Fun Family Activities in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is a great place for so much family fun adventures on your vacation!
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Planning Our Las Vegas Trip
We were ready to plan for our summer trip in 2019. We wanted to do something different than a beach vacation, someplace the entire family would enjoy. As Nigel and I brainstormed, we decided to go to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Nigel visited Las Vegas a few times for work before, but I had never visited Las Vegas. Never! Not that I didn’t want to, but I just never had the opportunity to go. All I heard about Las Vegas was how great the casinos are.
I’m not a casino fan, so it didn’t interest me that much to make that trip priority. I could put my $20 gambling bill into any other slot machine I passed throughout Florida.
However, in doing more research, it looked like Las Vegas had a lot more to offer than just casinos and hot women. Turns out there was so many things to do with kids in Vegas.
O.K., so we decided we would continue our plans for Vegas, but how do we get there? I could be very frugal when I’m ready, which is usually when I’m awake, so how were we going to afford to get out to Vegas from Florida with a family of four?
I’m definitely not driving from Florida– too far, can’t take a hot air balloon– too slow, maybe a train– never mind, by the time we get there it’ll be Christmas. Time to look into the plane tickets. Wait, what, how much?! Sigh.
Is there a sale, midnight madness discount, something, anything!! Jesus, we need a miracle! Tada, we got one! Nigel was able to get airline discounts through his job. Freaking fantastic! Vegas baby, here we come!
Time Zone Mix-ups
We planned to stay in Las Vegas for one week. I think we made a great choice because we had so much to do and see, one week was the perfect amount of time to do everything. When it was all over, we knew we would want to visit again.
When we got to Las Vegas, the first thing we noticed was the time zone difference. The time was three hours behind Florida, so even though it was 1:00 pm in Florida, it was 10:00 am in Las Vegas. When we arrived, we actually still had a whole day ahead of us.
Getting used to the time difference was very challenging throughout the trip as our bodies would be tired by 10:00 pm Florida time, but it would only be 7:00 pm in Las Vegas. Who’s going to bed at 7 pm? You better fight that sleep, Kareena.
In the morning was the same challenge as well. I would get awake at 5:00 am in Las Vegas, as my body was used to getting up at 8:00 am in Florida. This was some getting used to.
Las Vegas Triple-Digit Heat
When we got off the plane and left the airport to get our rental car, holy guacamole! Did we land on Mercury and become Mercurians? Why the heck is this heat turned up all the way to max? The temperature was 101 degrees.
Someone please come and adjust this! We didn’t kidnap Hansel and Gretel, so why do I feel like someone trapped me in an oven? Forget about the cute hairstyles and clothes, we are now on a mission to survive. If you are not able to achieve your daily water intake goals, visit Las Vegas, you won’t ever forget to drink that water!
Where We Stayed in Las Vegas
After we got our rental car, we drove out to the resort. We stayed at Westgate Flamingo Bay Resort*. This resort is not located on the popular Las Vegas strip, but just a few miles off the strip. The resort is a condo-style accommodation.
The room we stayed in was right next to the swimming pool (big mistake– too noisy), with lots of space for the family. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a full kitchen. Perfect. The resort also has many amenities, but we didn’t use them as we were mostly away doing other activities in Vegas.
Las Vegas Strip
Hotels
First stop, let’s hit the strip! Let’s see if it’s worth all the hoopla in the headlines. We didn’t know where to go first, as we didn’t have an official itinerary, so after some online research, we went to Circus Circus Hotel.
The kids were exposed to the fun shows, games, and rides. If you have kids, Circus Circus won’t disappoint. Of course, casinos for the adults too.
Other visits to the strip included hopping over to Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino where a marvelous shopping mall is located inside. You can find lots of upscale shopping and restaurants here. The hotel has Roman and stone decor throughout.
Other hotels we saw were Treasure Island, The Mirage, Planet Hollywood and Paris Las Vegas.
Water Fountain Show
My favorite event was going to the Fountains at Bellagio. This was the best water show I’ve ever seen! We went at night and the show was magnificent.
The water would intertwine with each other choreographed with music and lights. It was so mesmerizing and the best part was, it’s free!
Keep in mind, there will be a large crowd, but there was a show every 15 minutes, so if you stayed for the next show, the crowd cleared out, then you and your family would get a better view.
Las Vegas Off-Strip Adventures
Red Rock Canyon
For our other activity, we decided to venture off the strip and visit Red Rock Canyon. This place is nature and beauty at its best. Red Rock Canyon features miles and miles of scenic driving and hiking.
There are different types of plants and wildlife too. If you want, you can make plans to camp, as well. You do have to pay a small fee for entry, but it is worth the beauty.
Hoover Dam
We also did a day trip and visited the Hoover Dam. This is THE place for many of you engineers. Nigel was in heaven! Me, not so much. Hoover Dam is part of the Bureau of Reclamation’s major dams built on the Colorado River.
You can go for a tour, gain some education and learn about the history of the building of the dam. I am afraid of heights, so many of the views for me were off-limits. However, this tour was a great learning opportunity for the family.
For the industrial side of you, make sure you visit Hoover Dam on your trip to Las Vegas!
Cirque De Soleil Shows
We couldn’t leave Las Vegas without seeing a Cirque De Soleil show. These shows are amazing! It is so much fun for the entire family. These are a must-do in Las Vegas!
We saw ‘Ka’ at the MGM Grand Hotel. ‘Ka’ was filled with acrobatic acts depicting a story with enemies at war. It’s unbelievable to see these acts on a ginormous moving stage.
We also saw ‘Mystere’ at the Treasure Island Hotel. This show was hilarious and a little more geared for younger children to enjoy as well. Acrobats, strongmen, trapeze, trampoline and many different other acts made this show very entertaining.
Reservations for these shows are recommended, parking was available and the venues are lovely as they are inside hotels.
Las Vegas turned out to be one of our best family trips. We did so much and never once touched a slot machine. Las Vegas is a place for families.
There are so many things to do on and off the Las Vegas strip that included shopping, tours, and scenic drives. Visiting the strip at night really brought out all the lights and excitement.
I’m glad we finally made it out there, and next time we won’t forget our water bottles!
Looking for a more relaxed family vacation on the beach? Check out:
THINGS TO DO WHEN VACATIONING IN ORMOND BEACH, FLORIDA
Have you and your family visited Las Vegas? What was your favorite part of your trip? Share with us your Vegas experience, we would love to hear from you.
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I’m going to Vegas with my family for Thanksgiving weekend. I had forgotten about the Hoover dam. And I know my husband will love to check out the red rock canyon. Water show will be on my list too! We’ve been to Circus Circus in Reno but it’s not as great as the Vegas one, so it should be fun!
If anyone in your family has an engineering mind and loves to build, they will surely appreciate the behind-the-scenes of how Hoover Dam was built. My husband didn’t want to leave, as this was heaven for him. 🙂 Red Rock Canyon had so many picturesque views your family will love. If you want to keep the kids happy, yep, you must check out Circus Circus, they will love you! Safe travels and have fun on your trip! Thank you so much for visiting!