Taking Your Kids to Sin City

What happens in Vegas, is supposed to stay in Vegas, but it can also be a fun, family vacation destination. Yes, Sin City has plenty to offer adults as well as little ones.

While many of the attractions that were meant to lure families to Las Vegas in the mid-1990s are gone, there are still plenty of options for your kids to have a fun few days on the Strip. We traveled to Las Vegas last year with our son and we had a great time, however, you do have to do a little planning when bringing your kids to America’s gambling Mecca.

First, it would behoove you to travel with more than your immediate family. Las Vegas is a great destination to lure aunts, uncles and grandparents that don’t live in Chicago to meet your family there. This is helpful because if parents want to enjoy all Vegas has to offer as well, someone will need to stay with your kids at bedtime.

Next, when calling for rooms at the colossal hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, be sure to ask what their policy is for children. There are a few hotels that do not want children and will tell you when you call that you may want to try a different hotel if you are bringing your kids. Others discourage kids by charging a per-night fee for anyone under 12 in your room.

Here are some family-friendly Strip hotels activities:

Four Seasons – This very upscale hotel is actually attached to Mandalay Bay, but has a separate entrance and elevator system from Mandalay Bay. This hotel will give your kids the celebrity treatment when they arrive by giving them a free gift when they arrive. They also have cribs, playpens, high chairs and strollers available for rent. While here, you can visit the Mandalay Bay for great restaurants, shopping, and the amazing Shark Reef aquarium. The Mandalay Bay Beach features a real sand beach, wave pool and lazy river.

MGM Grand – This enormous hotel has a great pool area including a zero-depth pool and a lazy river. There is also an arcade and it is the starting point for the Strip monorail. Children will love watching lions roam and play in the Lion Habitat. Among the many restaurants at the MGM Grand is Rainforest Café, the interactive family eating destination.

Excalibur – This English Mediaeval-themed hotel is shaped like a palace and you enter across a moving walkway on the castle’s drawbridge. In the level below the casino, kids can test their skills in the Fun Dungeon arcade or ride the Spongebob Squarepants 4-D ride. Excalibur also has the Tournament of Kings dinner show featuring knights on horses dueling, as well as singing and dancing.

Mirage – Visitors are greeted by a fiery volcano that most kids will enjoy watching a few times before heading inside. In the back of the hotel is the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, featuring jumping dolphins, lions and the famed white tigers.

Circus Circus – This was the first hotel in Las Vegas to welcome families. Kids can play arcade games in the hotel’s Carnival Midway while circus acts perform on stage. The family will enjoy riding roller coasters, playing laser tag and smashing bumper cars at the Circus Circus indoor amusement park Adventuredome. You may want to stay at a different hotel and visit Circus Circus for the day as this is one of the oldest hotels in Las Vegas and you may want to stay at one of the newer hotels further up the Strip.

Of course if you’re lucky enough to have a family member with you that can babysit, you can enjoy all that Las Vegas has to offer after the kids go to bed. Be careful because your kids’ body clocks will most likely still be on central time. This may mean a very early morning when your kids wake up at 4:30 a.m. ready to take on the day and you just went to sleep.