I haven’t spent any time in Las Vegas since I was a kid myself, and I hear it has transformed into a great place for families. My sister has gotten my family a condo in Vegas for a week at the end of July. Needless to say, there is much excitement.
Her’s the issues - we don’t drink or gamble, really, and we have 4 children, ages 17 (girl), 15 (boy) 10 (boy) and 5 (girl). Are budget is healthy, but not spectacular. I have been reading other “What to do in Vegas” threads, but I haven’t seen any that really address Vegas with kids.
I haven’t been in years, either; (unless they’re gone), there’s a marshmallow factory, Ethel M Chocolate factory, the Liberace museum (holy crap he had HUGE hands!), a cranberry factory. Not in the city proper, but all a short drive away. I’d think they’d be fun for any age. The factories didn’t charge for a tour, as far as I remember, and they all had free samples The museum costs, but I don’t know what their fees are at this time. You might be able to get a discount coupon online here http: / / www . Las Vegas Coupons, Deals & Discounts - Totally FREE! Found that trying to look up the museum. I know it seems odd, but the museum is really a trip!
On the strip, I can’t comment, as I know it’s changed a lot since I was last there.
That’s all I can think of, off the top of my head.
Definitely rent a car and go to Lake Mead or even Death Valley perhaps. Circus Circus has some kids stuff in Reno so they probably have something similar in Vegas. Most of us Nevada natives never go there. I’ve never been to the Nevada Test Site or Area 51. There might be something there. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is within a hard days round trip and quite nice this time of year. Make that a two day trip and see Zion, one of the nations finer sightseeing places.
That’s my experience as well. There are some attractions like roller coasters, but they are all in casinos, so you have to take the kids through some pretty interesting sights. Chances are you’ll see some scantily clad women and men advertising their shows. Not to mention being on the strip and getting inundated by the guys shoving cards advertising dancers and prostitutes into your and their hands.
I’m sure there are plenty of things to do in other parts of Vegas, but the strip isn’t a place for kids.
P.S. It will be 110°F+ at the end of July. Find a pool with a waterslide.
Circus Circus has the Adventuredome thats great for kids. There’s the tigers at MGM. Rides at Stratosphere and the roller coaster at New York New York. And of course many of the hotels have great pools with lazy rivers and such but i’m not sure how accessible they are if you arent staying at the particular hotel. I think there is a Water park in Las Vegas as well. I would definitely schedule plenty of indoor or water activities because its blazing hot in LV in July.
I must also agree the strip isnt a place for children… there are drunk old people, even drunker young people, smokers EVERYWHERE, flyers of naked women scattered on the sidewalks (as well as on huge billboards)… Even the Magic Shows can be fairly vulger. I would most DEFINITELY avoid the strip in the night time. Its a gongshow.
Just another chiming in that Vegas is most certainly not for kids.
Even people who live here scramble for ideas of where to take the family.
That said, some of the Stations Casinos (Sunset Station for example) have Kid’s Quest - sort of an hourly day-care center with things kids seem to like doing. I know lots of kids really like going there (your youngest two, for sure) and although there is a time limit of just a few hours, it might be something to consider.
Circus Circus, as mentioned, has a small amusement park indoors in the back.
You might want to go to The District on weekends (an outdoor area next to Green Valley Ranch Casino) that has some concerts and the occasional free family movie.
There is also the new(er) Town Center Square just south of Mandalay Bay that is a huge shopping area with outdoor parks, ice cream, play areas, etc.
But to be quite honest, this is going to be more work than you imagined trying to entertain those kids here. Casinos won’t let them in unless you are walking to and from your room or buffet. No dawdling.
I don’t suppose there is a summer camp near where you live where you could send the kids for a week while you have a good time in Vegas? Just a thought.
I was just in Vegas for the first time in April, and I have to agree - I was very glad my daughter wasn’t with us. Smoking and drinking are allowed pretty much everywhere, you have to walk through the casinos to get to anything, and kids aren’t allowed to linger or wait while you drop a couple of bucks on slots, and, while I’m not a prude, I just don’t need to have discussions about strippers or burlesque with a loud mouthed 5 year old. It just didn’t seem there was all that much to do there that couldn’t be better done at truly family friendly destinations.
Just chiming in with all the other naysayers. I was just in Vegas about a month ago and there’s not much there for kids. Honestly, the 17 and 15 year old might be the most bored since they’re too young for the casinos and they might be too cool for the arcades and rides. I have some friends who went to Vegas quite often with their parents in their teens and the most memorable part of their trip was usually the shows. It’s pricey, but they’re supposed to be spectacular.
If you’re still set on the vacation, book somewhere that has cable and a pool. There’s a few museums that the kids might enjoy - such as the pinball museum, the neon museum, and the atomic museum.
The naked lady fliers are everywhere on the strip. I still remember walking down the strip behind this young family with two kids, a boy about age 10 and a girl around 7. They were looking down at the scattered fliers the entire time. At least it was an educational trip for them.
You don’t drink or gamble, and you have four kids. Under those circumstance, Vegas would not be my choice of a vacation spot. Why would you take your kids to Sin City, particularly when you don’t even like two of the three most popular activities in Vegas?
That said, if you’re gonna go anyway, I think it would be cool to visit the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, where Pawn Stars is filmed. And if you have something weird, try to sell it to them. Maybe you’ll get to be on the show.
I wouldn’t take my kids, but Penn and Teller have a clean show that is family friendly and entertaining at the Rio. The Cirque shows are excellent and - well except for Zumanity - family friendly - if intense (there traveling shows tend to be more family friendly and La Nouba which runs in Disneyworld is very family friendly).
The Ethel M tour is good, and Red Rock Canyon is certain worth a drive out - if I recall, it makes a good day when combined with Hoover Dam.
Its an eight hour drive to the Grand Canyon, but if you can make two long days out of it, you can drive up, get a hotel room up there for one night, and drive back. Make sure to book a hotel room up there in advance - its high season for tourists and the hotels book solid.
Be prepared to pay through the nose for a lot of the things in Vegas, and for a lot of dirty looks from adults who go to Vegas because there aren’t kids and they can behave like irresponsible grownups.
(My husband points out that the Rio has waitresses in lingerie dancing on top of the slot machines - or did last we went. I’d forgotten that. And slot machines are EVERYWHERE).
Hoover Dam is kinda cool, in a geeky, huge, civil engineering kind of way. Might be best to go early in the day, though. There’s a tour that just goes to the diversion tunnel and powerhouse, and a better one that actually goes into the inspection tunnels in the dam. The earlier you’re there, probably the less you’ll have to wait. And traffic can be a bit of a hassle, too.
This thread is awesome! Most of the replys boil down to:
“Don’t go with kids to start with” and “Leave there ASAP!”
Having lived there, I concure with most of the advice so far. The best parts of the area (sans drunken debauchery) are Red Rock and Hoover Dam/Lake area. Guarenteed to bore the snot out of teenagers.
And yeah, it’ll be 100 at midnight. Better have a pool.
The museum costs, but I don’t know what their fees are at this time. You might be able to get a discount coupon online here http: / / www . 