Las Vegas Attractions and Activities for the Family
Mixed in the adult glitz, glamour and gaming, there are plenty of things to do in Las Vegas with kids. Whether your kids are looking to go on rides, watch a performance, go on a hike or hang out above the city, Las Vegas has something for everyone. Below is a list of family activities for you to experience on your next family trip to Sin Kid City.
Things to Do with Kids in Las Vegas on the Strip
Adventuredome Theme Park
Situated under a massive pink dome behind Circus Circus, this five acre indoor theme park is a great place for kids and adults to enjoy rides and games all year long. The theme park offers rides for every age and range from kid rides up to thrill rides and roller coasters. To go along with all of the rides, there are fair games, arcades, miniature golf and a 4-D movie adventure. It costs nothing to enter and only costs to ride and play. If you plan on spending some time at the theme park, we recommend getting the all day ride pass. The Adventuredome should be at the top of your “things to do with kids in Las Vegas” list. See our article on the family things to do at Circus Circus or visit the Adventuredome website for more information.
Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
In a huge glass dome just past the lobby of the Bellagio Hotel is the Conservatory & Botanical Garden which has 120 horticulturists arranging stunningly beautiful seasonal scenes. These scenes use flowers, plants, trees and constructed pieces, like lighthouses, gazebos and bridges, to create unique visual scenes. Along with the season scenes, the Bellagio also changes the scenes for holidays. The Conservatory & Botanical Garden is open 24 hours a day, and is free to enter. The amazing scenes and the ton of photo opportunities should have you putting the Conservatory on your list of things to do with kids in Las Vegas.
Shark Reef Aquarium
The Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay brings you into the unique underwater world that is filled with dangerous predators. With 14 exhibits that feature 100 sharks, Piranhas, rays and crocodiles, as well as, the less intimidating exotic fish and sea turtles. The touch pool and the 1.3 million gallon shark exhibit with a walk through tunnel are the highlights not to be missed at the aquarium. For more information, visit the Shark Reef Aquarium Website.
High Roller Observation Wheel
Towering high over Las Vegas Boulevard is the 550-foot-tall High Roller observation wheel, which is one of the world’s tallest. The High Roller at The LINQ Hotel, gives riders an amazing view of the strip and far beyond. Visitors step aboard spherical glass-enclosed cabins that slowly rotate at one foot per second to give them a leisurely 30 minute ride to admire the 360-degree views of the city.
Gondola Ride at The Venetian
Winding through the Venetian Hotel are the man made canals where gondolas are guided through by a personal gondolier who sings you Italian songs during your ride. Our gondolier had a great voice, sang a wonderful rendition of “That’s Amore” and rocked the boat which delighted our daughter. There is a choice of indoor and outdoor gondola rides and each gondola seats up to four people and last about 14 minutes.
See a Las Vegas Show
Known as the Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas lives up to its nickname by offering an incredible variety of spectacular shows. While most of the shows are geared towards adults, Las Vegas does have plenty of shows that are appropriate for the whole family. Whether you and the kids are in the mood for a Broadway production, the magical world of Cirque du Soleil, celebrity headliners, magicians, comedians or variety shows – Las Vegas has what you are looking for.
Our top recommended family friendly show in Las Vegas is Mystère by Cirque du Soleil, which is an amazingly beautiful show with non-stop breathtaking acrobatic and artistic acts. If your family is looking for action and excitement then the Tournament of Kings is the show for you. And for a good laugh we think you will love the Blue Man Group or Popovich Comedy Pet Theater. See our Best Las Vegas Shows for Kids article for a list of the best kid friendly Las Vegas shows.
The Eiffel Tower Experience
Outside of the Paris Las Vegas Hotel is the half scale replica of the Eiffel Tower. The top of the Eiffel Tower has an open-air caged observation deck that offers amazing 360° views of Las Vegas. You start with a glass elevator ride up 460 feet above the Las Vegas Strip where you will get amazing bird’s eye view of strip, the Bellagio fountains and the valley. Although it opens in the morning, the Eiffel Tower Experience is especially radiant at night when all the Vegas lights illuminate the city.
Madame Tussauds
A short moving walkway ride from the Las Vegas Strip at the front of The Venetian Resort is Madame Tussauds Las Vegas. Have fun posing and interacting with the amazingly life-like celebrity wax figures situated in multiple themed rooms ranging from television and film to music and Las Vegas legends. Grab some of the props to become one with your favorite celebrity – throw on boxing gloves to go a round with Muhammad Ali, put on a cape and sit on Evel Knievel’s motorcycle, grab the microphone on stage with The Rat Pack or interact with your favorite MARVEL superheroes. For more information visit the Madame Tussauds website.
Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N.
At the Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. (Scientific Training and Tactical Intelligence Operative Network), you and the kids can step off the Strip and into the world of the Marvel Universe. Guests participate in recruitment and training as a qualified station agent. On display is a variety of the Avengers equipment such as Iron Man’s armor suits (including the Hulkbuster), Bruce Banner’s laboratory, Captain America’s shield, Vision’s birth cradle, Thor’s hammer, Ant-Man’s helmet and Hawkeye and Black Widow’s uniforms and weapons.
This interactive and immersive experience will have you filling out your S.H.I.E.L.D. agent profile, answering questions through each superhero exhibit, watching videos, hoping on Captain America’s motorcycle, experiencing Iron Man’s Heads Up Display, facing off as a team in a fight against Ultron and much more. For more information visit the Marvel Station website.
Mirage Hotel Volcano, Aquarium and Atrium
The Mirage has three free Las Vegas attractions for the family to enjoy. Behind the front desk is a beautiful 20,000-gallon saltwater aquarium filled with artificial corals and around 450 tropical fish. Close by the aquarium in the lobby of the hotel is the rainforest atrium which has lagoons, waterfalls, lofty palms and beautiful plants. Out in front of the hotel is the volcano show which is a Las Vegas Strip icon. The Mirage volcano erupts nightly – 8:00 and 9:00 PM (and 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturday) – shooting fire in the air and spewing smoke with thunderous sound effects. See our Mirage Hotel attractions article or visit the Mirage Hotel website for more information.
The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade
Winding its way around the outside of the New York New York Hotel, this roller coaster will give you and the kids a nice view (if you can keep your eyes open long enough) of the Las Vegas Strip. The Big Apple Coaster has an opening drop of 144 feet, speeding around the track maxing out at 67 mph and inverts you with a loop and 180-degree twist. Near the coaster entrance is the arcade which has video games and midway style carnival games.
The Wildlife Habitat
The Flamingo Hotel has a beautifully lush outdoor animal habitat that is unique, fun and absolutely free. Nestled in the lush habitat are the signature Chilean flamingos, turtles, koi fish, parrots and other exotic birds. Along with the animals is the wonderful environment with lovely foliage, waterfalls, fountains and ponds. The Flamingo Wildlife Habitat is open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk and they also have two live feedings every day.
Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat
This animal sanctuary is located inside of The Mirage Hotel and Casino and focuses on dolphins and big cats. The Dolphin Habitat is a 2.5 million gallon tank that houses the bottlenose dolphins and is surrounded by lush foliage and palms. There are no “shows”, but there are times when the dolphins do tricks with the trainers. There is also an underwater viewing which is a great place to watch the dolphins play and interact with one another. The Secret Garden is where the variety of big cats are housed. Among the beautiful greenery and waterfalls you will see panthers, tigers, leopards and lions. Not only will the kids have fun watching these animals, they will also learn about them.
Circus Acts and Carnival Midway
Circus Circus Las Vegas Hotel has a variety of free circus acts that perform daily starting at 11 a.m. at the center stage of the Carnival Midway. Some of the circus performances you will see there include flying trapeze, juggling, aerial silks, slack wire, circus clowns and much more. Before and after the circus acts, you and the kids can enjoy playing carnival type games to win prizes at the Carnival Midway. The circus acts will definitely entertain the kids and should be on your short list of things to do with kids in Las Vegas. See our article with more details and other fun things to do at the Circus Circus Hotel.
Bellagio Fountains
Outside of the Bellagio Hotel is a huge man made lake that has over a 1,000 fountains which provide a wonderful show of choreographed dancing water, lights and music. Watch geysers shoot lit water hundreds of feet in the air while listening to the music it is in sync with. The free shows take place every half hour until 8 pm and then every 15 minutes until midnight. Visit the Bellagio Hotel Website for show times and more information.
Welcome to Las Vegas Sign
The Las Vegas welcome sign is one of the most iconic signs in the world and has been a landmark since the 1960s. Grabbing a family photo in front of this historic site has never been easier thanks to a big parking lot and an elevated mound to get you higher up in your pictures. There is no cost for taking a photo and parking is free. The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign is located on the south end of Las Vegas Blvd.
Fall of Atlantis & Aquarium
This free animatronic show tells the story of Atlantis and how he was doomed to the depths of the ocean. He is flanked by his two kids who show off their special powers and fight for power of the empire. Without giving too much of the story away, the show has fireballs, special effects and water fountains that make it amusing. Kids should also like it, even if they don’t understand everything that is going on. The Fall of Atlantis show is located at the Forum Shops in Caesars Palace. In addition to watching the show, the backside of the set is a beautiful 50,000-gallon aquarium filled with over 300 tropical fish.
Titanic Exhibit
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Luxor Hotel showcases hundreds of artifacts and realistic replicas from the RMS Titanic along with personal tales and belongings from the passengers of the ship. Visitors will see a massive 15-ton piece of the ship’s hull, amazing replicas of the ship’s Grand Staircase, the promenade deck and passenger cabins. Visitors will also see many items from the ship, its passengers and crew, like plates, jewelry, whistles, currency, luggage, etc.
Tastes of the World at the Coca-Cola Store
Just north of the MGM Grand on the Strip is the Coca-Cola Store, which has a vast array of Coca-Cola brand apparel, accessories, housewares and other novelty items. Shopping for merchandise is not what got the store added to our list of things to do in Vegas with kids.
The second floor of the store has a beverage bar and seating area where you can order an Around the World Tray. These tastes of the world trays consists of two trays of eight sodas that are popular soda drinks from various parts of the world. Along with the soda trays you get a list of all the drinks and what country they are from. It is a whole lot of fun, especially for the kids, to try various drinks from different countries. Make sure to share your sodas with everyone to lighten the sugar overload. See our Tastes of the World at the Coca-Cola Store article for the drink menu and more information on this fun family activity.
Hershey’s Chocolate World
Hershey’s Chocolate World in Las Vegas offers a unique and delicious experience for candy and chocolate lovers of all ages. This two story store is packed with a large variety of Hershey’s treats, merch and souvenirs as well as a bakery with unique desserts like cupcakes, cookies, chocolate covered strawberries and smores. With the store located at the New York-New York Hotel, Hershey stayed on point with the NYC theme and has a Twizzlers Statue of Liberty and a Chocolate Empire State Building. It’s a fun place to visit for the family with a sweet tooth.
M&M’s World
Next door to the MGM Grand is M&M’s World which is four stories of candy and M&M gift items. The floors are filled with M&M themed mugs, luggage, stuffed animals, clothes, cookware, office supplies and a whole lot more. They have an area where you can personalize your own M&M’s and watch them being made as well as an area called “M&M’s My Color” that has a wall with dozens of tubes filled with different color M&M’s that you won’t get out of a regular bag. It is a fun place to find gifts to bring back home, your kids will have a blast looking around and you can expect that they will want to buy something whether it is candy or a souvenir.
Things to Do with Kids in Las Vegas off the Strip
Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour
Although this is the most expensive activity listed here, our helicopter tour is our number one experience on our “Things to Do with Kids in Las Vegas” list. We have been on a few helicopter flights in Vegas that ranged from short tours over the Strip to the amazing flights that soar over and into the Grand Canyon. Our favorite tour is the Helicopter Picnic Tour from Sundance Helicopters.
Our tour started with a limo ride to the airport, hopping aboard the luxurious touring helicopter, flying over the Mojave Desert, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and then following the Colorado River into the Grand Canyon where we landed for a picnic. What a wonderful family experience this was and we highly recommend adding this to everyone’s Las Vegas bucket list. See our Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour from Las Vegas article to see pictures and details of this amazing experience.
Valley of Fire State Park
About an hour’s drive northeast Las Vegas is the Valley of Fire State Park, which is perfect for a family day of exploring and hiking Nevada’s largest state park. The Valley of Fire is filled with naturally beautiful points of interest around every turn and can easily fill your day exploring its wonders that formed millions of years ago.
Our family took a tour with Pink Adventure Tours as we wanted a guide to show us around for our first visit to the state park. Our day tour was amazing and we saw many points of interest that we wanted to see along the way, which included visits to the Beehive, Rainbow Vista, Arch Rock, Atlatl Rock, Elephant Rock, Balanced Rock, Gorilla Rock, The Cabins and much more. Spending a day at the Valley of Fire State Park was a unique and wonderful Las Vegas family adventure and we highly recommend adding it to your itinerary.
Bootleg Canyon Ziplines
Just outside of Las Vegas in the red mountains high above Boulder City is an outdoor adventure that you and the family will love. Flightlinez Bootleg Canyon has four separate zipline runs that cover over 8,000 feet of the Mojave Desert and can reach speeds of up to 60 MPH.
Your adventure starts off with the zip line safety flight school before hoping aboard your bus for a scenic ride up the canyon. Once at the top of the mountain, your tour group will take a short hike through the canyon to your zipline launch platform. Once everything is all set up by your zipline tour guides and you are all strapped in, you will be launched and sent soaring high above the canyons at thrilling speeds. During your three hour zipline tour from the mountain heights, you will get great aerial views of Las Vegas, Lake Mead and Boulder City. See our article, video and pictures on our Flightlinez Bootleg Canyon zipline adventure.
SlotZilla Zipline and Zoomline
If you and the family are looking for some unique thrills and excitement, then head on over to Downtown Las Vegas to ride the SlotZilla Zipline and Zoomline. Just east of the Fremont Street Experience is a massive 12-story slot machine shaped launch tower that has two zipline options to choose from.
The SlotZilla Zipline has riders in a seated position and launches you from 77ft above the street and lands you half way down Fremont Street, between the Fremont and Four Queens casinos. If that’s not enough of an adrenaline rush for you, there is the SlotZilla Zoomline which launches you in a prone (flying superhero) position from around 10-stories high, at speeds up to 40 MPH and travels the entire distance of the Fremont Street Experience.
Why walk through downtown when you can fly over it on a zipline. Try it at night during the Viva Vision light show to make it an extra special ride. See our article on the SlotZilla Zipline and Zoomline for more information as well as the GoPro video of our ride on the SlotZilla Zoomline.
VooDoo ZipLine
If you are looking for a pure adrenaline rush, the VooDoo ZipLine will oblige by giving you a mix of speed and towering heights. Starting from the VooDoo Lounge, which is on the 51st floor of the Rio Hotel, the VooDoo ZipLine will send riders soaring higher than 500 feet in the air and at speeds of up to 33 miles per hour. This zipline starts with a fast 800 foot downward ride over to the Ipanema tower and then a slower 800 foot return trip going backwards. Don’t think the slower return trip is any less scary than the faster initial ride.
We recommend the VooDoo ZipLine for those families with kids (pre-teen +) who are looking for a fun and hair raising ride high above Las Vegas. Before and after your zipline ride, the family can hang around the lounge area on the 50th floor and take in the lovely views of Las Vegas and its mega resorts. For more information visit the VooDoo ZipLine Website.
Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon is a beautiful place for families to enjoy the Nevada desert and is only about 22 miles west of the Las Vegas Boulevard. For a nominal entrance fee, vehicles can drive the one-way 13-mile scenic drive and stop along the way at the 26 numbered hiking trails and rock climbing areas. Hiking trails range from easy to strenuous, but each family should find plenty of places along the way for kids and adults alike to hike and climb.
Dune Buggy in the Desert
The Las Vegas desert provides the perfect place for families to get out of the city, strap into a dune buggy (or an ATV) and go wild. Just about a half hour drive north of Las Vegas is SunBuggy Fun Rentals which offers a variety of off-road experiences that range from the casually paced tour to the high-speed aggressive chase runs. We chose the most popular Vegas Mini Baja Chase, which is fast-paced 60 minute dune buggy run where you follow (or try to follow) your expert dune buggy guide as they carve up the desert.
We drove our fast buggies over dunes, sideways up the hills, through gravel & creek beds and so much more off-road fun. Your older teens with a valid driver’s license can drive themselves or your kids can be a passenger while you drive. The younger passenger kids will enjoy the experience just as much as they get all the ride excitement without any of the driving task. With 15,000 acres of desert terrain to drive through and each tour guide making their own paths, you and the family will have a unique full throttle adventure. SunBuggy has options for one, two and four person dune buggies, day or night tours as well as a Family Fun Romp tour with your whole family in the same vehicle.
UTV Off-Road through the Desert
Another unique off-road experience is tearing through the Las Vegas desert in a UTV. Unlike other off-roading vehicles, the UTV (Utility Terrain Vehicle ) doesn’t need a clear trail to follow. These 2 and 4 passenger side-by-sides have a mix of speed and off-road agility, which gives you the freedom to go outside the trails and take on the most daring off-road courses.
We booked a two hour off-road tour with Desert Off Road Adventures, which had us driving our 2-seat Arctic Cat Wildcat far into the desert. Our off-road tour had us following our tour guide in the lead UTV and we were followed by the chase UTV behind us, so we were covered. This 2 hour off-road adventure took us well beyond where we have driven before.
Following our lead driver, we sped down the desert trails, easily drove over rocks and uneven roads, climbed and descended the steep hillsides, weaved through the sandy dunes, squeezed through hillside openings and just about everything else the desert threw at us. It was quite an exhilarating adventure where every twist and turn gave us something new to tackle. The Arctic Cat UTVs that we drove were super easy to drive and have a four point harness system and a roll cage for safety.
Hoover Dam and Colorado River Float
The Hoover Dam is a wonderful place to take the family to learn about its construction, see how it operates and to take in its awe inspiring views in and around the dam. To make the trip to this National Historic Landmark even more amazing we recommend booking a tour that includes the Colorado River float. The river float has you boarding a motorized inflatable raft at the base of the Hoover Dam and giving you and the kids a close-up, unique and beautiful view from the bottom of the dam as well as a float down the river. Our half day tour included a drive to and from Las Vegas a pink luxury Tour Trekker, a 20 minute river float, the Hoover Dam tours and some free time to explore the dam and its surroundings.
Vegas Indoor Skydiving
While jumping out of a plane might scare you and is something you would never do with your little kids, indoor skydiving is a great alternative that the whole family will really enjoy. Adults and kids alike can get the adrenaline rush of the free fall experience in a vertical wind tunnel that churns out 120 mph winds. Floating, flying and falling are all part of the fun in this unique experience that is minutes away from the north end of the Strip. See our article on our Vegas Indoor Skydiving experience.
Springs Preserve
This sprawling 180-acre oasis in the city is just a short drive from Downtown. It has plenty of activities, play spaces, sights, nature, wildlife and exhibits that kids and adults will both enjoy exploring. The Springs Preserve has two museums, a beautiful 8-acre botanical garden, hiking and biking trails, children’s playground, a seasonal butterfly habitat and much more. Some of the top highlights for the museums include a flash flood exhibit, live animal exhibits, history exhibits that shaped the area ranging from millions of years ago to the atomic era. Outside of the museums, families can rent bikes, take train rides, explore the botanical gardens, visit Boomtown 1905 to see what life was like back then, hike the trails, let the kids loose at the playground and so much more. For more information, visit the Springs Preserve website to plan your visit.
The Pinball Hall of Fame
The Pinball Hall of Fame is a large play space with over 200 pinball and vintage arcade games. This non-profit “museum” has aisles and aisles of fully restored pinball machines from the 1950s to the 1990s and arcade games from the 80s and 90s. Adults can play some of their favorite childhood games while introducing their kids to a whole new set of games that they most likely have never seen before – unless in app form. With games costing 25¢ to $1 per play, the whole family can have fun without spending a whole lot of money. The Pinball Hall of Fame is a very short drive from the Las Vegas Strip and has ample free parking.
Topgolf
Even if golfing isn’t your thing, Topgolf brings a whole new way to experience the sport that is really fun. Guests rent a private hitting bay that is equipped with golf clubs, an automated ball dispenser, couches and wonderful views. The driving range has multiple targets scattered across the field and your goal is to get your ball into one of those targets. The golf balls are micro chipped, so when you make it inside of a target, your scoreboard is updated. There are many different ways to play and the games certainly add some fun with a little friendly competition. The Topgolf facility is lively and adds plenty of extra entertainment with two pools, massive TV screens, cornhole, shuffleboard and more.
Shops of Pawn Stars & Tanked
If you are a fan of the reality shows Tanked or Pawn Stars, then visiting the Las Vegas shops where the shows take place might make for a fun day with the kids. The Gold and Silver Pawn Shop from Pawn Stars in just north of the Stratosphere Hotel. After a wait to get in to the pawn shop, you will step foot into familiar TV land. You will see a lot of other visitors, more folks buying souvenirs than pawned goods and, most likely, the non-TV staff of the shop. Even without the stars of the show there, it is fun just being in the shop and seeing items that you watched them buy in an episode.
Acrylic Tank Manufacturing from the show Tanked is just a few minutes off the strip and is a less glitzy and touristy. Although we can’t guarantee you will see anyone from the show, we were fortunate enough to meet with Brett who was super nice and gave our daughter a picture signed by the staff. See our article on our visit to Pawn Stars and Tanked shops for more information and pictures.
Downtown Container Park
Just a couple of blocks over from the Fremont Street Experience is Container Park, which is a unique and family friendly open-air mall made from shipping containers. There is a variety of restaurants, boutique shops, entertainment and a great interactive playground for the family. The playground has a huge tree house with a 33 foot slide, bridges, an interactive NEOS play system and foam building blocks. At the entrance of Container Park, everyone will get a kick out the 35 foot tall praying mantis sculpture that shoots flames from its antennae. There are also free live concerts, kid friendly events and seasonal family movie nights and holiday celebrations. Visit the Downtown Container Park website for restaurant, shop, event and other information.
Neon Museum
The Neon Museum preserves, restores and showcases hundreds of iconic Las Vegas signs from the early days up to the present. Visitors get a guided tour through the “neon boneyard” to get a close look at these iconic signs that have changed the city’s landscape and history. Get a look at the famous Treasure Island Skull, the Hard Rock Cafe’s Guitar, neon hotel signs of the Stardust, Caesar’s, Sahara and so many more. It is a beautiful look at the history of the city and the iconic signs that helped Las Vegas become what it is today. The museum offers day and night tours of their outdoor collection, with the night tour featuring the neon lit glow of their beautifully restored signs. Visit the Neon Museum’s website for more information.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
This family friendly museum is a Smithsonian affiliate that is just one mile north of the heart of downtown. The museum’s exhibits have a nice variety of topics that educate and entertain kids and adults. The museum has a great floor plan with each exhibit having its own room, which makes your visit easy pretty to plan out. The exhibits range from Prehistoric Life and Treasures of Egypt all the way up to today with their Marine Life Gallery that has live sharks and stingrays and other animals. There are also special areas for the younger kids to do some hands on activities.
Can’t miss exhibits include the hundreds of replicas of Tutankhamun’s tomb and Egyptian artifacts, the massive Tyrannosaurus and the marine life gallery, which has live shark feedings three times a week. Parents should bring their young ones by the Young Scientist Center for their many interactive exhibits. For more information, visit the Las Vegas Natural History Museum web site for more information.
Pole Position Raceway
If you and the kids are seeking a bit of speed, this indoor go kart raceway will have you flying around the track at speeds of up to 45 MPH. Race on the large indoor race track against your family and friends on high tech electric go karts the blaze through the turns, curves and straightaway’s. At the end each driver gets a printed SpeedSheet which shows your average lap time, fastest lap time as well as the overall race results. See our article on the Pole Position Raceway along with a GoPro video of one of our races.
Wet ‘n’ Wild Las Vegas
About 15 minutes from the south of the Las Vegas Strip is Wet ‘n’ Wild Water Park which boasts more than 25 slides and attractions. This water park has many exciting slides for the adults and older kids looking for a thrilling ride, like the six story vertical drop slides of Canyon Cliffs. For a slower pace there is Colorado Cooler, a 1,000-foot lazy river and the Red Rock Bay wave pool. For the younger kids there is Splash Island which has kid friendly slides, fountain streams and a giant dumping bucket. For more information visit the Wet ‘n’ Wild Las Vegas website.
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
The Ethel M Chocolate Factory offers visitors a look inside of their factory to see how they make their hand crafted chocolates and sweets. At the end of the tour you will end up in their chocolate shop, where you get a free sample and can purchase any of their sugary sweets and souvenirs. Outside of the factory is the Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden, which has four acres of beautiful cacti and succulents along the walking paths. The factory tour and cactus garden are both free to visit and are open daily from 8am – 8pm.
Silverton Aquarium
A short drive south of the Las Vegas Strip is the Silverton Hotel and Casino, which has a great free aquarium for the kids to enjoy. The 117,000-gallon reef aquarium has over 4,000 tropical fish along with stingrays and sharks. The aquarium also features stingray feedings and live mermaid shows. A few steps away from the tropical aquarium is a fresh water aquarium that is filled with koi fish. See our article on the Silverton Aquarium for more pictures and details from our visit.
Discovery Children’s Museum
If your toddlers and kids are looking to play, explore, learn and be creative, then the Discovery Children’s Museum is a good choice. This three-story museum is packed full of hands-on experiences that will engage your young ones. The museum has slides, climbing structures, crawl zones and other fun areas for the active kids. There are many interactive learning areas like solving mysteries, controlling the power of water and coming up with inventions. Kids can dress up in costumes, do art projects and even run errands like a grown up. There is also a rotating exhibit area that has exhibits from other top museums. For more information, visit the Discovery Children’s Museum web site.
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Other notable family activities that we have not yet experienced include the National Atomic Testing Museum, Fly LINQ Zipline, Bodies The Exhibition, Lion Habitat Ranch, Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary, GameWorks and The Dome At Container Park. If you know of any family friendly things to do with kids in Las Vegas that we didn’t list, feel free to leave a comment or email us.
Disclaimer: this site has links to affiliate sites – like vegas.com – which we get a small commission from if you book something from their sites.
Photo Credits: Panorama courtesy of Mike Fard | Adventuredome, Shark Tunnel, Big Apple Coaster, Mirage, Dolphins, Trapeze and Bellagio photos are courtesy of MGM Resorts International | Venetian Hotel Gondola photo courtesy of Las Vegas Sands Corporation | Eiffel Tower Experience photo courtesy of Paul Mirfin | Indoor Skydiving courtesy of Fred Morledge | Silverton Aquarium photo courtesy of Silverton Casino Hotel
Hey Joe, this is one of the best post I have read. Thanks for sharing such good information about the places of Vegas.
Thanks for sharing helpful information.
This has got to be the most thorough post I’ve ever read for things to do for families in Las Vegas! I LOVE the section on things to do with kids off the strip! Totally going to check out Container Park and Treehouse Playground and been meaning to do Hoover Dam too! Thanks so much!
Hi Lora, So happy that you enjoyed the list. Your family should have a blast with the Container Park and the Hoover Dam tour. Feel free to reach out to us if you want any help planning for your Vegas trip. I have more activities coming up for this article, so check back here or email me. Enjoy!
Hi, excellent information for someone like me a vegas Virgin planning a 2016 trip with family.
I plan to get married in October 2016, just wondering if you know of any place we can go at night to have a few drinks etc that allows kids? Somewhere with some live music perhaps, even a casual restaurant that will fit the bill.
Las Vegas does allow consuming alcohol publicly with a few exceptions. While in Downtown Las Vegas, we had bought a beer at one of the stores and they put it in a brown bag and stapled it shut with a tag on it. We found out soon after that, that you cannot by a closed container alcoholic beverage and consume it on or near the premises. Buying a drink in an open container will allow you to consume your drink legally. So, it is still fairly easy to enjoy a drink with the kids around as there are many places that will sell you a drink in an open container. You can walk along the Las Vegas Strip or Downtown and easily grab a drink to enjoy as you stroll around. Downtown has places to easily grab a drink as you walk along and you can enjoy the Viva Vision light shows and live music concerts that they have. If you are looking to have a drink while eating with the kids, there are plenty of restaurants that you can try. For a casual place to have a bite, a couple of drinks and will keep the kids entertained (no live entertainment though), we recommend trying out Shake Shack which serves wine, beer and beer floats along with delicious burgers and a fun location on the Strip. Container Park in Downtown has live entertainment, family movie nights and a Treehouse for the kids, so just check their entertainment calendar to see what is going on during your visit. We found a great article on the Las Vegas drinking laws explained from the Las Vegas Sun that will help better explain it. Hope this helps and feel free to ask any other questions about planning your family trip to Vegas.
Thank you so much for doing all the legwork for our next holiday! Such a comprehensive list. Looking forward to seeing more great travel posts from you.
Thanks so much for such fantastic information! We are looking at doing a States trip with our kids (we will be coming from New Zealand) and would love to do Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. I do love the sound of the Helicopter Picnic in Grand Canyon – definitely something we would never forget (if we can afford it)!
How many days do you think we need to do Las Vegas and the helicopter tour? Trying to put together an itinerary and it is so hard to know how many days we will need in each place.
Many thanks for being so helpful!
I am glad you liked our list of family activities and the Helicopter Tour is a great bucket list activity that your family will love and remember fondly. If your only main activity when visiting Vegas is the helicopter tour, I would stay in Vegas for three days with your four hour helicopter tour being the middle day. If you are looking for doing more half day activities (Red Rock Canyon, Adventuredome, Hoover Dam Tour), then I would add in an additional day for each. There are plenty of smaller activities to fill out your days, but try not to pack too much into each day as that can wear the kids, and even yourselves, out pretty quickly. There are plenty of fun free sights and activities in Las Vegas, so that can offset the higher price of the more expensive activities. We also have a Las Vegas with Kids article that can point you to great family friendly restaurants, hotels, shows and much more. I hope this helps your trip planning and let us know if you need any other help.
Hi Joe, great article. I think you should add in the lion habitat ranch. Not to far from the M casino. My son loved it there and they also offer private tours.
I’m so glad I found this article! My husband has a work trip in May and I really wanted to bring our kids. Everyone is advising me against it but there is more to Vegas than stripclubs and smoky casinos. Thanks again for the awesome input! On a side note I did the helicopter tour with my husband several years ago and totally agree it was worth every penny. Amazing experience!
You never think of Las Vegas and kids in one sentence…
Thanks for sharing great ideas to make this possible! :)
Hi Joe, My husband and I are taking our twin grandchildren to Las Vegas in late May. We will be celebrating their 13th birthday while there and were wondering if you could suggest a really fun place to take them for dinner? Thanks for your help.
Hi Suzanne,
We have an article with a list of our favorite Family Restaurants in Las Vegas. Here are a couple of my suggestions for a fun dinner for their birthdays: 1) Texas de Brazil is an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse that has a wide variety of delicious slow-roasted cuts of beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and Brazilian sausage. It has a really fun atmosphere and the kids love the assortment of food they get to try as well as the delicious desserts at the end. 2) If you are looking for more action during your dinner, Tournament of Kings will get you dinner and a show – just don’t expect the meal to rival the restaurants. This dinner and show has you cheering for your knight as you watch them compete in sword fighting, jousting and hand-to-hand combat. Hope this helps and wishing you the best on your Vegas trip. Let me know if I can help with anything else.
Thanks for your post. My husband is having a work trip next week and I’ll bring my 15 month-old son with me. From your post, I think I can enjoy some time with him. Thanks again.
For younger kids, 2-10ish, I would also suggest the discovery museum. We also have season passes to springs preserve which has three museums, hiking trails, gardens and great Vegas history. One of the museums has a rotating exhibit so every four months there is something new to explore.
My boyfriend and I came for an afternoon, to see the Adventuredome. Circus Circus is a place you just have to visit!
We love taking our kids to Vegas too. One of our favorite things is the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.
This is fantastic. I have never been a big fan of Vegas and now that I have kids I thought I had even less reason to visit Sin City. I might have to give that a second thought now.
I love your informatic article and it is very useful for my las vegas nevada trip.
Hi Joe, Thank you so much for putting such an informative article for Vegas with Kids. This helps a lot! Cheers!!
Thank you for your article! I have struggled to find people who think Vegas can be a family trip, and not just for adults. I too have written a short article about kids in Las Vegas, and why you should take them with you on your trip. I look forward to reading more articles from your website. Thank you!
Looking to possibly do Vegas next year with our new little one, thank you for a great post!
Fantastic post and information. Can’t thank you enough for writing all this out!
Thanks for posting this awesome list.