Las Vegas Family Style | Over 20+ Things to Do

Las Vegas is probably not what comes to mind when you think of a family place to travel with young kids. My husband and I had not visited Las Vegas, Nevada in over ten years for vacation, he has been for work trade shows. While working, he isn't able to take in the touristy spots. Las Vegas who used to be known for "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" which by the way if you did not know has been modified to "what happens here, only happens here." This new slogan was run in an ad during the 2020 Super Bowl, it focused on the "experiences" you can only have in Las Vegas, which I think is a good move to market to families, but one that will take time to really become the new slogan. 

On our recent quick weekend trip to Las Vegas, we had the best time. While this trip was without our kiddos, we took plenty of notes of what to do on our next visit with them.  I will say that Fall, Winter, and or Spring is the best time to visit when it is not too hot.  I think the last time we visited Las Vegas as a couple we went in May and I still remember how HOT it was. This blog post is packed with over 20+ things you can do in Las Vegas with your family on your next visit. 

Las Vegas really is a great place to visit for a show and or concert, they really do have an ever-changing lineup, of great artists from comedians, singers, dancers, you can pretty much find any style of performers in Las Vegas.  While many people connect Las Vegas to casinos and party life, there is actually quite a bit more to Las Vegas. You will find Allegiant Stadium home of the Las Vegas Raiders, as well as the T-Mobile Arena.  We would love to go back for a Hockey game at the T-Mobile Arena.  

If you enjoy the vibe of "city" life, the hustle and bustle of people, Las Vegas definitely has that.  I for one love visiting New York City, San Francisco, and Las Vegas for this very reason.  I love the city lights and how everything is nearby, great for walking. 

I could spend all day touring the hotels along the Las Vegas Strip, they are each so unique.  The architecture alone, and the lobby displays are amazing.  They each have a variety of shops, restaurants and many of them have FREE shows.  

If you live in California Las Vegas is a more economical choice for travel over New York City. You can soak up all the New York Vibes from the Hotel New York, New York in a budget-friendly way.  You will spot a Las Vegas version of the Statue of Liberty and so much more. 

One thing for sure, be prepared to do a lot of walking.  On one of the days of our recent trip, we walked over 38,000 steps! I think that is even more walking than when we go to Disneyland.  I sure was grateful I had just bought a new pair of tennis shoes. 

If you are traveling with kids I would recommend a stay or at least a visit to Circus Circus.  Circus Circus definitely needs a complete remodel and update.  It is a very old hotel and casino, but it is super family-friendly.  They have an Adventure Dome area, that has a ton of arcade games and large roller coasters.  They have a great swimming area complete with slides your kiddos will love.  

Las Vegas, Nevada is so much more than just the Las Vegas strip.  Hoover Dam is quite the sight to see and totally worth the drive. Touring the Hoover Dam and reading all about it, was really fascinating and the views are breathtaking. Pictures do not do the Hoover Dam justice at all. You get to cross over to state lines of Nevada and Arizona, I had texted a friend we have that lives in Arizona a picture of us with the "Welcome to Arizona" sign, while we were there.  Not really near them, but still in Arizona. 

The Seven Magic Mountains was the main reason I have been wanting to go to Las Vegas.  I have heard online that they are taking them down this year, not sure if that is necessarily true, but this is a fun, unique stop to make while in Las Vegas and definitely the place for the perfect Instagram photo. These large painted boulders are really a work of art. 

The Downtown Container Park is super family-friendly.  They use the metal shipping containers as shops and a playground for kids.  There are a ton of shops to look through, and they have a stage with musical guests.  We just sat and enjoyed the music, people dancing, kids playing with Legos, and laughing as they ran through the Treehouse playground.  Out front, there is a HUGE praying mantis that shoots fire out of its antenna.  It actually puts on a show with themed music and is pretty cool.  You can find the Downtown Container Park near Freemont Street in Downtown Las Vegas, not on the strip. 

The M&M Store on the strip is four stories high and filled with all things M&M's, from M&M Apparel, Kitchen gadgets, home décor, a decked-out replica of an M&M branded NASCAR and all kinds of unique M&M's flavors. It really is a fun store with so much to take in.

The Coke Store, I am a huge Coke Zero fan, other than coffee and water, Coke Zero is my go-to drink of choice.  Just like the M&M store, there is every product under the sun, but with Coke branding.  Pretty great marketing idea, by the way, I take my hat off to them.  Brilliant idea, to have people come buy your branded merchandise and be a walking advertisement for you.  More than Coke Merch, they also had a drink station, where you can try different flavors of Coke from all around the world.  Pretty cool, my boys would definitely want to do this. 

The Marvel Avenger's Stations at Treasure Island, again this would be on our kiddo's must-see list.  If you are a Marvel fan, this is a definite must-see. You get to experience and learn the history of your favorite Marvel heroes. 

There are FREE must-see attractions like the Bellagio Water Fountains, the Botanical Garden inside the Bellagio, The Mirage Volcano (The Volcano show is every hour 7 PM to 11 PM), the Eifel Tower Experience and, more. The Bellagio Water Fountains are beautiful to see at night.  They have this water show every 30 minutes in the earlier hours and every 15 minutes after 8 PM.  The water dances to the music.  Depends on the day you go, but Monday through Friday they start at 3PM to 8 PM every thirty minutes and then every 15 minutes 8 PM to midnight.  Weekend hours start earlier around noon and go till midnight. 

The Botanical Garden inside the Bellagio is open 24 hours a day and it is free to walk through.  There are many scenes made out of flowers, plants, and all things botanical, it changes depending on the season.  When we visited, it had this Tree Trunk you could walk through, the cutest little fox, and there was just so much to take in, pretty cool.

The Shark Reef Aquarium in Mandalay Bay.  They have a view, dive, and feed experiences.  See more than 2,000 animals, including sharks, giant rays, endangered green sea turtles, piranha, and a Komodo dragon. This unique exhibit gives you the chance to dive with a higher concentration of exotic sharks than you'd ever find in the wild. 

You can ride in a Gondola at the Venetian, you can enjoy a meal at one of the many eatery's and watch the Gondola's go through the Hotel, listen to the gondolier's sing in Italian. 

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is on your way inside to the Venetian.  We have gone to the Wax Museum in San Francisco and Los Angeles and it is always great family fun. 

Ride the High Roller Observation Wheel at the Linq, soar 550 above the center of the Las Vegas Strip.  

Miracle Mile Shops is on the Las Vegas Strip and it is basically a Mall.  Tons of shops and restaurants.  Inside there is an indoor rainstorm that happens, we attempted to wait for the show and then ended up moving on. 

Ride a seated Zip Line at the Rio.  This is one zip line I would do because you are seated in a seat.  We did not have time to squeeze this in on this trip but adding it to our to-do list for next time. 

Freemont Street also has a zip line called Slotzilla that goes underneath this massive LED screen, it is pretty cool.  If you are going to Freemont Street, I would recommend going earlier in the day or early evening hours, as the later you go, the party crowd is out.  There are also music artists that perform here, it is like attending a free concert.  

There is also a Pinball Museum and a Neon Sign Museum, we have not yet been to these, but I have heard from friends, both these places are fun.  

The Worlds Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, made famous by the Pawn Stars TV series.  We loved watching this show and so while in Vegas we had to make a stop.  You won't spot any of the stars but you can take a photo with a cutout photo of Rick Harrison.  Rick also has a BBQ restaurant right across the parking lot. We had heard it can be really busy with a line around the building, we went in the afternoon and there was no line at all.  You do check in once parked with your name and e-mail address before you enter.  There are so many fun and unique items to look at and it is quite fun listening to the customer's bargain, asking about the stars and so much more, quite entertaining all in itself. Located at 713 S. Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Food, I don't even know where to start, you find many famous chef's restaurants here.  Some of the ones you can dine at are Gordan Ramsay has several restaurants, including famous Hell's Kitchen, Guy Fieri, Iron Chef Morimoto, Nobu Matsuhisa, Giada De Laurentiis, Wolfgang Puck, and well the list goes on. 

You will also find more than famous chef's restaurants, you name it, you can find it. The best tacos at Tacos El Gordo, prepare yourself now for the long line to wait in.  Pizza galore, my favorite is Pizza Rock, but also often sought after is The Secret Pizza in The Cosmopolitan. You can enjoy Shake Shack right on the strip or visit the Hello Kitty Café.  They have a Rainforest Café which is always fun for kiddos. There are too many fabulous places to eat, no way I can list them all. 

They also have The Discovery Children's Museum and Dig This, a heavy equipment playground. You can actually operate a bulldozer and a lot more equipment. 

Some other beautiful sites off the Las Vegas Strip that were recommended to us, but we did not have enough time to squeeze in are the breathtaking views at the Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon if you like to hike. 

As you can see there is a TON of family-friendly things to do in Las Vegas Nevada.  I am grateful we were able to take this trip and kind of spy out what we think our kids would really enjoy, there definitely is plenty and you probably cannot squeeze it all in one weekend, we certainly couldn't even do it all without our kiddos in tow. 

While Las Vegas is well known for the night scene and nightlife, you can totally enjoy Las Vegas in a family-friendly way.  We would explain to our kids before our visit what they can expect to see, remind them to stay close and, hold hands in crowds.  Even walking down The Strip there was a ton of people and some areas can get crowded.  

I hope you enjoyed all these family-friendly suggestions, Pin and save this blog post for your next Las Vegas vacation.  Thank you for reading and sharing, I appreciate your support.  As always you can find videos and more photos on my social media account.  Videos of some of these spots are on my TikTok, photos on Instagram and Facebook, be sure to connect with me there. 

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