Conference Venue & Accommodations

Welcome to the Riviera Hotel & Casino, your home for the SDE's All About Literacy! National Conference on Literacy Learning. Conveniently located on the infamous Las Vegas Strip, it’s the perfect place to re-charge, reflect…and get fresh ideas and concrete strategies for improving your classroom, school, or district. Even better, it’s the site of the conference. You can walk out of your room and into the show. For a complete amenities list and virtual tour, visit the Riviera’s website.

Riviera Hotel & Casino
2901 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

For reservations and directions call: (800) 634-6753 or (702) 734-5110.

Special Overnight Rate
Just $102 per night (plus tax) single/double/triple/quad Call (800) 634-6753 or book your room online before June 17, 2008 (rates based on availability).

FREE Onsite Parking

Airport

The recommended airport is McCarran International Airport (LAS) which is just one mile from downtown Las Vegas. For flight information and general information visit: http://www.mccarran.com

Travel Tips

Download our Travel Tips for educators attending SDE's National Conference on Differentiated Instruction (PDF document requires Acrobat Reader)

This handy reference guide will help to make your travel to and within the Las Vegas area as safe and easy as possible.

Viva Las Vegas!

Nothing beats Vegas for nonstop excitement. So we’re delighted to bring the conference back to the entertainment capital of the world, with its five-star restaurants, top-name shows, and world-class shopping. There’s always something new for you to explore and discover in Vegas – and many activities you’re sure to enjoy.

• Entertainment at the Riviera
  Take advantage of Las Vegas style entertainment offered right at the Riviera Hotel & Casino! Featured entertainment includes: Ice!, Crazy Girls, La Cage, Comedy Club, Amazing Jonathan, and the Le Bistro Theatre (where top entertainers perform nightly in an intimate atmosphere). Plus the Riviera’s Ristorante offers dinner specials when you call for tickets to your favorite show at (877) 892-7469. Learn More

  Discount coupons (30%-50% off) available at the concierge's desk on site.

  
• The Fountains of Bellagio
  Every evening, a water and music show plays again and again in the spectacular fountains filling the quarter-mile-long lake in front of the Bellagio. The show runs every 15 minutes or every half-hour, depending on the time of year (the fountains are still in high winds). The fountains' pattern, which varies with the season, is choreographed to a number of different pieces of songs, which last between five and 10 minutes.   
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• Eiffel Tower Experience
  A ride to the top of this Eiffel Tower will literally take your breath away, unless traveling up the center of the tower at 340 feet per minute pushed up against the door of a glass elevator doesn't bother you. So, acrophobes and the faint of heart beware! The replica stands 540 feet, about half the 1,051 feet of the original. It also offers the posh Eiffel Tower Restaurant, which is by reservation only.
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• Elvis-A-Rama Museum
  Elvis aficionados will be amazed at the expansive collection of Elvis memorabilia on display here. The self-guided tour begins with the museum's namesake, an 80-foot-long mural titled "Elvis-A-Rama." Created in Nashville in 1979, the mural chronicles the life of the music legend and has been signed by celebrities including Maria Shriver and Chet Atkins. You'll see covers from all 729 of his songs, spanning from 1953 to 1977, the only display of its kind.
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• Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden The Botanical Cactus Garden is only 15 minutes from the "Strip", on the way to Hoover Dam. In its 2.5 acres, you'll discover an arid landscape rich with over 350 species of cactus, succulents and desert plants from the Southwest and other deserts of the world.
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• Hoover Dam and Lake Mead Deluxe Tour With Chocolate Factory
  (Bus Tour, 8 hours)
  Tours by bus and motor coach from Las Vegas, Nevada to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead with tour of Las Vegas and the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory, lunch included. Examine the history and present day function of Hoover Dam.
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Dining selections at the Riviera Hotel & Casino:

• Ristorante Italiano—presents the earthy cooking of Tuscan and the northern Italian countryside, splashed with a dose of Milanese class. In addition, La Stanza Bella, located inside Ristorante Italiano, is a private dining area available for groups up to 24 people. Dinner only.
• Kristofer's Steak House—Set in a Mediterranean atmosphere, Kristofer's features fine steaks and fresh seafood, Midwestern prime rib and double-rib spring lamb chops. Dinner only.
• Kady's Coffee Shop—Overlooking our pool, Kady's is a full service restaurant that serves your favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees.
• World's Fare Buffet—All New—completely remodeled, featuring Five themed stations: Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Barbeque and "Made in America". Open seven days a week for BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER with a CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH on Saturday and Sunday and CHAMPAGNE DINNER Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• Mardi Gras Food Court—Burger King, Panda Express, Pizza Hut Express, Jade Dragon, Quizno's Subs, Cheesesteaks Etc., La Salsa Mexican Cantina are just the right choices for everyone in your group! Delicious choices await you at the Mardi Gras Food Court.
• Hound Doggies—Fast Food in a 50’s diner setting. Inexpensive selections for people "on the go". New for 2007—offers Asian cuisine.

There are endless dining options in Vegas

• Taste of Vegas: The guide to best in Las Vegas dining—This online guide provides locals and tourists with precise and detailed information on the best places to eat and have fun in Vegas. Includes dining guide, online reservations, reviews and featured stories.

• Mandalay Place—Mandalay Place features world-class designers, retailers and restaurateurs in a unique setting. The 100,000-square-foot retail center is located on a sky bridge between Mandalay Bay and Luxor and offers 41 shops and restaurants, many of which are new to Las Vegas.

  Some of the stores located at Mandalay Place include Urban Outfitters, GF Ferre, Godt-Cleary Gallery, Fornarina, Chocolate Swan, Davidoff, Musette, the first-ever Nike Golf store, Oilily (a children's clothing store from Holland), Samantha Chang, Sauvage swimwear boutique and more.
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• Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian—With a painted fresco overhead, spacious walkways and a gondola-laden canal, the Venetian provides the perfect ambience for shopping. Using the canal as a guide, patrons sweep along twists and turns, with plenty to browse along the journey. The strolling juggler and the opera trio, dressed in regal opulence, keep all entertained. And the human statue stationed in St. Mark's Square's and the Oculus provides plenty of amusement.
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• Desert Passage at the Aladdin—The Desert Passage is the jewel in the crown of Las Vegas shopping. With more than 140 stores and eight restaurants, the mall has something for everybody (and every price range).
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