Kelly Clarkson Studio Sessions Review: Our Bucket-List Girls' Weekend in Las Vegas (Flamingo Hotel, Neon Museum & More)
Is Kelly Clarkson's Las Vegas Residency Worth It? An Honest Review of Studio Sessions at Caesars Palace (2026 Girls' Weekend)
A girls' weekend in Vegas that couldn't have been better.
What a night. What a weekend. What a flamingo.
Some trips you plan for months. This one we planned around two words: Kelly. Clarkson. The minute my best friend and I saw she had a residency at Caesars Palace, it shot straight to the top of the bucket list, and everything else — the pool, the neon, the questionable dinner decisions — simply had to arrange itself around it. Spoiler: it did, gloriously.
Home Base: The Flamingo
We stayed at the Flamingo, and I loved every pink, feathery inch of it. It has that old-time Vegas feel — the kind of place where you half expect to bump into the Rat Pack at the elevator bank. The live flamingos hanging out in the Wildlife Habitat were an absolute highlight; there is something delightfully absurd about sipping your morning coffee while an actual flamingo judges your outfit.
Now, about the GO Pool. It's 21-and-over and free to get in — which sounds great until you'd like to sit down. Be prepared to drop a couple hundred dollars for the cheapest seat in the house, and cocktails start at $29 plus tax. Plus tax! On a $29 cocktail! The pool party music was so loud it shook our room on the 25th floor. We could hear every song clear as mud, which was… fantastic. (It's a vibe. Bring earplugs or embrace it. There is no in-between.)
The Neon Museum
Our first night, we took a recommendation (thank you, whoever you are) and grabbed a short taxi ride off the Strip to the Neon Museum. Friends: GO. Seeing all those old neon signs lit up, with their histories displayed alongside them, was pure magic — a graveyard where nothing feels dead. It was a bit muggy, but a breeze kept blowing through the lot and kept the heat at bay.
Admission is on the lower side for a Vegas experience (a phrase I will not be using again in this post), and there are lots of ways to see the collection, from wandering your own personal journey to guided tours. They also have a show across the street — Brilliant! Jackpot, a history of Vegas told in lights — that we didn't catch this trip. The museum moved from its original home, where it had been since 2006, to its current location in 2025, and they do a lot for the community. If you're in Vegas, I highly recommend a visit.
The Bellagio Conservatory: Paradise, Found
The Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens never fails. This summer's display is called Paradise, and honestly? Accurate. Flower-crowned elephants, herons wading through a pebbled pond, a lion wearing a botanical mane like he was born for it. You truly feel transported walking through the exhibit — it's stunning, it's free, and it has the best photo-op-per-square-foot ratio in the city.
Dinner Before the Show (A Cautionary Tale With Dessert)
Before the concert we had dinner at Stanton Social Italian inside Caesars. I'd been looking forward to this meal — the restaurant is fun and stylish, and the menu has just enough to choose from. Unfortunately, my choices didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. I sent my plate back essentially untouched, and they didn't even ask why. Not a word! Lordy. The dessert, however, was good enough to make up for a lousy dinner — and we made some new friends at the tables around us, which, honestly, is half of what a girls' weekend dinner is for.
Kelly Clarkson at The Colosseum 🎤
Okay. Deep breath. THE CONCERT.
The Colosseum at Caesars is a smaller venue than you'd expect, and we had fabulous seats — center stage, section 203. The show started right on time (a Vegas miracle), and the set was styled like a recording studio, all warm wood and lamplight, which fit the Studio Sessions concept perfectly.
Here's the thing about Kelly Clarkson: her vocals are better live than recorded. I don't know how that's possible. I don't make the rules. Every note gave me chills, and her personality shined the entire time — funny and relatable, exactly the person you hope she is. And her band and backup singers? My goodness. Horns, strings, a full rock band. What a performance.
The vibe in the room was pretty low-key — I suspect because the crowd spanned every age from "brought my mom" to "brought my grandma" — but as the energy amped up toward the end, people finally got to their feet where they belonged. A true bucket-list night. What a night!
Karaoke, Jackpots & the Mystery of Early-Bird Vegas
After the show we wandered Caesars and the Strip nearby, then had a quick — real quick — seat at Smelly Cat, the karaoke bar. Bestie threw a $20 into a machine and won herself BIG. Way to go!!
Here's what surprised me: how early Vegas shuts down on a Friday night. After 11:00 it was hard to find much open, and even the gamblers inside the casinos seemed to dwindle by half. It's been a while since my last visit — I'm sure the music and dancing and drinking is still happening somewhere, but it wasn't in the casinos we walked through. Vegas, honey, are you okay?
Our last morning, we walked the Strip down to the Venetian and browsed the mall, then made our way back to Virgil's BBQ for brunch — excellent food and, hands down, the best value of the entire trip. Back to the room, a little relaxing, and off to the airport: happy, full, and slightly sparklier than when we arrived.
The Real Review ⭐
Kelly Clarkson, Studio Sessions — ★★★★★
Better live than recorded, funny and warm, world-class band. Worth building an entire trip around. Because we did.
The Flamingo — ★★★☆☆
Charming old-Vegas personality, unbeatable flamingo content. The GO Pool is free to enter and expensive to enjoy — and the music will find you, even on the 25th floor.
Neon Museum — ★★★★★
Reasonable admission, real history, and the prettiest light in the city after sunset. Highly recommend.
Bellagio Conservatory: Paradise — ★★★★★
Stunning, free, go.
Stanton Social Italian — ★★★☆☆
Stylish room, disappointing entrée and service (a returned full plate deserves at least a "was everything okay?"), redemption-arc dessert.
Virgil's BBQ — ★★★★★
Best value meal of the weekend. Would fly back for the brunch.
Coming Home to Harlee Rose 🦩
Leaving my pup Harlee Rose is always the hardest part of any trip, so I've started a tradition: she gets a new baby from every destination. This trip's addition — Rosie the flamingo. She's still loving her new friend, and I'm still humming Kelly Clarkson.
All in all? A girls' weekend that couldn't have been better. What a night. What a trip. Viva Las Vegas. 💕
Been to the Studio Sessions residency, or planning your own Vegas girls' weekend?
Tell me everything in the comments.
Until the next shenanigan,
Tracee
Travel Home Shenanigans
Comments
Post a Comment