Las vegas questions...

[PRINCESS VIJA]

We are going to be in Las vegas as part of our road trip next year. If you only had 1 day in Las vegas what would you do? We will have our 2 young kids with us. I know I want to see the lights at night, but otherwise I don't know what to do.

We are planning to see the Hoover dam as well, but wondering if there is anything in Las Vegas worth seeing/doing. we aren't really gamblers, my main thing is to just go see it once with all the lights.

 

[CookieGVB]

Circus Circus has an indoor amusement park.

 

[mickeyboat]

Look through as many hotels as you can. The Venetian, Caesar's Palace and the Bellagio are amazing.

Caesar's has a zoo type exhibit and a dolphin pool (I think it was $10 to get in). MGM also has a tiger exhibit. The pirate show at Treasure Island is fun to watch. The fountains at Bellagio are incredible and the conservatory is beautiful. Most of this entertainment is free.

We took a bus tour to Hoover Dam. I don't recommend the bus. It took forever and made a stop at a vitamin factory - shameless. If you are driving on your own you should be o.k.

A word of caution. The hotels all look like they are really close together, but the walking distance is quite far. There is a new tram system which I have not seen and there are busses and taxis available.

Have a great time!

Denae

 

[BoulderCreek]

Theres the Treasure Island Pirate Show. The Belagio has the light and water show. The Hilton has the Star Trek Experience.
Stratosphere has the Roller Coaster. The Mirage has the Dolphins and White Tigers. The Luxor has a boat ride. The Venetian has the Gondola Rides. When we were the we collected teddy bears with each theme from the Casinos.
They have a cheap bus system that can take you up and down the Strip.

 

[CarolAnnC]

We spent about 3 hours in the Dolphin and Wildlife Habitat at the Mirage. They have the white tigers (Siegfried & Roy), elephants, dolphins and much more. The small children I saw looked very entertained by it all. They do have a couple of gift shops and snack bar for lunch as well. Adult admissions were $12 I think. I would highly recommend it.

 

[Jimbo]

The pirate show at Treasure Island has been replaced by something called Sirens. It's sort of a soft-core porn thing where sailors are seduced by women. It's really, really awful!

I'd suggest hitting a couple of the more standout hotels. I'd say Ceasar's Palace and Venetian would be interesting. Both have attached mega malls with various attractions. CP has a free animatronic show that was cool, and an Atlantis ride that was awesome. V has the gondola rides. Both malls are indoors, but set up to make you feel like you're outdoors. Definitely not your typical malls.

Bellagio isn't kid friendly unless you're a guest of the hotel, but the fountains oustide the hotel are free for anyone. Make sure you catch a fountain show or two.

Maybe an afternoon show would be a good idea. Lance Burton at Monte Carlo has a magic show that's really spectacular, and clean too.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I certainly am not a 'Vegas person', Vija, but I do have to say it sure is worth seeing, if only once. It is a spectacular place to see. Having the 2 youngsters may make it a bit tougher, since, as Denae said above, the distances, though they look short, are not, since the buildings are so large. (Disney forced perspective in reverse, LOL). Do use the monorail. And if there only for a day, trying to see a lot on the Strip, a visit to Hoover Dam seems like it would be pushing it, not just out of town. Enjoy. Do keep in mind it is not a real 'kid friendly' town, even less now than when they tried to be a few years back.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Get the all day bus pass for $5, otherwise it will cost you each time to get on the bus and like the other poster said the hotels are big and beautiful and farther a part then they look.

Don't miss Margaritaville. Go there for lunch and watch the volcano erupt. Very fun place and lots to look at. Walk around as many hotels as you can.

I'm with Jimbo. Sirens is horrible, definitely not worth the standing and waiting for the show. Bad show...I wish they would go back to the old pirate show.

MGM has tigers on display just like the Mirage does. Inside (I think the Monte Carlo) they have an aquarium you can pay to visit.

If you are into water parks you could go to Wet-n-Wild.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Check out the Mummy Museum at Luxor and the arade pretty cool too.
Ripley's Museum
The Midways at Circus Circus, New York and Excalibur
The rides at New York, New York and the Stratosphere and the theme park at Circus Circus
The M&M factory tour
The Star Trek thing at the LV Hilton is great too

Have fun!

 

[tastelikecandy]

Originally posted by CookieGVB
Circus Circus has an indoor amusement park.

Is it??? When I went it was just full of fun games for the kids at the top and gambling at the bottom. They had an amazing circuis show though. I was 15 the first time I went. Thank goodness we met some black jack dealers and got to hang out at their place most of the week!!!

 

[SnoWhite]

I agree with most of these suggestions!
The Mirage has the secret garden. You do have to pay to get in, but it would be really fun for the kids. There are dolphins, tigers, etc.
MGM also has Lions, and the Rainforest Cafe which is usually fun for the kids.
There is a Build a Bear store inside the Aladdin hotel mall, and they have roaming performers inside the mall as well. Ceasers mall is also fun, they have 2 different shows where the statues move, etc.
The Venetian is beautiful, but I'm not really sure how kid friendly it is, they may be bored there.

I hope you have fun, Vegas is one of our favorite places to go on vacation!

Lisa

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

Thanks for the super tips! I can't wait to get all the details planned!

 

[Jockaroo]

The Excalibur Hotel/Casino has a very fun and family friendly dinner show "Tournament of Kings". But you'll need to make reservations. And it is pricey, around $50 per adult (don't know kid's rate.) The hotel has a castle look and it pretty cool.

Free stuff: go to the M&M museum/shop. It is really cool. There's a Coca-Cola museum shop next to it also that is nice. The Mirage volcano is really cool too. I think there may be an admission charge for their wildlife habitat--we didn't do this so I'm not sure. Also, due to the accident with Roy, the white tigers may not be in place anymore. The Flamingo has a wildlife area that is free of charge. MGM has the lions at various times of the day. The Tropicana has a very nice free exotic bird show during the day hours.

If you are looking for culture. The Venitian has a Gugenheim Museum with rotating exhibits. The stores in the Venitian are really cool with the canal and boats. There was an awesome ride simulator about Atlantis in the Forum Shops at Caesars. We had free tickets, so I don't remember the cost. Have a ball!

 

[mommytotwo]

I would also do Circus Circus since you have younger kids. I like the conservatory at the Bellagio hotel, and go to Dessert Passage to see the moving/changing ceiling and see all the stores there.

 

[tcwitt]

We used to live in Henderson, and if I was visiting for just a day and had a car I would drive to Red Rock Canyon or Valley of Fire. These are both beautiful parks that you can just drive through if you don't want to walk around. Both parks have areas with Indian pictographs that are quite amazing to look at and show the kids. We have 2 DD's and went to the parks many times.

The other suggestions are great if you want to stay in town, but if you really want to see some of the beauty of Nevada, I can give you many suggestions. Feel free to PM if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Christine

 

[luvmk]

OT--tcwitt Your tags crack me up! We live about 40 minutes from Indiana Beach. I hear those "more than corn in Indiana" commercials constantly in the summer!


Rachel

 

[tcwitt]

We go every summer with DH's family. When we lived in Nevada it was very depressing knowing they were all having fun together and we were stuck out there.

We hear the commercials all the time too, and we live about 1 1/2 away.

Christine