Kids in Las Vegas?
 

We're trying to plan a 60th birthday event for my mother-in-law in Vegas. She wants to see Celine Dion. fun fun

There are 7 grandkids, most between 4 and 8 years old, who would be going as well. Any suggestions for kid friendly hotels and activities? However, we do not want to be in the "Suburbs" either...

We've been taking our daughter to Las Vegas for medical conventions since she was seven and she loves it! We don't gamble or go to shows. I would recommend staying on the strip! Just walking between the resorts is a Disneyland type treat. My daughter loves Mandalay Bay for the great pools and the Excalibur for the carnival type atmosphere and fun free puppet shows. Most of the strip is connected by a tram now so you can get to all the fun places. We have also watched the fountains at the Bellagio, taken the gondola ride in the Venetian, visited Star Trek the Experience in the Hilton, shopped in Caesar's Palace, etc. Your family - of all ages - should have fun. Sometimes you get a cranky poster on here who declares the immorality of taking children to Vegas. Just ignore them! Do be aware, though, that there are little flyers lying all over the strip with bare-chested ladies displayed for all to see. So you might discuss that with them before they spot them...

Crazy4Hawaii gave you some good ideas. We saw Celine in Vegas last week and it was a tremendous show--well worth going to. Mandalay Bay has a great pool but is on the way way end of the strip. I would recommend Mirage--great pool area, close to Caesar's (and Celine)and watching the volcano out front is fun. I know Monte Carlo has a lazy river pool but have never stayed there.

I wouldn't say it's immoral taking kids to Vegas but it's NOT a Disneyland type of place either. You need to be aware that there aren't just flyers lying around on the ground--there are 'squads' of low-lifes clustered along the strip who stick little trading card type things in your face as you walk along the strip and yes, they'll hand them to kids too. The cards have pics of nude women on them and the cards are everywhere. We go to Vegas once a year (the kids stay home) and have noticed that Vegas has become much less family-friendly the past 3 years or so--it's definitely a 'what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas' mentality now.

"kid friendly" will probably depend on the pool, and pools are mostly closed until April...but Flamingo would be the best if the pool is open as the pool area is large and features a wildlife habitat that 4 to 8 year olds are enchanted with....mini penguins, flamingoes, lots of fish ponds.

For activities...the Dolphin habitat at Mirage, the Lion Cubs at MGM, and the Lied Discovery Childrens Museum. The Museum of Natural History is good too.

Think it depends on the hotel--Paris' pool was open last week when we were there and I remember that the Mirage pool was open last January when we stay there.

Oh yes! The Dolphin Habitat and the Secret Garden at the Mirage are musts for us. We were there last year and none of the street loungers handed us or our daughter flyers since we were with a child. In fact, they stepped back and put their flyers behind their backs as we passed.

crazy4hawaii -

don;t know how yu got away with that. When we wer ether ethe scum were handing flyers to everyone - including teens and littel kids. There was a family ahead of us with a coupe of early/pre-teen boys - and were they enthused by the flyers! I saw one slip a card in his back pocket before the parents noticed they were being approached.

So - I don;t think its immoral to take kids there (and whoever said sex was immoral anyway?) just that you need to be really careful what they're exposed to.

Just agreeing with Crazy4Hawaii...our kids were 18, 16, and 10, and we walked the strip together at all hours, as late as midnight, and I can say that when they saw a family approaching, these 'flyer passer outers' did not attempt to hand anything to us, and even did step back. But there were a few times while waiting for a light to change and cross the street, I noticed all the males studying the litter on street!

Casino areas are off-limits to minors. Since the ground floors of most casinos comprise about 95% of the total space, moving kids in and around the hotel ground floors can become a problem for parents. If you are not holding the hand of each and every kid, security is going to be all over you.

I have taken small kids to Las Vegas and had not that great of a time. For instance, who will be watching the grandkids if all the adults want to be in the casino?

Do you want to risk the grandkids saying, "Oh look, naked baseball cards" (the other poster was right-on about that happening, it happened to me).

Think about it.

Sesamee

Hi.

My first suggestion is not to take kids, but since you are going to go and take kids, I highly suggest NOT staying on the Strip or on Fremont. Stay somewhere with a more relaxed atmosphere. Green Valley and Sam's Town are much less highly strung and can provide solace from the hustle and bustle of the Strip. You might even want to stay at a non-casino hotel. That way, the trips to the Strip (or wherever you go) are separate excursions more akin to going on a vacation in any other city.

With that said, my top kid-friendly suggestions are M&M World, Red Rock Canyon, Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, Dolphin Habitat at Mirage, and Luxor's entertainment area (Arcade, IMAX film rides). You may also want to check out the Scandia Family Fun Center with 3 miniature golf courses, a batting cage and min-grad prix. You may even be able to find discounts and coupons for it online.

Good Luck,
Mark

In response to Sesamee's post - minors can walk through casinos with their parents, provided nobody stops. Not even for a few seconds to watch something happening. Walk straight through the casino to wherever you're going and you shouldn't have any trouble getting around the hotels.

When are you going and how long will you be staying?

Definitely stay on the strip! Most of the activities for children recommended above (with the exception of Red Rock Canyon, which is very neat) are on the strip - so why in the world would you want to commute every day?! Just walking down the strip is an amazing experience for adults and children alike.