We are considering a November weekend getaway to Vegas with our 4 year old son. Thinking of staying at the Mirage and have a growing list of things to do with him - circus, shows, indoor amusement park etc. Two questions; 1) is there any other centrally located hotel you would recommend over Mirage, and why? and 2) if we wanted to have a better dinner, is it possible with a child? Do the better restaurants and diners frown on children if you go early, for instance? We just want to understand how limiting it's going to be for us.

As background, we're in our 40's, and neither of us really cares about gambling, so the "sin" part of our visit doesn't really matter to us. Eating really good meals, though, would. Thanks in advance for any thoughts you might have.

I've never been inside the place but my DS takes my grandsons to Circus-Circus. http://www.circuscircus.com/
It seems to be the best entertainment and buffet for both the adults and the children in his opinion.

There's cigarette smoke everywhere. Not good for kids.

You can get some pretty good meals with a 4-year-old along if he's well behaved. Wolfgang Puck has a bar and grill in the middle of the MGM that is affordable and good (pizza, pasta, sandwiches, meat loaf etc.) We also like to go to Otto Enoteca in the Piazza San Marco at the Venetian. It's owned by Mario Batali, and it's in a big loud public space, so you won't have to worry if your child is a little noisy. The Paris has a couple of nice little cafe places close to the buffet, and a creperie in the main passageway. My favorite two places for breakfast pastries are the cafe at the Bellagio, which I believe is called Il Palio (across the from the art museum) and Va Bene cafe in the Cosmopolitan. You will get a good cup of coffee and a nice breakfast pastry and they won't break the bank.

Personally, I wouldn't stay at Circus Circus. It's at the end of the strip, it's usually packed and it's not very nice (although I have stayed there in the past with my kids when they were young). You will probably want to visit it to see the circus and go to the amusement park. Be prepared to spend money on the carnival games. Excalibur is also kid-oriented and used to have shows for kids. My kids always enjoyed the Neptune show at Caesar's Palace.

You might get some flack here about taking a child to Las Vegas at all. We have taken our children there since they were small, always to do kid-friendly activities and just to get out of town for a few days. Cigarette smoke as become much less of a problem in the fancier casinos, and you will just be walking through them anyway to get to your room.

Have fun.

I don't want to be discouraging but I know I don;t want to go our for a nice dinner and be disturbed by a small child who can't be still and quiet for 2 hours. If you look carefully you can probably find some place with good food that are more casuale - and, more important - will let you have dinner faster.

Frankly, it;s not fair to a 4 year old to expect him to behave that well for that long.

If it were me I would either pick a different destination that is more child friendly - or leave him with family and just go as a couple if you really want to enjoy fine dining.

Thanks all. NYTraveler, I agree with your sentiment which is why I was asking the question. If it had become the norm for kids to be in these places on the early side, it makes a difference. Unfortunately, leaving him with family isn't an option right now, and we've done the family beach thing enough that we were thinking something new. Cferrb, great suggestions, thanks!