When you think of Las Vegas, “family friendly destination” is probably NOT one of the first things to come to mind. But the times I went to Vegas pre-baby, I saw so many families and kids everywhere! I wondered what they did with their kids but now that I have a child, I see the lure of Vegas with a family- there’s SOOOO much to see and do! Our family has been to Vegas three times since Little SB was born and every time we go, it’s more enjoyable than the last time.
Because we tend to bring everything and the kitchen sink when traveling with our daughter, we drive to Las Vegas. It’s about a 4-5 hour drive from Southern California and LSB usually takes a nap during the drive. We also like having our car in Vegas even though the traffic on the Strip is horrible at times because it gives us the flexibility to do things off the Strip.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The two hotels we have stayed at as a family are Aria and Vdara. Between the two, I personally like Vdara better because the rooms are bigger and because there’s no casino, so there’s no smoking. They also have a little kitchen or kitchenette, refrigerator, and stove in the rooms. You can request cookware if you want to cook your own food. Some of the rooms even have a washer and dryer! You can also request to have the rooms that face the Bellagio Fountains so you can watch them from your room late at night.
Other properties that are rated family friendly:
- Mandalay Bay – bigger rooms with an amazing beach and pool area. They have a wave pool and lazy river.
- Trump International Hotel -non smoking facility (no casino). They have a program called Trump Kids – coloring books, tear free bath amenities, board games and much more. They even offer babysitting/childcare!
- MGM Grand Hotel – has one of the most amazing pool areas in Vegas which includes caves, a lazy river, and more. They also have an arcade and is home to the Rainforest Cafe.
ACTIVITIES
We went to Vegas when LSB was 6 months, 18 months, and 2 years old. My favorite time so far has been our most recent trip because she seemed to enjoy herself more than the other times when she was younger. At 6 months, we basically came to Vegas to look at Christmas decorations and eat. There wasn’t that much for her to do because she was young, I was still breastfeeding, and she had to have her two naps. Here are some of the activities we did the last two times we went.
1. Mandalay Bay Shark Reef – The Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay Hotel is home to over 2,000 animals in over 1.6 million gallons of water. There are about 15 different species of sharks as well as piranhas and crocodiles. It costs $18 per adults and children 4 and under are free. I took Little SB when she was 18 months old and she did not like it very much. It was too dark inside for her liking, but I loved it. I think if I took her at 2 years old, she would have liked it a lot more.
2. Container Park – located in Downtown Las Vegas, this outdoor shopping center has many boutique shops, unique restaurants, and entertainment on the main stage. They also have a big play area in the middle called the Children’s Tree House and Play Zone with a treehouse, slide, and plenty of things for kids to play with. We went when it was 106 degrees out so we didn’t play in that area because it was too hot, but we did play with some giant lego pieces which were by the stage under the shade. It would be a fun place to come when it is cooler for the kids, but a nice eclectic place to explore for lunch or dinner any time of the year.
3. Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat – Located at the Mirage Hotel is the famous Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. I took LSB while Mr. SB had to do some work and we had a great time. It costs $19.95/ adult and kids 3 and under are free. It is a self-guided tour so you are free to explore at your leisure. LSB really liked watching the dolphins jump in and out of the water. There’s an underground viewing area to watch the dolphins. We went when it was hot so the animals in the secret garden were lounging around and sleeping, except the white tiger that was hamming it up for guests.
4. Discovery Children’s Museum – This was probably our favorite place to go with LSB. It is such an amazing children’s museum located about 15 minutes off the strip. It’s close to the Las Vegas Premium outlets so you can shop while your husband takes your kids to the museum! We especially loved the art room where we decorated a piece of cardboard to make into our very own puzzle. They even had an area just for younger toddlers with a little crawl space for crawlers. This hands-on museum has something for everyone and is definitely a place we will visit again!
5. Town Square – Another outdoor shopping area with a gated children’s park for kids to play. It has a splash pad, a maze, treehouse, slides, and more. We didn’t get to go here but this is on our list of places to visit the next time we go to Vegas.
FOOD
There are so many restaurants to eat at in Vegas – the choices are endless! We always go to at least one buffet. My favorites are Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan, Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar’s Palace, or Bellagio Buffet. Some other favorite places to eat are Secret Pizza at the Cosmo, Shake Shack at New York New York, and Lotus of Siam off the Strip.
Have you been to Las Vegas as a family?
honeydew / 7622 posts
Great recommendations. We just booked a trip when T is one, we are staying at a Hilton with a kitchen and washer/dryer. The property also has 2 pools.
GOLD / eggplant / 11517 posts
I loooooveee Las Vegas. We got engaged there and just went back for DH’s business trip in June. We haven’t taken LO yet, but I love all the family friendly suggestions!
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
You make me want to book a trip to Vegas now!! We’ve been to Vegas many times, but never with the kids. Town Square looks really cool!
pomegranate / 3401 posts
Great post! Haven’t been to Vegas with the kids yet but will be going next January! Totally saving this post for your recommendations! Town Square looks awesome!
pomegranate / 3225 posts
Ooookay I’m totally going now! It hadn’t occured to me that it would be family friendly until your blog! woot woot!
grapefruit / 4663 posts
@kml636: right I just saw a great deal on flights and hotels!
kiwi / 500 posts
Wow! We’ve been to Vegas once with the kids, they were still young and very content just running around I had no idea theres more kid friendly things to do. Hubs is always wondering if we should go back since he gets free rooms a lot of times, I have to show him the awesomeness of this post! Thanks!
persimmon / 1345 posts
I have been to several children’s museums all across the country but the Las Vegas one is def the best! So much stuff to do and look at! LO loved the water area. We had to drag her out!
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
Very cool. We went to Vegas in June and stayed at Harrah’s. It was very hot, reaching 100 on one of the days. It was a spur of the moment trip since our baby moon to Mexico was cut short. I was 20 weeks pregnant and we were only there for 3 days. We left vegas thinking that we have no reason to come back to Vegas once our twins were born. It was too hot, lots of walking (we had no car) and the people walking around the strip just didn’t seem like something we want our kids to see.
Anyway, your post gives me hope that maybe we could try Vegas again (and with kids). Great suggestions and a renting a car probably is required, right?
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
My family are Vegas aficionados! I’m talking minimum 5x a year. Yea…. They’re crazy! haha! We took DS there twice now since he’s been born and was looking at Vegas in a whole new way. I totally approve and second all your suggestions above!! Especially the food, because let’s be real, that’s why we all really go right? Those buffets are amazing!! And it works well for us since DS likes variety. There you go!
Aria is our go-to hotel of choice also! We avoid the strip while driving and take the back roads. Saves us so much time and headache.
guest
We took my son when he was 10 months and just booked another trip for October, when he’ll be 21 months! We stay at the Cosmopolitan – they have one bedroom suites so that we can put him to bed and don’t have to all go to bed. On our last trip we got upgraded to a larger suite – 1200 square feet! They also provide a free full crib, not just a pack and play. The only downside is walking through the smoky casino to get in or out.
Seconding all your suggestions, plus I think kids would really love the atrium/garden at the Bellagio.
cherry / 108 posts
Interesting! We may have to consider this as a future family trip soon! We stayed at a Vdara for our honeymoon and is still one of our favorite hotels to this day!
blogger / apricot / 349 posts
@youboots: Hope you guys have fun!
@DillonLion: Yay! You should def go back with LO. There are certain times in December when it is not that crowded and the room rates are low.
@Mrs. High Heels: You should totally go! You guys would have so much fun!!
@Ginabean3: Oh awesome! I hope you guys have fun! It’ll probably be cold in January.
@kml636: I know! It surprised me too! As long as you avoid walking the strip, it’s actually quite nice to go with a family!
@jetsa:
@anewme: You should totally go! There’s so much to do and see!
@misolee: Yea! I’ve been the the one in Boston and that one was really good too. I wish there was something like this in So Cal!
@bluestriped bee: Yes, having a car would be helpful but you could always take a taxi to places off the strip but it would be more convenient to have a car.
@Alivoo01: Yes, hubby take the back roads too (the ones taxi drivers take. He has been to Vegas numerous times for business and remembered the backroads the taxi drivers took.) And yes, the buffets.. crab legs- especially warm crab legs!
@ Erin- oh how fun! Yes, the Bellagio Conservatory is awesome but every time we go, it’s so crowded so LO can’t really run around. I love the decorations!
blogger / apricot / 349 posts
@Chicfro: I love Vdara! So clean and centrally located! You should totally go with your family! I’ll be fun!
bananas / 9357 posts
Thank you! We will be traveling thru and staying one night in Vegas in January so this is perfect! Now I wish we can stay longer to do more.
blogger / apricot / 367 posts
Love this list thank you! Have always wanted to take a family trip to vegas and now i know it’s possible