Family Trip to Las Vegas
Jan 5th, 2002, 12:24 PM
#1
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Family Trip to Las Vegas
I am in the process of seeking employment in the Las Vegas area. I will be taking my wife and three children (ages 6, 4, & 3)there in the first half of 2002 to stay for fove or six days while I tend to some business. My business will only use a small portion of my time each day, but will require me to stay almost the full week. I'm looking for ideas on not only keeping us busy, but getting them interested in the area. I am aware that there is Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead, Mount Charleston, etc., but has anyone actually been to these places? Are they really family-oriented adventures, and are they enough recreation for families that live in the area?
Jan 5th, 2002, 01:10 PM
#2
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Tim:
Wanted to give you some advice. My partner & I are frequent LV visitors (3-4 times/yr) with our most recent trip during Christmas, when my parents and sister and her family (husband,4 & 6 yr old) came along. We all had lots of fun, and my sister did all kinds of family-oriented things.
Tips:
* I would STRONGLY recommend staying in a non-casino hotel off-strip, in a suite-type of hotel, especially for the # of days you are going there. With 3 small children, it makes a great deal of sense, the # being that in most casinos the walk from your car to your rm can be long, going through the noisy & distracting casino. My sister also had a 7 nt stay this Christmas, and I used Priceline.com to bid for her a combination of casino & non-casino hotels. She felt the best accomodations was the Embassy Suites, which had a separate living area, and free breakfast.
* There is a great bowling facility at The Goldcoast Hotel, and we all had fun bowling. Living in Manhattan, where there are only a few facilities, it was really cool to see a 70 lane facility, with auto scoring and auto bumbers (great when playing with small children)
* There is also a minature golf course near the strip, which they had fun.
* We went to the Arcade @ NYNY, and also had alot of fun.
Depending what month you go, most hotel pools are closed, since there are few indoor pools (exceptions are The Tropicana, and I think the Embassy Suites Convention Center location), although many casinos keep parts of their pools heated during the winter,so if it is in the mid to upper 60's, your kids can use the pool. If that is important to you, and you are going before April/May, you need to check the individual casinos to confirm pool status. ( You can use www.vegas.com to check hotel pool hrs; they have a separate link for that info)
* Again, depending on when you go, The Goldcoast is have a renovation discount at their buffet (The buffet area is totally new). The prices are dirt cheap; $2.95 for breakfast, couple more $ for lunch, and couple more $ for dinner; and best of all the food is GOOD!!! Once they finish expansion/renovation, the prices will increase.
Wanted to give you some advice. My partner & I are frequent LV visitors (3-4 times/yr) with our most recent trip during Christmas, when my parents and sister and her family (husband,4 & 6 yr old) came along. We all had lots of fun, and my sister did all kinds of family-oriented things.
Tips:
* I would STRONGLY recommend staying in a non-casino hotel off-strip, in a suite-type of hotel, especially for the # of days you are going there. With 3 small children, it makes a great deal of sense, the # being that in most casinos the walk from your car to your rm can be long, going through the noisy & distracting casino. My sister also had a 7 nt stay this Christmas, and I used Priceline.com to bid for her a combination of casino & non-casino hotels. She felt the best accomodations was the Embassy Suites, which had a separate living area, and free breakfast.
* There is a great bowling facility at The Goldcoast Hotel, and we all had fun bowling. Living in Manhattan, where there are only a few facilities, it was really cool to see a 70 lane facility, with auto scoring and auto bumbers (great when playing with small children)
* There is also a minature golf course near the strip, which they had fun.
* We went to the Arcade @ NYNY, and also had alot of fun.
Depending what month you go, most hotel pools are closed, since there are few indoor pools (exceptions are The Tropicana, and I think the Embassy Suites Convention Center location), although many casinos keep parts of their pools heated during the winter,so if it is in the mid to upper 60's, your kids can use the pool. If that is important to you, and you are going before April/May, you need to check the individual casinos to confirm pool status. ( You can use www.vegas.com to check hotel pool hrs; they have a separate link for that info)
* Again, depending on when you go, The Goldcoast is have a renovation discount at their buffet (The buffet area is totally new). The prices are dirt cheap; $2.95 for breakfast, couple more $ for lunch, and couple more $ for dinner; and best of all the food is GOOD!!! Once they finish expansion/renovation, the prices will increase.
Jan 5th, 2002, 01:24 PM
#4
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Hi Tim, I have been to Red Rock Canyon several times, we go to Las Vegas often and it is always a nice break to leave the casinos and craziness behind for a day and get out into the desert..it is an easy and short drive, the Canyon is amazing, you can see it from a distance as you are approaching it and it really is very red! When you enter the area,it is State Park Land, they have a place where you can use the bathrooms,buy souvenirs, and then you drive on a one- way road that winds for about 13 miles through the desert and past the Rocks..the main and biggest ones, you will see people climbing the rock face, it is fun to watch,they have to be maniacs to do it 
and it is available for anyone who wants to climb..we always go to a trail for regular hiking and wander past little flowering cactus,strange rock formations and once discovered a small waterfall with a pool.You could see all the foot prints of the little animals that stop by for a drink.So,I would suggest you pack up the kiddies and some snacks/lunch and go out and wander for a day..Lake Mead looks like something on another planet..amazingly blue, and nothing around it! In the summer there are a lot of people and boats, we always go in the spring and in Aug.In Aug we don't even bother going out there,as the temps are in the 110's.I have always taken my children with us on our trips and adventures can be made out of just about everything, these places are fun and good for that...have fun!Candice
and it is available for anyone who wants to climb..we always go to a trail for regular hiking and wander past little flowering cactus,strange rock formations and once discovered a small waterfall with a pool.You could see all the foot prints of the little animals that stop by for a drink.So,I would suggest you pack up the kiddies and some snacks/lunch and go out and wander for a day..Lake Mead looks like something on another planet..amazingly blue, and nothing around it! In the summer there are a lot of people and boats, we always go in the spring and in Aug.In Aug we don't even bother going out there,as the temps are in the 110's.I have always taken my children with us on our trips and adventures can be made out of just about everything, these places are fun and good for that...have fun!Candice
Jan 9th, 2002, 11:31 AM
#5
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it's probably not a good idea to take young kids to Red Rock. it's more for adults and older kids, maybe your 6 yr old but not for 3 & 4 . The park is just for viewing and hiking...at some point you can get on top of the rocks and look down but that might be dangerous for kids since it's open space. i recommend taking them to see the free shows around the hotel strip .
Jan 17th, 2002, 11:42 PM
#6
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Las Vegas has a terrific children's museum that will entertain your children for hours on end. It is located downtown on Las Vegas Blvd, near the town hall, just beyond fremont street I believe.
Your kids might be a bit young for the excellent Museum of Natural History, but the 6 year old will probably enjoy the dinosaurs.
The Mini Gran Prix, off I 95, Rainbow exit I think, has one track of slow-moving tiny vehicles for 3 , 4 and 6 year olds. Floyd Lamb Park, just north of Vegas, is great for a picnic if the weather is nice.
I'd wait til at least April to really enjoy the area, as the warm weather makes a trip to Lake Mead all the more enjoyable. Southeast of Vegas, near Henderson, there is a new Hyatt Lake Las Vegas which apparently has a terrific Camp Hyatt for kids, keeping them entertained while the parents get some time alone. They usually also have a "second room half price" deal on connecting rooms, too.
Your kids might be a bit young for the excellent Museum of Natural History, but the 6 year old will probably enjoy the dinosaurs.
The Mini Gran Prix, off I 95, Rainbow exit I think, has one track of slow-moving tiny vehicles for 3 , 4 and 6 year olds. Floyd Lamb Park, just north of Vegas, is great for a picnic if the weather is nice.
I'd wait til at least April to really enjoy the area, as the warm weather makes a trip to Lake Mead all the more enjoyable. Southeast of Vegas, near Henderson, there is a new Hyatt Lake Las Vegas which apparently has a terrific Camp Hyatt for kids, keeping them entertained while the parents get some time alone. They usually also have a "second room half price" deal on connecting rooms, too.
Jan 18th, 2002, 01:56 AM
#7
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I would concur with the suggestion of staying off strip in a non casino hotel. I don't think the Gold Coast is all that kid friendly and the price of the buffet has bee raised, but remains a relative bargain. I don't know the population of Las Vegas, but of course there are more than enough things to do in Las Vegas for families. Whatever you enjoy doing @ home is available. For discount coupons go to billhere.com. Highly reputable and your only cost is for shipping & handling.
