You don't have to be a trekkie to enjoy Star Trek: The Experience, shown in the Las Vegas Hilton. The attraction is called The Experience because the ride is based on a plot involving you. It is much more than your average simulator ride. By the end of the ride you'll feel like you just graduated from Starfleet Academy.

The Experience begins by strolling through an exhibit of Star Trek artifacts. There are several different versions of the Enterprise suspended from the ceiling, and huge monitors play clips from the various films and episodes. What trekkies might find most interesting in the History of the Future exhibit is the Star Trek Timeline, culled from scenes and episodes. For example, you'll find the stardate for when James Kirk graduated from Starfleet, or find out when Deep Space Nine was created. There are a few Klingons and Ferengis roaming around the exhibit. In addition, the exhibit has a variety of artifacts behind glass encasements. There are numerous costumes, weaponry, makeup, special effects, and props used in the four different Star Trek television series and eight motion pictures.

Visitors are permitted to stay in the exhibit as long as they wish, so take your time, soak it all in, and beam yourself up. The attraction ends with the actual simulator ride. The simulator's screens extend over the heads of the riders, giving a unique visual experience. Another feature of the ride is that it is suspended on a six-axis platform, similar to those used to train the folks at NASA. It's the only one of its kind inside a domed theater, and experienced simulator riders will feel the difference.

After the ride, visitors can grab a bite at Quark's Bar and Restaurant where you can get drinks like a Vulcan Nerve Pinch Martini, Romulan Ale and a Riker-Rita. If you're hungry from all the Star Trek excitement, you can try Glop on a Stick, Major Kira's Spicy Wings, or The Wrap of Khan to get the complete Klingon experience. All this is built inside the promenade from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Of course, the attraction leads to the largest collection of Star Trek merchandise anywhere. If you can't find it here, it doesn't exist.

Note that to ride the simulator, people must be at least 42 inches tall.