Las Vegas has gone to the birds! When you’re compiling your agenda of cool things to do in Vegas, here’s one you didn’t expect to find on the list: The Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary. This Vegas attraction does a pretty good job of keeping off the radar, but that’s what makes it an even better find!

This rescued bird at Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary talks, dances and, from what we could see, does calculus.

The Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary is about 20 minutes from the Strip, and one of the best values around, especially for animal lovers. Admission is just $5 for adults, and $1 for children. (We usually make an additional donation to help with the animal rescue efforts, but that’s optional.)

Birds are the focus of the sanctuary’s rescue efforts, but there are a variety of animals, a number of which are in enclosures that allow close-up animal encounters.

The goat enclosure allows up-close-and-personal interactions with the animals.

The sanctuary counts ostriches, emus and rheas among its residents, as well as countless cockatoos, parakeets, cockatiels, lovebirds and parrots.

Hey, we said up-close-and-personal. We meant it.

The sanctuary also features a collection of goats, pigs, ducks, geese, swans, cows, llamas, donkeys and miniature horses.

Kiss the baby donkeys at your own risk. (Note: It's worth the risk.)

The Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary is located at 8103 Racel Street, Las Vegas, 89131. Guest hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.

This mammoth bird mistook our finger for, well, lunch. It happens.

Learn more about this unique attraction. There’s truly something for everyone in Las Vegas! Who said the only wildlife is in the city’s infamous nightclubs?

Check out our photo gallery of feisty fowl and other members of the menagerie at the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary in Las Vegas.

No visit to Vegas is complete without a few hands of blackjack at the Imperial Palace with one of its multi-talented dealertainers. They deal. They entertain. And, mostly, they make sure guests have an absolute blast.

Today’s featured dealertainer is Mykia as international super-stahh Beyonce.

The Imperial Palace is the only place in Vegas where you can "double down" AND "put a ring on it."

Do you have a favorite dealertainer? Let us know in the Comments section. See all the dealertainers we’ve featured to-date.

The recent World Series of Beer Pong, the rowdy sporting (yes, it’s a sport!) event at Flamingo Las Vegas gets a multi-page feature in Maxim magazine’s most recent issue. Check it out!

400 teams took part in the World Series of Beer Pong at Flamingo.

Of course, it’s no secret that the mecca for beer pong in Las Vegas is O’Sheas. Aspiring beer pong champions come from around the world to play on the tables at O’Sheas.

The Flamingo and O’Sheas just announced that for their St. Patrick’s Day block party, they’ll be giving away an official WSOBP beer pong table. Should be a brew-drenched blow-out! Follow Flamingo and O’Sheas on Twitter for all the latest beer pong news.

We snagged this photo at a recent beer pong tournament at O'Sheas. Our camera should have had a splash guard.

Here’s a nice item about one of our favorite iPhone apps, Foursquare, and how it’s being featured on the giant screens at Planet Hollywood.

Foursquare is free to download, and users “check in” at various locations, and vie to be the “mayor” of that venue, share tips or “unlock” various accomplishment badges. It’s addictive, and a great way to hook up with friends when you’re out and about, especially in Sin City.

We are currently the mayor of 12 places in Vegas, so take that.

Added bonus: When you check in at Planet Hollywood or the Miracle Mile Shops, you’ll get special offers, exclusively for Foursquare users. Get you some Foursquare.

The Vino Maximus Wine Festival is coming to the Garden of the Gods at Caesars Palace on Mar. 27. Learn more.

This amped-up wine fest will feature more than 100 wines from 35 wineries, as well as musical performances from groups like Jet, Crash Kings and Imagine Dragons.

Caesars Palace pool. Wine. Music. What's not to love?

Bonus factoid: In ancient Rome, wine was consumed at every meal, and a good portion of the impact of wine on the world has been credited to the Roman Empire. Kind of makes Caesars Palace the perfect backdrop for a wine festival, no? Read more, if you’re into that history stuff.

Las Vegas has something for everyone, and as if you needed more proof, make sure to stop by “The Homicide Experience,” Mar. 3-4, during the 2010 Annual Conference of California Homicide Investigators Association.

The exhibit will include evidence from cases like the Robert Kennedy assassination, the Charles Manson murders and the infamous Black Dahlia case. Read more. Let’s file this one under, “Creepy, but fascinating.”

Who doesn’t love pizza? Las Vegas welcomes the Pizza Expo (yes, there’s a Pizza Expo) at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Mar. 2-4. Find out more.

Of course, you don’t have to attend the Pizza Expo to strike pizza gold in Vegas. Here’s some inside skinny you’ll love. Some of the best pizza in town isn’t even at a pizza place, per se!

We stumbled onto this pizza conspiracy some time ago, but THE MAN kind of likes to keep these things under wraps. We don’t care! We’re risking it all to go public.

Here’s the dirty little secret: Some of the best pizza you’ll find on the Las Vegas Strip is at a burger joint. Literally, Burger Joint at Flamingo Las Vegas.

THE MAN should think about calling it the Pizza Joint.

The pizza at Burger Joint might not get top billing, but maybe it should! Just look for the pretty neon sign.

Bonus trivia: Burger Joint is approximately 18 feet away from actual flamingos.

With this startling revelation, we feel as though a weight has been lifted from our shoulders.

This is Eric, one of the Pizza Scandal Facilitators at Flamingo.

Another delicious pizza option in Vegas? How about Rao’s at Caesars Palace? Who says you have to go to New York to get amazing pizza? Chef Carla Pellegrino brings a little slice of New York right to you. We don’t want to tell Rao’s how to do its marketing, but it might be time for a pizza scandal. We’re just saying.

So, hungry yet? Get some pizza in honor of the Pizza Expo, and make sure to save us a slice!

Here’s a down-and-dirty list of a few things to do at Harrah’s Las Vegas. Just a drop in the bucket!

NASCAR fever has hit Las Vegas this weekend, so in honor of the fun unfolding up and down the Strip and at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, here’s a bonus vaguely-NASCAR-themed factoid: “Racecar” is spelled the same forward and backward.

Read more about the special events surrounding NASCAR at our Pulse of Vegas resorts.

Get it? “Gears up”? It’s a car reference. Now this blog is an expert at: 1) Las Vegas, 2) NASCAR and 3) dumb puns involving NASCAR. That said, Vegas is revved for NASCAR, so read all about it.

There are tons of race-themed events around the city, including several at our famed Pulse of Vegas resorts: Bally’s, Planet Hollywood, Harrah’s and Flamingo. 

At Bally’s, there will be show car appearances and autograph signings Feb. 25 (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.), Feb. 26 (2 p.m. – 10 p.m.) and Feb. 27 (11 a.m. – 7 p.m.). The No. 2 Miller Lite show car will be on-site for viewing at the southeast corner of Las Vegas Blvd. and Flamingo Rd. On Feb. 26 (8:15 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.), NASCAR all-star Kurt Busch will sign autographs inside Indigo Lounge at Bally’s.

At Planet Hollywood, on Feb. 26 (7 p.m. – 8 p.m.), NASCAR enthusiasts are invited to the Playing Field Lounge for an autograph signing by racers Tony Raines and Travis Kvapil.   

At Harrah’s, the Crown Royal Ford Fusion show car will be available for viewing at Carnaval Court Bar & Grill. (Feb. 25, 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. and Feb 26., 8:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.) On Feb. 26 (8 p.m. – 9 p.m.), drivers Jason Keller and David Gilliland will sign autographs at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.

At Flamingo, the No. 40 Coors Light show car will be available for viewing between Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon and the Flamingo (Feb. 27, 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.). NASCAR favorite Robby Gordon will sign autographs outside at Harrah’s Carnaval Court Bar & Grill, and the No. 7 Monster Energy Toyota Camry show car will be on display (Feb. 27, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.).

And don’t miss the Hauler Parade!

Some tidbits to get your week off to a Vegas-y start!

* USA Today has announced its “10 Great Places to Strike a Swimsuit Pose.” Gracing the top 10 was, of course, Las Vegas. Go here.

* Not that this has any relationship to what we did this weekend in Vegas, but here’s Maxim magazine’s “Drinking Man’s Guide to the Hangover.” Check it out.

* Las Vegas’ unspoken vice? Candy! Sugar Factory comes to Paris soon. See more.

Some Sugar Factory bling, soon to make an appearance at Paris Las Vegas.

* Planet Hollywood is rolling out room discounts up to 25%. Get some deals.

* Things you didn’t know about a standard deck of playing cards. Learn more.

* Some inside skinny on the new Las Vegas Monopoly game. Which resorts are in, which are out, and why.

* Just found this! Make your own Bradley Ogden Vegas Burger. Or just get one of the best burgers in Vegas (or the world) at Bradley Ogden at Caesars Palace.

Award-winning burgers are just the tip of the iceberg.

* The Executive Chef at Tropicana, George Bargisen, holds the World Record for the longest buffet line ever created. Who knew?

* Some stories are just too good to keep covered up! Is it too soon to start talking about the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive & Festival coming to the Flamingo, Sep. 9-12.  See what’s shaking.

Exciting news for fans of the sultry, the steamy and the provocative—in other words, fans of Harlequin novels and their iconic cover art!

Ahoy, Fabio! Ye chest be freshly waxed, we see.

The ”Heart of a Woman: Harlequin Cover Art 1949-2009″ exhibit at Paris Las Vegas has extended its run indefinitely due to popular demand.

The exhibit boasts original cover art from six decades of Harlequin fiction and highlights the changes in views of desire and fantasy, in celebration of Harlequin’s 60th anniversary.

Oh, and did we mention it’s free? The exhibit at Paris is also open 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and is located next to the Paris lobby.

At the exhibit at Paris, there's no cover charge. (We'll wait...)

We stopped by the exhibit for some photos, and were pleasantly surprised by the variety (and quantity) of art on display. Harlequin has had an astonishing run, and its covers reflect changes in literature-lovers’ tastes and sensibilities (sometimes subtle, sometimes shocking) throughout the last 60 years.

Enjoy this photo gallery that hopefully whets your whistle for a visit to the exhibit in Vegas.

Enjoyed this great interview with Bud Glass, one of the co-owners (with Russ Howe) of the King’s Ransom Museum at Imperial Palace.

Glass gives a behind-the-scenes peek at this revealing exhibit, and talks about how collecting Elvis items has been a lifelong passion he’s pleased to share with other Elvis fans. Read more.

Hey, it’s not an “obsession” if you turn it into a museum, right?

Elvis will always be synonymous with Vegas, for obvious reasons.

Following the recent brouhaha (and we honestly figured we’d never get to use ”brouhaha” in a sentence) over what some considered insensitive comments about Las Vegas by President Barack Obama at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire, it looks like the commander-in-chief and Sin City are about to reconcile their (alleged) differences!

First, as previously reported in this very Las Vegas blog, the President will take part in a town hall meeting in Las Vegas on Friday, Feb. 19. Tickets will available at Green Valley High School in Henderson. Learn more and get tickets.

But there’s more. Vegas is giving some love back!

The President recently got his very own was likeness at Sin City’s famed wax museum, Madame Tussauds. President Obama is just the fifth president to be so honored.

The real one.

Madame Tussauds Las Vegas gets about 1,000 visitors per day, and the wax figures take between three and six months to create, at a cost of about $300,000.

The statue in Las Vegas was one of eight of President Obama, with the other figures unveiled simultaneously at Madame Tussauds locations around the world. Find out more.

Sports Illustrated models have been out in force in Las Vegas in recent days, trumpeting the release of the magazine’s new swimsuit issue.

Paris Las Vegas played host to an autograph signing yesterday (Feb. 11), featuring three of the models in this year’s issue: Dominique Piek, Zoe Duchesne and Esti Ginzburg.

Schmoozing grateful fans at Paris Las Vegas.

Because we’re a full-service Las Vegas blog, we’ll save you some time. Dominique Piek can be found on pages 42, 60 and 66. Zoe Duchesne is on 48 and 107. Israeli model Esti Ginzburg graces pages 158-9, 162 and 167.

Being a model can be a blast! Two-thirds of the time, anyway.

Of course, we’ve got some exclusive photos. Thanks for asking.