I'm bringing the family to California this summer, and since we won't be too far, my wife and I are pondering the idea of doing a little detour by Las Vegas. Thing is, we'll have the kids (8, 6 and 4 years old) in tow.
Can Las Vegas be kid friendly?
Did anyone here bring their kids to Las Vegas?
Which hotel did you stay in?
What activities did you do?
Las Vegas CAN be kid friendly, depending. The free shows (fountain at the Belaggio, Treasure Island, Mirage, Palms, Circus Circus) are a good start. Most of the hotels have arcades and other things that can distract children. MGM in particular has a theme park in it, one of the biggest indoor theme parks in the US. There's also the coasters at the New York New York and the Stratosphere, but they're pretty extreme and not really kid friendly. Kids like to eat, and there's plenty of food in Vegas.
You might want to look at the Monte Carlo, they have an emphasis on being family friendly. The casino is smaller there, and they can put you on quieter floors as well. Its centrally located on the strip as well, so anywhere on the strip is relatively easy to get to.
Stay inside the whole time. Do NOT step foot on the strip. I've seen those scum sucking card flickers hand cards to little kids before. And they used to only be out at night, but now they are out all day too. Get a monorail pass and stay at the MGM Grand Signature Towers. The lobby has zero casino games, there is a pool, and the rooms are big enough for a family. It is the only place I stay in Vegas. http://www.signaturemgmgrand.com/
I would say no.
Vegas isn't a place to take kids, for the kids sake and for the parents sake.
There are approximately 1 million better places you could go to in the general area of the country you are in that are much more kid appropriate. Don't be "those parents" IMO.
I'd avoid Vegas if you are trying to shield your kids from nudity---- trucks with billboards drive by advertising strip joints frequently. Sex and debauchery are everywhere. (it is Vegas after all!)
It can be a good place it you use Vegas just for the lodging. Visit the Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, and other places out in the desert. I'd avoid the strip ( and Freemont St.) if you have kids.
On the strip, you be uncomfortable with some of the things the kids are exposed to. You will also be making others uncomfortable by having the kids in such an "adult" place. People go there to forget about their responsibilities, not to be reminded of them.
It's not as bad as a lot of people imagine it to be. Yes, there are dumba$$es standing on the corner handing out flyers for various "adult establishments" and plenty of ads that are sexually oriented, but it's not an orgy on the streets. Like mndsm said, most of the hotels have fun and free family oriented things to check out. Many also have things that cater to children.
Yes, without a doubt, the kids will see drunken morons on the street, but that's mostly at night. Daytime of course is best, I remember seeing lots of kids on the strip during the daytime. If you try to make it family oriented, you will.
Having said that, my wife and I haven't gone to Vegas since our kids were born. However, it's next on our list for family vacations, and I'll have no hesitation to bring them.
If "kids" is code for your hootus, you can probably get a clean post-op tranny to "keep an eye on the kids" for $300 or so right from the front desk and a whole lot less if clean isn't important to you.
I went to Vegas a couple times when I was a kid, once when I was around 10, and again a few years later. I hated it. Absolutely hated it. Both trips. A couple magic shows were good, checking out Hoover Dam, that was cool, but most of the time it sucked for me.
FYI I hate crowds. I love peace and quiet. Your kids may differ.
Vegas is way more kid friendly then it was 20-25 years ago. However since the economy crashed it is slowly being reverted back to adult entertainment especially among the college crowd. I saw plenty of kids/children at The Wynn and Bellagio where I stayed a few years ago.
Card flickers run the sidewalks on the strip. About three to six people per block will try to hand you some cards advertising something of an adult nature, usually with a photo that is minimally censored to avoid being porn. Kept your hands in your pockets? Did your kids? Well, doesn't matter, because there is a pile of them strewn across the pavement three feet away from the flicker, left by all of the people who couldn't resist taking something they were handed.
The shopping is nice, but everything is expensive. The dining is nice, but everything is expensive. The wife and I spent $25 for two slices of mall pizza and sodas. I don't get gambling, and I'm not particularly into shows. Everything is super crowded.
I enjoyed the fountains at the Bellagio, and riding to the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris. I did see some desert tours in four-wheel-drive buses that looked interesting, and there was a shop on the strip renting a few nice cars, including an Elise.
That said, it's not worth it.
Skip the strip. .
Around 10 years ago, Vegas tried to go all "family friendly" and it failed miserably. They reverted back to the adult playground that it should be.
Sure, you still see kids/families, but it's not nearly as family-oriented as it was not long ago.
I've been to Vegas fairly often (wife used to live there before we moved up here) and lived there for a couple of months. I wouldn't go there with kids - outside the strip there isn't that much to do (Hoover Dam, maybe Mount Charleston and a visit to Lake Powell). Plus, Vegas is summer is stupidly hot - the first place I ever encountered where it's too hot to ride a motorcycle during the day, I kid you not.
If you're passing through it's a good place to stop over but for a family I wouldn't make it a side trip.
Being European I'm less bothered by the eyefuls of 2D nudity - heck, you can see most of that in 3D on a beach in Germany, just a bit more ugly - but my concern would be the lack of activities available in the touristy part of town that would entertain the whole family. Outside the strip, it's almost a bedroom town, only built to serve the casinos.
My wife and I were just there in November. As a parent, I would say absolutely not to kids. In fact, she and I remarked several times while there that we were surprised to see kids there. It is NOT kid friendly.
Please... I beseech you... I live in Las Vegas and work at a hotel on the Strip, so I know of what I speak.
Do NOT bring children to Las Vegas. While every hotel has some nod or another towards young children, it is only the barest of nods. Las Vegas is NOT child-friendly. They WILL be bored. Bored children get into trouble.
Please visit another time, while your kids are left home with grandma.
Sincerely,
The People of Las Vegas.
It is sin city......
Well thanks everyone for the comments. I don't want bored kids, so I'll pass.
I was curious because a friend of mine called is trip to Vegas "The Disney princess' go to a naughty place". He was really unimpressed, saying it was pretty tame. But then, he's a party animal bachelor, so I wanted some perspective from people with kids.
fanfoy wrote: I was curious because a friend of mine called is trip to Vegas "The Disney princess' go to a naughty place". He was really unimpressed, saying it was pretty tame. But then, he's a party animal bachelor, so I wanted some perspective from people with kids.
Well, I guess it isn't bangkok 
I think you mean you wanted the perspective of normal, mature adults (whether they had kids or not). 
I go out there about once a year for business. From your friend's perspective I agree, its fairly tame. Aside from the card flickers and rolling billboards there's not a lot of visible adult themes.
But from a kid's perspective, yeah, it would be booooring as hell. I don't gamble, don't do the shows and the wife has said no to the hookers ;) so that leaves me looking for interesting things to see and do in Vegas when I'm there, generally there isn't that much especially that would really appeal to kids.
I find Vegas fairly boring as an adult (I'm not a big gambler and going to multiple shows is PRICEY), can't imagine wanting to take kids there.
EvanR wrote: Please... I beseech you... I live in Las Vegas and work at a hotel on the Strip, so I know of what I speak. Do NOT bring children to Las Vegas. While every hotel has some nod or another towards young children, it is only the barest of nods. Las Vegas is NOT child-friendly. They WILL be bored. Bored children get into trouble. Please visit another time, while your kids are left home with grandma. Sincerely, The People of Las Vegas.
Agreed. I remember the period they tried to go kid friendly, my parents used to take me a lot during that time. There were a couple places like Circus and Stratosphere that had mini amusement parks but as an adult, those aren't great places to be. It's really sad to see kids sitting along the walkways while their parents are gambling.
It's not orgies in the street or anything, just not a place for kids. The way it is now, seeing a kid in Vegas is about the same as seeing one in the bar.
I've been as an adult and never thought it would be a good idea to take my son. I'm going in August for my birthday (free rooms) and he won't be joining me.
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