Long before Las Vegas became well known as the place to catch every washed-up act from sea to shining sea (as well as some great ones, mind you!), the common consensus was that the mob pretty much controlled much of the day-to-day activities. Going to Las Vegas these days, youd be hard-pressed to find signs of any gangster-style mafia activity.

The big-shot entrepreneurs proved that money talks and intimidation walks. But this is actually a good thing. Mob activity is much kinder and gentler when its fictionalized; and if you want to get close to the mob, minus the concrete boots, the Vegas Mob Tour is available in Sin City, showcasing the best - or worst, depending on your disposition - of what the mob had to offer.

The Vegas Mob Tour is carried out via bus and takes around two and a half hours from start to finish. During this time, youll be chauffeured around to many locations where the mafia and organized crime in general once had a firm grip on the landscape.

With other mafia-based shows playing in Vegas, offering up a slapstick version of mob life, the Vegas Mob Tour stands out as even more genuine - giving a glimpse of true history and turning a new generation on to the atmosphere in a safe way.

One of the biggest stories on the tour has to do with a relatively recent car bombing. In 1982, a gang of bikers - yes, not the typical Mafioso style youd expect - attempted to kill reputed crime boss Lefty Rosenthal. However, this move wasnt about power; it was about money.

The bikers believed Leftys wife would inherit a fortune from which they could benefit. Whether or not this story is the truth or just something the tour guide says in order to make it sound more intriguing is another story in itself. You can get the gist of the types of stories that are told throughout the tour. The guide adds a lot of intrigue to the tales.

Any story with Rosenthal in it seems to spark everyones ire. Rosenthal is the Jewish gambling criminal from whom Robert De Niros character in Casino was inspired. Theres also a real life mobster - retired, of course - who goes on the tour a few times a year, just trying to keep things as accurate as possible.

Frank Cullotta, out of the witness protection program now, has been known to jump on the bus with the regular passengers and deliver the vivid and gory details about mob life as it reached its Vegas conclusion. This alone to many is worth the price of admission.

The Vegas Mob Tour does okay to be what it is: a bus tour with a guide telling you details of a life far removed. About 800 people a month go out on the tour, and the vast majority is tourists and not Vegas residents. You can hop on the bus for around 50 bucks and learn some cool and interesting facts about mob life.