Guide To Visiting Las Vegas With Kids

Travel Tips for parents planning to travel to Las Vegas with their children

So you’re traveling to Las Vegas… and with kids! I have some amazing tips on traveling to Las Vegas for parents.

First of all, select where you are staying carefully. Las Vegas has some of the world’s best hotels. I always suggest visiting a variety of travel sites to compare hotels, their amenities and prices. Read the consumer reviews and view the pictures of former visitors. This will provide you with great insight as to what the hotel REALLY has to offer and if it will work within your own set of needs.

For example, the Trump hotel doesn’t offer a casino- which many families like.  All Stations casinos and The Palms have on-site daycare. Many of Vegas’ luxurious hotels are kid-friendly, but some have more amenities for children than others- so do your homework and look beyond the price. Sometimes, for as little as ten dollars more per night, parents find they can select a different hotel with many more conveyances.

Many people visit Las Vegas and take their children off the Strip for activities, too. There are many fun and safe things to do off the Strip, like visiting Lake Mead or The Springs Preserve. If you are looking for a great park, then check out Exploration Peak Park on the west side of Las Vegas.  It is a bit of a drive but the views are amazing. Plus, the kids have access to an old-west styled playground, a huge grass area, and can climb a small trail up a mini-mountain. The area is pretty safe, too. You can find this park located at 9700 South Buffalo Drive in zip code 89178. Note, this is a residential area. There are not many restaurants around but there is a Smith’s grocery store located on the main road to get to the park.  The grocery store offers ready-made sandwiches and salads, perfect for a picnic in Las Vegas!

For the Vegans with kids out there, don’t stress when trying to plan dining in Las Vegas. There is a Whole Foods market on Las Vegas Blvd. (about five minutes south of Mandalay Bay) in an area called Town Square. The Whole Foods caters to Vegans and families with special dietary needs. There is also an amazing playground area, with soft floors, located in Town Square. The area is perfect for parents because they can alternate between watching the kids on the playground while still getting in some high-end shopping.   Another tip for families with special dietary needs is to contact their hotel’s concierge. He or she will have a list of their property’s restaurants that serve specialty foods. If the hotel doesn’t have a restaurant with Vegan options for instance (which is unheard of for most strip hotels) then ask for a referral to neighboring hotel restaurants.

Speaking of hotel restaurants, Las Vegas has tons and tons of family-friendly restaurants. The Rain Forrest Cafe (at the MGM) offers kid friendly food and great selections for adults.  The Luxor has a food court featuring a McDonald’s and a Little Caesars Pizza.  For more upscale and family friendly dining, check out Brio. located in Town Square. The Italian eatery is more than reasonably priced and the food is consistently delicious.

A crucial tip for parents traveling with children is finding a local pharmacy. Las Vegas has a huge Walgreens’ pharmacy right on the Strip! In fact, there are three of them on Las Vegas Blvd.  Kids, parents too, can get sick while on vacation and the Walgreens can help you find whatever over-the-counter or prescribed items you need. There is even a Physician’s Assistant working on most days who can write prescriptions or address flu-like symptoms.  Check-out one of the three stores and save yourself a lot of money over the items in your hotel’s courtesy shop!

Lastly, let me help you when it comes to dealing with the Strip’s character line-up in general. When you are traveling to Las Vegas with kiddies there will be a vast array of cartoon characters lining the entire strip. These characters are ready and willing to take photos with your kids for tips. The activity is fun for the adults and the kids always get a kick out of meeting their favorite cartoon characters in person. A single dollar per photo is a reasonable tip to provide to each character. I’ve seen everything from Iron Man and Michael Jackson to Mickey Mouse and all the Ninja Turtles taking photos with young ones!

In closing, do your homework and don’t be afraid to venture off of Las Vegas Blvd.  For more suggestions on what to do in Las Vegas with kids just click VegasKids.Info.

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About The Author: About the Author: Helene Vece is a writer for VegasKids.info,
For the past thirty two years she has worked and lived in Las Vegas.  Ms. Vece raised her children in Las Vegas and now takes her grandchildren for weekly Vegas’ adventures.
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