Very last minute "sweet 16" trip to Las Vegas - any tips? restaurants?
 

As I posted a few months ago, instead of a sweet 16 party, my daughter has always wanted to go to Las Vegas to see Criss Angel. I started planning but then realized that she could not leave town around her birthday because of her cheerleading schedule. But miracle of miracles, our team choked early in the playoffs, so now this coming weekend is free. We are leaving for Las Vegas DAY AFTER TOMORROW and will be there until Monday afternoon (no school all next week and it was $200 less to stay an extra night.)

I have already bought Criss Angel tickets (don't bother telling me how bad the show is - I've read the reviews) and Blue Man Group tickets. I have printed off a walking tour of basically the hotel sites.

We are staying at the Luxor (don't bother telling me how run down it is - Criss is there and that is all that matters!)

Any other tips for a Saturday and Sunday in Vegas with a minor? She wants to ride the roller coasters at NYNY and Circus Circus (don't even know if I have the names right.) . Is everything to see and do total kitsch?

Can you recommend some decent, casual restaurants ON the beaten path?

You could go to a spa together: get a facial, get your nails done.

Visit the giant M&M store.

Gameworks is a pretty amazing video game place -- they have protoype games of the future, a climbing wall. And it has a room of retro games, like pacman and Space Invadors. Its not totally guy stuff.

See Penn and Teller (the magicians) at the Rio.

Take a walk through the gardens at the Flamingo and look at all the flamingos.

Rent a car and take a day trip to Red Rock Canyon for a hike, picnic.

See www.vegas.com/attractions/kids.html for more ideas

We ate at the Grand Luxe Cafe in the Venetian...it wasn't super fancy or pricey and had a huge menu; it's a Cheesecake Factory affiliate and reminded us very much of a CF.

LOL, my husband (who isn't going on the trip) keeps pushing the "out of town nature" stuff. Don't think D has nature in mind!

Thanks everyone.

We took our DS to Las Vegas for his 16th birthday. Of course, he's a boy, so his idea of Las Vegas Tourism heavily involves buffets (Planet Hollywood's was probably the best one). We did briefly visit Red Rock Canyon and were very glad we had. We also drove to the Hoover Dam.

Window shopping at Caesar's Palace is a lot of fun--it's like walking through a fake Roman city. The moving statues are cool to see and, I recall, there's some sort of kitchy Roman gods performance. We ate at a Cheesecake Factory near the Forum Shops.

The glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly inside the Bellagio are not to be missed.

She might enjoy the Fashion Show Mall (right across from the Wynn and the Palazzo) because they have...fashion shows--IN the mall! Seriously, though, there were lots of fun stores.

Thanks, everyone. I'd like to probably avoid buffets. Are any of the casaul restaurants in the hotels decent?

They should be, particularly in the higher end hotels. Sorry, the only non-buffet, non-fast food meals I think we had were in the coffee shops at Hard Rock and El Cortez. They were both absolutely fine, and El Cortez did a particularly nice job with breakfast, but it's kind of off the beaten path.

i'd say sugar factory at planet hollywood- packed with that age when i was there..i would have loved it at 16

oops i meant at Paris!! sorry

Yes, it's ALL high-priced kitsch. It's Vegas, after all. Be prepared to drop some serious coin, nomatter what you do.

If I were 16, I would have loved the Forum Shoppes at Caesars Palace, as longhorn suggests. The "moving statues" are totally cheesy but I would have loved it at that age.

Plus there is a huge H&M store, I believe the biggest in the world. The last time I was there, it was filled with young girls who seemed pretty happy to be there. And then of course, make time for a stop at Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man.

After the Forum Shoppes, I'd also love the Canal Shops at the Venetian. They have some good casual restaurants overlooking the fake Piazza, so you can watch the street performers.

For casual restaurants, the "gourmet burger" is all the rage in Vegas, as elsewhere. I'd have loved that at 16, and I still like them now. Burger Bar, Le Burger Brasserie, KGB, they are at various hotels.

or serendipity at caesars- frozen hot chocolate-YUM

Dinner on the terrace at Mon Ami Gabi (Paris hotel) would be fun. When my sister and I were there this past May, we were lucky enough to get a table right against the rail, directly across from the Bellagio fountains.

The people watching on the Strip below (you are elevated a bit above the sidewalk) is unparalleled and the fountain show every 15 minutes or so is a really nice backdrop. The food is pretty good bistro type food too.

The only caveat is that you can't make reservations for the terrace. We put our names in at about 6:15 p.m. and didn't get our table until a little after 7:30. They give you one of those buzzer type things that will tell you when your table is ready and the range is pretty good, but most people while away the time in the casino. Since your daughter is 16 that's obviously not an option.

The earlier you put your name in, the shorter the wait time should be, though.

Thanks everyone. I just rented a car (cheap) on hotwire.

This info may be too late, but when we went with teenagers, they liked Roxy's diner. They waitstaff sing 50's songs, and if you go there on a birthday, they serenade the birthday boy or girl and bring you a very large sundae. They have a teen-friendly menu with burgers, sandwiches and shakes. It's not exactly on the beaton path~it's towards the end of the strip in the Stratosphere, but if your daughter likes thrill rides, take her to the top of the Stratosphere to ride those rides.......

Back last night. Thanks everyone! I am going to post a separate trip report.