Most of us think of Las Vegas as Sin City or an adult playground. Well, in reality, there’s a ton of stuff to do with kids. In this blog, I’m going to talk about the top things to do with kids that puts a totally different spin on our thinking of what a Las Vegas vacation is all about. And if you have a teenager in the house (like me), you can even manage to sneak in a pretty epic date night in the midst of all that family fun.
Transportation
The trip I planned was on Spring Break while the kids were out of school. I always plan a family trip for Spring Break, and try not to go too far being the kids have to jump right back into school after one week off. I also try to avoid flying on this week of vacay, because getting a family of six anywhere with flights increases my cost incredibly. If we are flying and spending that extra money, I prefer to have more time than one week to enjoy the trip. So, I save those trips at far away places for different times in the year. The kids got so excited about Las Vegas, and the thought of seeing a little example of different places in the world such as the Paris, New York New York, Venetian, and Caesars hotels. The weather is absolutely perfect at this time of year in Las Vegas at 80-85 degrees. We initially had planned to drive to Las Vegas (from Northern California). However, at the last second we started to dread the 10-12 hours in the car with four children. LOL. We decided on taking the train instead. This was such a great idea! It was a new and exciting experience for the kids! We scored great seats with four top tables. We could work, do school work, play electronics, get up and walk around, grab a drink at the bar, eat at the cafe when we were hungry, all while avoiding traffic and not stopping to use the restroom every five minutes. The train was in no way faster than flying but it was WAAAAYYYY better than driving and was half the cost of flying our family of six. Being there is no need for a car in Vegas, this ended up being a great choice for us.
Accomodations at Tahiti Village
It is absolutely ridiculous for my family of six to stay in a regular hotel room (IMO), and I refuse to do it unless it is a short weekend trip. When I’m with my entire family, I need to have more space and a full kitchen to feed their hungry mouths that are asking for food every 30 minutes. Hashtag TRUTH. Las Vegas is mostly hotels near the Strip, but I came across a place called Tahiti Village online. Guys, this place ended up being totally awesome for a family trip! The rooms were huge condos with full kitchens but the property was more like a grand hotel. If we didn’t feel like cooking or going out, we had a restaurant and bar right on the property. The best part about this place was the pools and activities. They had a huge pool with a sandy beach entry where they held sand castle making contests and a long lazy river with intertubes, which is where my kids spent most of their time. An evening movie on the grass was shown twice per week. It was perfect! Tahiti Village is located just a mile from the Strip, so we could take the free shuttle, or jump in a quick Uber ride to all the Las Vegas action.
Top Things to Do
Ok, so let’s get into it. What are the top things to do in Las Vegas with kids?? Well, we barely could scratch the surface in one week but these were my top picks.
High Roller is a 550-foot tall, giant Ferris wheel on the Las Vegas Strip. It is currently the worlds tallest ferris wheel and is a 30 minute ride. This absolutely puts those county fair ferris wheels to shame, and will be quite the experience for your little ones.
Circus Circus is definitely the most kid friendly hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, and is where the Adventure Dome is located. The Adventure Dome is a five acre indoor/outdoor Adventure Amusement Park. The kids can ride rides, play games, rock climb, and even catch a creepy clown show.
Shopping at the Forum Shops
Las Vegas has some of the best shopping! I have two teenage girls in the house, so we snuck away for a girls day, and hit the shops. We visited several malls, but the Forum Shops at Caesars were our favorite. The hotel is really beautiful, and you feel as though you are shopping in Rome, Italy.
Best Restaurant To Dine At On The Strip: Sugar Factory!
Our kids are crazy for sugar (who’s aren’t?), and when we spoil them with a sugary treat they are so so so happy (before they turn into little monsters). What better place to take them than the Sugar Factory!? This place is located right on the Strip, and the menu is filled with things like Cheeseburgers with donuts for buns, fried chicken and waffles, or a truly gourmet stack of pancakes and chocolate. The $20 milkshakes are pricey, but you simply have to try one. Everything is a total sugar masterpiece. It’s a really beautiful restaurant too with elegant decor, and is a true sugary fine dining experience. We ate dinner here, and then returned for a milkshake on our girls day in the middle of shopping. Yum yum!
Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden, Tiger and Dolphin Habitat
We set the teenagers free one day to do more shopping, and went to see some tigers and dolphins with our little guys at Siegfriend and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. Here, you come face-to-face with some of nature’s most exotic creatures. Explore, learn and play in an enchanting world of bottlenose dolphins, white tigers, white lions, and leopards. The little guys loved it!
Slotzilla Zipline Over Fremont Street
SlotZilla is a 11-story slot machine-inspired zip line attraction on Fremont Street, and is one of the best things to do in Las Vegas! It was $25 per person or $45 if you want to do Superman Style. I thought these prices were great for the experience you receive! Making a reservation in advance is a must. I made mine one week in advance. The wait could be hours if you don’t have a reservation. I personally think it is best to do this once the sun goes down and the Las Vegas lights are shining as bright as can be.
Ok, so now that you’ve walked up and down the strip and gotten a taste of all the Las Vegas action, why not take a 15 minute ride outside of the strip to see a beautiful place in the middle of the desert called Seven Magic Mountains? A large scale desert artwork comprised of seven towers of colorfully stacked boulders standing more than thirty feet high. If you can believe it, our kids wanted to go at dawn to experience the sun coming up in the middle of the desert. I can never get my kids to catch a sunrise. This was an absolutely beautiful experience, and one I think they will remember forever!
I think this was our favorite strip hotel to visit as a family. We visited Houdini’s Magic Shop, which the kids stayed at for over an hour learning magic tricks. There was a bar right outside the magic shop where mom and dad posted up for some adult beverages. We road the Big Apple Roller Coaster…well, half of us did. The other half who were either too scared or too small, stayed back in the enormous arcade. We ate awesome pizza by the slice, and snuck in a little gambling. This was definitely a day of fun for everyone, with a good mix of adult and kid things to do.
Located within walking distance from Tahiti Village is Town Square. Town Square is a shopping, dining, and entertainment center. There is a huge park in the center of the square with a train ride, playground, and hoolla hooping for all. A lot of the restaurants have patios that overlook the park so the adults can enjoy some wine while keeping an eye on the kiddos. This is an awesome place to go out to eat or shop if you don’t feel like dealing with the craziness of the Strip.
Silverton Casino Mermaid’s Aquarium
Named the “Best Free attraction in Las Vegas” is the Mermaid’s Aquarium. It’s a huge tank filled with tropical fish and live mermaids that interact with the guests. My kids are Disney’s Little Mermaid fans, so this was a really cute experience for them to wave and blow kisses to real mermaids.
So there you have it!! These were my top things to do with a family in Las Vegas. This ended up being one of our favorite spring break vacations! Easy too if you live in California or Nevada. Hopefully this shows Las Vegas in a different light for you, and that this trip really can be fun for the entire family!
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XXOO,
Jessica
Bucket List In A Bikini 