Family Attractions in Las Vegas

While ‘Sin City’ is often considered the ultimate place for adults to embrace their hedonistic tendencies, the location is also becoming an increasingly popular choice for family holidays. Las Vegas boasts many family-friendly hotels – including the Four Seasons Hotel and the Red Rock Resort and Casino – alongside fun and/or educational attractions for both parents and children to enjoy. Kids will love Nevada’s naturally stunning National Parks, and Vegas’ many age-suitable shows, museums, land and marine animal encounters, and plethora of heart-racing rides (though a handful of the latter are suitable for the bravest of youths only!) 

Of course, many mums and dads would find it impractical (and stressful!) to have their children by their side 24/7 during their holiday – especially if some adults-only casino action has been planned in the itinerary! Luckily, there are numerous childcare services available across the city, with many offered by the family-friendly hotels themselves.

Here’s a look at some of the top attractions for families in Las Vegas…

Adventuredome

Covering five acres, Adventuredome is America’s largest indoor theme park and one of the most popular family attractions in Vegas. Situated under a colossal glass dome, the climate-controlled park features extreme delights in the form of the Canyon Blast rollercoaster and the spinning Disk’O and Chaos, as well as family-orientated amusements like the Circus Carousel and Drifters Ferris wheel, and many tamer rides for little ones such as Frog Hopper, Miner Mike etc.

Aside from Adventuredome’s rides, families will have great fun in its Xtreme Zone which features indoor rock climbing and bungee jumping, the 18-hole Pike’s Pass golf course and the park’s free clown shows. Mini bowling, penny arcades, and various food outlets can also be found within. 

Madam Tussauds Las Vegas

Have you ever wanted to meet Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Hugh Heffner or Barack Obama? Mingling with Las Vegas’ Madam Tussauds waxwork replicas of these celebrities will almost make you feel you have! Aside from endless photo opportunities provided by the faux A-list stars, the museum comprises a spooky ‘maximum security prison’ section and a nightclub.

Zoological-Botanical Park

Located just 15 minutes away from the Strip, the Las Vegas Zoo is a great place to visit for a family day out. More than 150 species of flora are found in the park, which is also home to Barbary apes, chimpanzees, ostriches, emus, flamingos, talking parrots, wallabies, and exotic reptiles.

Lied Discovery Children’s Museum

The Lied Discovery Children’s Museum is home to more than 100 interactive science, arts and cultural exhibits, designed to educate children through playful experiences. Activities such as making giant bubbles, pretending to be a radio DJ, entering a ‘hurricane’, learning foreign languages with the Berenstain Bears, playing a laser harp and conducting other sound and electricity experiments are all enjoyed equally by parents – there’s a child inside all of us!

Other family attractions in Las Vegas

This is just a handful of other attractions families visiting Las Vegas can enjoy:

• The Mermaid Aquarium at Silverton Casino: A free-to-view 117,000 gallon water feature designed to look like Vegas’ Red Rock Canyon, which is home to live koi carp, trout, channel catfish and bass. The adjacent river is home to ducks, turtles and sturgeon too! Women dressed as mermaids make the aquarium all the more delightful for families

• Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat: Located at the infamous Mirage Hotel and launched by Vegas’ famed lion-loving magicians, Siegfried and Roy, this attraction is a favourite among children visiting the city. The tropical ‘Secret Garden’ is a conservation area for royal white tigers, white lions, panthers and leopards, while educational and research facility ‘Dolphin Habitat’ is home to a friendly family of Atlantic bottlenoses.

• Streetmosphere: Free, Italian-themed street entertainment at The Grand Canal Shops (Venetian Hotel). Expect opera singers, stilt walkers, dancers and living statues

• Nevada Southern Railway: A railroad museum in Boulder City, offering rides along the tracks installed to support the construction of Hoover Dam

• Las Vegas Natural History Museum: This museum boasts an extensive number of exhibits, ranging from dinosaurs, to Nevada wildlife and even a live shark exhibit!

• Circus acts at Circus Circus: Not only can you witness trapeze experts, slack wire walkers, aerial silk artists and foot jugglers as part of the world’s largest permanent circus at the Circus Circus Hotel, but the awe-inspiring fun is completely free to watch too!

• A view from the Eiffel Tower: Children will love riding the glass elevator up this half-sized replica of France’s signature landmark, to view Vegas in all its glory. The sight is particularly stunning at night, when the Strip lights up.

• Lake Mead: Comprising an impressive 820 miles of sandy shoreline, Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. Located 30 minutes away from the bustle of the Vegas Strip, this is a prime spot for relaxing picnics

• Bellagio Fountains: A free, majestic show of synchronised water, light and music, occurring every 15 minutes in front of the Bellagio Hotel

• The Volcano (Mirage): A free, hourly, explosive and fiery show at the Mirage Hotel’s front yard ‘volcano’

• CSI: The Experience: Located in the MGM Grand hotel, this hands-on forensic science museum exhibit puts its visitors in the role of crime scene investigators (note: children must be at least 12 years to enter)

• M&M World: The ultimate shop for lovers of Mars’ rainbow button-shaped, chocolate candies

• Gondola rides at the Venetian: A canal runs through the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Hotel, on which authentic Greek-inspired gondola rides can be experienced. This activity is enjoyable for little ones and adults alike.