We have taken our son to Las Vegas three times and had a blast each time. People frequently think of Las Vegas as no place for kids, but I can attest for the fact that this is not true. In our family, traveling to Las Vegas with kids is almost as much fun as Disney!
What is it about ‘sin city’ that makes it family friendly?
1. Mandalay Bay, Top Choice For a Family Vacation – We have stayed here three times with our son. They have a huge wave pool surrounded by tons of sand. They have a fun lazy river that we like to race around after each other. They have two lagoon pools and two hot tubs. This is the #1 pool complex in Vegas, and we have always gone at Easter time and gotten good deals on the price, and it is full of families at that time, which while crowded, is more fun when you are going with your kids!
2. The Zoo and Dolphin Exhibit at the Mirage Hotel. The exotic animals here are up close and an amazing site to see. And, these animals get taken back to a ranch to roam every evening, and different animals are brought in on a rotating basis, so they do not all experience caged life daily. We enjoy them and get reminded why we have to do more to help our planet and all species living here. And the dolphin exhibit is amazing. 3 different dolphin pools, an underground viewing area, and constant activities. If you have the money to splurge, you can even swim with them!
3. The Stratosphere – Go to the 109th floor and you can go on a ride that tips over the edge of the building. Yes, you feel like the end is near. My spouse had been wanting to do this for over a decade, he finally got his wish and enjoyed the experience with our brave nephew. Me, I wouldn’t even go up that high in the elevator!
4. Shark Reef at the Mandalay Hotel. This is a pretty large aquarium in its own right! I recommend this even if you are staying at the other end of the Las Vegas strip, the kids will love the shallow pool area where they can pet rays!
3. The Adventuredome at Circus, Circus. An amusement park for kids. A perfect half day diversion when you need a respite from the sun. It is actually quite large, and we also stopped in next door at the casino to see their acrobatic show that happens right above the slot machines!
4. The Venetian. It’s all fake, but it’s all Venice! I still can’t get over the indoor canal with gondola ride. The line was too long for us so we sprang for the cost of the outdoor gondola ride!
5. The Bellagio Sculptures and the Conservatory: a gorgeous Chihully sculpture right above your head! And the Conservatory is exquisite, filled with stunning florals to view!
6. The outdoor Bellagio water show!
7. The Flamingos at the Flamingo Hotel! Every trip to Vegas we spend a few hours walking through this hotel checking out the flamingoes, the fish, and the beautiful property!
8. The Volcano outside the Mirage Hotel!
9. The Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel. This is built to scale and fun for the kids, a walk inside the hotel, where they have recreated the streets of Paris, is a nice place for a French snack!
10. Caesar’s Mall. There is a robotic show that comes out of the floor, and there are humongous fish tanks that we have spent many an hour looking at. Plus it is a great air conditioned escape in the middle of the hot Vegas day!
And buffets. My son loves all you can eat breakfast buffets for the bacon, and at night he eats at buffets like me: we eat like every meal is our last! If you can afford to splurge there are amazing restaurants at every hotel and all over the city.
There is also Fremont Street downtown with an above the head light show. There are museums, and daytrips: Hoover Dam, Mead Lake, and Red Rock Canyon. Some folks go further away and see the Grand Canyon!
We absolutely love the gimmicks at every hotel and love spending our days waking through them all. We have had three fantastic family vacations in Vegas and hope to return again soon. It is like an adult Disneyland that children can enjoy as well!
They all sound great .Would love to go to Mandalay Bay. Those sculptures look interesting .Have to see the Eiffel Tower since my granddaughter wants to visit Paris. No 109th floor for me my feet will be firmly planted on the first floor.
I didn’t realize there was that much stuff to do for kids! Thanks for this post, I’ll pin it!!
I had no idea either that there was such stuff for families.