Las Vegas decided to ditch the family friendly theme a few years ago, and came up with the new slogun "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". LV is now more like the old LV. Entertainment (show) prices have gone way up and it's not such a cheap place to visit anymore. You will see more open pornography (butt floss and skin) in advertising. However, since you will be in LV over a holiday there will be more people with families. I'm a northwestern lv resident, hope this info has been helpful.

The bellagio buffet was wonderful. There is EVERYTHING, from fish, chicken, beef, pasta, asian, shushi, breads, desserts. The BEST in LV. IMHO. For $16 it can't be beat. I hear it's goes up by about $10 after 3:30.

I second Fremont St. for the family. The light show is worth it.

But alas, as someone else mentioned, LV is trying to lose the family friendly status. YOu might be a bit embarassed with the kids there at that age, just depends on your relationship with them. If I brought my 14 year old daughter, I think we'd laugh at a lot of it.

According to the Weather Channel's monthly forecast for Las Vegas the day temperature during your stay will be around 63 and around 43 in the evening.

Vegas openly abandoned the family-friendly theme about 4 years ago. It was a money losing attempt to get parents to come to LV. But they didn't gamble as much once there.
Vegas is now boldly pushing the adult theme envelope. More strip bars, more upscale nude shows at the resorts, a push within government to loosen restrictions on prostitution, etc.
7th grade boys will likely be keenly aware of the differences between LV and their home towns, but they won't likely share these perceptions with parents.

As for the Fremont St debate, it's a reasonable one-time-only attraction, but most kids will not be 'wowed' by it compared with a visit to Disney, etc. Still, a look at old downtown LV is worthwhile, if only for 15 minutes. Downtown is dying steadily, and it could even be a relic within 10-12 years.

A special trip to Excalibur? No way. The food is terrible, the theme very cheesy. Too many other more worthwhile stops.
For kids, stop into New York New York to look at the theme inside and go to the Coney Island arcade area, or even a roller coaster ride (it's one of the few indoor-outdoor coasters in the world).
Some kids will get a kick out of Luxor, to see the world's largest atrium, and there's an arcade there as well.
Venetian is a must see for its classic over the top Vegas theming.
For the dollar, kids will get more value out of the Spice Market buffet (lower level at Aladdin) than Bellagio. Those 2 buffets are always rated among the top 3-4 in the city. Aladdin's is cheaper and easier to get into, and has at least as much variety.

**A trip to the top of Stratosphere is a must for kids. The rides up there (roller coaster is so-so, Big Shot well worth the $$, XScream: you have to judge for yourself) are very memorable for kids that age. The line can be 2 hours long to get to the elevator to the observation deck, so pick a non-peak time.

Oh yes, night time temps around Thanksgiving commonly get into the high 30's. You must bring appropriate clothing.

Thanks for all your replies and great advise and information. Please keep the info. coming and for you locals if you think of anymore advice, please reply.
I am definetly printing this thread off before we leave.

Here are a couple of pointers or my personnel opinion. First bring clorox wipes with you to eht hotel I stayed there 5 years ago and it was filthy. I lived in Vegas for 20 years and always knew that hotel was on the decline but I did not think it would be that bad. After I complained about the cleanliness of my room they moved me to one that was the same. The remote has some sort of goop on it, toilet was yuk!

Second be careful walking up and down the strip as far as pornography is concerned. When I took my kids to do some shopping at the Ceasars Forum in the toy place, my 6 year old handed me a bunch of cards he found on the ground that had naked ladies on them. That was hard to explain. We ONLY go to Vegas to shop and visit family, it can be fun if you are careful. It is a adult playground. Remember in the Stephen King movie "The Stand" Satan lived in Vegas. That always killed me. Good luck!

The Bellagio buffet is excellent. There is no theme, but an excellent variety of food. The Grand Lux Cafe at the Venetian is a good place to eat with desserts to die for. I think your kids will enjoy just walking the strip. We enjoyed the wax museum at the Venetian. If you have time for a show, your kids might enjoy Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo. Enjoy your time in Las Vegas.

CaliNurse, the Las Vegas CVB & Chamber of Commerce openly admitted the "Vegas For Families" marketing push was a disaster and have long since abandonded this push.

They stopped about 5 years ago after pressure from the casino owners. Parents don't gamble when they have kids in tow.

I can't imagine why any "youth" conference would be held in LV, for all the reasons mentioned above, but I suspect it's for the parents/chaperones!

We were in Las Vegas a few years ago on Thanksgiving weekend. The weather was very mild. Last December, it was cool during the day, cold at night. We very much enjoyed the buffet at Ballys.