8 hours in Vegas with kids.....what to do?

[Zoemakes5]

We will be in Las Vegas for about 8 hours on 11/27. We fly out at 12am, and will be in Vegas from about 3pm or so. Understanding, of course, that we will need to get to the airport very early to check in. We want to do fun stuff with the kids for the time we'll be there. We're already doing Disney this trip, so don't need lots of $$$$.
I've already planned to go see the water show at the Bellagio and the Freemont show downtown.
What else would you recommend?
Does anyone know any fun places to eat that are kid friendly?
TIA!

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Hi,

There's lots of things to do in Vegas with the kids. The Volcano at the Mirage and circus acts at Circus Circus are free. A great place to see the Bellagio fountains are from the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel. The Mirage Hotel also has a dolphin exhibit. My kids loved M&M World when we went- four floors of everything M&M's- even has a show. Check out www.lasvegaskids.net for more info. Have a great time!

 

[Zoemakes5]

. A great place to see the Bellagio fountains are from the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel.

Can you hear the music from the tower? That's one of my favorite parts! I was kinda wondering if they played holiday music over the holidays? Don't suppose you'd happen to know?

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

You can hear the music from the tower. No problem there. When we went to Vegas a few years ago, I remember finding a list of songs and the times they are played on the Internet- it might have been the Bellagio website if I remember correctly.

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Yup- it's on their website. www.bellagio.com and it does look like they are playing Christmas music.

 

[Dale-n-Chip]

See if you can check out an Unofficial Guide to LV from your local library. It's not worth the purchase for 8 hours, but it's worth looking at for ideas as well as scale.

If it was my family in LV for only part of a day, I'd focus on one section of the strip: South (toward the airport--Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, MGM, Tropicana, Monte Carlo, Luxor), Middle (Bellagio, Paris, Venetian, Caesar's Palace, Mirage, TI) or North (Circus Circus, Stratosphere, Stardust, Riviera). The Strip is a LOOOOOOONG walk from end to end! I'd probably choose the Middle section, since it has the Bellagio fountains, the Eiffel tower, the Mirage's volcano and Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden (that's the Dolphin exhibit mentioned earlier, plus it has some of S&R's other animals--tigers, elephant, etc).

The other thing I'd look into is afternoon shows. DH and I were there in Sept and saw the Mac King Comedy Magic Show at Harrah's. Totally appropriate for kids and adults and VERY funny and entertaining. His companion act over at the Rio (Ronn Lucas) was amusing, but I felt totally erroneously billed as "family" entertainment. We were glad we didn't have DS along with us.

Again, I say find a copy of the UG to borrow. If you were nearby, I'd let you borrow mine!

Oh, and about the Bellagio fountains, yes they do play seasonal music and yes you can hear the music over at the Paris if you are outside. Consider eating at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris. It has a patio with Bellagio fountain views and the crepes are TO DIE FOR! No reservations for the patio, though, so get there early! I can also highly recommend their cream of mushroom soup. Ain't nuthin' like you get from a can, I can tell you that.

Sorry for the length of this post. LV is my other vacation destination of choice! Have a wonderful visit!

D-n-C

 

[hookedup]

We were there (stopover on a cross country trip) this summer with our 5 yr old. We did not want to gamble or go out and party so we looked into other options of things to do with kids.
We enjoyed riding the monorail. Our son loved it. It is not very expensive and a great way to go up and down the strip. If your child is under 6 you can carry them through the turnstyle and don't have to buy them a ticket. Of course we love monorails!
We also enjoyed visiting FAO Schwartz in Ceasars Palace's shopping center

 

[SANDIEGOFAN]

Check out http://www.vegas.com/ . They have listings for all the various attractions and events. Last time I went to Circus Circus (a few months ago) it was a real dump. Personally, I would not take my children there.

 

[jobo]

The atrium in the Bellegio is always nice. It will be decorated for the holidays and there is a wonderful chocolate fountain just behind the atrium at the Bellegio. There is a Rainforest Café in the MGM next to the lion exhibit. If sharks interest anyone the Shark Reef exhibit at Mandalay Bay is always good.

Sunday is the busiest departure day at the airport at LAS. It can get crazy. Is your layover with the same airline????

 

[Zoemakes5]

Sunday is the busiest departure day at the airport at LAS. It can get crazy. Is your layover with the same airline????

No layover, we're driving in and out of Vegas, driving into and out of CA.

 

[prncsmsj]

We also enjoyed visiting FAO Schwartz in Ceasars Palace's shopping center

They also do an audio-animatronic show at Caesar's Palce Forum Shops about the fall of Atlantis. There is also a 50,000 gallon saltwater aquarium. A diver feeds the fish around 5 p.m., and you can see all the different kinds. I recommend the M&M place that was mentioned earlier, too. They have a really cute movie.

 

[LucyKate]

We had a long day in Las Vegas with our kids (6 and 9) and they loved it. Pictures and a detailed diary entry can be read here - http://www.ballofdirt.com/entries/5333/36755.html but, in short, these were our highlights.

- We stayed at the Luxor which is worth a look in its own right. Inside is a great replica of Tutankhamen's Tomb, entry is about $10 per head

- We then walked the strip and it took us about 6 hours just to get from one end to the other. Give your tight time frame you may wish to use taxis or buses to get around, or stick to the central part of the strip from NYNY to the Venetian.

- Great free things we saw were Lions in MGM; Tigers in Mirage, Bellaggio fountains (every half hour), Mirage Volcano (every 15 minutes from 8 PM); Gondolas at Venetian (Inside and outside - inside includes amazing replica of Venice streets and San Marco Plaza - gondolas are free to look at but $15 each to ride).

- Try a buffet, Our kids rated this the second best thing they did after Disneyland! Bellagio was awesome, but again, you may not have enough time as you have to queue to get in, then need at least 90 minutes to get your money's worth of food.

- Most of the other casinos are only worth a look on the outside, Paris, Excalibur etc all look great outside, but have little to enterian kids on the inside, so look, don't enter. However Aladdin did have this amazing indoor sky effect in its shopping mall.

- the airport is VERY close to the strip.