New Orleans or Las Vegas??
 

My son is turning 21 in October and we promised him a special trip. Would you recommend taking him to Las Vegas or New Orleans? A few of his friends will probably join us. Please recommend a hotel with your city preference. Thank you.

Both are great places but I say Vegas. Much more to do there. Are all his friends 21?

We stayed at Treasure Island a couple years back and loved it. Then we stayed at the Golden Nugget in Feb. and liked it as well. Don't think you can really go wrong with any of the bigger hotels. Remember it is football season as well so it might be $$ because a lot of gambling is going on.

Definitely--another vote for Vegas. There are so many more casinos with different attractions, so you know there will be something for everyone. Plus, I always felt like the slots & tables were 'looser' in Vegas, with better service overall.

As for a place to stay....I usually stay downtown but I think you can get pretty good packages at the MGM or Paris and know that you'll be surrounded with lots of options for eats. (Same goes for almost any hotel on the strip, but those 2 are the only ones that I've heard pretty good reviews for.) I've stayed at the Mandalay and the Hilton and although the places were nice, somehow something was "missing" from my overall Las Vegas experience. Not sure what it was. Don't get me wrong, they were good hotels, but I'd still shop for something else in Vegas.

Another opinion - New Orleans. There are a couple casinos right in town and then just the other aspects of the city are available. We like the Ramada Inn on Bourbon to stay at when we're in town. It's fairly centrally located in the Quarter and a car isn't necessary.

If everyone isn't 21, then Vegas won't be much fun. Not sure if New Orleans would be either, but I imagine illegal underage activity is easier to pull off there than in Vegas.

gnr

If your son is turning 21 y/o, then your son should be the one making this desicion, right? I don't know your son, so I have no clue what city he would prefer.

Chatters, I'd assume that the son was trying to decide between the two cities, and his parents were just looking for some advice to help make that decision. Also, since the parents are giving him the trip (which I assume means they're paying for it??) I guess they would have some input into that decision!

I agree with gnrbernstein that an important factor would be whether his friends were also 21, because Vegas is pretty strict and they'll have problems in the casinos if they're underage. That could swing the decision to NO where everything isn't casino-oriented.

I'd choose New Orleans. It's an amazing place with so many layers. There is some gambling, plenty of bars for the newly 21, and lots of other things to do as well.

Judy24, Thank you for your input and your response to Chatters. Of course we asked our son, but he hasn't been to either place and asked our advice. I love Vegas and my husband doesn't gamble, so he is hoping for New Orleans. I just wanted others advice and appreciate your insight Judy.
We're leaning towards Vegas and have heard that NYNY is a fun place for kids to stay. Anyone else stay at NYNY?

New Orleans gets my vote. Although when I offerred to take my two adults sons somewhere for Thanksgiving they first said Las Vegas. I vetoed that since one criteria is warm weather. I responded with Belize, they vetoed that, countered with New Orleans. My husband and I were just there in April so we countered with Mexico. They don't want to leave the country. So, their next request was Key West. So, Key West it is.

But, back to the subject at hand. New Orleans is just so much more interesting than Las Vegas, unless you're looking for that sort of glitz. Of course, I'm a long, long way from being 21.....

Jean

Agree that New Orleans would probably offer a better-rounded cultural experience, but I'd go with Vegas. We just returned from a long weekend, neither of us are gamblers, and we had a great time. We saw two shows, had a great dinner, saw some crazy things, shopped a little--what more can you ask for?!

We didn't stay in NYNY, so I can't comment on the rooms, but it looks like it would be a good choice for "kids"--lots of little deli-type places to eat, a 24-hour casual restaurant, an Irish pub. I'd also suggest getting tickets for a show or two in advance...in addition to the permanent shows everyone knows about, like Cirque du Soleil, you can go to vegas.com for a fairly complete list of who's in town on any given date. It might be cool for your son to see a band he really likes while there...

Good luck deciding!

I vote for N.O. but I live here. What is he into?

When are you going in Oct? Oct 16-17th (weekend) is VooDoo Fest which is a 2 day set of concerts geared for people his age. My 23 yr old son will be covering it for the radio station he works at. The concerts are all centered at Marconi Meadows in City Park & it's sort of like a Jazz Fest for younger aged music. He can do a search to get details on bands, etc. www.voodoomusicfest.com/home.htm

There are many things for people of all ages here. Fabulous food, crazy Bourbon St & all the other tourist things. If you want gambling then you can walk to Harrah's right outside the Quarter.

Check out the karoake bar, Cat's Meow. It is such fun even if you're not a real fan of sing along. It had been featured on Real World New Orleans on MTV. Here is their site- www.catsmeow-neworleans.com/

Have fun whatever you decide.