Why You Should Visit Las Vegas with the Kids

Are you looking for a family vacation that will have activities for all ages? A Las Vegas family vacation may be just what you need. With something to do at almost every hotel on the strip, you will have a great time without having to walk a great distance and having the kids complain. There is plenty to do in Las Vegas to fit any budget, so no matter how your money situation is, you will have a great time and a wide variety of entertaining options to choose from. One thing to keep in mind if you are planning a Las Vegas family vacation is the curfew. No children under 18 are allowed out past 9:00 PM without an adult. Even with that curfew, they are not allowed out past 10:00 PM on weeknights or midnight on weekends. Hopefully that will help a little in your planning for your vacation.

To start your vacation, you may want to check with the hotels for the most child-friendly. Most hotels in Las Vegas were not planned with kids in mind. You should check out the amenities and attractions at each to find the best that will work for your family needs. If you are looking for a hotel with a great swimming pool, for instance, you may want to stay at Mandalay Bay or the Flamingo. Mandalay Bay is home to a large wave pool, lazy river, as well as a sandy beach area. If you don't want to leave the hotel much, this would be a great choice. The Flamingo is home to three large swimming pools, a kiddie pool, and water slides that are open during the summer months. If your children love to play games, you may want to try Circus Circus or Excalibur. Both have a large selection of various carnival and arcade style games for the children. Do the children love animals? You may want to stay at the Mirage. With it's White Tiger Exhibit and 53 foot long aquarium, the kids will love it. These are just a few ideas for some hotels that would be appropriate for the family.

Are you on a budget for your Las Vegas family vacation? There are many activities in Las Vegas that will keep the kids entertained throughout the day for free! Most, if not all, of the free activities are appropriate for children of all ages. Some of those include the aquarium and White Tiger Exhibit at the Mirage that can be viewed for free. Also, the Mirage Volcano erupts nightly every 15 minutes in front of the hotel. Circus Circus has free circus acts that are performed twice per hour throughout the day. Treasure Island has The Sirens of TI, a free outdoor show that is performed every hour and a half nightly from 7:00 P.M. This is a great show to watch, but be sure to get your spot early for the show, as it gets very crowded close to show time. Visit the Flamingo and take the kids to see the penguins, pink flamingos, ducks and the beautiful Koi fish. Visit MGM Grand and take the kids to see the Lion Habitat for free. Take them by the Bellagio between 3:00 and 8:00 PM and let the kids watch the fountains dance to the music. It is a great sight, whether it is day or night, however if you can go see it after dark, you will get to see the water in different colors. Just a little off the strip, you can take the kids to the Rio for the free Masquerade Village Show. This performs every hour from 3:00 until 5:00 PM, and then every hour and a half after that. Of course, the older kids will love just seeing all the different hotels and seeing the different themes available at each one. Where else can you go and visit Paris (Paris Hotel), New York (New York New York), Venice (Venetian), Arabia (Aladdin) and a pyramid (Luxor) all at the same time?

Do you have lots of money to spend on your Las Vegas family vacation? Or even just a little? If you can afford even just a few of the paid activities, your money will be well spent. Just keep in mind that if you have a large family, just two or three of these may have you out a couple hundred dollars, easily. If you are looking for something relaxing to do, you can take the family on a Gondola Ride at the Venetian. You can take a ride through the inside of the hotel or outside. The indoor one is a little more expensive, but well worth it. You get to see various areas throughout the hotel and if you watch the ceiling, you will see it change from day to night. Very beautiful hotel and a great way to see different parts of it. You can take the kids to play arcade and carnival style games at Fantasy Fair located in the Excalibur or at Circus Circus. You can also take them to GameWorks, located by the MGM Grand. You can go to Mandalay Bay and visit the exciting Shark Reef. An aquarium filled with stingrays, sharks, and many other exotic fish. Plus there is a "touch" area where you will be able to touch the stingrays, small sharks, and horseshoe crabs. At the Mirage, you can visit Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. The Secret Garden is home of the famous white tigers, as well as a few other wildcats. You can see just one or see both, but for the price difference, both is a much better deal. If the kids want to go to an amusement style park, visit the Adventuredome inside Circus Circus. An indoor theme park, and the only theme park on the strip, there are rides available for all ages to enjoy.

If you have older children or thrill-seekers in the family, you may want something a little more exciting. First, there is the Manhattan Express at New York New York. With speeds of up to 67 mph, this roller coaster is sure to get your hearts pumping! This is located on the roof of the hotel with great views of the strip, if you have time to look! Another great place to find thrill rides is at the Stratosphere. Three exhilarating rides located at the top of the Stratosphere, Insanity, Big Shot, and X-Scream are sure to be a hit! When you ride Insanity, expect to be dangled out 64 feet past the edge of the Stratosphere, staring at the Las Vegas strip below. The Big Shot will have you swallowing your heart as you are shot up into the air and then dropped back down. X-Scream will have you screaming as you are shot head-first 27 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere and left to hang before doing it again! You can pay by the ride, buy a combo for all three, or get an all day pass.

Whether traveling with one kid or five, a Las Vegas family vacation will have something for everyone. You can plan your visit around the interests of everyone or around your budget. Either way, you are sure to have a great time!