Budget family activities in Las Vegas?

[klacey1]

We LOVED Vegas last August. The other posters have given you a lot of attraction info, but for off strip, I thought Buffalo Bill's Adventure Canyon sounded fun, especially for the younger set:
http://www.vegas.com/attractions/outside_lasvegas/adventurecanyon.html
The shopping can't be beat. We didn't rent a car, but for kids, you'd probably want to. The outlet shopping is great.
For dinners-- all of the tourist chain places are there (Hard Rock, Rainforrest, etc.) If your family likes buffets, the 24 hour $40 pass is a GREAT deal. Like PP said, the one at the Rio is the best. It's an easy drive from off the strip, or you can take the free shuttle from either Harrah's or Bally's.
Mon Ami Gabi at Paris is supposed to be great, and has a terrific view of the Bellagio fountains.
Vegas is all about exploring-- the strip itself, the gorgeous hotels. If you go in the summertime, the hotel pools (especially Caesar's and Mandalay Bay) are the best in the world! The Harrah's family of hotels (Harrah's, Bally's, Paris, Caesars, Rio, Flamingo, Imperial Palace) are the best because they don't charge those dreaded resort fees! (They add $15+ per night after the nightly charge)

 

[kaytieeldr]

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

Hash House a Go Go. The original is on West Sahara, but there's a new one in the Imperial Palace.

ONE entree will feed three or four people with normal appetites.

 

[starann]

I went Aug of 09 with my mom for a gals trip. We stayed at MGM and hung out by the pool some days, went to the Mirage to the Sig and Roy animal habitat (not free, but under $20pp), went to Ceasars and walked aroud the shop and saw the 'living statues', walked around in some of the hotels to see what they were like.

There is a book out called "The American Casino Guide" It had TONS of coupons in it...not all for gambleing, but for $ off buffets, b1g1 ice cream. Go to your local book store and see if it would be worth it for you, you can see the coupons may be worht the $20 for hte book.

Also 'old Vegas' has a bunch of cheapie shops and at night there is a light/tv show, which is teen friendly.

 

[crisi]

I'm certainly not devoutly religious, but I'd avoid the Vegas Strip with kids. Escort cards and signs on busses. Jello shots sold from stands inside the hotels. Drunks. Not my thing with kids (we will be there next week as grown ups - its a fun place - but I have a rule - I will NOT be the person who explains jello shots to my kids. There are some things you should learn from your friends - eventually, not your parents. And jello shots - I'm not prepared to explain to my kids.).

That said. Hoover Dam is interesting - get their early or be prepared for a long wait. Its a full day drive to the Grand Canyon and back, plan on spending at least one night in a hotel room up there. If you are coming back, it can be fun to drive through Arizona instead of Nevada for stunning scenery. There is a place not far away with petroglyphs (red rock?). And the Vegas strip generally isn't bad until 10 or so. Lots of good shows - Penn and Teller is fairly family friendly as are the Cirque shows. The Ethel M chocolate factory tour is worth the time.

But be prepared for scantily clad women, ads for escort services and strip bars on the sides of the buses and tops of taxi cabs, and people who are visibly drunk.

Also, the Vegas strip has gotten really expensive. Yes, you can ride the roller coaster at New York, New York - but its $14 a ticket. Sharks at Mandalay Bay are $17 for adults. However, a bourbon coke big enough to share (and both still consume WAY to much liquor) is $12.

 

[pixiewings71]

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!

We only saw 3 "characters" on Fremont Street, some guy dressed like Gene Simmons from Kiss and 2 people dressed as superheroes. lol When we were there it was more people walking from casino to casino and street vendors sellling goods, we stopped and watched the guy who paints with spray paint....he uses only spray paint and he was making the most amazing landscapes!! That was really fun to watch. We almost bought one but decided not to at the last minute. There was a guy putting names on pieces of rice, the girls were thrilled by that and watched him for quite some time, when he was done he asked what their names were, put it on rice and didn't charge us. We gave him a tip as a Thank You but he said he did it because they were so intrigued by what he was doing. We enjoyed our time there very much and didn't think it was bad at all. We were there during the week, our vacation was Sun-Sat, so maybe that's why but we found it fine. There were girls dancing outside a couple of the clubs, but they had on more clothes then most people who were at the pool every night!

I'm certainly not devoutly religious, but I'd avoid the Vegas Strip with kids. Escort cards and signs on busses. Jello shots sold from stands inside the hotels. Drunks. Not my thing with kids (we will be there next week as grown ups - its a fun place - but I have a rule - I will NOT be the person who explains jello shots to my kids. There are some things you should learn from your friends - eventually, not your parents. And jello shots - I'm not prepared to explain to my kids.).

That said. Hoover Dam is interesting - get their early or be prepared for a long wait. Its a full day drive to the Grand Canyon and back, plan on spending at least one night in a hotel room up there. If you are coming back, it can be fun to drive through Arizona instead of Nevada for stunning scenery. There is a place not far away with petroglyphs (red rock?). And the Vegas strip generally isn't bad until 10 or so. Lots of good shows - Penn and Teller is fairly family friendly as are the Cirque shows. The Ethel M chocolate factory tour is worth the time.

But be prepared for scantily clad women, ads for escort services and strip bars on the sides of the buses and tops of taxi cabs, and people who are visibly drunk.

Also, the Vegas strip has gotten really expensive. Yes, you can ride the roller coaster at New York, New York - but its $14 a ticket. Sharks at Mandalay Bay are $17 for adults. However, a bourbon coke big enough to share (and both still consume WAY to much liquor) is $12.

My kids will learn about Jell-O shots from me, not from friends, that's my job not their friends! We saw drunks but my kids have seen me drink, they've seen DBF drink, they've seen our friends drink, we don't hide that from them and we just laughed at most of the drunks. As I said previously, when we were there we did not see scantily clad women wandering the streets, we did not see a bunch of drunks wandering around either. Yes, they were handing out escort cards but NOT to the kids, or to me! Only to DBF and he wasn't taking them. We saw busses with advertisements but the girls again, had on more then most of the girls at the pool. Of course we did not walk the strip every night, just 1 night during the week and it was a Tuesday or Wednesday night so it wasn't as busy.

 

[crisi]

My kids will learn about Jell-O shots from me, not from friends, that's my job not their friends! We saw drunks but my kids have seen me drink, they've seen DBF drink, they've seen our friends drink, we don't hide that from them and we just laughed at most of the drunks. As I said previously, when we were there we did not see scantily clad women wandering the streets, we did not see a bunch of drunks wandering around either. Yes, they were handing out escort cards but NOT to the kids, or to me! Only to DBF and he wasn't taking them. We saw busses with advertisements but the girls again, had on more then most of the girls at the pool. Of course we did not walk the strip every night, just 1 night during the week and it was a Tuesday or Wednesday night so it wasn't as busy.

We talk about drug use, alcohol use, and sex. But we try and avoid the specifics of "fun things to do with alcohol like putting it in jello" or "games you can play with handcuffs." Those are "grown up specifics" and frankly things I hope my kids don't discover that their parents even know about until they are in their 40s. There is a time for them to find out that their parents were once young and stupid - but its well past their own young and stupid point - when they are unable to justify being young and stupid with "well, my parents did it and they came out all right."

 

[kaytieeldr]

There is a book out called "The American Casino Guide" It had TONS of coupons in it...not all for gambleing, but for $ off buffets, b1g1 ice cream. Go to your local book store

Even easier go to americancasinoguide.com and, without leaving the comfort of your own computer, you can see a list of all the coupons offered.

I'm certainly not devoutly religious, but I'd avoid the Vegas Strip with kids. Escort cards and signs on busses. Jello shots sold from stands inside the hotels. Drunks. Not my thing with kids (we will be there next week as grown ups - its a fun place - but I have a rule - I will NOT be the person who explains jello shots to my kids. There are some things you should learn from your friends - eventually, not your parents. And jello shots - I'm not prepared to explain to my kids.).

I've seen more drunks at Epcot (drinking around the World) than on the Las Vegas Strip. I also must be going to the wrong casinos, because I haven't seen any stands inside any hotels selling Jello shots (although I remember getting them from waitresses walking around Pleasure Island ).
The buses, from what I recall - and it's only been a couple of weeks - don't accept racy ads; the cabs do but the cabs and their advertising are far more widespread than any bus. Most of the cabs I saw, though, had ads for things like local businesses, shows, etc.

 

[crisi]

Even easier go to americancasinoguide.com and, without leaving the comfort of your own computer, you can see a list of all the coupons offered.

I've seen more drunks at Epcot (drinking around the World) than on the Las Vegas Strip. I also must be going to the wrong casinos, because I haven't seen any stands inside any hotels selling Jello shots (although I remember getting them from waitresses walking around Pleasure Island ).
The buses, from what I recall - and it's only been a couple of weeks - don't accept racy ads; the cabs do but the cabs and their advertising are far more widespread than any bus. Most of the cabs I saw, though, had ads for things like local businesses, shows, etc.

I wouldn't take my kids to Pleasure Island either for the same reason. I always thought PI should have been kid free - and honestly, I've never thought much of parents who took their kids there. I'm completely non-judgmental about the wearing of dog collars and leashes - but again, I'm not going to be explaining that to my kids. Hopefully never, but certainly not for several years.

I also avoid Epcot on Food and Wine evenings when kids are with us. Mid afternoon tends to be fine. By the time Illuminations hits, you are right. If we want to see Illuminations, we tend to head into France from the IG and watch from there - minimizing "drunk time." I haven't seen a lot of drunks at other times of the year.

Maybe I'm in the "wrong" casinos. Excalibar had a jello shot bar as of two years ago, and the North end of the strip used to have them (somewhere down by Circus Circus). I think the Rio had one. Tend to be the "not so classy" casinos.

I also saw someone giving her date a blow job in a Vegas bar, but since kids wouldn't be likely to go into a Vegas bar, that doesn't seem to be un-kid friendly (though gross to witness in public for adults). I've seen excessive PDA at Disney as well, although I've never actually seen it go THAT far - on the other hand, nearly everywhere in Disney is kid-friendly. We avoid the cheerleaders for that reason - nothing like "young love" for seventeen year old girls and their boyfriends to crawl all over each other during the Tiki Birds.

 

[DanaAustinChelsea]

I visit Vegas several times a year & never see drunks or escorts, the worst I have seen is the handing out of cards & a few escort billboards on vans. Vegas is not family friendly like it used to be but there are still things to do. Word of advice: DO NOT get suckered into the 'FREE Gift/show ticket' two hour time share!! I made the mistake the first time I went to Vegas & it took more than 4 hours & not worth it. People were told they could get tickets to a certain Cirque show that was sold out. They found out after the tour, the tickets were not available!!

I recommend the usual Bellagio Gardens & Fountains, Eiflel Tower, Hard Rock Cafe, the Venetian Grand Canal Shops, Caesars Palace water show, Freemont Street Experience, Circus Circus Adventuredome (about $25 per person), Coca Cola & M&M World, the Flamingo Hotel Wildlife Habitat.



-Discount show tickets visit: tix4tonight.com they have a small sneak peak of tickets they offer, including Blue Man Group up to 50% Off or
halfpriceshows.com. All charge a service fee & be prepared to wait in line to purhase tickets.

-Restaurant.com for restaurant gift certificates at a discount {sign up email address for 50%-90% discount codes)

-the Sahara hotel (older hotel, less crowded, more locals, but on end of strip) has the NASCAR Cafe, the Pit Stop Arcade (again not crowded) & Speed: The Ride roller coaster (70 MPH forwards & backwards) for about $10 per person. They have package deals for the roller coaster, arcade tokens & Cyber Speedway rides too.



-

 

[digitalsiren]

• It depends on the kids, really. Touring the strip hotels can take a day or so and of course that is free. It is a must do for me every time.
• MGM grand has a free lion habitat to see as well as CBS' Television City Research Center where they can screen a television show - free also. The CSI Experience was a pricey for what it was IMHO.
• Madame Tussaud's at the Venetian may be an option - plenty of coupons can be found for this.
• Watch the fountains at the Bellagio at night - free ... may not sound exciting but check out a youtube video and you'll see it's worth it.
• Check out the Freemont Street Experience - free.
• I thought the Titanic Exhibit at the Luxor was excellent and fairly priced. Carrot Top's show (if you're family is into his style of comedy), also at the Luxor, was a good deal - I purchased them the day of at a tix4tonight kiosk (if you do this I recommend going to any kiosk BESIDES the one by MGM/M&M World and print a coupon of their website before you go.
• Mystery Adventure Las Vegas has excellent feedback - I booked a reservation for a Sunday afternoon and unfortunately ... no one else did so it was cancelled by them. I was bummed out. They have a coupon on their website for $5 under the "Family and Friends" package area which brings the pricetag down a bit.
• If you do the Cirque thing ... I was able to find Mystere tickets throught their website for $50 each. If your teens liked "The Hangover" they may want to see this. If they are more into martial arts and pyrotechnics they may want to see Ka but those tickets (when I went) were significantly pricier. Maybe they've gone down but it will be worth it to check out the discount kiosk the day of to see what shows they are selling and at what price.
• If they are a bit adventurous you may want to budget in advance for one of the rides atop the Stratosphere - check out their website to see the ride option and the prices so you can be prepared. NYNY has a rollercoaster and I can't remember the cost but maybe about $15 just for the first ride!
• They may want to take a slight detour off the strip to see the Palms if they are into the whole celebrity thing (it looks close but I would not recommend walking because it is actually quite far.)
• "Tournament of the Kings" at Excalibur is ~$60 each but you get entertainment and dinner with that. They also have a "Defending the Caveman" show there and I got the tickets for <$15 each at the tix4tonight booth. The show has some poor reviews but we both enjoyed it ... plus it is one of the few entertainment acts happening in the afternoon so we could see some of the bigger shows at night.
• I heard there is a free Mac King Comedy show is you buy some drinks at Harrah's - not sure if there is an age limit to the show or how much the tickets would cost otherwise.

 

[MrsPete]

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"...

Yeah, you can find a smattering of things that ARE family-friendly in Vegas, but the majority of the place is not child-appropriate.

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

But they don't live down in the tourist area, where people are giving out the hooker cards, where people are driving back and forth with those mobile advertisement trucks, etc. They live in suburbs that're much like any other city.

We LOVED Zion!!

We loved Zion too, but it's a LONG WAY from Vegas. Red Rock and some of the other natural areas are a more realistic distance.

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?

You're right that Jersey Shore, etc. are just as bad -- but we don't allow trash like that in our house. So if I don't allow it in my house, why would I pay to take my kids to see it in person?

The shows in Vegas are great -- but pricey. Actually, everything's pricey: Hotels, food.

. . . My kids will learn about Jell-O shots from me, not from friends, that's my job not their friends! . . .

My father grew up in a house like that. According to my aunt, who has the benefit of a long-term view of his behavior and who saw it with adult eyes, he and his brother were both alcoholics before they left high school. He held it together pretty well 'til he was about 30, but then he gave up working and drank full time. He was around 40 when he died. He had very little happiness in his life, and he hurt us kids very badly.

And who started it all? His mother, who probably didn't teach him about Jello Shots, but who did take him to the Beer Gardens and did allow him to drink from an early age. Actually, she might've been into the Jello Shots. I do remember her explaining to us at a very young age how to make Jello in your stomach to cope with a hang-over: Drink one cup hot water with Jello, drink one cup cold water. She claimed that your stomach'd mix it up, and then you couldn't vommit because your stomach'd be full of Jello. Yes, that's the wisdom passed on to me from my grandmother.

We talk about drug use, alcohol use, and sex. But we try and avoid the specifics of "fun things to do with alcohol like putting it in jello" or "games you can play with handcuffs." Those are "grown up specifics" and frankly things I hope my kids don't discover that their parents even know about until they are in their 40s. There is a time for them to find out that their parents were once young and stupid - but its well past their own young and stupid point - when they are unable to justify being young and stupid with "well, my parents did it and they came out all right."

Talking about them -- yes. Educate your kids about them, but share them with the kids? No.

I visit Vegas several times a year & never see drunks or escorts,

Maybe you're so caught up in the sites that you're missing them. On our last trip to Vegas, we did see a guy throwing up in front of our hotel (Mirage), and security was whisking him away. We did see a guy peeing off the bridge that connects Caesar's to the next block. We tried to go to breakfast at Hennessey's too early (still on East coast time), and while we were alone on Freemont Street, we saw a couple bums going through trash cans drinking the dregs out of beer cans.

 

[RyJMom]

I love Las Vegas!!! Hubby and I go every year. We took the kids a few years ago -flew into and out of as part of Grand Canyon trip.They loved it.

Mac King at Harrahs is a family friendly show. Hubby and I really enjoyed it also. You can go to Harrahs cashier cage and ask if they have any discount tickets. We got $10 each tickets.

If you need a rental keep an eye on Dollar's website. We always rent a car. $15 a day for a full size car is doable if you keep an eye out for specials. (Just the specials that pop on on Dollar's own website as you are checking dates)

I think Las Vegas can be tons of fun for a family. Have a great trip.

 

[klacey1]

Actually, everything's pricey: Hotels, food.

I would never call Vegas hotels pricey. Unless you're talking New Year's Eve. Where else in the world can you stay at a 4-5 star hotel for $99 or less? You can stay at Pop Century in WDW for the same price as 4.5 Star Caesars Palace in Vegas. Food can be pricey, but if you do your research, you can have great meals on the cheap.

 

[cepmom]

I would never call Vegas hotels pricey. Unless you're talking New Year's Eve. Where else in the world can you stay at a 4-5 star hotel for $99 or less? You can stay at Pop Century in WDW for the same price as 4.5 Star Caesars Palace in Vegas. Food can be pricey, but if you do your research, you can have great meals on the cheap.

ITA..we stayed at Harrah's last week for $35 a night. Not a super fancy hotel, but the room was clean and no different than any moderate or value hotel at Disney and a perfect location

 

[blondietink]

As far as fast food goes, we LOVE In & Out Burger in Las Vegas. There are several loctions. The one on West Tropicana has a store to buy t-shirts, etc. Since, we don't have this outlet where we live, we love to go to it. We also love Carl's Jr., again because we don't have one where we live.

 

[pixiewings71]

We talk about drug use, alcohol use, and sex. But we try and avoid the specifics of "fun things to do with alcohol like putting it in jello" or "games you can play with handcuffs." Those are "grown up specifics" and frankly things I hope my kids don't discover that their parents even know about until they are in their 40s. There is a time for them to find out that their parents were once young and stupid - but its well past their own young and stupid point - when they are unable to justify being young and stupid with "well, my parents did it and they came out all right."

That's great for your family. It's not for mine. I will educate my kids about sex, drugs, alcohol in my way and I have no problems with you doing the same. My kids don't see me do Jell-O shots, in fact I've NEVER done them, I think they are disgusting sounding so haven't tried, but yes, my girls will know there are things like that out there. I don't plan on talking to them about "games you can play with handcuffs", I'm not sure where you got that from my posts but they will know about other things from ME and not their friends.

Yeah, you can find a smattering of things that ARE family-friendly in Vegas, but the majority of the place is not child-appropriate.But they don't live down in the tourist area, where people are giving out the hooker cards, where people are driving back and forth with those mobile advertisement trucks, etc. They live in suburbs that're much like any other city. We loved Zion too, but it's a LONG WAY from Vegas. Red Rock and some of the other natural areas are a more realistic distance.You're right that Jersey Shore, etc. are just as bad -- but we don't allow trash like that in our house. So if I don't allow it in my house, why would I pay to take my kids to see it in person?

The shows in Vegas are great -- but pricey. Actually, everything's pricey: Hotels, food.My father grew up in a house like that. According to my aunt, who has the benefit of a long-term view of his behavior and who saw it with adult eyes, he and his brother were both alcoholics before they left high school. He held it together pretty well 'til he was about 30, but then he gave up working and drank full time. He was around 40 when he died. He had very little happiness in his life, and he hurt us kids very badly.

And who started it all? His mother, who probably didn't teach him about Jello Shots, but who did take him to the Beer Gardens and did allow him to drink from an early age. Actually, she might've been into the Jello Shots. I do remember her explaining to us at a very young age how to make Jello in your stomach to cope with a hang-over: Drink one cup hot water with Jello, drink one cup cold water. She claimed that your stomach'd mix it up, and then you couldn't vommit because your stomach'd be full of Jello. Yes, that's the wisdom passed on to me from my grandmother. Talking about them -- yes. Educate your kids about them, but share them with the kids? No. Maybe you're so caught up in the sites that you're missing them. On our last trip to Vegas, we did see a guy throwing up in front of our hotel (Mirage), and security was whisking him away. We did see a guy peeing off the bridge that connects Caesar's to the next block. We tried to go to breakfast at Hennessey's too early (still on East coast time), and while we were alone on Freemont Street, we saw a couple bums going through trash cans drinking the dregs out of beer cans.

Thanks for telling me I'm an alcoholic and am teaching my kids the same. LOL You don't know me at all, you have no idea who I am or how much I drink. You talk about your Gma teaching you to drink Jell-O so you don't throw up. I've never heard of that and I sure as heck wouldn't try it!! I drink yes, I have wine with dinner, my kids have seen me have wine without dinner. I drink Margaritas, my kids have seen me drink them. I am not an alcoholic in any way, shape or form. I don't push alcohol on them but I'd much rather they have their first drink with me then with friends and have who knows what happen. I went out with friends over the weekend, Friday & Saturday night, I didn't drink either night, nothing more then water. If I was an alcoholic I'd have been drunk both nights but I wasn't.

We didn't see anyone peeing outside, we didn't see anyone throwing up outside, we didn't see anyone so drunk they couldn't stand up or anything indecent. We DID go to Cabo Wabo and DBF got he and I a drink to share while we walked the strip, we also had water to drink. So the girls each had a large bottle of water, DBF and I had a Margarita (or something like that) and a bottle of water. We walked the strip, saw all the lights, the fountains, the volcano, we were back to our room (off the strip but close, across from the MGM behind the Hooters) around 11-12 at night, maybe that's why we didn't see that, we weren't out late enough. I think the latest we were out was the first night we were there. We saw the Lion King show and we got back to our late that night.

OP we also did the gondola's at the Venetian, that was really neat!!!

 

[MrsPete]

I would never call Vegas hotels pricey. Unless you're talking New Year's Eve. Where else in the world can you stay at a 4-5 star hotel for $99 or less? You can stay at Pop Century in WDW for the same price as 4.5 Star Caesars Palace in Vegas. Food can be pricey, but if you do your research, you can have great meals on the cheap.

I understand the concept of "it can be as cheap as you want it to be", but I think most of the things most people want aren't cheap. The hotels where we wanted to stay were all in the $200/night range. Yes, you can find cheap meals (i.e., buy-one-get-one-free buffets), but most of the things we wanted weren't cheap.

Thanks for telling me I'm an alcoholic and am teaching my kids the same. LOL You don't know me at all, you have no idea who I am or how much I drink.

Hey, I told you a true story about my family, especially about my father. You know whether it's true of you or not.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Seeing a drunk (or a suddenly ill) person throw up in bushes is likely NOT going to turn a teenage visitor into an alcoholic. It doesn't matter where you're visiting, or even if you're walking down the streets of your home town.

As for "as cheap as you want it to be", well, again, it's all about priorities.
Random sample, May 8-13, two adults:
Luxor pyramid room, $71 per night
New York New York Spa Suite $112 per night
Aria Deluxe King $199 per night
Mirage Deluxe room $113 per night
Orleans (off-Strip but very family-friendly) $37.80 per night

OP - I have a free app, Vegas Way, on my ipod. It has a "kids" section and a "free" section. There's a bunch of stuff listed under each section.

 

[MrsPete]

Seeing a drunk (or a suddenly ill) person throw up in bushes is likely NOT going to turn a teenage visitor into an alcoholic. It doesn't matter where you're visiting, or even if you're walking down the streets of your home town..

I agree with that, but I believe you're mixing topics.
Topic 1: Will a child see something inappropriate in Vegas? Is it a child-friendly atmosphere?
Topic 2: What choices lead to alcoholism? I personally don't think the actions of strangers will have a big impact on that.

As for "as cheap as you want it to be", well, again, it's all about priorities.
Random sample, May 8-13, two adults:
Luxor pyramid room, $71 per night
New York New York Spa Suite $112 per night
Aria Deluxe King $199 per night
Mirage Deluxe room $113 per night
Orleans (off-Strip but very family-friendly) $37.80 per night

OP - I have a free app, Vegas Way, on my ipod. It has a "kids" section and a "free" section. There's a bunch of stuff listed under each section.

Yes, but you know that hotel prices are quite changeable. Those aren't even near the prices that were available when we traveled during a summer holiday weekend. The kids were busy with other activities, and it was the best time for us.

And thanks, but I"m not taking parenting advice from an ipod.

 

[pixiewings71]

Hey, I told you a true story about my family, especially about my father. You know whether it's true of you or not.

Yes you did and I'm very sorry your family had to go thru that. Alcoholism isn't anything to laugh at, I am aware of that.
That said, I do not feel that exposing my kids to alchohol (and no, I don't give it to them) will cause them to be alcoholics. In fact I feel that if kids are informed regarding alcohol then they can make better decisions regarding the use of alcohol. I don't hide it from them and I still feel they should hear about things like Jello-O shots from me and not friends.