If you are planning a trip to Las Vegas, I am sure you know there are about a gazillion things to do there! But if you travel with kids…that eliminates about 90% of the standard Las Vegas activities (gambling, shows, etc.). My family recently took a completely unplanned, totally spur of the moment road trip to Vegas. All we really wanted from our trip was warm weather and to see what we could see for FREE.
Long story short, we found 4 family-friendly Las Vegas free attractions that we enjoyed a lot. You have probably even heard of them. These are the places my family recommends as our You Must Go Here At Least Once While You Are In Vegas List:
1. Volcano At The Mirage
My kids LOVE the volcano and would go to Las Vegas just to see the Volcano At the Mirage (on the Las Vegas Strip). Even though you will be tempted to get as close as possible to get a good view of the show, WATCH OUT because your eyebrows just may get singed by the hot gas explosions (seriously!). The volcano erupts at the top of each hour from 6pm – 11pm, spewing smoke and fire 100 feet above the water. It’s AWESOME!
2. Fountains of Bellagio
This free water, music and lights show takes place in front of the Bellagio (on the Las Vegas Strip). You will want to check out the show schedule because times vary depending on the day. The shows start every 15 minutes to half hour – so you never have to wait long. The fountain show lasts for a few minutes and is pretty spectacular. We went to shows during the day and night. I’d say the after dark ones are better because you can really enjoy the lights part of the show.
3. M&M’s World
Located at the corner of the Strip and Tropicana Avenue. Open daily from 9am-Midnight. The M&M’s World is four floors of M&M’s candy and related items. There is an entire wall dedicated to M&M’s candy in dispensers. We could not resist creating our own colorful mix of every flavor M&M. (You do have to pay for the M&Ms – and just FYI: Their M&M’s cost about 4 times what they cost at a regular store…but it’s totally worth it for the experience!) The 4th floor is home to the M&M-sponsored Toyota Camry race car. My boys loved getting up close and personal with a real NASCAR!
4. Children’s Park at Town Square
The Children’s Park at Town Square features a ton of free things for kids to play and do. Our favorite feature was the Splash Pad. But there is also a really cool kid-size hedge maze, Princess Tower Playhouse, slides and more. We couldn’t believe it was free to get in, we were totally willing to pay for a chance to play on the Splash Pad! Oh, and if you are into shopping and dining…Town Square is full of the best stores and restaurants! Town Square Address: 6605 Las Vegas Blvd South
This was our first family trip to Las Vegas, but I am sure it will not be our last. If you have visited and/or lived in Las Vegas and know of fun places we should check out next time, I hope you will leave a comment below. What are your favorite family-friendly things to do in Las Vegas?
Rachael Ashcraft says
I only did a little bit of the old Vegas, is that much better for the kids?
Knowing my kids the first thing they would lock their eyes on were the stripper cards. “Mummy, what is that? Why is she naked?” haha
I know they are trying to attract more families there.
Nicole says
We mostly did what I listed in the blog post (besides spending time swimming where we were staying). I was really surprised that my kids did not like Circus Circus. It was really loud in there and crowded. I think the noise and activities was overwhelming. Nobody even wanted to ride a ride or play a game. All 4 of my kids just wanted to leave. LOL So that was the end of our Circus Circus experience. But we saw thousands of other kids in there who were having a great time riding rides and playing games.
I was shocked about the stripper cards – they are everywhere. Yep, there’s no real kid-friendly explanation for something like that!
The next time we go, we’ll take the kids hiking in the Red Rock Canyon area. My husband and I went there on a separate trip without kids and checked it out. If your family is into the outdoors, it’s a must do. Unless it’s mid summer and 500 degrees outside. You can even drive through the park (it’s a loop I think) to see it. The Visitors Center is really nice.
Rachael Ashcraft says
I am undecided on whether or not I want to take the kids to Vegas. I’m suppose to go at the end of next month but still need to book my ticket. If I decide to take the kids then I can drive.
I am just not comfortable about all the nude cards laying around everywhere you go. You can’t even look at the floor without seeing boobs!
I know they would love CIrcus Circus and the pools though.
They are going to build a Legoland soon. That will definitely make it more family friendly.
THanks for the tips.
Nicole says
Hi Rachael! I know what you mean about the nude cards on the Strip. We just tried to whiz past the people handing them out – they didn’t bother us too much and we tried to make sure our kids weren’t seeing anything they shouldn’t. But I totally know what you mean. The place to definitely avoid with kids is Fremont Street. We drove past and kept on going once we saw (and heard) some of the vulgar people wandering around that area. Plus the cigarette smoke was so thick in that area I didn’t even want to have the car windows open.
I don’t know that we’ll walk the strip again with the kids, but there are a few things like the Fountains at Bellagio and the volcano that we’d take them to see again. Those are really fun and the kids want to go back and see them again one day.
Legoland in Las Vegas?? That will be so cool! Thanks for telling me about that. We’d definitely drive down more often for that.
Jann L. says
We also loved the Pinball Hall of Fame as referred to on History Channel’s American Restoration. It is located on Tropicana Blvd. just east of the MGM Grand. Entry is FREE and game play is usually only .25 cents for older machines and .50 cents for some of the newer games. They also had crane games with prizes. Son is 12, so, this was right up his alley.
Guests of MGM may also enjoy $10 off admission into the interactive CSI Experience with proof of their room key. The boys also enjoyed the interactive Mob Museum at the Tropicana thanks to free passes which were gifted to us. It was age appropriate for boys age 12 and up. “Big Tony”, a live actor, was wonderful with our boys!!
MGM also has the wonderful Lazy River for Hotel guests as well. Not to mention, free television survey screenings at Television City next to CSI in MGM. As a thank you for paticipating, we received an envelope of coupons for free Nathan’s hot dogs, Häagen-Daz ice cream, free kids meal at Rainforest Cafe, additional CSI discounts and a 10% off coupon off any item in the Television City gift shop. We really enjoyed redeeming some of those nice values!
And finally, on a hot day, a trip to the Galaxy Theater in Henderson was a welcome treat! Prices weren’t crazy and we enjoyed strawberry shakes while watching the movie in reclining lounge chairs!! We certainly could have used more than 4 days there! We truly appreciate all of your wonderful, FREE suggestions too! Thank You! 🙂