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“One night, my 3-year-old asked me if she could sleep in my bed. I told her no. She said, “That’s not fair! Why does Daddy get to sleep in your bed?” READ MORE
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It’s a good thing there are enough things to do in Las Vegas if you are there with the kids. If your child steps one foot too close to a slot machine, a security guard will usher him away with a stern warning. But there’s no need to worry. Las Vegas offers plenty of unique and fun things for children to see and do in a long weekend, even if Sin City is supposed to be the ultimate playground for adults. Understand this: If you bring your children to Las Vegas, you can forget the late-night shows, the topless reviews, and the gambling. The casinos are definitely off the agenda. The good news is that many of the well-known hotels on the Strip feature displays with exotic animals, wave pools and other kid-friendly attractions, even as the town has adopted a decidedly adult motto: “What happens here, stays here.” The admission prices for some of these attractions can be hefty but not nearly as hard on your wallet as a couple of hours at the blackjack tables. I was in Las Vegas for a weekend in August with my 5-year-old son, Logan, and my pal from Simi Valley, Jacqueline Finch. Jackie was in Las Vegas for a high school reunion and took along her 4-1/2-year-old daughter, Samantha, whom my son and I adore. So Logan and I tagged along with the idea that I’d find some fun places to take our kids while Jackie visited with her old high school friends. Before we left, I checked out the Internet sites of several hotels to see what they offered. On the agenda We had lunch Saturday at the Rainforest Café in the MGM Grand Hotel. My son had previously been to the Rainforest Café at the Ontario Mills mall but a repeat trip was a treat. Logan loves the simulated thunderstorm in the sky, the waterfalls, huge tropical fish tanks and animals that hide in the jungle walls and make sounds. We also enjoyed the gift shop, which sells clothing, toys, and other neat stuff. Samantha enjoyed the talking tree in the gift shop. Before we left the MGM, we stopped by the Lion Habitat in the lobby and saw a frisky 23-week-old lion cub named Nugget. After lunch, we visited the Mirage Hotel to visit Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. The 2.5-million-gallon Dolphin Habitat is home to a family of six Atlantic bottlenose dolphins that live in four connected pools with an artificial coral reef and sandy bottom, which can be viewed from underground. The two youngest dolphins, siblings ages 2 and 5, wowed the crowd as they tossed large plastic beach balls around their pool with their noses. The playful animals tossed the balls toward the pool’s edges, just feet away from my son, retrieved the balls and tossed them back into the water. My son laughed at the antics, and so did the adults. It was a great show. In the Secret Garden, I enjoyed seeing the rare white tigers, lions, cheetahs and the sleek black panther, but most of the big cats were sleeping or lounging and didn’t thrill the kids quite as much as the active and amusing dolphins. Visiting sharks One hotel I’d never visited before was the Mandalay Bay, but when I saw on the Web that the hotel featured a unique aquarium called the Shark Reef, opened in 2000, I figured that would be interesting for the kids, and indeed it was. After a quick dinner Saturday evening at Paris, where we stayed, Logan, Samantha and I took a cab to the Mandalay Bay for a self-guided tour of Shark Reef. We saw sharks, stingrays, piranha, golden crocodiles, and hundreds of other animals and fish in the 1.6 million-gallon seawater tank. The largest exhibit contains at least 15 species of shark, which swim overhead in the tunnel-shaped tank. Among the most captivating displays was the large, glowing jellyfish tank, which really grabbed the child’s attention. Samantha asked all sorts of questions about the odd creatures floating around, like, “Do they sting?” “Why do they sting?” My son was so excited he couldn’t stop running from tank to tank to find new creatures. Other hotels offer their own unique shows that kids of all ages would enjoy. The Flamingo Las Vegas has an exotic bird tropical habitat; Caesar’s Palace has its Fall of Atlantis Fountain show in the Forum Shops; and Excalibur has its Tournament of Kings dinner and jousting show. Older kids and teens will enjoy the indoor Adventuredome Theme Park at Circus Circus, which features 23 rides and attractions and is always air-conditioned to a comfortable 72 degrees. Some cool things are outside the hotels, however. Our kids had fun riding the Monorail, which runs the length of the Strip. They also enjoyed the simple pleasure of riding on the moving sidewalks at the Venetian. Amy Bentley of Temecula is a regular contributor. IF YOU GO: Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage: Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children, ages 4-12. Children age 3 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. www.themirage.com and www.miragehabitat.com. Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay: Admission for adults is $15.95, $9.95 for children ages 12 and younger. Children 4 and under are admitted free. The Shark Reef is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. www.mandalaybay.com. Lion Habitat and Rainforest Café in the lobby of the MGM Grand: Open Sunday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to midnight. |
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