July in Vegas with teens
 

My 15 yr old twins and I will be attending a wedding in Las Vegas the end of July. We certainly aren't interested in the typical Vegas sights but I'm afraid it will be too hot to enjoy any outdoor activities. Are there things to do inside that might interest 2 15 yr olds? Neither of them like big crowds of people so I'm afraid the pools won't be fun if too crowded. And if it's too hot to enjoy "the great outdoors" will we end up spending the entire trip in a hotel room? My budget is limited so maybe we should just fly in for the wedding and get out before we spend too much!
I'd appreciate any ideas!
Thanks,
Lily

It will probably be to hot for hiking, but you can take a couple of scenic drives. Red Rock Canyon National Conservational Area is about 20 miles north of Las Vegas. The 13 mile loop drive is very scenic. http://www.desertusa.com/redrock/

Another day trip would be to Valley of Fire State park is about 50 miles from Las Vegas. Again, probably to hot to hike in the summer, but a beautiful scenic drive. http://www.desertusa.com/nvval/index.html

Utahtea

If the twins are girls they might enjoy shopping/looking - lots of that at Forum Shops, Desert Passage, Fashion Show Mall, Venetian, etc.

I think just walking up and down the strip will be enjoyable. I went when I was 19 and had a great time on a small budget. Most of the hotel/casinos are themed and have tons to see, for example, Luxor-egyptian, Treasure Island-pirates, the Venitian and Paris both look like the real thing. The best part is walking around and seeing this stuff is almost all free.

Walking up and down the strip is great entertainment, ducking into the various hotels and seeing the magnificent themes. We went in August and although it was hot, we were fine in walking the strip and going in and out of the air conditioning. Our kids (then ages 9 and 11)especially loved Ceasars Palace, the arcade at New York, New York, the shops at Aladdin, the fountains at Bellagio and everything about Venetian. I beleive this same fasination would hold true for 15 year olds.

Also, don't miss the opportunity to go to downtown Vegas and catch the Freemont Street Experience. Very cool lights, video and lazer display shown above your head. There was lots of live music and it was a very festive atmosphere there.

I was really surprized at how much our kids loved Vegas (way more than I did!) especially because we didn't do a big show or anything really costly like that. We just walked around a lot and soaked up the "ambiance" and enjoyed the culture shock!

July is a GREAT time to drive up to Mt. Charleston. You can go hiking up there, it is usually about a good 20+ degrees cooler than Vegas.