Can You Visit Las Vegas with Kids? (and Should You?) 30+ Family-Friendly Activities

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Maureen Hochdorf

Las Vegas with kids?!? Vegas is known for its party scenes, gambling, and wild activities, BUT there’s another side to Vegas that you might not have seen before. The family-friendly side! Many people struggle with the question: Should I visit Vegas with my kids? So let us help you – here’s what our Vegas trip looked like with our 5-year-old.

Before this trip, we had only gone to Vegas as a couple. My husband (an avid poker player) has been traveling to Vegas for years, but since we had our daughter, we haven’t been. I was hesitant about taking her to Vegas (with reason) but turns out, we had a great time on our trip! And found some really cool family-friendly activities as well. Which brings us to our first question: Is Vegas fun for families?

Contents

1 Is Las Vegas fun for families?
2 Is it safe to walk around the Vegas Strip with my kids?
3 Can kids go inside casinos in Vegas?
4 What is the best time to go to Las Vegas with kids?
5 What are the best hotels in Las Vegas for families?
6 How can I find hotel deals for Las Vegas?
7 30 FREE hotel attractions for families in Las Vegas
8 18 More Things to do in Las Vegas with Kids
9 Is it worth bringing kids to Las Vegas?
10 Pin It: 30 Activities in Las Vegas with Kids
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Is Las Vegas fun for families?

This is a pretty subjective question; I mean, Vegas is either your cup of tea or it isn’t. So it all depends on what type of family you have. Yes, it can be fun for families who love visiting new cities, trying out new activities, and staying in huge hotels. BUT, if you’re a family that doesn’t like crowds (or lots of people), prefers to be hiking and camping instead of staying in hotels, or stays clear of big cities in general, I would probably skip Vegas with your family. It all comes down to your travel style.

As a family, our travel style is quite eclectic – we like visiting big cities and trying out new activities, but we also like the great outdoors: hiking, camping, boating, etc. So for us, Las Vegas with kids was a fun new experience.

Is it safe to walk around the Vegas Strip with my kids?

Again, this is a subjective question, but I’ll attempt to answer from my perspective. I would say that, as parents, we are pretty protective. We walked around the Strip one night with our daughter (who is 5 years old), and for us, that was enough! I never felt unsafe walking around, but I did feel extremely uncomfortable. There were just too many sights I wasn’t ready for my daughter to see, including lots of under-dressed women.

That being said, thankfully, our daughter was fixated on shows and lights and didn’t seem to notice much of what I was worried about. We let her wear her new princess costume, so she was just so happy twirling and receiving lots of compliments from passerbyers. We did a lot of re-directing that night!

Can kids go inside casinos in Vegas?

This is a tricky one because technically you need to be 21 to be in a casino. But since most of the hotels in Las Vegas have casinos located throughout the hotel, kids are allowed to walk through the casino to get to their room or activity area but cannot stop and stand in the gaming areas.

We experienced this issue while walking through the Wynn hotel. We were going to have lunch at one of the restaurants in the hotel and stopped in the middle of the casino area to find out where it was located. A guard immediately came up to us and told us we cannot stop with our daughter inside the gaming area, so we had to keep walking. Some hotels are strict with this rule and some are more lenient.

What is the best time to go to Las Vegas with kids?

Typically, the off-season for Las Vegas runs between November and February, with a few exceptions around the Christmas and New Years holidays. The weather isn’t as warm and room rates are lower. If you visit during the middle of the week, Monday through Thursday, you can also find lower hotel prices compared to weekend rates.

We visited at the end of August and found some great deals on our hotel room. Which brings us to our next question – how to find hotel deals for Las Vegas.

What are the best hotels in Las Vegas for families?

While most of the hotels offer quite a few amenities in Las Vegas, some of them are more family-friendly than others. When considering what hotel to stay at, I suggest looking at what the hotel offers for kids and where it’s located. And the type of pool it has always tells you a lot about the hotel too! Here’s some of our top family-friendly hotels in Vegas:

The Mirage: Our daughter LOVED staying at the Mirage! Nice big family rooms, fun pools, shows, ice cream right next to the elevators (that was Mia’s favorite) – what more can a kid want!
Excalibur: What child doesn’t want to stay in a castle? Although the rooms are a bit dated, they make up for it with some of their fun features: treasure hunts, themed dinners, and fun pools! And did I mention, it’s a castle?!?
New York, New York. Located right next to the Excalibur, it’s another family favorite. The arcade, roller coaster and restaurants are a fun addition to the hotel.
Mandalay Bay: Featuring a water park and awesome pools, it’s a kid’s dream come true. It also houses the aquarium, which is a great activity to add to your itinerary.
The Venetian: If you want a taste of Italy without the price of a ticket to Italy, the Venetian is your choice. The suites are perfect for families who need lots of room. They have a splash pad along with the pool, and there’s just so much to explore inside the hotel’s canals and inside shopping areas.

How can I find hotel deals for Las Vegas?

One of our favorite ways to save on hotels in Las Vegas is by using Priceline’s Express Deals. We’ve stayed at 5-star hotels for 75% OFF this way – this past trip at the Mirage. Whereas most people are hesitant about ordering an Express Deal because they don’t know upfront what hotel they’ll actually be staying at, our hotel hack for their Express Deals guarantees that you know EXACTLY which hotel you’re ordering.

Check out our Priceline Express Deal Travel Hack:

30 FREE hotel attractions for families in Las Vegas

One of the coolest parts of Las Vegas is the attractions that the hotels have. And just because you’re staying at one, doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy all of them! We stayed at the Mirage this past trip but spent a lot of time in other hotels. So, what attractions were our favorites?

The Mirage Hotel Fire Show

The fire show at the Mirage is, without a doubt, one of the coolest things to see during a Vegas trip. And we were lucky enough to see it right from our room! Make sure you schedule time to see the show at night – you won’t be disappointed!

The Bellagio Fountain Show

The Bellagio fountain show is – by far – our most favorite hotel attraction to see! Each show is uniquely set to a new song with its rhythmic water spouts dancing along to the beat. We’ve been known to stay and watch 4-5 shows in a row – they are just so spectacular! And don’t worry if you missed one while walking the strip – they play every 30 minutes from 3pm – 7pm and every 15 minutes from 7pm until midnight. Do NOT miss these shows!

Treasure Island’s Pirate Ships

Another cool display for kids (and adults) to visit are the pirate ships outside Treasure Island. Once upon a time in Vegas, there was also a pirate show at night for crowds to gather around, but alas, no more. Let’s hope they bring it back soon!

The Cosmopolitan’s High-Heeled Shoes

Now, this might be more for the girls in your family but humor us! Inside the hotel lies giant high-heeled shoes, perfect for the princess in you. Our daughter loved climbing inside and pretending they were cars. But I saw a lot of older princesses posing inside them too! There is also a cool Alice in Wonderland theme going on in the hotel with fun IG photo ops.

Twirl Around The Wynn Gardens

The Wynn hotel takes gardening to the next level with its stunning garden area. Adorned with thousands of REAL flowers, there is so much beauty to be seen. It’s just fun to walk through the area, twirling like the garden fairy you are inside.

Hanging at the Vegas Hotel Pool

Don’t forget the joys of splashing around in the pool and having fun in the sun! Spending time at your hotel’s pool is always a fun option while in Las Vegas with kids. We make sure to spend at least half a day at the pool, and it’s always a kid-pleaser.

Take in the Beauty of the Bellagio Conservatory

Each season the Bellagio Conservatory transforms into a a gorgeous display – and we happened to see The Grandeur of Nature. It’s a breathtaking display of stunning flower sculptures, waterfalls, plants, and birds – the whole array of Mother Nature. Definitely a MUST-SEE!

The Vegas Sphere

Vegas’ new feature is the Vegas Sphere. This brand new show in town is the largest Sphere in the world – and quite the sight to see! And you never know what will show up on the world’s largest LED screen!

Make a Wish in the Venetian Canals

The Venetian is one of the coolest hotels to walk around with its reconstructed canal streets inside the hotel. Mia’s favorite was making a wish as she threw her coin in the canal.

The Silverton Mermaid Show

Did you know that the Silverton hotel has a FREE Mermaid show? And what’s even better is that their aquarium is also FREE! Double bonus!

Chocolate Heaven at the M&M Store

Don’t forget to make a stop at the M&M store for all your chocolate cravings! It’s a 4-story store with EVERYTHING M&M you could ever dream of! You can even personalize your own M&M’s. And here’s our secret clearance section TIP:

Venture off the Vegas Strip to Seven Magic Mountains

Just a quick 20-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip lies seven cool art and colorful sculptures. It’s a great way to venture off the Strip and see some really unique real-life art sculptures.

18 More Things to do in Las Vegas with Kids

Now let’s get into the activities you can do with your family that requires a little extra dough. But don’t worry, you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for fun things to do.

Here is our favorite way to save money on activities in Las Vegas with kids: Groupon. Yes, Groupon. There are some fantastic deals on Groupon for Las Vegas activities, so instead of paying full price, check out their offers first!

Here are some family-friendly activities that your entire family can enjoy in Las Vegas:

Tour the Shark Reef Aquarium

Did you know there’s an aquarium inside Mandalay Bay? And it’s full of sharks, rays, sea turtles and more. There are also stingray, sea turtle, and shark-feeding experiences if you really want to up your package. TIP: Check Groupon for discounted tickets for the general aquarium tour.

Dive-In Movie Night

One of my all-time favorite activities was attending a dive-in movie night on Cosmopolitan’s roof pool. Every Monday night throughout the summer and early Fall they play a new movie – we saw Disney’s Encanto. It was the perfect family-fun activity. The price is $15.50 on their website but if you go on Groupon, you can get tickets for $8.00 each. We saved $23 just by ordering via Groupon.

Check out all the details here:

Ride the Big Apple Coaster at New York, New York

If you’re looking for a more thrilling activity, check out New York, New York’s roller coaster. The Big Apple Coaster goes over 67mph and has a 180-degree heartline twist, dive and drop – it’s a spectacular way to see the view of the strip! Kids must be at least 54 inches to ride, but for those not tall enough, there is also an arcade with lots of games for younger ones.

New York, New York Arcade

And for those of you with younger kids who can’t ride the roller coaster yet, they also have an arcade inside New York, New York hotel with lots of games for everyone.

Disney’s Immersive Animation Show

Disney’s Immersive Animation Show is now open in Vegas! If you’re looking for the ULTIMATE family-friendly Disney activity on the Strip, THIS IS IT! Located at The Shops at Crystals, this new addition to Vegas is a kid pleaser – a MUST for any Disney fan!

See the Entire Strip from the High Roller

Here’s a fun fact: The High Roller Observation Wheel on the Vegas strip is actually the world’s second-tallest ferris wheel! So if you want to see the entire strip from 550 feet above, this is your chance to do it! Each ball can fit up to 40 people and has 360-degree views. The ride around the wheel is 30 minutes long. There are also Happy Hour rides and nighttime rides too. Another great family-friendly experience.

Eat at the Rainforest Cafe

Lunch and a rainstorm! Eating at the Rainforest Cafe is always fun for the kids (and adults). The entire restaurant takes place in a rainforest with animated animals and a full-blown rainstorm. Super fun!

Planet Hollywood Wave Machine

Want to try your hand at surfing? If you’re staying at the Planet Hollywood, you’re in luck! They have a wave machine at their pool, fun for the whole family. So take a stab at their surfing wave machine!

Linq Zipline

Want to see Vegas from above? Zip over the city on a zipline. TIP: Kids 12 & under must be accompanied by an adult.

Take in a Show – Magic or Cirque du Soleil

If you want to see a show while you’re in Vegas, you came to the right place. There’s a plethora of shows available from concerts, magic performances, and theater plays. The Cirque Du Soleil is always a great option with many different shows to choose from. And if magic is your kids’ thing, there are many choices in that department too!

Go Old School at the Fremont Street Experience in Old Vegas

If you haven’t made your way down to Old Vegas, you definitely need to add it to your list. The Fremont Street Experience is a unique blend of Old and New Vegas with zip lines covering the entire street, a spectacular ceiling show, and lots of wacky entertainment.

TIP: If you have very young kids, I would recommend waiting until they’re a bit older. There were some moments when I needed to shield my daughter’s eyes from some shady situations. It’s really cool to see, but it was in and out for our family.

Eiffel Tower Experience

Ride up to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the Paris Hotel for incredible views of the strip from its open-air caged observation deck. It might not be the same views you’ll see in Paris, France, but they’re still pretty spectacular!

Wax-on Wax-off at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum

An interactive museum can be a fun way to beat the Vegas heat and see movie stars, musicians and sports heroes of all kinds. The Madame Tussaud’s Wax museum in the Venetian does a nice job of adding props for taking fun pictures – a fun, family-friendly attraction.

The Venetian’s Canals and Gondola Rides

The Venetian is one of the most impressive hotels with its maze-like streets of Italy weaving throughout the hotel. (Yes, we have gotten lost before). Whether you take an inside or outside gondola ride or just have fun wandering the canal streets, walking around the Venetian should be added to your list.

Mermaid School at the Silverton Hotel

Got a mermaid-obsessed kid? Mermaid school provides the magical opportunity to become a Mermaid and swim in the aquarium at the Silverton hotel.

Speed Vegas

This activity is for the BIG kids in your family -aka husbands. For those who feel the need.. the need for speed, head to Speed Vegas for the racing experience of a lifetime. My hubby STILL talks about it!

Marvel Avenger Station

Do you have Super hero fans in the family? Step into the superhero Marvel world in this interactive and immersive experience at Treasure Island.

Is it worth bringing kids to Las Vegas?

After all was said and done, we actually had a wonderful time in Las Vegas with our daughter. Bringing kids and the family is a completely different vacation than if you come as a couple, single or friends, but you can have fun with kids, too! It’s just a different kind of fun. And it was definitely worth it for us – and our daughter. She loved it!