Las Vegas for toddlers

ketaki haldipurkar
Jun 29, 2019
7 min read

Updated: Oct 20, 2019

Las vegas surprisingly has a lot to offer for kids. Depends on your kid/s personality and likes, rides, watch a performance, go on a hike or eat, Las Vegas has something for everyone.

Probably you are thinking, Las Vegas, the last place you can think of for a vacation with a toddler.

In my last few posts I have mentioned my mom is visiting and she really wanted to see Las Vegas. That was good enough reason to plan and visit, my favorite city to unwind.

Looking at Las Vegas from a different perspective it’s definitely entertaining for lil ones. It’s so colorful, full of lights and believe it or not there’s tons and tons of things to do with a child any age.

Starting with stay, if you want a kitchenette booking Vdara is a wise choice. It’s got chic, huge condos with a kitchen, dining, living room (with pull out sofa bed), bedroom and a huge bathroom - comes with a separate soaker tub great for baby/toddler baths.

Our trip was basically touring all the hotels from the perspective of showing my Mom the architecture and the visual beauty that goes into these hotels. We also banked on the fact that we had 3 adults; so we took turns - After 8 pm 1 person would hang around with Bubu and eventually put him to sleep, while the other 2 would enjoy casino & shows have some adult-me-time. I will not go over that bit instead I am highlighting all the things to do with a toddler/children at Las Vegas.

(Side tip: If you do not have that extra family member all hotels have Baby-sitter or Daycare services to drop off kids so you and your partner can enjoy Vegas.)

Nature and wildlife

1) Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay Hotel

It’s a decent aquarium with just enough fish variety. They have tried to display all the dangerous predators. They have 14 exhibits that feature 100 sharks, Piranhas, sting rays and crocodiles. They also have the harmless exotic fish and sea turtles. The highlight and the most aww-inspiring feature is their shark tank which is 1.3 million gallon with a walk through tunnel. Makes you think how much bigger, better, cooler can Vegas exhibits get.

2) Conservatory & botanical gardens at Bellagio Hotel (FREE entry!)

It’s a massive glass dome just after the lobby of the Bellagio Hotel. A different scene is arranged for every season + every holiday by 120 horticulturists. These scenes use flowers, plants, trees and constructed pieces, like moving animals, fountains, bridges, to create unique visual scenes. It’s open 24 hours a day.

3) Aquarium at the lobby of Mirage Hotel (FREE entry!)

There is this beautiful 20,000-gallon saltwater aquarium around 50 feet long and 8 feet tall, directly behind and spanning the size of front desk at Mirage. Go at the non-busy check-out/check-in hours, to get unobstructed view. However, there is always viewing from either side of the front desk if you reach at peak hours. It's staged with beautiful coral reef (artificial) that houses approximately 450 exotic fish.

4) Atrium at Mirage Hotel (FREE entry!)

As you are leaving the lobby aquarium, turn right to enter the indoor atrium. Its located under a 100 foot dome. Made to look like a tropical rainforest, with palm trees, exotic blooms, lush plants and tranquil waterfalls emptying into a lagoon spanning the entire atrium. There is a bridge which lays over the lagoon, which is the main way to get into the casino.

5) Trip to Grand Canyon Skywalk

This is an easy 1.5-2 hr drive from Las Vegas strip, which most Bubu's can handle. At the ticket site you can buy a all inclusive bus/helicopter tour to the skywalk + lunch + water etc. You have to pay extra to get pics taken as cameras and phones are not allowed.

The skywalk in my logic is a great experience to expose your child to heights to avert fear (just like introduce peanuts to avert allergies haha :)

6) Other nature and wildlife activities:

We did not visit these as we were short on time. Including the most visited one’s I came across during my research, I am sure it will be worth it.

- Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at Mirage Hotel

- The Wildlife Habitat at Flamingo Hotel (FREE entry!)

- Mermaid’s in the Aquarium at Silverton Hotel (FREE entry!)

Amusement parks & rides

1) The High Roller Observation Wheel at LINQ Hotel

It’s one of the world’s tallest observation wheel, 550-foot-tall. I personally love the spherical glass cabins which allows you to go around to check the views 360 degrees. The ride will last for 30 minutes, plenty of time to admire the spectacular views of the city.

2) Gondola ride at The Venetian Resort

Winding through the Venetian Hotel are manmade canals. You have a choice of indoor and outdoor gondola ride. The gondola seats up to four people and last about 15 minutes. Every gondola comes with a personal gondolier who sings you Italian songs during your ride especially while turning the gondola. Our Gondolier sang 3 beautiful Italian songs, Bubu was in aww of him.

3) Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas Hotel

Paris Las Vegas Hotel has a half scale replica of the Eiffel Tower. The top of the Eiffel Tower has an open-air observation deck that offers spectacular 360° views of Las Vegas. It starts with a glass elevator ride to reach 460 feet above Las Vegas. By the way it gives a unique place to see the Bellagio fountains show. It’s open all day but I personally like it at night when all of Vegas is illuminated.

4) Other amusement parks & rides:

We did not visit these as it wasn’t age appropriate, but take your pick as per your child’s personality and age. Including the most visited one’s I came across during my research, I am sure it will be worth it.

- Adventuredome Theme Park at Circus Circus Hotel

- Circus Acts at Carnival Midway at Circus Circus Hotel (FREE entry!)

- Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. at Treasure Island Hotel

- The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade at New York - New York Hotel

- Slotzilla Zip Line at the Fremont Street Experience

- CSI: The Experience at MGM Grand Hotel

Shows & experiences

1) Popovich Comedy Pet Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort

Gregory’s furry cast of over 30 animals includes dogs, cats, birds, etc has been rescued from shelters and trained to perform tricks. Gregory himself is a fifth-generation circus performer and performs European style juggling and balancing acts. There is now a movie on the story of Mr. Gregory Popowhich and how he established this fun and family oriented show. The show is in the afternoon which is great for kids who cannot stay awake for night shows.

Our experience wasn’t the most pleasant. Bubu just started wailing when an act with a train and animal riders came to an end. I guess he wanted it to last forever. He still remembers and mentions it randomly some days and at night, probably is dreaming of it. Since he turned 19 months (earlier he was easier), I am noticing Bubu is really not ready for shows with a story, he ends up in a meltdown as he is so emotionally involved with the characters in the show. But if your Bubu loves shows this is the cutest thing to go to. We will have to wait :).

2) Bellagio Fountains at Bellagio Hotel (FREE entry!)

Outside of the Bellagio Hotel is a man-made pond with 1,000 fountains which provides a wonderful show of choreographed dancing water, lights and music.

We were blessed to get a space on the deck of Mon Ami Gabi. We saw several shows eating a French dinner. Key is eating early dinner helps with health and apparently luck.

3) Fall of Atlantis at Caesars Palace (FREE entry!)

It’s an animatronic show located at the Forum Shops. It’s basically the story of Atlantis. His two kids show off their special powers and fight for power of the empire but in turn doom Atlantis to the depths of the ocean. This show has fireballs, special effects and water fountains that make it amusing. The backside of the set is a 50,000-gallon aquarium filled with over 300 tropical fish.

4) Others shows:

We did not visit these as it wasn’t age appropriate as most of them have a age limit of 5 or 13 etc so check the age before you book. If you have older kids and it suits what your child will enjoy take your pick. All these are most visited shows as per my research.

Cirque Du Soleil Me and my husband first-ever-show, in our first trip to Vegas was Cirque du Soleil. Ever since then, we both are in total aww and admiration of this acrobat group. To the extent we have seen all the shows in Las Vegas by them. These shows also have a FREE behind-the-scene 30 min show. I would recommend to go for those too as its a great opportunity for the kids to learn, understand, admire the effort that went into planning the show, the stage design, costume design, playwriting, tweaks and safety features implemented for a show. Our favorite as per order of rank is:-

KA- if it’s your first or only Cirque Du Soleil this is it. It’s got a beautiful easy-to-follow story and breath-taking acrobatics and most innovative, elaborate set. Me and my mom went for KA again while my partner and son spent time in our hotel room.
Kris Angle
O
Zarkhana
Mystère