las vegas. . kid friendly. . free attractions
 

Any help with the wonderful free shows at the various hotels in las vegas. . .travelling with 10 yr old and 15. Thank you!

Las Vegas is NOT the best place for kids. Their family campaign has been ditched and the new motto is "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Accordingly the shills handing out flyers for "escort services" and porno shows are ever expanding.

Many of the hotels have free attractions - not shows - that kids can look at - fountains, fireworks, a couple of tired lions at MGM - but in Vegas itself there's not much for kids except the hotel pools (since they can;t go into the casinos). And the shows are mostly very expensive.

Maybe OK for a day or two - after that I think they would be bored stiff with the free stuff.

My son has been to Vegas at ages 12 and 13 (he's now 15). He liked stuff away from the strip like Red Rock Canyon and Hoover Dam. On the strip he liked Circus Circus including their Adventure Zone, Speed the ride & car simulators at Sahara, the Lance Burton Magic Show, World of Coca Cola/ M&Ms and staying the Orleans with the movie theatre and bowling alley there. I agree with the last poster that Las Vegas isn't the best place for kids, but you can work around that to make it enjoyable for them anyway. :-)

CP Forum Shops has the statues that come to life with a pretty cool show, plus the shopping. The fountains at the Bellagio, plus the conservatory inside is well worth going in to see, it is also free. The volcano at the Mirage is nice. As mentioned, inside the MGM are lions on display. At the Tropicana there is like a flying trapeze act above the casino floor with a landing area for "under 21's" to watch from. These are all free things to do on the Strip. If you go to Fremont Street at night you can see the Fremont Street Experience (also free) and the kids will like that. If you have access to a rental car you can go other places like trippinkpj mentioned; Red Rock Canyon, Bonnie Springs is nearby (petting zoo and an old town with cheesy gunfights), this costs $10.00 per car. Ride a little train in and then you can walk around and see everything. Kids can go in to the casino's, they just cannot loiter. So walking through them is fine.

My son just reminded me that he liked the CP Forum shops also, VegasNative. Both he and I got a good deal on a couple pairs of athletic shoes there. :-)

If you have a car take a drive out to Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix, it's not free but always a big hit with the 10 to 18 year olds. Coupons in local mags.

Just making your way down one end of the strip and up the other can be three full days of good walking and interesting themes. Fountains of Bellagio down to "Coney Island" fun zone at NYNY (featuring $12 rollercoaster ride)...knights at Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay (Shark Reef), bird show at Tropicana, lion cubs/Rainforest Cafe at MGM, Forum Shops at Caesars, Venetian Canals, "Volcano" at Mirage( and Dolphin Habitat)...Adventurdome at Circus Circus etc. Not much of it is free but there is plenty to keep them busy.