Vegas doesn’t usually come up in conversation when discussing where to head for the next family holiday. Look closer, however, and you’ll find plenty of wholesome fun for the whole tribe – from magicians to mermaids. Mark Juddery shares his favourites below.
Beyond the brash veneer of nightclubs and gambling dens, this surprisingly family-friendly US city has plenty to offer – particularly if you have tweens and teens who are dazzled by magic shows and high-flying circus acts. (Along with Elvis impersonators, Vegas is renowned for its magicians.)
Is Las Vegas safe for families?
Before going, it is worth doing extensive homework. Luxury hotel rooms are well priced, but this is usually because they rely on gambling profits. Though children’s and family activities may be offered, the only way to the bedrooms of many resorts is through a huge casino area.
Outside, Vegas still deserves its reputation as a place for dancing girls and quickie weddings, and the Strip – the seven-kilometre stretch where most of the action takes place – is not the safest place for an evening stroll.
But in the daytime, perhaps after lunch at one of the world-famous bistros (or alternatively, the increasing range of gourmet burger bars), a walk along the Strip can do you good.
5 best FREE family activities in Las Vegas
1. Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
At the Mandalay Bay Resort, at the southern end of the Strip, I spoke to Chan, a New Yorker visiting with her husband and two sons, aged 14 and eight. Like millions of others, the family visited some of the free attractions including the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, with its ever-changing floral displays.
2. Fall of Atlantis show at Caesars Palace Forum
Her family also loved the free Fall Of Atlantis fountain show at The Forum Shops, Caesars Palace. The seven-minute display in the Great Hall combines fire, water and animatronics. “These were things which each of us enjoyed,” she said, “and that doesn’t happen so often.”
3. Aquarium Mermaid Show at Silverton Casino Lodge
More fun can be enjoyed – free of charge – at the Silverton Casino Lodge eight kilometres from the Strip, where 4000 fish swim in a 117,000-gallon aquarium. As this is Vegas, a city based on fantasy, they swim with mermaids – former synchronised swimmers and ballerinas, whose water acrobatics in the Aquarium Mermaid Show are all the more impressive because they are wearing fins.
4. Ethel M Chocolates factory tour & cactus garden
Like any large city, Las Vegas has museums and educational tours, but being Vegas, most of them focus on fun. Away from the Strip, the splendid Ethel M Chocolates offers a free factory tour, as well as a Botanical Cactus Garden with an extensive collection.
5. M&M's Store on the Strip
Chocoholics with less refined tastes can remain on the Strip for M&M’s World, which is basically a four-storey souvenir shop.
More things to do in Las Vegas with kids
1. DISCOVERY Children's Museum Las Vegas
The DISCOVERY Children’s Museum Las Vegas has over 100 wonderful interactive exhibits over three floors, mostly for science lovers.
2. Cirque du Soleil shows
The surreal and hugely popular Cirque du Soleil was founded near Montreal, but seven of its current productions reside in Vegas, regularly attracting full houses to different venues along the Strip. Apart from the sexy Zumanity, all are safe for younger eyes, including the colourful KÀ and Mystère; and the aquatic O, performed over an on-stage pool. In Vegas, it is possible (if expensive) to see a new Cirque du Soleil show each day for a week.
3. Circus Circus entertainment and Adventuredome
Circus-lovers might choose to stay at Circus Circus (named with a subtlety befitting Vegas). The resort-hotel includes a free daily in-house circus, featuring acts from around the world (and unlike some burlesque-style circuses in Vegas, ideal for kids). Circus Circus also comes with its own indoor theme park, the Adventuredome.
3. The Big Apple Coaster
Several thrill rides are located along the Strip. The Big Apple Coaster at the New York-New York Hotel provides incredible drops and multiple loops over a postcard copy of NYC, complete with a 46-metre Statue of Liberty. Apparently it provides some of the best views of the Strip, but when you’re plummeting 40 metres, you don’t always notice such things.
4. SlotZilla Zip Line experience
In fact, the best views of Vegas might be enjoyed while dangling from the SlotZilla Zip Line over the colourful Freemont Street (a side street to the Strip). Strapped into a harness, it’s a thrill, but less distracting than a roller coaster.
How to get there
Flights from Australia are available to Las Vegas via Los Angeles
