Vegas offers family activities like shows, aquariums and museums.
When you think about Las Vegas, gaming, partying and wild times probably come to mind. Although Las Vegas is nicknamed "Sin City," there also are a range of family-friendly activities along the Las Vegas strip, as well as other parts of the city. Although many casinos have shows, restaurants or attractions appropriate for children, remember that guests under 21 are not permitted on the casino floor.
Rides and Games
With its action-packed, 203-foot-tall roller coaster and replica NYC skyline, the New York, New York Hotel & Casino (newyorknewyork.com) is an ideal place to visit with thrill-seeking kids. Adventuredome (adventuredome.com), located at Circus Circus Las Vegas Hotel, Casino & Theme Park (circuscircus.com), features attractions including laser tag, a roller coaster and the SpongeBob Square Pants 4D Experience. Circus Circus also features an arcade, carnival games and circus performances. Away from the Strip, Sky Zone (lasvegas.SkyZonesports.com) is an indoor trampoline park where the whole family can jump to their heart's content.
Shows
While the bulk of Las Vegas shows are understandably geared toward adults, family-friendly shows do exist. Recommended as a good bet for children by Frommer's, the Tournament of Kings dinner show at Excalibur (excalibur.com) features valiant knights on horses and a medieval style banquet sans utensils. Mystere, a Cirque du Soleil show at Treasure Island Las Vegas (treasureisland.com), dazzles audiences with incredible acrobatic tricks and theatrics. If you'd rather not shell out hundreds of dollars for Cirque du Soleil tickets, stop by the Bellagio (bellagio.com) to witness its free fountain show timed to music or watch the volcano explode outside the Mirage (mirage.com).
Animals
To check out wild animals on display for free, visit the regal lions at the The Lion Habitat at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino (mgmgrand.com) or the flamingos, wild birds and turtles at the Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo (flamingolasvegas.com). Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, located at the Mirage, showcases white tigers and lions, dolphins and other animals, and even offers a "trainer for a day" program. To see sharks, crocodiles, piranhas and other predatory underwater creatures up close, stop by the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay (mandalaybay.com).
Museums
The Lied Discovery Children's Museum (ldcm.org) in downtown Las Vegas will keep kids busy for hours with exhibits and play areas including science, food and nutrition activities, a Berenstein Bears-themed exhibit and a pretend city with bank, grocery store and state capitol. Madame Tussauds (madametussauds.com/lasvegas), located at The Venetian Las Vegas (venetian.com), is the Vegas branch of the historic London wax museum and allows the family to come face-to-face with more than 100 stars like Elvis Presley, Lady Gaga and Brad Pitt. The Neon Museum (neonmuseum.org) showcases the city's history through neon signage, including The Neon Boneyard, a graveyard of sorts for donated and rescued signs.
