Las Vegas tips

[wayne21]

I'm going with wile and daughter in Dec. and would like any tip about places to go or not to visit.
Food, gaming, shows free or not free.

update- daughter-11
food- try new dishes , $75-$100 per meal.
Staying with a friend no hotel needed.
also have car to use while there.
shows with animals
places to visit close by-3 hour drive.
going in Dec, 1st week how cold.
Thank you

[The_Jazz]

This isn't enough of a challenge - could you make sure not to tell us pricing parameters, how old your daughter is, what kind of shows you do or don't want to see, what kind of food you like, whether you want to stay on or off The Strip or how long you'll be there?

Oh, wait, that's what you did.

Seriously, I'm in Vegas on business between 4 and 7 times a year. In the past 3 years, I've stayed in every major property on The Strip except the Monte Carlo, the Riviera and Circus Circus. I can help, but you have to help me first.

[JJRousseau]

If you've never been and never plan to go again, Zion National Park is about 3.5 hours drive and is absolutely stunning. As for Vegas itself, it's not really my thing but Cirque du Soleil is excellent and for me their best show is Ka. Worth whatever you have to pay to get good seats.

[jorgelito]

3.5 hours is a lot of time and gices you a wide range. I'm not sure but I think the Hoover Damn and Grand canyon may be within reach.

Hmmm...shows with animals? Is the Siegfred and Roy thingy still going? Idunno, maybe their wives stopped letting them do it afte the accident.

There's also a Gameworld (all sorts of games) and M& M World, Coca-Cola World. Don't forget to see the free shows: Pirates at the Treasure Island, King Arthur's Castle, Light Show at the Bellagio...

You could go for a Gondola ride at the Venetian. Or how about a rollercoater ride at the top of the Stratosphere?

You could also try lasvegas.com for more info I think.

[ratbastid]

Originally Posted by jorgelito

Hmmm...shows with animals? Is the Siegfred and Roy thingy still going? Idunno, maybe their wives stopped letting them do it afte the accident.

They... have wives? I always just assumed they were... you know... together.

[jorgelito]

*wink, wink* I'm just trying to inject a little "humor" in the posts, hehehe.

I thought they were um..."single" (unmarried) too. But good catch, I didn't think anyone would catch on.

[Grasshopper Green]

Just a tip...the Strip's sidewalk will be littered with porn advertisements, and the guys who hand it out won't care if you're with a kid.

Circus Circus has an amusement park in it, one of the main hotels (I forget exactly, but I think it might be Montego Bay) has an aquarium with sharks, and there are a couple of other casinos with rides/rollercoasters. I've never been with a child, so I've never paid attention to the child-friendly places

As far as temperature is concerned, I was down there in January last year and I needed a jacket, but it wasn't so cold that walking around outside was uncomfortable. In fact, a sweater during the day was ok and the jacket was only necessary in the morning and evening.

Also, if your daughter likes dinosaurs, there is a place in St. George, Utah (about 2 hours north of Vegas) that might be fun for her...here is a link:

http://www.sgcity.org/dinotrax/indexmain.php

[wayne21]

Thank you for your tips
Wayne21

[The_Jazz]

Sorry, I've been away for a while and just saw this thread again. Hopefully I'm not too late.

I'm assuming that your daughter will be going with you for most of this stuff and that the $75-$100 per meal is for 3 people. Hopefully that's accurate.

Circus Circus is kind of a dump. They used to have a monkey in a diaper and a leash walking around the place, but I haven't been there in years honestly, so I don't know if that's still the case.

The Stratosphere has their Sky Deck (I think that's the name) as well as a virtual carnival on the roof. You can ride a rollercoaster up there along with several other things. If you're an adrenalin junkie, it's a great place.

New York New York has their own roller coaster that goes through the hotel. It leaves from the arcade, which might be enough to entertain your daughter for a while.

The Mirage still has Siegfried and Roy's tigers on display although their show is long gone. The statue of them is still on the Strip. There's also a dolphin pool there, and the wall behind the front desk is a very long fish tank with small sharks, stingrays and other fish I don't recognize.

The Luxor has a bunch of Egypt-themed stuff, and MGM has a couple of museums. The World of Coke is supposed to be pretty neat, but I've never been there. At night, you can walk the Strip and see the fountains at the Bellagio (set to music), the volcano at the Mirage explode and the pirate battle at TI (although that's a little more adult, but I imagine that a mature 11-year old could handle it).

Downtown has the overhead lights display. The Rio has their Mardi Gras/Carnivale parade every hour or so.

As far as shows go, find whatever interests you and ask if it's appropriate for your daughter. The earlier shows tend to be tamer but not always.

There are far too many good places to eat for me to list them all, but the Wynn has a good ice cream shop, the steakhouse at Red Rocks has one of the best crab cakes I've ever eaten, Olives in the Bellagio serves a mean vodka marinara, and the sushi at the Wynn is fantastic.

More information = more advice.

[ASU2003]

You can take kids into the casinos, but you can't stop and play. There are lots of good restaurants and things to try.

It wouldn't be a new dish, but try In-n-Out burger. It is on the North side of Tropicana, on the West side of the highway. It is the default southwest (formerly California) hamburger and fries. It won't break the bank in case you lose too much money.

Eat at the buffets at breakfast or lunch. Then you won't feel hungry for the rest of the day. The MGM grand should have some lions on display on the main floor. The Bellagio, Wynn and Venetian are fun to walk around and look at. It costs $10 per person to ride to the top of the Stratosphere unless you stay there. Even though you don't need a hotel, I would highly recommend that one if you want a cheap place to stay (and have a rental car to drive to the strip and everywhere else around town).

I gave myself the self-guided tour (basically there is a crater, there is another crater, that is the road to nowhere...) when I was working there last summer (and they don't have any tours planned in December), but seeing the nuclear test sites is interesting, well maybe not to an 11 year old.
http://www.nv.doe.gov/nts/tours.htm

One thing that would be a good idea to go see is the Freemont street light show. It lasts about 8 minutes and starts at the top of the hour (get a schedule on-line or when you get there). Make sure you time it right, as there isn't very much free parking unless you get it validated, and it is a long wait between shows with not a whole lot of kid friendly things to do.

[ColonelSpecial]

I went to Vegas when I was eleven and it was really cool. I recommend the water show at Bellagio. It is so cool! It changes every time you watch it. If your daughter has never gone to a really fancy restaurant/dinner, I would take her to one of the upscale restaurants in the hotel. I went to the one in the MGM grand and it was fantastic. I still remember having my dad tell me "take a drink of your water" and when I did this waiter filled it up. We joked that the wait staff was in the back with binoculars watching and waiting. You should be okay for your budget. New York, New York is really fun to walk around.
Anyway, as for the porn ads, just walk with her (of course) and walk right by and don't make eye contact and you should be fine. I would recommend getting off the strip before 10 (if you are just walking around) because it gets a little bit more wild after that.

Fremont Street is a little bit off the Strip and is fun to walk around in the day. They have covered the space over one street and installed a great light show.

[goddfather40]

I would definitely check out Red Rock Canyon park, it has some of the most beautiful scenery you'll ever see. It's only about 20-30 minutes west of the Strip down Charleston Blvd.

As for the weather in December, it can be kind of chilly, with highs in the 50s and 60s and lows often down close to freezing. Rain can happen in December, but it is not too likely as it is the desert of course.

[paddyjoe]

Originally Posted by goddfather40

I would definitely check out Red Rock Canyon park, it has some of the most beautiful scenery you'll ever see.

yeah, good stuff for sure, plus a bit further away (50 miles or so) is the Valley of Fire state park. Some really stunning desert scenery. Here, check this site out:


http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm

Have fun and don't forget your camera!

[Delirious]

Hoover Dam is a good place easily accessible by car.
If you want to go a little further, the Grand Canyon is amazing. You can also take a helicopter ride that lands inside the Grand Canyon most will provide a picnic.
If you want food on the strip, the BEST buffet is the one at the Wynn.
As far as shows go, O at the Bellagio is spectacular.

[Mister Coaster]

There are so many Cirque du Soliel shows, you could just take your pick and be very well entertained. The one at NYNY is the only one that would be non-age appropriate for the kid. I think Mystere at Treasure Island is the cheapest one (and the only one we have been to)

Also, we saw Blue Man Group at Luxor, it was fantastic! It has great visuals and music, plus plenty of unexpected things that make for a truly great show. I reccomend it highly.

Circus Circus has the best "theme park" called the Pleasure Dome or something like that (it's the giant pink glass structure behind the hotel). The property itself is a little dumpy, but that's the best bet if you are looking for rides and such. Also, the midway is fun with carnie games, arcade games and free circus acts all day long.

As for places to eat... yeah, there are SO many great places, your head will spin. For a cheaper meal, try the Brew Pub at the Monte Carlo. They have really good microbrew (brewed right there) and a large menu where all of the dishes are top notch pub grub. We make sure to eat there at least once every time we go to Vegas. There is entertainment at night, which can be loud, so it may be a good place for lunch or early dinner.

Another great place that won't break the bank is the Irish pub at NYNY, called The Nine Fine Irishmen. Get the fish & chips!! The other Irish traditional dishes are there too, and all are very good.

Every big strip hotel will have its own steakhouse too, we have tried most of them, and I cannot remember any one of them dissappointing us. They tend to be pricey, but you should be able to get away for under $100 as long as you don't go crazy.

For breakfast buffets, for some reason we have latched onto the one at Luxor. I suppose they are pretty much all the same, but we tend to hit that one more often than anything else.

Have fun and be sure to always split aces and 8's, and always double down on 9, 10, and 11.

[greytone]

Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon are easy drives that most people appropriately recomend. They are good places to take your daughter. If you are going in December there may very well be snow on Mt Charleston. That is only about an hour north. The drive is interesting (at least once you start into the mountains) and there is an inn you can go to for lunch before driving home. You could throw a few snowballs at each other and even take a "Christmas picture" in the snow covered pines wearing short sleeves. Call before you go to see if there really is snow. There is not anything to see if there is not snow. Just a bunch of mountain cabins in a narrow valley.

Any Cirque show (other than Zumanity at NY) ought to be great. There are way too many good places to eat. I like the Mexican place at the Palms and Bobby Flay's place at Ceasers. I like Mirage's buffet the best of the ones I have tried. I have not seen the shark acquarium.

I still think the best thing to do in Vegas is "people watching" but with your daughter be careful of when and where.

[greytone]

Sorry for the duplicate. I accidently double clicked

[jt6879]

Red Rock is sure cool, especially in the winter time. Its not 110+ up there so Its nice, and its easy to get to. Just jump on Charleston from wherever and head west.. Dont stop till all you see is Red Rocks. Might I also recommend a restraunt, its a locals place but it has damn good food. Ricardos on the corner of Flamingo and Decatur. Its not outlandish prices either, I've always thought it was really good.