Las Vegas Vacation: Where to Stay, Vegas With Kids

It is fun to watch a kid grow up, but it is rare to watch a city mature. A few years ago Las Vegas was a randy teenager, trying to be sexy, cool and sophisticated, but often slightly missing the mark. All of the sudden, however, it’s like Vegas came home from college, all polished and full of youthful confidence. Still not as culturally rich as other cities, the town seems to be hitting its stride. Michelin just published its first-ever Las Vegas guide, along with its first guide for Los Angeles—and Vegas is the city with a three star chef.

Scintillating Entertainment

Of the 39 million visitors who came to Vegas last year, more than half said they came for entertainment, with food and wine at the apex of the list.

Not only has Vegas popped to the top of the culinary scene (we have more master sommeliers than any other city in the country), Vegas is raising the bar for entertainment. Now a must-stop for any touring band or comedian, performers of all styles fill huge showrooms like the MGM Grand Garden Arena and intimate venues like the House of Blues or the Railhead in Boulder Station.

 

• Cirque du Soleil stuns crowds in Las Vegas with top-of-the-line acrobatics.

Al Seib

But it isn’t just music. Top named sports competitions and Tony Award-winning shows also fill thousands of seats per year. The Producers, Mama Mia! and Jersey Boys vie with the new Vegas showgirls (and boys) who perform in the surreal, fantastical productions of Cirque du Soleil. Vegas’ love affair with magic and spectacle is far from over. From comedy magic to giant illusions and mesmerists, Vegas enchants kids of all ages.

Off the Beaten Track

For those willing to venture off the Strip, another kind of magic awaits. Red Rock Canyon is a fifteen minute drive away. There world-class rock climbing, horseback riding, mountain and street biking, hiking, photography and petroglyphs await the intrepid traveler. Kids love to stop by the Desert Tortoise Habitat to see palm-sized newborns along with their parents.

 

• A red rock window in the Valley of Fire, a state park northeast of Las Vegas.

James Phelps

Another Vegas-area attraction is Lake Mead National Recreation Area, located about 45 minutes from Las Vegas, which offers a variety of outdoor activities including kayaking, canoeing, desert hiking and some of the best sports fishing in the United States. [Read A Need for Mead to learn about renting a houseboat at Lake Mead.] If you’re visiting Lake Mead, be sure to stop by that marvel of modern engineering, the Hoover Dam, located 30 miles southeast of the Strip. The Depression-era dam stand 726.4 feet tall and can supply more than 2.8 million kilowatts of electricity to California, Arizona and Nevada. Take a helicopter tour to see sweeping views of the grand structure and the recreation area; the Hoover Dam Tour Company offers 1.5 hour heli tours from $324 per person. www.hooverdamtourcompany.com  

Valley of Fire State Park, the Spring Mountains and Death Valley National Park all lie within a two-hour drive, with many tour companies happy to provide the transportation, lunch and narrative.

And for those really willing to take a risk, the valley is filled with small museums, cultural festivals, little-known artists’ groups, parks, biking trails and restaurants run by chefs looking to escape the Strip frenzy. We may not have huge history and art museums that have benefited from a hundred years of patronage, but if you want to observe culture in its exciting, unfettered infancy, few cities can compete with Vegas.