Budget family activities in Las Vegas?

[leahjade]

We have two teens and are taking a first time vacation this summer. Thanks in advance!

 

[shortbun]

You are taking your teens to Las Vegas for a vacation? Is Vegas your only destination? I'm sure there are plenty of cheap activities in Las Vegas but why Vegas? Why not camping or Chicago or Washington, D.C. or Seattle or San Diego or myriad of other destinations that are more family oriented?

 

[JB2K]

Agreed - if this is truly OPs first family vacation, I would suggest anything but "Sin City"...

 

[leahjade]

Friends gave us a free condo rental. I heard there were a lot of free activities for kids now that Vegas is more family friendly. We don't gamble so we plan to do Hoover Dam,, Grand Canyon etc. But I'd like to check out some local attractions as well.

 

[CC12005]

M&M World is free & has a short little movie on the top floor. Next to that is a Coca-Cola store where you can purchase a sampler of the world's sodas for a few dollars. Bellagio fountains & conservatory. Mirage volcano. Tiger habitat at MGM Grand. They have an arcade at New York, New York Hotel with a roller coaster that is pricey but fun. The top of Stratosphere has roller coasters. Inside the shops at Ceasar's Palace they have an aquarium & talking statute shows. Have fun.

 

[eliza61]

whoo, I just got back from "Sin City" and not a sin to be found. LOL. anyway Op, there if you have a few bucks there are lot of shows geared to families. We saw the "jabbawockeez (from Americas best dance) and Sinbad the comedian. both very good, both very teen friendly. of course in the summer there will be plenty of pool time. Planet hollywood also has cool activities for teens.
The worst thing we seen was the guys on the streets trying to hand you cards for "escorts".

 

[Gina]

I thought Vegas had ditched the attempt at being "family friendly" several years ago... That's why their whole campaign now is "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"...

 

[Pakey]

I thought Vegas had ditched the attempt at being "family friendly" several years ago... That's why their whole campaign now is "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"...

Yes, Las Vegas dumped the family friendly campaign several years ago because it wasn't working. It was about the same time that MGM shut down their indoor amusement park area and Treasure Island changed their sinking pirate ship show to the Sirens (scantily clad) show. Still, many people take their children there.

 

[JB2K]

I can see it now...

...let's take the kids to Vegas and they can collect/trade escort service cards!

Kid 1 to Kid 2: I'll trade you a "Tiffany" for your "Jade" card.

No thanks...

 

[Gr8t Fan]

I can see it now...

...let's take the kids to Vegas and they can collect/trade escort service cards!

Kid 1 to Kid 2: I'll trade you a "Tiffany" for your "Jade" card.

No thanks...

Oh please! A little over the top, don't you think?

 

[GinnyEmma]

The arcade at Coney Island was fun. We also went to the Pawn Stars pawn shop. Fun. We somehow managed to miss the strippers...

lol, gr8 fun, I love your avatar. Boo is one of my favorite ever.

 

[blondietink]

You can also go to REd Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire State Park, and Death VAlley for an extrance fee per car. Loved the drive up to the top of Mt. Charleston. We also loved the tour of Las Vegas Speedway, which was I think $7.00 per person. My teens love Las Vegas, but our next trip won't be until they are both 21, so we can all sit at the penny slot machines with our $5.00.

 

[shortbun]

Free condo, ok, so go to Las Vegas. You will need a car and contact the www.visitlasvegas.com -convention and visitors bureau. Have fun, get those teens saving their money.

 

[pixiewings71]

M&M World is free & has a short little movie on the top floor. Next to that is a Coca-Cola store where you can purchase a sampler of the world's sodas for a few dollars. Bellagio fountains & conservatory. Mirage volcano. Tiger habitat at MGM Grand. They have an arcade at New York, New York Hotel with a roller coaster that is pricey but fun. The top of Stratosphere has roller coasters. Inside the shops at Ceasar's Palace they have an aquarium & talking statute shows. Have fun.

This is mostly what we did last summer. We did all the free things we could find, our concierge was great help with that. Does the condo have any pamphlets? Oh we also did a tour, a helicopter tour, it was NOT free and was the most expensive thing we did, next to the Lion King Show, which was simply amazing, we had a great time in Vegas.

Yes, Las Vegas dumped the family friendly campaign several years ago because it wasn't working. It was about the same time that MGM shut down their indoor amusement park area and Treasure Island changed their sinking pirate ship show to the Sirens (scantily clad) show. Still, many people take their children there.

The Siren show isn't that bad, they aren't that scantily clad, we watched it and had no issues with it. It wasn't a great show but it was fun to watch once.

I can see it now...

...let's take the kids to Vegas and they can collect/trade escort service cards!

Kid 1 to Kid 2: I'll trade you a "Tiffany" for your "Jade" card.

No thanks...

Excuse me, my DD's name is Jade.......

OP we took the girls to Vegas last summer, it was the 2nd time they had been. The first time they went with their Father. We didn't do much after dark, one night we went to the Fremont Street Experience, that was a lot of fun to do. another night we walked the strip, we wanted to see the fountains, the volcano, we wanted to see the strip at night. it was really neat to see, the only issue was the guys with the escort cards BUT they never once approached me or the girls, they tried to give the cards to DBF but he wasn't taking them. He stopped that by simply walking next to the girls and myself rather then walking slightly ahead of us. No one was pushy and honestly even the trucks that drive down the strip with the girls advertised weren't even overly racy, racy yes, but not overly. We went to the Hoover Dam also, that was neat. We parked and walked across, went to the shop and then walked back. We spent a lot of time at the pool at our hotel, saw some shows (Lion King, Blue Man Group & Criss Angel) and rode a coaster, it was fun.

 

[rszdtrvl]

DH and I leave for LV on Monday, for a 3 night trip. Alone.


In March, we are taking our son (age 14) and my mother for the NASCAR race.

I am confident that we will have no issues with a teenager, even with MTV Spring Break being at the Palms hotel starting on the 6th (we arrive on the 5th).

Some stuff DH and I are going to do that are "non-gambling" are : Bellagio Fountains, Wax Museum @ Venetian, "The Lion King" Broadway Show @ Mandalay Bay, Hash House A Go Go (breakfast!), check out Gameworks (next to the MGM Grand - we are hoping to take our son there in March).

Some great links for discounts and information :

http://www.travelzoo.com/entertainment/las-vegas/
http://www.mycheapvegas.com/content.php?a=24&sid=3e605a8c604be851e551fe2699ad5992
http://www.smartervegas.com/shows.aspx
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g45963-i10-Las_Vegas_Nevada.html

Have fun!! DH and I went last January and fell in love with everything there is to do there! March is a test for DS, to see how he does there. If he has fun and things are not too crazy for him, it will probably be our new family destination spot (as much as we love Disneyland, it was just way too busy last time, compared to the first time we were there).

 

[simonsmom]

we are taking our teens there for spring break. they are old enough to know what to ignore. should be fun. someone suggested maybe a trip to Zion National park- but I haven't figured out how far that is yet

 

[endy]

Another yes for the around the world sampler at the Coke store.
We over nighted in Vegas last summer. My DS13 and his friend 13 loved the sample coke flavors. We didn't know about it beforehand, saw some people with the trays of glasses. They had a blast, so much that the friend's parents went to Vegas last month and they had to try it.

They also did the big roller coaster, not cheap. Rain Forest Cafe if you've never been. Just walking thru the casinos is quite an experience. There are lions at MGM, dolphins & volcano at Mirage. The shops at Ceasers, way beyond my price range.
There's lots to do in Vegas that don't cost a fortune.
I wouldn't hesitate to take my son again, we've stopped several times on the way back from San Diego.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Down on freemont st they have a zipline going as well. Not sure how long that will be up.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You all realize there are thousands upon thousands of kids/teens living in Las Vegas not being corrupted by the "sin city" image, right?

OP: there are also the gondolas inside and outside the Venetian (not free but not expensive); the Imperial Palace Car Museum (I think free for AAA members and anyone who finds a coupon online or locally); the Ethel M Factory Tour and Cactus Garden; the Lied Childrens Museum; activities at UNLV (surprisingly close to the Strip); watching planes land and take off (also surprisingly close to the Strip); movies, bowling, swimming...

Yes, bring your teens.

 

[Fyrefly]

Both times I went with my parents I wasn't legal. We stayed in the Flamingo because for a strip hotel, it was very reasonable.

If you've never been, the sheer sights, lavishness of the decorations and theming and such can totally overwhelm you. We basically spent an entire day walking from casino to casino. We window shopped, took in the decorations in Paris, Camelot, MGM Grand, Luxor, Venetian...probably some more too. Didn't cost a thing except when we got hungry or thirsty.

Penn and Teller has an age limit, but it was fantastic, so I'd recommend it if you can manage. I've heard Blue Man Group is good as well, and there are a lot of magicians and other family-friendly acts. If you have spare time and the freedom to move around your show date a bit while you are there, you can get some decent deals on tickets by listening to a timeshare presentation, I believe. We were offered deep discount tickets for Blue Man Group...the evening we were flying home. No sales pitch for them.

Remember to stay hydrated out there. The humidity is nothing and your sweat will evaporate before you even feel it, so a lot of people forget to drink because they don't feel themselves sweating.