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If your kids are into animals (or taxidermy), they'll love this museum, where every continent and geological age is represented. You're greeted by a 35-foot-tall roaring T. rex in the dinosaur gallery that features Shonisaurus, Nevada's state fossil. From there, you can enjoy rooms full of sharks (including live ones, swimming in a 3,000-gallon reef tank), birds, cavemen, and scenes from the African savanna. Kids especially enjoy the various hands-on exhibits; the Young Scientist Center offers youngsters the opportunity to investigate fossils and animal tracks up close. After that, tour the Wild Nevada Gallery, where kids can see, smell, and even touch Nevada wildlife. Two-for-one ticket coupons are available online.
900 Las Vegas Blvd. N, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89101, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $12
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Revel in the fabulousness of Lizzo and Missy Elliott, stand toe-to-toe with Muhammad Ali, or croon a tune with Drake or Nicki Minaj as you explore the open showroom filled with uncanny celebrity wax portrayals of people from the worlds of show business, sports, politics, and everywhere in between. Among the new attractions is the Marvel Universe 4-D film in which you can actually feel (as well as watch and hear) your heroes save the world. Crowd-pleasers include Steve Aoki, Snoop Dog, Captain America, Dwayne Johnson, and Miley Cyrus. Hit the bar at The Hangover Experience to immerse yourself in a storied Las Vegas romp and enjoy a cocktail while you're at it.
3377 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89109, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: From $36.99
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Take to the skies and head to points near or far in one of Maverick’s fleet of futuristic ECO-Star helicopters. You can float along above the Las Vegas Strip, go to Red Rock Canyon or the Grand Canyon (South or West Rim), or combine experiences; there are even tours with dining options. You can even have a wedding in the sky or at one of the company’s destinations.
6075 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, Nevada, 89119, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Tours start at $104
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Store/Mall
One of the largest outfitters in the Las Vegas Valley, McGhie's rents equipment for skiing, bicycling, and sandboarding. This location, in downtown Blue Diamond, which is just west of the city in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (there are others in Henderson and on South Fort Apache in Las Vegas), specializes in bikes—convenient, since it's right on the doorstep of 125 miles of hard-core mountain biking. The company rents bikes individually, and also offers a host of guided tours around Red Rock and beyond. Unlike other outfitters in the area, McGhie's also rents bikes specifically for kids.
16 Cottonwood Dr., Suite B, Blue Diamond, Nevada, 89004, USA
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Ever wanted to be a mermaid? The Silverton hosts classes for kids, adults, and families (with cheaper rates for kids of course). Would-be mermaids need to be strong swimmers, but equipment, including goggles, is provided. Just bring a swimsuit or towel and prepare to dive into the resort’s 117,000-gallon saltwater aquarium.
3333 Blue Diamond Road, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89139, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $225
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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If you can't win the jackpot at the casino, try winning your sweetheart a teddy bear instead. Here you can play old-time fair and newly popular games like the dime toss, milk can, bushel basket, Skee-Ball, and Pop-A-Shot for the chance to win cuddly prizes. Cash is no longer accepted for the games; load up a Midway Playcard and play away—or turn the kids loose. Beginning at 1:30 pm daily, acrobats, high-wire walkers, jugglers, and trapeze artists perform free shows on the circus stage.
2880 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89109, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free; games from $1
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East Side
Today's Las Vegas is lighted by neon and LED, but during the Cold War, uranium and plutonium illuminated the area from time to time as well in the form of a roiling mushroom cloud in the distance. This museum, in association with the Smithsonian, commemorates southern Nevada's long and fascinating history of nuclear weapons research and testing with film footage and photographs of mushroom clouds; testimonials; and artifacts (including a deactivated bomb, twisted chunks of steel, and bomb-testing machinery from the Nevada Test Site). The museum also pays homage to the sometimes frightening, sometimes comical treatment of "the bomb" in pop culture, and occasionally hosts guest speakers and special events.
The museum has virtual tours of the 1,375-square-mile Nevada National Security Site (larger than the state of Rhode Island) and is the starting point for occasional group tours of the area, which used to be the spot in the desert where the government tested atomic bombs. The site is 65 miles northwest of Downtown. There are plenty of restrictions, and live tours book as much as a year ahead, with museum donors getting first pass.
755 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, Nevada, 89119, USA
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Rate Includes: $29
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Southern Nevada's oldest historic site was built by Mormons in 1855 to give refuge to travelers along the Salt Lake–Los Angeles trail, many of whom were bound for the California goldfields. Left to Native Americans after the gold rush, the adobe fort was later revitalized by a miner and his partners. In 1895 it was turned into a resort, and the city's first swimming pool was constructed by damming Las Vegas Creek. Today the restored fort contains more than half the original bricks. Antiques and artifacts help to re-create a turn-of-the-20th-century Mormon living room.
500 E. Washington Ave., Las Vegas, Nevada, 89101, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $3, Closed Sun. and Mon.
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At this homage to the City of Light, replicas of the Arc de Triomphe, Paris Opera House, Hôtel de Ville, and Louvre, along with an Around the World in Eighty Days balloon marquee, are magnifique, but the crowning achievement is the 50-story, half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower, where guests are whisked 460 feet to the top for spectacular views of the Valley. Need more near-authenticity? Look up at the ceiling painted like a sky with clouds and pretend you're actually in France.
3655 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89101, USA
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South Strip
It's hard to miss this place; the "Pinball" sign is so big, we swear it can be seen from space. This fun facility has more than 25,000 square feet filled with games created between the 1950s and the 1990s, including old wood-rail models. Though it may sound more like an arcade than a museum, the local club is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to preserve these pieces of Americana and share the joy of the silver ball with as many folks as possible. All excess revenues go to nondenominational charities.
4925 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89119, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free entry, from 25¢ per game
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Stretching 36 miles around the River Mountains, this multiuse paved trail is perfect for hiking, biking, running, jogging, and horseback riding. For a stretch, the trail parallels the shores of Lake Mead, and it connects with a historic spur that leads from the Lake Mead National Recreation Area to a parking lot just north of Hoover Dam. The route runs through Boulder City, Henderson, and Lake Las Vegas. You can rent bikes at All Mountain Cyclery ( www.allmountaincyclery.com) in Boulder City. The most popular trailheads are at the Alan Bible Visitor Center inside Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Bootleg Canyon Park, at the north end of Yucca Street in Boulder City. But you can also reach the trail from the eastern end of Equestrian Drive and from the Railroad Pass Hotel & Casino, both in Henderson.
1992 E Galleria Dr., Henderson, Nevada, 89011, USA
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About an hour from Downtown—and about halfway up Kyle Canyon Road to the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area—you'll find this eco-friendly visitor center, which opened in 2015 and welcomes those heading to Mt. Charleston. Spend some time perusing the educational exhibits about the ecosystems and microclimates in the region's tallest mountains. Then hike one of the short interpretive trails for a sense of what the cactus- and bristlecone pine–strewn landscape is like. In winter, a modest ski resort operates at the top of Lee Canyon.
2525 Kyle Canyon Rd., Las Vegas, Nevada, 89124, USA
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This 180-acre complex defies traditional categories, combining botanical gardens, hiking trails, live animal exhibits, an ultramodern interactive museum, and a playground. The overarching theme of the facility is the rich diversity and delicate balance of nature in southern Nevada's deserts. Kids love the simulations of the flash-flood ravine, the re-created Southern Paiute Indian village (complete with grass huts!), and the trackless train, aboard which an engineer explains the role trains played in settling the West. The NV Energy Foundation Sustainability Gallery teaches about eco-friendly living, and a 2016 addition, Boomtown 1905, re-creates a streetscape designed to evoke turn-of-the-20th-century Vegas. There are also a few miles of walking trails that swing you by archaeological sites and may—if you're lucky—bring you face-to-face with some of the local fauna, such as bats, peregrine falcons, and Gila monsters.
The Divine Café provides famished eco-explorers with sustainable choices, like ethically raised cheeseburgers and environmentally mindful salads. The Nevada State Museum, with its famous fossil Ichthyosaur and a number of exhibits on local mining, is on the site (and included with admission) as well.
333 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada, 89107, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $19 visitors, $10 Nevada residents; reservations required online, tickets not available on-site, Closed Tues. and Wed.
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High above the Strip at the tip of the Strat (formerly known as the Stratosphere) are some major thrill rides that will scare the bejeezus out of you, especially if you have even the slightest fear of heights. The Big Shot starts from the 112th floor and shoots 160 feet into the air at 45 mph. The X Scream tips passengers 27 feet over the edge of the tower like a giant seesaw again and again. From the very front, you get an unobstructed view of the Strip, straight down. On the world record–holding SkyJump, riders take a free-fall leap from more than 800 feet in the air (and all-you-can-jump packages are available). And Insanity hangs you out 64 feet from the edge of the tower; then it spins faster and faster, so you're lifted to a 70-degree angle by a centrifugal force that's the equivalent of 3 G-forces. If you are of the less adventurous sort, you can visit the Observation Decks on Levels 108 and 109. Sharing the space is the Top of the World restaurant.
2000 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89104, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Skypod admission only from $20; SkyPod and one ride, $30; SkyPod and unlimited rides, $40. Sky Jump from $129.99
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T-Mobile Arena has probably become most widely known beyond Las Vegas as the home of the National Hockey League's Vegas Golden Knights, an expansion team that reached the Stanley Cup finals during its inaugural season. It's also a popular concert venue, attracting acts from George Strait to Ariana Grande to Kiss. And it's rich in amenities, with a variety of restaurants, bars, and guest services. When there's downtime, you can tour the arena's backstage areas, but these tours are offered only sporadically.
3780 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89158, USA
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See three different sports franchises under one roof at The Dollar Loan Center, the home of the Henderson Silver Knights, the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League, and the NBA G League Ignite. The arena also houses the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame and the Craggy Range Sports Bar & Grill, which is open daily regardless of whether there's an event at the venue. Try their ghost pepper–enhanced, 23-ounce Flaming Bloody Mary if you want to get a taste of what swallowing fire feels like.
200 S. Green Valley Pkwy, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89012, USA
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Yes, the name is confusing, but The LINQ Promenade—the shopping, dining, and entertainment complex between the Flamingo and The LINQ Hotel—is worth the trip. Some of the notable attractions include the two-story I Love Sugar, complete with "candy martini bar"; Sweet Sin, which specializes in gelato and macarons; a namesake comedy club for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel (who grew up in Las Vegas); and Brooklyn Bowl, which is one-part bowling alley, one-part live music venue. Of course, there's also a new iteration of O'Shea's, the Irish-theme casino that was razed to create the new streetscape. The big draw, however, is the High Roller, a 550-foot-tall observation wheel with spectacular views of the city.
3545 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89109, USA
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Travel down to the bottom of the North Atlantic where the "ship of dreams" rests after grazing an iceberg in 1912. The 25,000-square-foot exhibit inside Luxor Las Vegas includes a replica of guest compartments, the grand staircase, and a promenade deck that movie fans will recognize from a little film by James Cameron. Among the 350 emotionally arresting artifacts: luggage, clothing, a bottle of unopened champagne, and pieces of the ship, including a massive section of the iron hull, complete with bulging rivets and portholes.
3900 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89109, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: From $32
