Family Holidays to Las Vegas

Where to stay

With dozens of Las Vegas hotels themed to the max and serving as mini theme parks in their own right, kids will be in awe of their surroundings from the moment they arrive. Many of the best hotels for families are located on The Strip, meaning it’s easy to use the facilities of lots of surrounding hotels too.

Circus Circus Hotel is one of the largest hotels in the world and features one of America’s largest indoor theme parks, Adventuredome, which can be enjoyed even if you’re not staying at the hotel. As well as all the circus antics, the kids will love getting between the three multi-story towers on the sky shuttle.

Similarly budget friendly to Circus Circus is Excalibur Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Vegas. It’s centred by a cartoon-style castle where you’ll find the Fun Dungeon arcade, the casino and the Tournament of Kings jousting dinner show. It’s also really close to New York – New York Hotel for more fun things to do.

Also right in the middle of The Strip is The Flamingo Hotel, which excels in its pool scene with a tropical waterpark. Set among its 15 acres are lakes with real-life flamingos on, while inside the entertainment includes family-friendly comedy shows.

Where to dine

Whether you choose to dine in one of the restaurants your hotel provides or find your own dining spot, you and your family can eat a different cuisine for every meal you have in Vegas. Among the hotels that provide free buffets and meals for children are Circus Circus, Flamingo and MGM Grand, which all let four year olds and under eat at no charge.

At the buffet you can usually expect to find breakfast spreads, salad bars, carving stations, American classics and a wide range of international dishes. There are also likely to be some tempting desserts.

Head away from The Strip, however, and there are also lots of affordable places to eat, including John’s Incredible Pizza Company, which comes complete with a great value buffet and weekday lunch specials. We also recommend trying the Dog Haus, serving hot dogs, sausages, and hamburgers all under $10. The kid’s meal are even cheaper!

Another family restaurant not to miss is the Rainforest Cafe, located in the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile Shops. Here you’ll discover jungle-themed decor, healthy meals for the kids and a fun gift shop. Options for kids include mini burgers, popcorn shrimp, dino-shaped chicken and mac and cheese, while for you there’s a Taste of the Islands seafood feast or Mojo Bones pork spareribs.

Enjoy

With so much to do in Las Vegas we can only sum up a handful of the activities, but trust us when we say that if Vegas doesn’t have it, it’s not worth visiting. Depending on which hotel you’re staying in, your kids might be craving some waterpark action – in which case head to Wet n Wild in Spring Valley for heart-pounding slides, tamer group and rubber ring rides and wave pools.

Younger kids will enjoy the freedom of Children’s Tree House & Play Zone at Container Park, while adults can join in too on some of the play equipment. Also at Container Park is an open-air shopping centre with restaurants and live entertainment.

Come night-time, as other Vegas-goers start to party, families head to Fremont Street for the nightly Light and Sound shows. A canopy of 2.1 million moving lights arcs nearly 30 metres high along four-blocks to display the computer-generated display, complete with music.

For gaming kids, GameWorks at Town Square has over 200 video and arcade games, plus bowling and a 105″ HDTV video wall for watching sports. Another family attraction at Town Square is the children’s park and playground, which has lots of shaded areas to keep cool in, as well as the Pop-Jet Fountain splash pad.

And for good old fashioned educational fun, the Discovery Children’s Museum has three-stories of exhibition halls full of interactive, hands-on exhibits. Other noteworthy family venues are the glow in the dark indoor KISS by Monster Mini Golf and Comedy Pet Theater with a cast of stray cats and dogs. Comic book fans will enjoy MARVEL Avengers Station with displays of character costumes and film sets, while, although the anatomical dissections at Bodies the exhibition are fascinating, it’s not for the faint-hearted.