Las Vegas may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking of family-friendly destinations perhaps. But, after doing three nights there in June 2021, my mind has been changed! So what made Vegas such an ideal family-friendly destination and what family-friendly activities are there available in Las Vegas? Here you can find out about the hotel we stayed in, kid-friendly activities and things to do if you’re able to spend some time without the kids!
Family-friendly Hotels
Firstly, it’s super important to check where you’re going to stay. Lots of the hotels in Vegas don’t seem particularly family-friendly. When we were researching our trip, we came across a perfect sanctuary for us all right on the main Vegas Strip!
We stayed at the Four Seasons Las Vegas and I can’t recommend it highly enough! From the moment we arrived, we were given the best service imaginable. What’s more, I didn’t feel on edge the whole time which is quite a feat when travelling with a 3 and 6 year old! The staff made everything so easy for us and were happy to indulge the girls with snacks and colouring to keep them busy so that we could relax! The Four Seasons staff made it so that we all felt totally comfortable just being ourselves whether we were by the poolside or ordering room service after a busy day.
Also, there isn’t a casino in the Four Seasons which means there isn’t that passing foot traffic that you might find in some of the busier Vegas hotels. Whilst the hotel itself doesn’t have a casino, the Four Seasons is located on the top 5 floors of the Mandalay Bay (it has its own entrance so you wouldn’t know the two were connected necessarily) and this means that if you do want to do those classic Vegas activities, there are extremely easy to fit in! Coupled with the hotel’s babysitting service (which we took advantage of twice), it means you can enjoy yourself away from the casinos until you’re ready to join in the fun.
family-friendly Activities in Vegas
We were only in Vegas for three days but we found plenty of family friendly activities to keep us all occupied. We spent a whole day by the hotel pool so I recommend staying somewhere with a good pool if you have kids. Again because we stayed at the Four Seasons, we were able to use their pool and the Mandalay Bay pools. That gave us the best of both worlds with the Mandalay Bay offering us a lazy river and wave pool, and the Four Seasons pool giving us tranquility and some welcome shade in their cabanas and loungers.
We did walk some of the Vegas strip but it was extremely hot and so we did get an Uber from our hotel down to the Bellagio and then we walked around from there. Obviously, stopping off at the Bellagio Fountain Show is a must-see experience whilst you’re in Vegas. My husband and I watched the show at 4 different times, and each time we saw a different show! The girls only saw the daytime show but they loved every second of it and agreed it was worth waiting around in the heat! Whilst we were on the strip we also popped into M&Ms world which the kids absolutely loved. The chocolate we bought also made for the perfect bribes to keep them walking for a little bit longer!
One thing that the girls really wanted to do and we just didn’t get round to was the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. We have heard really great things and it will be first on our list next time we are in Vegas! If you have animal lovers in your family, then it might be worth also checking out Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden at Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage. Again, we didn’t have time for this but is definitely something we would do on a return trip. And whilst you’re at the Mirage you could also check out the “volcano eruption” which takes place every night. It was just a bit late for our 6 and 3 year old so we opted for the Bellagio Fountains instead.
Outside of Vegas
If you’re staying in Vegas and keen to explore a little further, there is one trip that you simply must make. The Grand Canyon. When we knew that we would be living in America, the Grand Canyon went on our list of things to see straight away. If you’re travelling this way for any reason, it really is a missed opportunity if you don’t visit.
From Vegas we drove 2-2.5 hours to the West Rim of the Canyon and we found this to be a great option for the whole family. Be sure to book your tickets in advance, either online or at one of the official ticket sellers in Vegas. We booked online and it was very easy (and fun) to drive ourselves there in our hire car. Parking is super easy so you don’t need to worry about that either! If you are nervous about driving that distance with kids, be sure to check out my tips for road trips with kids here!
One of the main benefits of heading to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon is that you not only get to see the gorgeous Canyon from several viewpoints, but the whole area is part of the Hualapai Reservation where you can experience their heritage and rich traditions. It was great to talk with the girls about the history of the region and show them the cultural importance of the area too. If you’re not too afraid of heights, there is also the opportunity to walk on the simply incredible glass skywalk. This was one of my favourite parts of our entire two week trip to California, Nevada and Arizona. This is also the perfect time to get some new family photos of your latest adventures. The onsite photographers were great and very patient with the kids who were a bit hot and bothered to say the least! It truly was one of the most amazing places we’ve ever been and we are all going to treasure the memories for a long time!
Activities without the Kids
I could write a whole blog post just based on our two evenings without the kids, but for now I’ll keep it short and sweet!
If you can, make sure you hire a babysitter, or take someone with you on the trip who can stay with the kids for an evening! The Four Seasons offer a babysitting service via CollegeNanniesandTutors and it was easily some of the best money we spent on our trip! Here’s what we did on our two nights:
- The High Roller at the Linq – we did the “Happy Half an Hour” option on the world’s largest Observation Wheel. It included free drinks for the duration of the ride. We could have done this as a family-friendly activity in one of the normal pods but chose to do it just us and really make it grown-up by adding the drinks on too! Our bartender was great and looked after us so well! It was the perfect way to start off the evening!
- See a show! We had limited choice due to not all shows being back on after Covid but we were still able to see David Copperfield at the MGM and it was a really great evening. The “greatest illusionist of all time” was so “Vegas” but that’s one of the very reasons I loved it!
- Eat and drink your way around Vegas! We did this after the High Roller, so if I’m honest, I would have been happy at a Shake Shack! But some of the best restaurants in the world are in Vegas, so if you love food and can manage to get a booking, it’s definitely worth checking out!
- Gamble at a Vegas casino! Honestly, of all the things we’ve done since living in America, this was probably one of the most underwhelming. I’m glad we went and did it because I’d have always regretted it, but I found it quite stressful knowing what to do and spending loads of money. I was a bit of a bore and just didn’t see the fun in it! Every time I saw how much a buy-in was, I just kept thinking of all the other exciting things I could have spent that money on! Nevertheless, you can’t go to Vegas and not try out a casino! I kept my ticket for my winnings rather than cashing it in – I think I’ll cope without that 37¢!
