Vegas with kids?

[thor369]

We are out of state visitors who will be visiting our family in socal and for some trip ideas one we were thinking of going to the Bay Area and second a trip o Vegas, but we have little kids 4 and 6 years old and our family have kids who are a bit older. Wondering if Vegas has anything for kids or just avoid it all together. we are thinking of going in July.

Thoughts?

 

[cruisehopeful]

I don't know what you'd want to do in Vegas with that age group. If you walk down the strip, people hand you cards with pictures of naked women that have numbers you can call if you want a private strip show. I don't think I've ever walk anywhere on the strip without seeing that. There's lot of other stuff going on that I wouldn't want small children near, but that gives you an idea.

That being said, there are things that kids can do. Circus Circus has some type of indoor amusement for kids (I've never been) and there's a roller coaster on top of one of the hotels. There are shopping malls, but wherever you go, there are a lot of very drunk people. You absolutely will be in an elevator with a drunk person putting their face in your kid's face telling them that they are so cute.

If you stay away from the strip, there's some really nice hiking (July will be miserably hot) and some other interesting things that you can drive to. I think it would all be extremely boring for kids, but it can be nice for the adults.

 

[ninergrl6]

It depends on the attention span and interests of the kids. My brother and I have been visiting Las Vegas since we were in elementary school, and as kids the highlights for us were Excalibur, Circus Circus, and swimming in the hotel pools. My family spent most of our time walking the Strip visiting different hotels and seeing shows like Cirque du Soleil at night. Would your 4 and 6 year olds be up for that? Many of the big hotels, even if they aren't the ones that specifically cater to families, have kid-friendly attractions like the animals at Mirage, the aquarium at Mandalay Bay, and the wildlife habitat at Flamingo. Even the High Roller has a "STEM family field trip guide" and children 6 and under ride free. The Strip is fairly tame during the day IMO, especially in the morning, but at night it's crawling with drunk people, at least in the Before Times. I'm not sure what post-pandemic Vegas is like.

Here's a 2021 list of "family friendly" activities in and near Las Vegas. Apparently there's an Avengers attraction at Treasure Island that I'd never heard of before.

 

[Kittyblue]

I’ve taken my kids to Vegas plenty of times, it’s very doable. @ninergrl6 gave you lots of great info. Pick a place with a fun pool for kids. My kids loved the arcades at Excalibur and NYNY. I’ll also add visiting the Hershey store in NYNY, M&M store, and the Coke store. I don’t know if they are doing it right now, but on the top floor of the Coke store is a little cafe where you can purchase a flight of Coke products or ice cream floats made with Coke products. That was kind of fun.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

I’ve taken my kids to Vegas plenty of times, it’s very doable.

Sure, but there are tons of stuff to do with kids in California, like national parks and amusement parks.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I pretty much hate Vegas with or without kids, so not the best person to ask, BUT Sam's Town (off the strip) is more kid friendly and has a huge bowling alley. The Hoover Dam is worth taking the kids to see, as is Red Rock Canyon. The strip itself though is pretty much all hat, no cowboy, designed to shake every last quarter out of your pocket. I can recommend a lot better things for you to do with the kids in CA and save you that horrific drive.

 

[ninergrl6]

Sure, but there are tons of stuff to do with kids in California, like national parks and amusement parks.

Just saying..... when my brother and I were kids, we liked Las Vegas A LOT more than national parks. Every kid and family is different.

 

[Kittyblue]

Sure, but there are tons of stuff to do with kids in California, like national parks and amusement parks.

I've been all over CA with my kids, I live there. I was answering the OPs question and letting them know there are things for kids to do in Vegas so they can decide what they want to do.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

I've been all over CA with my kids, I live there

i was just trying to make the point that there are lots of more kid friendly stuff to do closer.

 

[_19disnA]

Vegas tried to rebrand themselves as a 'family destination' a few years ago and finally gave up on that. I agree with the prior posters who said Vegas is mostly for adults. Children can only walk through the casino if with their parents when going to/from their hotel room or a restaurant. You might see a few adults with their children in the casino gambling areas who either don't know the rules or think they don't apply to them. Nevada gaming laws are very strict and typically you see someone from security informing them they can't remain in the gaming areas.

It is way too HOT to walk very far outside in the summer in Vegas. Sketchy people handing out dubious fliers are really not something you want your children to experience. Typically, we drive from one casino to another since they are much farther apart then they appear. MGM used to have a small amusement park, but that closed several years ago.

Some of the shows might be suitable for children, but others contain nudity or adult content that wouldn't be appropriate for them. I agree that looking for other options where you are in CA is a better choice.