Budget family activities in Las Vegas?

[IUTBAM]

We stayed in LV last summer for 6 nights as part of a 2-week road trip to the Grand Canyon, LV, Bryce/Zion. My 16 y/o (at the time) DD was very psyched about going to Vegas, but after a couple of days there, she couldn't figure out why she had been so excited to go there, lol. We toured the casinos, did the M &M store, went to Bass Pro (she liked that, lol), went to the Springs Preserve museum (that was not bad), but by far the thing she liked the best was going to both Hard Rock Cafe's...the one on the strip, and the one in front of the Hard Rock Hotel. She also enjoyed walking around the Hard Rock Hotel. But, she's already told me she has NO desire to go back there. We don't gamble, and we all got bored.

 

[MoniqueU]

I live in Aouthern California so I have spent more "family" vacations there then I can count. They have some of the most gorgeous hotels there at either free to me or at such a low rate that is is hard not to resist. Not everyone spends their time there getting hammered, taking handouts from the porn pedlers or neglecting their children while they gamble. Some of the places teh Dis stay to save money gives me the creeps far more then vegas ever would.I can't see my family ever staying at Pop Century or All Star Mucicals just to save a bunk. That would horrify me more then a trip to Vegas.

Tehre is plenty to do for kids that age or any age in Vegas. In fact people with kids actually live there, imagine that.

You can do the body experience at Luxor and also a tour of the titanic expedition. Gameworks has ome all day passes. There are roller coasters, indoor skydiving, rides at top of the strart Some of the best hotel pools theanywhere in Amecia. Great fun dining like Margarittaville. Checking out the interiours of many gorgeous hotels. Acrades that are pretty big at the gameworks, NYNY and even though it is a trashy place Excalibur. The food is better then Disneys would ever want to be. You can hit some of the offstrip casinos that have bowling alleys and movie theaters. There is shopping but a boy that age would rather not. Several exhibitions like Maddam Teusads.

Vegas gets a misunderstood wrap from I guess it is devout religious people or something but I certainly don't have any sort of problem with drinking and gambling and my kids know I do both. However when my kids are will me that isn't the focus of our vacation gut it IS a great place to go with kids. So much to see and do and just the different casinos, walking around and sightseeing just on the trip is entertaining to us. Downlown they have a nightly light show on freemonth street. I would be happier spending money on my kids in vegas at a nice hotel then spending similar for a hotel that is a dump at WDW. Some people blabher on that you aren't in your hotel much so it doesn't matter but I will and have decided that I am not going to stay in a crappy room anyplace just for a vacation when I can be somewhere nice at a similar price. I wouldn't rather stay home then take lodging some of the people on here take and even the higher end hotels DL has here just aren't my cup of tea. IF it sin't nice I don't care tihat it is at disney or not. Some people have not much esperience with Vegas or havent even been and have preconcieved notions. I go often enough that when i take my kids we spend time with then and all of us have a good time. I am planning to go for spring break with my teenage girls adn they will have a blast hitting uip all the shopping and different dining and siteseeing.

I don't get all the either uneducated opinions about Vegas or those that think it is only a party city?? I have probably been closre to 40 or more times so I know the ins and outs quite well.

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

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

Zion is about a 2.5 - 3 hour drive and is well worth the trip!

http://www.springspreserve.org/

http://www.lakemeadcruises.com/index.html

http://www.adventuredome.com/

http://www.imperialpalace.com/casinos/imperial-palace/casino-misc/auto-collections-detail.html

http://fremontstreetflightline.com/#panel-3

http://bcflightlines.reachlocal.com...ightlines.reachlocal.net&pub_cr_id=5091483102

 

[GinnyEmma]

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

I wish we had known of this when we were there. They would have loved this!

 

[shelwoj]

We were there this fall and we went to the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum and had a blast! It's just a little hole in the wall place off the strip but there are hundreds of pinball machines and old school arcade games. No admission and the most expensive game was seventy five cents. Here's the link:
http://www.pinballmuseum.org/

I wish I had done more research and gone here: http://www.neonmuseum.org/
It just sounds like an interesting place!

Of course we went to Hoover Dam and found it really interesting. Quite an amazing site for something man made. If you go, go early. It got pretty crowded around lunch time.

Here's a message board that was a great source of information for me: http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/

Take the kids and enjoy. It's not all "sin" and gambling.

 

[Dominus]

The volcano at the Mirage is cool. The Freemont Street Experience is cool and free. Red Rock is cool. The Sahara and NYNY also have coasters, but they are a bit pricey. I wish people could either give advice, or not...but don't just reply to make a judgment on the OP. Mind your business and keep your eyes straight if you got anything bad to say.

 

[kacaju]

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

We LOVED Zion!!

 

[clh2]

DH and I went to Vegas in October. Loved it. DD (16 was disappoitned she had to stay home and got o school.) I could totally see bringing DD to Vegas, even before she was 21.

I would definitley do a walking tour of all the hotels on the strip. They are magnificent. I wish we would have been a little more prepared...certain things happen "on the hour" every 15 minutes etc. So - we missed seeing some of the fun stuff, since we did not want to wait the extra time.

I totally had to laugh about the people handing out the escort cards. The first one someone handed to him had my name on it. He was thinking he should take "my" picture and keep it in his wallet. By the end of our couple of days there, we were most annoyed by the "card clickers" and every time one rrreached in front of me to give one to DH I was bold enough to move the arm.

Now - the one hotel on the strip I loved the most was Bellagio, the fountains, which go every 15 minutes are spectacular. Loved them at night, but the pictures were better during the day. And - by all means go into the Bellagio - they have a spectacular, really spectacular lobby area.

We enjoyed the Harley Davidson restuarant, and no, we are not bikers.

We had rented a car, and went to Hoover Dam and LOVED the tour, we also spent a morning at Red Rock Canyon.

 

[blondietink]

We also went to Zion 5 years ago. It was awesome. You need to leave early in the morning as it takes 3 hours or so to get there. We did the Grand Canyon on the last trip and stayed overnight. It was awesome seeing snow there. If you don't want to drive as far as the National Park Grand Canyon, then you can go to Grand Canyon West. There is also Skywalk, but it is not cheap!

If you are going to do the Hoover Dam, afterwards take a drive around Lake Mead Recreation area. You can also get a tour boat at the Marina. If you drive around Lake Mead, you can then tour Valley of Fire State Park on the north east side of Las Vegas. There is nothing else like it! I have heard the Lake Las Vegas is beautiful to visit, but we have never done it.

Our teens love the outdoors and Las Vegas is a perfect spot to enjoy all things outdoors as long as it isn't too hot and you take lots of water to drink.

 

[r1lissa]

We (self, DH, DS 13, DD 12) are going to Vegas next weekend. My DHs grandparents live there- five minutes off the strip.
We are going to stay at Sam's Town (off strip), which has it's own bowling alley, movie theatre, a water show, and about twelve different restaurants. We plan on doing a helicopter or plane ride to the Grand Canyon. All after visiting the GPs of course
There is plenty to do with the kids in Vegas without breaking any of the Ten Commandments!

 

[littlele]

I don't think Vegas is really any worse than any metro area. Was a little concerned before we took DD11 last summer, but she had a great time looking at all the lights, shopping (especially Paris) and loved the indoor amusement park at Circus Circus.

Stayed off the strip at a condo, so that was helpful in terms of having a break from all of the chaos and the chance to relax,swim and cook, etc.

A little surprised at all the recommendations for the Fremont street though. There were more 'characters' there than on the entire strip!

 

[leahjade]

My kids will be with us - not like we're setting them loose in Vegas by themselves for a week! As far as the "hooker cards" etc, kids can see worse than that on t.v. watching Jersey Shore in my opinion!
Any suggestions for shows that teens would like? We want to try Blue Man Group. Is there a site to see what band are playing where and when?

 

[DisneyMomma81]

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

Zion is beautiful ~ I took my fiance there this past early Sept. - I also took him to the Grand Canyon and Bryce National Park ~ Zion was his favorite. *This* is Vegas to Zion per MapQuest ~ they say 2 hours and 35 min.

 

[Tanzanite]

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).

i went to Las Vegas 4 days after christmas with my sister & her son we saw 3 wonderful shows Jersey Boys Jubilee saw a few years ago nice to see again & the Lion King which had hard time getting tickets very expensive but well worth it.It was packed with people on the strip .Enjoyed shopping premium outlets had some nice buffets & dinners at restraunts it was nice no kids this trip. Have a good time .

 

[clh2]

My kids will be with us - not like we're setting them loose in Vegas by themselves for a week! As far as the "hooker cards" etc, kids can see worse than that on t.v. watching Jersey Shore in my opinion!
Any suggestions for shows that teens would like? We want to try Blue Man Group. Is there a site to see what band are playing where and when?

I don't know if there is a specific site for shows in vegas. I can add that there are a couple of "half-price ticket" booths on the strip. We already had discounnt seats to see Frank Calliendo when we went to vegas (a coworker was friends with the family type of deal) so we got a deal, and were only going to see one show. There were many things going on with !/2 price tickets that I would not have minded seeing, but we only had 1 show in our budget - so Frank was it.

Other people we travelled with went to something related to Cirque de Solliei and the Beatles (and I know I spelled that wrong . Others went to see Blue Man Group and some went to see a country star...sorry can't remember who. All those shows were great too!

I think Celine Dion is going to start eprforming sometime in the spring - maybe at Ceaser's palace. Lion King was also either start or going to be starting to - maybe at Mandalay Bay. Don't recall other shows that were in town last October. But I would love to see Celine.

 

[Tanzanite]

I don't know if there is a specific site for shows in vegas. I can add that there are a couple of "half-price ticket" booths on the strip. We already had discounnt seats to see Frank Calliendo when we went to vegas (a coworker was friends with the family type of deal) so we got a deal, and were only going to see one show. There were many things going on with !/2 price tickets that I would not have minded seeing, but we only had 1 show in our budget - so Frank was it.

Other people we travelled with went to something related to Cirque de Solliei and the Beatles (and I know I spelled that wrong . Others went to see Blue Man Group and some went to see a country star...sorry can't remember who. All those shows were great too!

I think Celine Dion is going to start eprforming sometime in the spring - maybe at Ceaser's palace. Lion King was also either start or going to be starting to - maybe at Mandalay Bay. Don't recall other shows that were in town last October. But I would love to see Celine.

Celine is starting in March i want to see her but no one to go with all my freinds broke after holidays my sister is in Europe so cant go back with her.Sad id love to see Celine Dion

 

[kaytieeldr]

Any suggestions for shows that teens would like? We want to try Blue Man Group. Is there a site to see what band are playing where and when?

I use pollstar.com for general information for any location - you can search by venue, city, or band.

Goldstar.com requires you to register free, but will send you no obligation information on half-price shows in advance; not concerts so much as standard, long-running shows. Even Jubilee has a not-topless version early in the evening, although if it's like the defunct Folies Bergere at the Tropicana, the performers are wearing skin-tone bodysuits.

Oh! Masquerade in the Sky at the Rio is free and runs several times a day.

I have a book somewhere, Las Vegas with Kids. It's a few years old, but newer than the city revamping itself in the 'not so much for families' mode. Maybe your library has or can get it?

 

[leahjade]

Thanks so much everyone for all the info so far! Any suggestions on fun budget places for dinner?

 

[cepmom]

Thanks so much everyone for all the info so far! Any suggestions on fun budget places for dinner?

DH and I just returned from Vegas the other day. One thing we did for eating out, was we bought the "Buffet of Buffets" pass at Harrah's. It was $39.99 for Total reward members (free to join) and it allowed you to go to as many of Harrah's properties buffets (7 to choose from) as you wanted to for 24 hours.

We got stuck there an extra night due to weather so we decided at the last minute to do it. We bought it at 1:15 on Wednesday, ate lunch at the Spice Market buffet at Planet Hollywood, had dinner that night at the buffet at the Paris hotel, breakfast the next morning at Harrahs (we were staying there) and then lunch again around 12:00 at Caesers.

So for $40 each, we were able to get 4 meals out of it...not a bad deal. The Planet Hollywood buffet was good, Paris pretty good, Flavor's at Harrahs only so-so and I thought Caeser's was good, but smaller than the others. You could also choose from the buffet at Imperial Palace, Flamingo and Rio. I heard the buffet at the Rio was the best but it was not as convenient to get to as the others were so we didn't try it.

 

[cepmom]

also, subscribe to travelzoo's newsletter; they often have show ticket deals on there. We got discounted tickets for Love through them.

Check the 1/2 price tickets windows along the strip; lots of choices there as well. I beleive they post that day's deals at 9:30, window opens at 10:00.