Family friendly amusement parks in Vegas?

[Showmeyourmuscles Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Showmeyourmuscles]

Hello there!

I recently booked a room through a website for (removed link) and we will be visiting for the first time during the coming summer. I wanted to ask whether there are some family firendly amusement parks somewhere in the area? Because most of the entertainment seems very... adult.

I would be thankful for any recommendations!

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Try the coaster at New York, New York hotel.

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

Seems to me Las Vegas was working harder for kids a few years back, but a lot of the stuff I remember reading about then is closed now. The Treasure Island pirate show is gone for good, for one.

Aside from the roller coaster Chris mentioned, Adventuredome at Circus Circus still seems to be open:

http://www.adventuredome.com/

There's Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, which I think costs, and then a free aquarium at Silverton Hotel; you should definitely check out the fountain show at Bellagio (won't take that long but cool); my kids would have enjoyed checking out all the cool statues and the curved (!) escalator at Caesar's Palace. Off the strip, there are places like Run Plus Fun or Pump It Up that gives kids somewhere cool to play in.

A know one of the usual travel books gives a particularly good list for kid-friendly shows, but I can't remember which one! Here's one off the Internet, but I think I'd read reviews to be sure it was what *I* considered kid friendly before I kicked out the cash:

http://www.vegas.com/traveltips/top-...-family-shows/

And a list of other stuff to do, from the same site:

http://www.vegas.com/attractions/attractions-for-kids/

There are a lot of cool state parks and places with horseback rides and whatnot around Vegas, but I would not take most of my kids to any of that in the summer because I have a couple who are not at all heat tolerant. If your kids don't fall apart in the heat, you could look into those. I think everything I mentioned before the lists is inside except Bellagio's fountains, and that show doesn't last too long plus you can do it at night.

If you have a car, you should be good. Even if you stick to the strip, you can probably make it work.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Try to stay at Mandalay Bay.
They do have a great water park as Hobbitess mentioned.

I stayed once and they have a big wave pool and lazy river.
It's pretty crowded in the summer but for the price of admission to the hotel you get the water park for "free".
During the week the rates aren't too high but goes up on the weekends.

They have two tiers of rooms, one in the "The Hotel" which is the more expensive option with all suites with
kitchens and then the regular tower rooms which were pretty nice too.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

Seems to me Las Vegas was working harder for kids a few years back, but a lot of the stuff I remember reading about then is closed now.

Las Vegas started catering to families when the recession in the early 90's hit. They lost a lot of their regular weekend business from Southern California which was hit very hard by the recession. Personally, I thought it was a stupid idea to fill the hotels with non-gamblers. In any event it lasted for a few years until the gaming companies realized it was not working very well. Steve Wynn later said that catering to families was the stupidest thing we ever did.

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

In any event it lasted for a few years until the gaming companies realized it was not working very well. Steve Wynn later said that catering to families was the stupidest thing we ever did.

I wonder if it backfired partly because it encouraged people to think they could do a gambling vacation with their kids, resulting in more kids in the casinos/on their own while mom and dad tried to gamble and do other "grown up" stuff. People who like "family friendly" in the sense of Orlando/Branson/Wisconsin Dells were not likely to shift over to Las Vegas very rapidly so long as it held onto the gambling and risque shows image, which it isn't going to shed easily.

Plus it's kind of a dumb direction to go considering our birth rate. I'm sure the family friendly market grew even as the birth rate went down, due to the baby boom bubble and the fact that most people only have one or two kids, but kids as a percentage of the population has been dropping pretty steadily since 1970 and is expected to continue doing so. The current favorites will naturally have the advantage (kids love going back to places where they've had fun in the past), and won't need to expand or change much to keep it. Only those aching for something new (which is generally not the kids) are going to schedule a vacation in Las Vegas, and leaving the kids home would just enhance the newness of that experience.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

What parks have you been to ?

[easyrider Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close easyrider]

My last trip to the Monte Carlo was definitely my last trip to the Monte Carlo. The pool area, which in the past was pretty much an adult venue, was over run by kids. The pool party and volleyball had kids mixed in which , imo, should not be permissible because of liquor laws.

I thought Mandalay Bay Beach was all adult.

When I want to have the kids in Vegas I stay at the Worldmark on the strip. A concert or show is usually good. As far as family attractions go there are too many to list. I liked the high speed go cart racing. https://www.polepositionraceway.com/

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

My last trip to Vegas was a while ago, back when it was supposedly "family friendly," but we had to walk all the through all the giant smokey casino sections to get to the family attractions. And just walking on the street we were barraged with "adult" flyer folks. My older son, who was about 9 at the time, thought it was awesome. Me, not so much.

[FamilyTraveler Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close FamilyTraveler]

Adventuredome at Circus Circus absolutely, and almost every hotel as a roller coaster or ride of some kind, not just hotel NY. I would also suggest M&M world! It is great for all ages. There are a lot of things to do on and off the strip. It depends on what your budget is. Every hotel though has something cool to offer. Take a gondola ride at hotel Venice too. It's also worth checking out the 'old strip' or Fremont Street Experience.

I would recommend though keeping some provisions on you. I packed a few items into {XXXXXX]my kids backpacks[/url] at all times. Sweaters, because even though the outside is incredibly hot, the hotels/casinos are all frigid from the AC. Always have water bottles on hand as well and some easy snacks. Keep it light though, walking with a heavy backpack is never fun for anyone.

[dcwojo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dcwojo]

It has been many years for me but the Stratosphere has some rides. Probably not suited to very young children.

[emperorthyme Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close emperorthyme]

Adventuredome is the only thing I could think of as of the moment.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

\\\\\\What are the ages of your kids?? You could also go to Lake Mead and ride the stern wheeler boat.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

Children's Museum. Valley of fire or Red Rock Canyon. shaggy

[Saitama Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Saitama]

I'm also looking for some recommendations. We are going to Vegas this Spring and taking kids with us. We need somehow to entertain them.I'm also looking for some recommendations. We are going to Vegas this Spring and taking kids with us. We need somehow to entertain them.