. UNLV: Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art
  13. UNLV: Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, Contact and directions
  14. DISCOVERY Children's Museum: Hours & Directions
  15. OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap), driving profile
  16. OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap), foot profile
  17. OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoder
  18. NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 Monthly Normals, Las Vegas McCarran (Harry Reid) Airport, NV (USW00023169)
  19. UNLV Rebels Athletics: Calendar
  20. UNLV: Campus Maps