Actually, it is very true. I live here.
Once you get underneath the tourist trap that is Las Vegas Boulevard, you have the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, golfing, and Route 66 all within an hour's drive. You also have hunting within that hour's drive at Mt. Charleston.
After that, Las Vegas is a College town. Keep in mind that UNLV is across the street from the airport.
After that, Las Vegas is a retirement community. If you look at any Del Webb housing community you'll see that it is nothing but 65 and older. It's a second version of Florida, where the unofficial motto of Florida is "Come to Florida, and die!"
So yeah.. definitely a tourist trap.
As for when the best time is to go? It depends on the weather. With Vegas being high desert, you get a dry heat; there is no cool breeze or humidity in the wind, so it is hot and dry. If you want nice weather, you'll want to visit any time from mid February to the 3rd week of May. Anytime after that, you'll be guaranteed temperatures over 100F/38C from 10am until 9pm, and after 9, you'll be lucky if it drops below 95F/34C. You might catch the occasional monsoon, but with it being high desert, it would rain for about 15 minutes in sheets, and then be dry 15 minutes later, as if it never rained at all.
On the flip side of that, anytime from the 3rd week of September to the middle of November will get you the same sweet spot for weather. After that, you'll be in sweater weather.
BL.
