Las Vegas is no longer just a place for adults to run wild. Hotels along the Las Vegas Strip have become exceedingly family friendly, providing activities, dinner shows, and entertainment guests of all ages can enjoy. When planning a family trip to Las Vegas, consider the options the city has for a wholesome, memorable, kid-friendly experience when creating the itinerary.
The Four Seasons hotel in Las Vegas welcomes families by providing extras for younger guests. Upon arrival young children are presented with a complimentary welcome chocolate puzzle, with popcorn and soda served to teenage guests. Guest rooms have in-room hookups for Playstation, multi-player board games, complimentary children's toiletries and high chairs or playpens if needed. The Four Seasons works with parents to provide childproof guest rooms if requested, and can also arrange for in-room babysitting of children if two hours notice is provided. Throughout the hotel families can enjoy having access to the several free-form pools including a lazy river, wave pool, and man made beach. There are also arcades and 3D movie theaters near by for hotel guests to enjoy.
Excalibur is a medieval themed hotel located on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. Designed as a castle, complete with a drawbridge and moat, families can enjoy the middle aged decor stretching throughout the hotel from the rooms to the pool area. Excalibur has three all-ages pools redesigned in 2010 complete with a water slide. In the lower level of the hotel is a Spongebob Squarepants 4D ride and a fun dungeon where carnival and arcade rides can be enjoyed by the entire family.
MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas provides family friendly entertainment for guests to enjoy during their stay. For an upscale evening, MGM is home to the Cirque Du Soleil show KA, an acrobatic theatrical performance telling the story of twins on a journey to fulfill their destiny. Families can interact during CSI: The Experience where kids of all ages can examine evidence to complete an investigation. The hands-on exhibit even provides kids with an official CSI: Diploma upon completion, and is best for children 12 and older. Also on property, guests can visit The Lion Habitat and take a picture with a lion cub, catch a live performance show at the Hollywood Theatre, or lounge at the Grand Pool Complex complete with five pools, three whirlpools, a river and waterfalls.
M&M World is located on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip and features four floors of everything M&M. The free interactive store has everything from a 3-D film, to an exhibit showing how the chocolate candies are made. Escalators on each floor show a timeline of how M&M mascots have looked over the years and movie poster parodies. For purchase, guests can create their own bag of M&M's picking the colors and flavors, or pick a non-perishable keychain or coffee mug among other options.
Located on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip, Circus Circus' Adventuredome is an indoor theme park created for the young and young at heart. Families can enjoy rides including the double-loop, double-corkscrew roller coaster Canyon Blaster, Rim Runner the 60-foot waterfall water ride, and the 4 G acceleration ride Slingshot among others. Families with younger ones can enjoy the junior attractions, while the entire family can take part in arcade games located throughout the theme park.
Located on Fremont Street in Downtown Vegas, the Fremont Street Experience uses state-of-the-art light and animation display technology to perform a free overhead light show for observers. Over 12.5 million LED lights sync together to showcase eight shows an evening. All shows are family friendly and last around ten minutes. Shows include a Queen tribute, Bad to the Bone, and KISS over Vegas.
The Rainforest Cafe is located on the ground level of the MGM Grand hotel. Families can enjoy the rainforest themed decor, complete with a thunderstorm show that takes place every half-hour. Kids can enjoy the Wild Bunch Kids Zone menu which features everything from macaroni and cheese, to mini hot dogs and even a personal pan castaway kid's pizza. All kid meals come complete with a collectible Cha! Cha! cup and a souvenir Rainforest Cafe character toy.
Tournament of Kinds is a medieval dinner show presented by the Excalibur hotel. Children three years or younger are invited free of charge, while older guests can enjoy a three-course dinner with their fingers at utensils are not provided. The dinner show has everything from invading armies to dance performances by fair maidens and even jousting with fireworks at the end.
While not designed specifically for children, Harrah's Buffet of Buffets is something to consider for families planning their Vegas trip. The Buffet of Buffets provides a 24 hour pass for guests to enjoy dining at seven buffets as much as they want. Hotels accepting the pass include Caesars Palace, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Bally's, Harrah's, Flamingo, Rio and Imperial Palace. Buffet of Buffets is great for families with picky eaters because there is a wide variety of food options and it is also ideal for stopping for small bites when exploring the Strip.
