Cheap and Free Things to See and Do in Las Vegas

[thereuare]

This list was created for my sister who was traveling to Las Vegas on a budget with her husband and 3 kids (at the time, ages 8, 10, 12). As times and schedule are subject to change you should double check all times and days of operation:

Frozen Drink (Casino Royale): time to start your vacation off right, at the bar (area that faces the street) they have a free drink for showing your out of state driver

[WillTravel]

thereuare, you mentioned several things for kids in this list. What's your opinion of Las Vegas as a family destination, particularly teenagers? I've never been there and I've heard varied reports.

[thereuare]

You trying to open a can of worms? :)

Whether Las Vegas is a family oriented destinatlion is one of hot debate! One which i think is better left up to the parent(s) to determine the maturity level of the children.

My own opinion:

It's a great budget oriented travel destination for families as there is A LOT of things to do for everyone (as the above list shows). Although there is much to do there without gambling, most attractions are presented by the casinos and therefore typically do require walking through a casino to get to them. There are other non-casino things to do with a short drive out of town, such as Red Rock Canyon, but it's hard to avoid the casinos if you will be there for any stretch of time (and some of the best attractions are indeed in/near casinos). As well, many of the hotels have lavish pools with waterfalls and waterslides that can provide for a full days entertainment themselves. Additionally, it's a cheap family destinatin as mid-week hotel rooms are very inexpensive and food/meals can be equally as affordable (through using coupons and/or eating at buffets).

The one 'problem' is that there are flyers handed out on the sidewalks for escorts and dancers... and as you can imagine many of these are of scantily dressed women/men. So if that's something you would be upset if your child(ren) saw, then perhaps it's not the place for you.

My sister didn't try to shelter her kids from it and it wasn't a big deal. After speaking to my nieces/nephews when they returned, i don't remember any of them talking to me about the flyers that were handed out on the street... but they did talk with excitement about the volcano they saw, the Bellagio fountains, the lions at MGM, the white tigers at the Mirage, etc, etc.

Obviously this has to be a personal decision that every parent needs to make for themselves.

[WillTravel]

This sounds like something we could handle. Thanks for the reply. I'll ask my daughter if she wants to put LV on her travel list.

[liveforbargains]

Thereuare-That is a really great list but recently, the trend in Las Vegas is to put the 'sin' back in sin city. The new motto is "What happens here stays here". My friend just got back yesterday from Vegas, she goes about 10 times a year, and said the pirate show at Treasure Island is gone. However, it's been replaced by a new show called the "Sirens of TI'. My friend saw it and said it consists of some sleazy girls being chased around by pirates. I don't think her husband would describe it that way. :)

There has also been a resurgence in gentleman's clubs but there is no question that there still is lots of attractions for families with children. As far as WillTravel's question - I think teenagers would love Las Vegas! I'm going in about a week and I'll let you know if it still seems family friendly.

[DivaRoe]

Can you please update this list? I would love to print this out and take it with me. Thanks!