As the sun sets across the desert, the once familiar landscape takes on a different light. And, as evening becomes after hours in Vegas, the landscape changes once again. During after hours, celebrities rub elbows with lounge singers, exotic dancers, paid escorts and other hoi polloi on the dance floors along the Strip. The clubs might be unique in concept and appearance, but the goal remains the same - extend that good-time feeling for as long as you can. Here are our favorite hot picks for after-hours fun in Sin City.

A crisp $20 will get you in the door of this desert outpost of the New York original. It's every bit as hip as its East Coast relative with an added twist of Vegas cool. Revelers are greeted by a mammoth 8000-square-foot bar and lounge which surrounds a sunken dance floor complete with pulsing hip hop and house sounds. Flashy, sometimes trashy, but always with a "tude" is the look here, guaranteeing you'll be awed by the eye candy of this anything-goes crowd. Be prepared to wait up to an hour if you're not VIP'd.

The place to be on Thursday nights when $10 ($20 other nights) gets you in the door, through a fog-filled tunnel and onto one of the hottest dance floors in town. Private cabanas and skyboxes line the walls, perfect for taking in shows on nights when the club turns into a concert venue and plays host to the likes of Pink, Sugar Ray, No Doubt and Santana.

Perhaps it was answering guests' requests for a special place to club after dining on exquisite French cuisine. Whatever the reason, we're glad Drai's transforms itself into one of the swankiest after-hours clubs in town. Lounge on oversize sofas, or take a table or a booth. Those in the know go to Drai's to move to the progressive and house sounds on the dance floor, where DJ Hollywood ignites the late-night crowd with deep house and trance sounds, and the party lasts 'til well after the sun comes up. What'll all that swank grooving cost you? $20 cover. Don't miss "after hours" on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings.

When longtime Vegas clubbers wanted a place to call their own, they came up with Utopia, the first underground nightclub on the Strip. They had no idea the casinos would wake up, take notice and pick up on the trend. Even though it's no longer the only game in town, it remains a leader and, at $20 a cover, "the" place to catch some of the world's top DJs and live techno acts. Don't come here expecting anything less than a sensory experience that will take you to another dimension. And, when the scene gets to be too much, head out to the upstairs patio, chill out on the overstuffed sofas and watch life on the Strip go by.

Take the staircase inside the Hard Rock Hotel up and around the dark curves. When you exit, you'll be at Baby's, where the stage is set for swinging '60s modern and '70s pre-disco hip to meet over-the-top Vegas today. And what a stage it is! Be ready to party on three levels at four bars, step out onto a main dance floor and two stadium-style dance platforms, relax in the VIP lounge and go in search of the underground lake. The music spin is a mix of disco, hip-hop and techno and the place is hopping all night long. While men must belly a $20 up to the bar, women are comp'd every night. Thursday is "Can You Feel It" night at Baby's with double DJs spinning in the main room and lounge.

If you're thinking a club named Venus at the Venetian would follow an Italian or Mediterranean theme, think again. This is the first authentic Tiki bar to appear in the U.S. in 40 years. Expect early '50s authenticity all the way, with hand-carved tikis, wall murals and a menu of atomic-style cocktails. Performances nightly by jazz and swing bands and true burlesque dancers lend an air of authenticity to the time warp. Cover varies by event.

Futuristic Egyptian desert meets New Age Vegas kitsch inside the newly renovated Luxor, and Ra is the latest after-hours development at the golden pyramid. The club promises to be every bit as fun as the décor, with a touch of the techno British DJ invasion to complement the plush VIP surroundings. The club courts the local ladies in a big way (with free admission) and out-of-town ladies too ($5 cover on Wednesday; free on Thursday; $15 Friday and Saturday). Guys, well, it'll cost you $15 each night.

It might be one of the more casual spots to hang well into the morning hours, but don't take that to mean laid-back. This place doesn't even get started until 4:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Come for the Hip Hop, Reggae and R&B sounds and stay for the live remotes with radio station V108 DJs and old-school jams. There are two rooms of music to choose from plus an outdoor patio. The visual senses are treated to state-of-the-art lighting and a light and laser show. The VIP room and dance floor seem almost secondary. The standard deal at the door, a $20 gets you in.

Girls, this is the place for you, and guys, this is the place to be with the ladies. Not only do you get in free every night, on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights from 9 - 11 pm, you can drink for free (21 and older). Guys have to cough up $10 for the price of admission. There is something going on every night, from the Hot Body Contest to Tuesday Topsy Turvy to the Thursday night Aqua Lounge complete with sensual dancers and aqua goddesses. Hawaiian Night Fridays and Laughs at the Beach on Saturday round out the entertainment. Every night, waitresses scantily clad in skimpy bikini tops will happily pour shots from one of six bars. The party continues on either the main dance floor or the raised floor to the sounds of Top 40 and Variety music.

DJ Hollywood, Adam Webb and David Christian set the musical tone in the heart of the Strip at this quasi jungle-inspired club. You'll be surrounded by a retro '80s décor, lots of red and black, tiger-skin-lined booths along the main dance floor, an outdoor patio with plush seating and separate dance floor, and a choice of three bars. $20 gets you inside.

Head up to the 19th-floor pool and Sky Lounge at the Polo Towers for a visual panorama that offers a 180-degree view of the Strip. Here, an upscale, young professional crowd takes over and the luxuriously relaxed environment caters to a more elite crowd. Dim lighting and down-tempo music complement the Moroccan-inspired pool deck with Casbah cabanas, elevated lounge beds and benches, dance floor, DJ booth and live-event deck for an intimate crowd of 500. Casual but sophisticated attitude, so leave the bikini at home. Call for cover charges.

The latest from the Rio takes you to South-Beach-meets-the-'70s spread over four separate rooms - bar, dance room, lava lounge and VIP area - each with its own DJ and music format. The main dance floor designed with water features and a wide beach is highlighted by beach showers to cool off the over- the-top hot staff who entertain from atop lifeguard stands. If you're thirsty for a libation, look no further than the shot-toting cocktail servers. Or you can take it in the upside-down shot chair and follow with a cool down in the dunk tank. This is about as over the top as it gets. But in Vegas, baby, anything is possible.