Vegas is not exactly renowned for toddler appropriate activities. I wasn't interested in gambling anyway, and our two year old daughter was too young for the shows. (I wasn't sure if she would sit through even some of the children's shows, and the ticket prices made that an expensive gamble.) We also had the slight limitation that we had to drop off and pick up my husband from his conference each day--which of course meant that he missed out on almost everything we did.
Nevertheless, we found plenty to do for the days we were there. For reference, I used this online Las Vegas Travel Guide.
The most obvious thing to do in Las Vegas--and one that you can happily spend two weeks doing--is the Las Vegas Strip, going through the hotel-casinos, gazing at their themed decor and whatever attraction they've used to distinguish themselves. So much of this is completely free, that I had already decided to spend a morning or two wandering the strip with the children. Clearly, there's plenty of Vegas that isn't appropriate for kids (and I confess that I was rather glad my son hadn't learned to read yet), but lights and pizazz seemed perfect for toddlers.
The biggest problem with that is that the hotels are geared around their casinos and getting you to walk through them. I'm pretty sure most of the signs directing you to the parts of the hotel take you on a deliberately circuitous route, though I might have just been disorientated. I don't really have a problem with exposing my children to gambling, but I personally found the flashing lights and noise of the casinos to be overwhelming, and while my children were fascinated by the slot machines, they were a little daunted by it all as well.
What it boils down to is that every time you go into a hotel to find something, expect to walk through their casino. Walking through a casino generally takes ten to fifteen highly stressful minutes of trying to find your way through and make sure your children are still with you. There's a lot of walking in general... if you're in two minds about whether to take a stroller, take it. The flipside of that is the Strip doesn't really cater for strollers. There is always an elevator somewhere, but it might not be well signed, and when you get off the elevator, it's not always straightforward to find your way back to the main route.
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| Fountains by Caesar's Palace |
I had planned to explore the Strip, wandering in and out of hotels as it pleased us. That first morning, I had a vague itinerary, but two hours into it, I felt that I hadn't achieved anything and I was ready to melt down. My daughter was melting down and my son was tired and confused. I got them an ice cream each, my daughter decided she didn't like hers, I considered burying my head in my arms and howling, but miraculously, my son volunteered to swap.
However, while I wanted the ice cream break to act as a reset button, it didn't work that way, and ten minutes later, my son and I were having an ugly fight in the Bellagio. It finally occurred to me that he had no idea where we were going, so I declared that we would go and see the dolphins at the Mirage. I hadn't mentioned it earlier because it didn't open until 11am, and we'd been on the strip since 8am, when we dropped off my husband. But it was now 10:15, and I had finally grasped that getting to the dolphin habitat would take longer than the ten minutes it seemed like it should.
Lesson learned: if you have small children, pick a destination and proceed straight there.
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| The Excalibur |
There's also a Monorail, spanning most of the Strip, which is free for children of five and under. An all-day pass costs $12 or $28 for three days. The downside of the Monorail is that it is not on the Strip, but rather runs behind it, i.e. you have to walk through the hotel casinos in order to board! The only exception to this I noticed was the station at Bally's Paris, which had an extravagant streetside entrance to its station.
Technically, the best way to experience the Strip is on foot, walking along the street. However, it's four miles long, so moving from the Mandalay Bay tram to the MGM Grand Monorail was a good way for us to cover some distance, and the children adored them both. Once you depart the tram at Excalibur (the station is easily visible from the street), cross the pedestrian bridge to New York, New York, then another bridge to MGM Grand. These bridges are also the best place to watch the roller coaster going around New York, New York's simulated skyline, something my children looked out for every time we drove by on the freeway.
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| The New York, New York... no, that's really all one building. |
In the MGM Grand, there's a Rainforest Cafe which was an immediate distraction for the children. I learned here that the Monorail stations are often poorly signed, so the best thing to do is to ask somebody immediately upon entering the hotel. The station porters were very attentive when they saw me with a stroller, and immediately unclipped the barrier to the final carriage of the train for me, allowing us to have that one to ourselves. The only problem there was that when we got to our stop, the barrier at that station was still closed across our doors, and there were no staff in evidence. Fortunately, I was able to duck the stroller underneath it.
As much as the children loved the Monorail, it was so much hassle to reach (what with hunting for elevators, etc) that I think we might have been better off figuring out the bus instead.
Onto things we successfully saw!
The first thing we did was the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, which we did in an hour before picking up my husband. The location made it obvious, plus children of four and under get in free, and my daughter adores sharks. I forgot the camera so no pictures, but it's a very attractive aquarium, which boasts fourteen exhibits, including a stingray and horseshoe crab touch tank, and the now obligatory underwater tunnel.
There was nothing there that we couldn't see in our local aquarium, but the final shark (and turtle) tank in particular was very well down, placing us visitors inside a 'shipwreck' with creatures from the tank swimming over, around and under us (though honestly, there was nothing visible in the underneath part.) It took forever to get my daughter out of there, since she was plastered to the glass calling out: "I see shark! I see shark!" every time one swam past--which was continuously.
In keeping with the aquatic theme (because it's always a safe bet), we went to the Mirage's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. The Secret Garden is where the white tigers of Siegfried and Roy fame have ended up in a collection of big cats, and the Dolphin Habitat boasts dolphins in a pool adapted to look like their natural habitat. Which, to my untrained eye, seemed to mean sticking a few pieces of artificial coral on the bottom of the pool.
But it doesn't matter, because the children loved it. It's free entry to children three and under, and it does not do scheduled performances. Instead, the trainers work with the dolphins on exhibit about once an hour and the visitors can watch them. We got splashed by one dolphin trick; my daughter was not impressed and is still grumbling about it. There are two pools, one of which is the family pool, and an underwater viewing area.
Be warned that the only thing keeping small children out of the water is a very low wall. The rule of the Habitat is that both feet must stay on the ground (i.e. no climbing the wall), but decide for yourself how much supervision/restraint your children will need. For my money, this was a better experience than Seaworld, as we could be so close to the dolphins and it was less crowded (which obviously might not be the case in summer).
We had our lunch here, though there was only a snack bar available limiting us to hot dogs. Still, there are shaded tables overlooking the main pool, and it's a lovely way to have a quick lunch.
The Secret Garden is behind the Dolphin Habitat, but that feels more like a second rate zoo, with some big cats dozing behind wire netting. It's novel seeing white tigers and black leopards, but it didn't capture the children's attention the way the dolphins did.
We also made sure to come to the Strip one evening to see some of the streetside shows (which mostly seem to happen on the hour, every hour, from around 7pm. The Fountains of Bellagio is the best recommended one, but we never actually got round to seeing it. (It also runs in the afternoons, so it was always an end-of-day backup plan.)
Our original plan was to watch the pirate show at Treasure Island, which features moving (and sinking!) ships and fireworks, but looking at reviews of the show, it became clear that it was aimed at adults rather than children, with a lot of crude jokes. While it sounded like most of these would go over the children's heads, I was concerned that they wouldn't be interested in something so definitely geared towards adults.
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| The beginning of the eruption |
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| Prime eruption viewing |
So we opted instead to see the Mirage Volcano. This is a
fountain by day but at night it 'erupts' with fireworks and
pyrotechnics.
We ate at the Panda Express that's more or less opposite the Mirage (underneath a McDonalds)--not the most sentimental family meal, but my son was ecstatic. I'd done my research on where and when to get our place for the eruption. The tip was to stand on the hotel-side of the Volcano, right where the valet parking is. We were lucky enough to get the one bench there, which gave the children a boost for viewing.
It was indeed a great spot, letting us feel the heat of the flames. My son adored the show; my daughter got a little scared and got down from the bench to be held by Daddy. Because it was only about ten minutes long, afterwards we wandered down to Treasure Island and caught the tail end of the pirate show before going home.
Finally, on our last day, we had a couple of extra hours in the
afternoon, so we drove down to the Venetian. My husband had had a
conference there before and wanted to show me the indoor Grand Canal.
Parking at the Venetian is abysmal, so we parked at the sister hotel the
Palazzo, which is connected to the Venetian. By taking this route, we
stumbled across the Palazzo lobby, with giant cherry blossom hanging
down for spring.
I believe the decorations in this Lobby are seasonal, though I'm not sure how frequently they change. The picture above was taken from the top of a two storey waterfall, with escalators either side. The Venetian's Grand Canal is just through some arches beyond the top of this waterfall.
The mosaic pool on the ground level had an infinity-style edge, and the children couldn't keep their hands off it. This place was easily my favorite discovery of the Strip. We could go back to Vegas every year, and I would want to visit it to see what it's looking like now.
It must be said though that the children were even more fascinated by the Venetian.
The Venetian has a slightly eerie atmosphere, thanks to the singing gondoliers whose operatic notes echo around the halls of the Grand Canal. (Obscurely, it reminded me of the scene in Disney's Sleeping Beauty where Princess Aurora is lured to the spinning wheel.) It's great fun wandering along the canal, wandering over bridges (most of them not stroller friendly) and following the gondolas down. There's even a small St Mark's Square, mostly filled with cafe tables.
We passed a living statue at one point. My daughter climbed over his pedestal as toddlers will, put one hand on his robes to steady herself, discovered they were actual fabric and did the best double-take I've ever seen. Neither child could figure out what he was, but they were amused rather than scared.
Of course, as soon as they saw the gondolas, they wanted a boat ride. After checking on prices and availability, we decided to splurge on it. Our daughter was free, but our son paid the same fare we did. There are indoor gondola rides and outdoor gondola rides. Both are the same price, but the outdoors had a shorter waiting time, so we chose that one.
It was still perfectly enjoyable, but my recommendation would be the indoor one. The outdoor ride lacks the atmosphere of the indoors, and feels more like you're having a boat ride around a pool. It's also subject to weather conditions--it must be scorching in the summer time, and on a windy day it has to be closed as the flat-bottomed boats will just be pushed around the canal. Finally, the route is simply more boring. You do have the tunnel of the wide bridge to go under (with the fantastic echoes for the singing gondolier), but you go through it, turn around and go back again.
Town Square
After the stress of our first foray onto the Strip, I decided we need something that was wholly geared towards children. While researching suitable attractions, I had caught a reference to a play area at Town Square. Some googling left me with the inaccurate impression that this was an open air mall. Instead, despite the mall style parking lots around it, you can actually drive through the streets and park outside the shop of your choice. The streetside parking is metered though, and it's such an easy walk from the car park into the centre, that I don't know why anybody would use the metered parking!
It's supposed to feel like a European village--if a European village consisted entirely of upmarket shops. While it avoids the tawdriness of Las Vegas, it's just as luxurious, and the playground was no exception.
The
treehouse / fort is actually the most conventional item there. There's
also in-ground fountains to splash through, numerous playhouses (one
two storeys high, and exited via fireman's poles), a wooden theater
(stage, fixed backdrop, chalkboard sign and ticket window) and a
hedge-maze. You know what it doesn't have? Swings... which meant I
could sit down instead of being asked to push!
Sitting down is actually essential. The size and number of playhouses mean it's very easy to lose track of your children--and vice versa. I followed my daughter through one playhouse and then couldn't find my son. He turned out to be in another playhouse, crying because he didn't know where I was. After that, I sat down on a bench and monitored who had disappeared into where. Handily, the playground is entirely fenced round with only one exit point, and park staff keep an eye on that.
The playground runs alongside the main park, which is also beautiful and eco-conscious, with an artificial lawn and imported water in the pond/fountain. While the park is small, it packs a lot into the space it has.
We went along on a Wednesday morning, and it soon became apparent that something was happening on the grass in the main park. I heard some other mothers refer to storytime, but this clearly bore no comparison to the low-tech story-circles involving nothing more than a book that I'd participated in. My children were not interested in leaving the park when it started, but after a while, we decided to get a snack (from one of the assorted, expensive kiosks on the paved section of the park) and go and join in.
This storytime featured a clown reading to the children, with regular breaks for magic tricks, quizzes for which the children won prizes from a chest, songs with audience participation, and cameos from staff dressed up in animal costumes. The clown was advertising himself for birthday parties, and in the pavilion in one corner, the Artsy Nannies were advertising themselves with a puppet craft. Finally, Old Navy had a table where they were giving away free balloons, provided you picked up a coupon for the store.
In short order, we had acquired two balloons, two paper bag puppets, a balloon puppy dog and a balloon sword for absolutely nothing. (We had also spent about $12 on cookies, but who's counting?)
I had meant to leave around noon, but that was when the train rides started.
Long
story short, we left later than we'd intended and the children were
already begging to come back. Since it was so close to the airport
(meaning you get the added child-fun-factor of planes going right
overhead), we decided we'd come back on our last day and have dinner
there before catching our red-eye flight home. The day we came back,
they were having some kind of classic car show.
We ate at English's Gastro Pub, of which the reviews boiled down to great food, bad service. We fully agreed with them--the Yorkshire Pudding was a bit too bready, and the peas were 'crushed' rather than mushy, but everything else was delicious and authentic (and I am now a crushed peas convert and think chippies around the UK should embrace this concept).
Lied Discovery Children's Museum
After the success of Town Square, I continued with the child-oriented theme the following day by heading for the local Children's Museum. What I did not realise was that only a month earlier (March 2013) it had moved locations. My GPS took me unerringly to the old location which unhelpfully still had a board out stating opening hours rather than any kind of sign advertising the new address.
Fortunately, the old car park was the hangout of choice for a group of loiterers who helpfully told me to enter 'the Smith Center' into my GPS which did, indeed, take me to the right spot. Lesson learned: always double-check the GPS address against the address on the website.
The new Museum wasn't fully finished yet, with a few exhibits under construction. It also had a surplus of bored staff-members who were eager to interact with my children. It was very nicely done, with all the usual exhibits you find in a Children's Museum. The stand-out feature for us was the play structure layout of the climb up between the floors.
There was an ordinary set of steps up between the levels or you could take the slides and tunnels. Small exhibits were placed inside, or you could take a bridge, ramp, net, to the main floor.
The downside of this was that it was difficult to keep up with the children, or keep them together. It's completely un-stroller friendly, and would not difficult if you had one child in a stroller and one child out exploring the structure.
There is a lift and a standard staircase between the floors as well, but the tower structure was a lot more fun and my children loved it.
The other big highlight for them was the Waterworld, which helpfully provided raincoats (downside, it was a lot harder to spot my child out of the sea of yellow hoods) for the children as they played with fountains, currents, water wheels, water guns and even a whirlpool.
My children also loved the climbable pirate ship, and Toddler Land's mining operation (which is really better suited for slightly older children). The downside of this place is that it can take hours to explore, and we had to get back for my daughter's afternoon nap. Even if naptime isn't an option, there aren't any eating facilities (or at least weren't when we went, but obviously, they were still building).
Anyway, I've been to a few Children's Museums, and this was a good one. I wouldn't consider it a Must-See Vegas attraction, but it's certainly worth doing!
Springs Preserve
Spring's Preserve, both Botanical Gardens and Museum, is a Must See, telling you about the origins of Las Vegas (literally "The Meadows") as a railroad town and showcasing the flora and fauna that make the desert their home. Frustratingly, it doesn't open until 10am, giving us only a couple of hours for exploration, and I didn't prepare as well as I should have done for what to focus on in that time. Check the map of the Preserve in advance, and plan your itinerary.
In fact, I wish I'd read up more carefully on the Preserve before we left, because one of their programmes/attractions is a nature exchange, where children can swap things they've found in nature (working on a points-based system). We could have brought in something from our beach in Virginia and traded it for something from the desert. My son would have adored that. As it was, we had a good time browsing the Exchange which was almost entirely hands-on.
Near the Exchange was an attractive playground aimed at younger children, where we 'wasted' far too much time. Not much shade, unfortunately, but the children had a blast and made a friend. Afterwards, we headed to the Origen Museum, to experience their Flash Flood (intense!) and their interactive rail exhibits.
We ate at the Panda Express that's more or less opposite the Mirage (underneath a McDonalds)--not the most sentimental family meal, but my son was ecstatic. I'd done my research on where and when to get our place for the eruption. The tip was to stand on the hotel-side of the Volcano, right where the valet parking is. We were lucky enough to get the one bench there, which gave the children a boost for viewing.
It was indeed a great spot, letting us feel the heat of the flames. My son adored the show; my daughter got a little scared and got down from the bench to be held by Daddy. Because it was only about ten minutes long, afterwards we wandered down to Treasure Island and caught the tail end of the pirate show before going home.
I believe the decorations in this Lobby are seasonal, though I'm not sure how frequently they change. The picture above was taken from the top of a two storey waterfall, with escalators either side. The Venetian's Grand Canal is just through some arches beyond the top of this waterfall.
The mosaic pool on the ground level had an infinity-style edge, and the children couldn't keep their hands off it. This place was easily my favorite discovery of the Strip. We could go back to Vegas every year, and I would want to visit it to see what it's looking like now.
It must be said though that the children were even more fascinated by the Venetian.
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| Still inside at this point... |
We passed a living statue at one point. My daughter climbed over his pedestal as toddlers will, put one hand on his robes to steady herself, discovered they were actual fabric and did the best double-take I've ever seen. Neither child could figure out what he was, but they were amused rather than scared.
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| The outdoor canal, from the Rialto Bridge |
Of course, as soon as they saw the gondolas, they wanted a boat ride. After checking on prices and availability, we decided to splurge on it. Our daughter was free, but our son paid the same fare we did. There are indoor gondola rides and outdoor gondola rides. Both are the same price, but the outdoors had a shorter waiting time, so we chose that one.
It was still perfectly enjoyable, but my recommendation would be the indoor one. The outdoor ride lacks the atmosphere of the indoors, and feels more like you're having a boat ride around a pool. It's also subject to weather conditions--it must be scorching in the summer time, and on a windy day it has to be closed as the flat-bottomed boats will just be pushed around the canal. Finally, the route is simply more boring. You do have the tunnel of the wide bridge to go under (with the fantastic echoes for the singing gondolier), but you go through it, turn around and go back again.
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| Still, you can't go wrong with a tunnel |
After the stress of our first foray onto the Strip, I decided we need something that was wholly geared towards children. While researching suitable attractions, I had caught a reference to a play area at Town Square. Some googling left me with the inaccurate impression that this was an open air mall. Instead, despite the mall style parking lots around it, you can actually drive through the streets and park outside the shop of your choice. The streetside parking is metered though, and it's such an easy walk from the car park into the centre, that I don't know why anybody would use the metered parking!
It's supposed to feel like a European village--if a European village consisted entirely of upmarket shops. While it avoids the tawdriness of Las Vegas, it's just as luxurious, and the playground was no exception.
 |
| Climbing the ladder to the treehouse. |
Sitting down is actually essential. The size and number of playhouses mean it's very easy to lose track of your children--and vice versa. I followed my daughter through one playhouse and then couldn't find my son. He turned out to be in another playhouse, crying because he didn't know where I was. After that, I sat down on a bench and monitored who had disappeared into where. Handily, the playground is entirely fenced round with only one exit point, and park staff keep an eye on that.
The playground runs alongside the main park, which is also beautiful and eco-conscious, with an artificial lawn and imported water in the pond/fountain. While the park is small, it packs a lot into the space it has.
We went along on a Wednesday morning, and it soon became apparent that something was happening on the grass in the main park. I heard some other mothers refer to storytime, but this clearly bore no comparison to the low-tech story-circles involving nothing more than a book that I'd participated in. My children were not interested in leaving the park when it started, but after a while, we decided to get a snack (from one of the assorted, expensive kiosks on the paved section of the park) and go and join in.
This storytime featured a clown reading to the children, with regular breaks for magic tricks, quizzes for which the children won prizes from a chest, songs with audience participation, and cameos from staff dressed up in animal costumes. The clown was advertising himself for birthday parties, and in the pavilion in one corner, the Artsy Nannies were advertising themselves with a puppet craft. Finally, Old Navy had a table where they were giving away free balloons, provided you picked up a coupon for the store.
In short order, we had acquired two balloons, two paper bag puppets, a balloon puppy dog and a balloon sword for absolutely nothing. (We had also spent about $12 on cookies, but who's counting?)
I had meant to leave around noon, but that was when the train rides started.
 |
We ate at English's Gastro Pub, of which the reviews boiled down to great food, bad service. We fully agreed with them--the Yorkshire Pudding was a bit too bready, and the peas were 'crushed' rather than mushy, but everything else was delicious and authentic (and I am now a crushed peas convert and think chippies around the UK should embrace this concept).
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| Town Square from the Pub balcony. |
Lied Discovery Children's Museum
After the success of Town Square, I continued with the child-oriented theme the following day by heading for the local Children's Museum. What I did not realise was that only a month earlier (March 2013) it had moved locations. My GPS took me unerringly to the old location which unhelpfully still had a board out stating opening hours rather than any kind of sign advertising the new address.
Fortunately, the old car park was the hangout of choice for a group of loiterers who helpfully told me to enter 'the Smith Center' into my GPS which did, indeed, take me to the right spot. Lesson learned: always double-check the GPS address against the address on the website.
 | |||
| In the Air Traffic Control Tower |
The downside of this was that it was difficult to keep up with the children, or keep them together. It's completely un-stroller friendly, and would not difficult if you had one child in a stroller and one child out exploring the structure.
There is a lift and a standard staircase between the floors as well, but the tower structure was a lot more fun and my children loved it.
The other big highlight for them was the Waterworld, which helpfully provided raincoats (downside, it was a lot harder to spot my child out of the sea of yellow hoods) for the children as they played with fountains, currents, water wheels, water guns and even a whirlpool.
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| My daughter spent ten minutes putting balls on the fountain to be fired up to the ceiling track. |
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| Throwing balls into the whirlpool |
Anyway, I've been to a few Children's Museums, and this was a good one. I wouldn't consider it a Must-See Vegas attraction, but it's certainly worth doing!
Springs Preserve
Spring's Preserve, both Botanical Gardens and Museum, is a Must See, telling you about the origins of Las Vegas (literally "The Meadows") as a railroad town and showcasing the flora and fauna that make the desert their home. Frustratingly, it doesn't open until 10am, giving us only a couple of hours for exploration, and I didn't prepare as well as I should have done for what to focus on in that time. Check the map of the Preserve in advance, and plan your itinerary.
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| Entering through the 'Canyon' |
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| On the revolving fountain |
In our holiday, it suffered coming off the back of our lengthy road trip. Were we to do Vegas again, it would get a much higher priority.
Red Rock Canyon
A few years earlier, my husband had attended the same conference at Vegas and signed up for a bike ride in Red Rock Canyon which was cancelled to his deep regret. We couldn't do the bikes, but we decided that on our final Saturday, after his conference had ended, but before we flew home, we would spend the morning in the Canyon.
Red Rock Canyon is just a short drive from Vegas and the National Park Pass that we had bought for the road trip part of our holiday was accepted here. There are no restaurants or cafes inside the park. Bring your own food!
The oddity of the park is that the only road through it is one way (13 miles, at 35 mph or less), and spits you back out on the main road again when you're done. Fortunately, we did the Visitor's Center before setting off, because if there was a way back to it inside the park, we missed it!
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| The Calico Hills at Red Rock Canyon |
After looking at the various trails, we set off with the vague idea of doing the Lost Creek trail, which is a 0.7 mile trail specifically recommended for children. However, bearing in mind what had happened in Bryce and Zion, we agreed we were not going to push for anything.
As it turned out, the first stop on the drive was at the Calico Hills, and while there's a trail of a few miles leading from the first overlook to the second, the Hills also just lend themselves to free climbing and exploration. They used to be sand dunes, and their shape and colour are fascinating. I was hankering to climb on them as soon as I saw them, and fortunately, so was our son!
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| My son and I climbing (you can spot my orange shirt) go scrambling |
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| This looked a lot less precarious when I was sitting underneath it |
Afterwards, we drove on, to be ridiculously amused by the tortoise crossing signs (it is my eternal regret that I didn't get a picture of one). Lost Creek trailhead is up a (two-way) offshoot from the main drive. The Lost Creek car park was full, so we drove a few yards further to Willow Springs.
As the name suggests, there are actual trees at Willow Springs, making it one of the few shady places in the park, and so there's a picnic ground there (and apparently a trail too). At one end of the carpark is a paved path to an ancient Agave roasting pit, and some handprint pictographs.
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| Handprints |
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| Red Rock Canyon |
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