BEST Things to Do in Las Vegas with Kids

Looking for things to do in Las Vegas with kids?

I recently visited Las Vegas and while many aspects of it lived up to what it’s known for (casinos and partying), there were still LOTS of family-friendly activities.

Las Vegas isn’t the easiest place to get around. It’s a huge city and many of the things to do are spread out. (I will try to explain how to get to each of the activities.)

However, there are a lot of things to do in Vegas with kids, and it makes a great family vacation if you’re well-informed about all the possibilities and key things to keep in mind.

So, let’s jump in – best things to do in Las Vegas with kids!

BEST Things to Do Las Vegas with Kids

1. Go on the High Roller

The High Roller is the largest working ferris wheel of it’s kind in the world, and is a really fun experience for all travellers in Las Vegas.

It takes you over 500 ft in the air and gives you incredible views of the colourful, glitzy surrounding city of Vegas.

It takes about 30 minutes to do a full rotation in the High Roller, plus you should probably budget 30+ minutes to line up. All in all, the whole thing should only take an hour.

The High Roller also has a “sky bar” where some people have the option to buy a drink (they have non-alcoholic options) or popcorn to bring into the Ferris wheel.

You can buy your High Roller ticket in person when you show up, but you can also buy a flexible ticket online in advance. We bought ours in advance on Viator; it worked out to be a bit cheaper than buying through the High Roller website.

We bought the PCL OFFER: Anytime Ride (NP) which allows you take the High Roller anytime – we specifically wanted to go at night. It costed around $25 USD for adults and $10 for kids who are 4+. (Kids under 4 years old ride free.)

Daytime rides are a bit cheaper than the nightime ones.

2. Walk down the LINQ Promenade

Before or after your ride on the High Roller, I recommend making time to take a stroll down the LINQ Promenade. It’s right in front of the High Roller, and is one of the nicest streets in Las Vegas.

It’s a pedestrian-only street with lots of shops, restaurants, candy stores and ice cream stores. Great place to get good photos, and a treat.

There is a Ghirardelli Chocolate location on LingQ (a San Francisco chocolate company) where we stopped for ice cream sundaes.

3. Take a walk through The Venetian and Caesar’s Palace

Take some time just to walk through the Venetian and Caesar’s Palace.

These two big resorts are across the street from each other and are made to look like replicas of Italy.

Whether you’re staying at these resorts or not, you can spend hours walking through them, taking in the environment and getting lots of family photos.

Of course, it doesn’t feel like the ‘real’ Europe – but I actually really like the environment inside of these places. It’s safe and relaxed and you can just have fun with your kids getting photos, shopping and sitting down for a bite to eat.

There are lots of stores, and restaurants. They are quite extensive. They have gardens outside as well.

We had a meal at True Food Kitchen in Caesar’s Palace which focuses on healthy and seasonal food. Check out their kids menu here. It was a good experience and within walking distance to the Venetian and other things to see in Caesar’s Palace.

4. Take a gondola ride inside the Venetian

Inside the Venetian, you can take a gondola ride similar to the ones offered in Venice. These rides take place both indoor and outdoor (there are two different locations, so you should go to the one you prefer.)

Both the indoor and outdoor options have a river with several bridges, and the gondola drivers are all very friendly and sing songs to you during the wide.

We saw many families taking gondola rides.

The nice thing about going with a family is that you’ll probably have the boat to yourselves. (There are 4 seats in each gondola.)

Gondola ride tickets are $39 per person, regardless of age. (I believe babies on laps can ride free.)

When you arrive, there is a QR code you can scan to book tickets. We were able to get into the next time slot on a Friday night (Valentine’s Day) easily, and only waited in line for about 15 minutes. I’d recommend it!

5. See the Bellagio fountain show

Don’t miss seeing Fountains of Bellagio Light Show while you’re in Vegas. They’ve become an iconic part of the Vegas experience, and watching it is something memorable about the grandeur of the Las Vegas strip.

The Bellagio light show is held every day, quite frequently between 3pm and 12am.

The show is accompanied by music (they have different songs that they rotate between) and only lasts about 10 minutes.

You may see the fountain show going on from many different spots (we saw it from our hotel, room, from the High Roller, and the Eiffel Tower) but I recommend getting up close to see at least one show.

See the exact schedule for the Bellagio Fountain Light Show here.

6. Visit an arcade

While casinos in Vegas aren’t particularly family-friendly, you have another option for games to play with your kids – arcades!

There are lots and lots of arcades in Las Vegas. Many of them are attached to hotels and resorts, just like casinos are. It’s a fun, non-gambling way of playing games with kids.

There are countless to choose from, but here are some ideas:

• The arcade at Horseshoe Resort has over 90 games to choose from
• Fantasy Claw Arcade is located inside the fashion-mall. *This is a claw arcade specifically, not a regular arcade.
• Game Nest Arcade has lots of American and Japanese games
• The Big Apple Arcade – in the New York area of Las Vegas

7. Ride the Big Apple Coaster

There’s a fun roller coaster located inside the New York New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

It’s been open since 1997, and its the first hotel in the world to have a ‘heart-shaped’ twist.

There’s no age limit for the Big Apple Coaster – only a height limit.

Riders have to be 54” without footwear to ride. (In case you’re wondering, this is around the height of an average 8-year-old.)

When you buy tickets online, you buy them for the day and they’re open anytime between 11am and midnight for you to show up for your ride.

8. Go up the ‘Eiffel Tower’

You can give your kids a taste of Paris by riding the Eiffel Tower all the way to the top, and similar to the High Roller – get views of Vegas from above.

You can buy tickets right on the spot to go up the Eiffel Tower, and just be prepared to wait for 20-30 minutes as there is often a lineup.

Similar to the High Roller, you can choose between a daytime or a nighttime view at the Eiffel Tower experience – we decided to do one of each (night time at the High Roller, and daytime at the Eiffel Tower)

You can buy tickets for the Eiffel Tower on Ticketmaster, or Get Your Guide (valid for 3 days.) It’s about $25 per adult, and $19 for kids over 4. Kids under 4 ride free.

9. Check out the Sphere

The Sphere in Las Vegas is the largest of its kind in the world, and it has a real stage inside with an immersive light experience.

Whenever we could see the Sphere, we couldn’t take our eyes off of it. It always looked different.

Whether or not you see a show at The Sphere, you may want to point it out to your kids and check it out – from up close, or even just from afar.

Check out the lineup of upcoming shows happening at The Sphere here.

Walking right up to The Sphere may be a little difficult, depending on where exactly you’re staying – it’s probably a 15-25 minute walk from the main strip area.

You can get pretty good views of The Sphere from:

• The top of the High Roller
• The top deck of The Eiffel Tower building
• Your hotel (depending on where you stay) the photo above was from where we stayed at Horseshoe Las Vegas

10. Meet characters

We saw many characters walking around the Las Vegas Strip. If you have younger kids with you, they’ll undoubtedly want to meet Bluey, Mickey and Minne Mouse, and Elsa.

Keep in mind that it’s not like Disney World. these characters are not posting for photos for fun – they are all expecting to be paid.

Ask them how much they would like to be paid first, before you take the photo. If you take a photo first, then they may sometimes ask for a ridiculous amount of cash – I’ve heard of $40 for each person in the photo. So, definitely agree on a price with them first to keep the cost fair. You must have cash on you in order to pay.

11. Visit unique candy stores

Vegas has lots of candy stores – more than I’ve seen anywhere else. You can find some really unique candy that is hard to find anywhere else.

Even if you don’t buy anything, it can be entertaining to walk through and read some of the labels of the candy, and see all the crazy kinds of candy there are, such as:

• Giant gummy bears
• Breakfast cereal entirely made up of just candy
• European and Asian-imported candy

Just a lot of really different things you wouldn’t normally encounter elsewhere. Of course, it’ll be almost impossible for your kids to not beg you for some of the things they see, so just prepare for that.

12. Visit a museum

Las Vegas has soo many museums. I know museums aren’t the first thing we think of when we think of Las Vegas, but it’s actually a great city for museums – many of which are family friendly, (and some which aren’t.)

• Neon Museum – here you explore the history of neon signs
• Discovery Children’s Museum – a MUST DO in Vegas with kids under 10. This museum is full of interactive learning, and you could spend a good 2-hours here.
• Museum of Illusions – many cities have Museums of Illusions now, but that doesn’t make them any less entertaining.

These museums are also great for beating the summer heat, or the chill of winter in Vegas.

13. Get a family photo in front of the famous Fabulous Las Vegas Sign

The famous Las Vegas sign was created in 1959, and designed by Betty Lewis (one of the first female commercial neon sign artists.)

The history of the sign and the story behind why Betty sold the rights to it is quite interesting and you can read about it here.

I wouldn’t say that photos in front of the Las Vegas sign are a ‘must do’ (for families or any visitor), only because:

• the sign is actually quite far from where everything else is
• if you want someone else to take a photo, then there’s a lineup

However, if it’s your first time in Vegas and want to get the photo while you can, then it’s not a bad idea.

To get there, I would recommend driving or taking an Uber. (Walking takes my husband walked there by himself from the main strip area.)

Pro Tip: Waiting in line is only for people who want someone to take a photo of them with the sign. There’s no one working there, you just ask another family or person to take your photo and maybe return the favour. However, if you just want a selfie, you can take it yourselves without waiting in line.

14. Ride rollercoasters at the Adventuredome Indoor Theme Park

The Adventuredome is a small (5 acre) indoor theme park has lots of rides, and go-carting.

There are some really scary rides for thrill seekers, but many of them are family-friendly. There’s also lots of arcade games, bowling, and snacks to buy.

Good to Know: The Adventuredome is not too far from the main strip area, but you would likely need to take a cab or Uber/Lyft because it would take over 30 minutes to walk there. It’s less than a 10-minute drive.

15. Valley of Fire State Park

Valley of Fire State Park less than an hour’s drive (45 miles) from Las Vegas. It has dramatic orange rock formations, canyons, and such beautiful dessert views.

Las Vegas is a large city surrounded by desert and visiting this state park is a chance to go beyond the city and see the natural beauty of the area. Check out this blog post on visiting Valley of Fire with kids.

You can also book this family-friendly tour to Valley of Fire from Vegas (6 hours long, all ages welcome, $120 per person)

16. Take a day trip to the Grand Canyon

It’s almost impossible to not consider the Grand Canyon when it comes to a trip to Las Vegas.

The closest section of the Grand Canyon to Vegas is Grand Canyon West, and it’s only about a 2-hour drive from downtown Vegas.

If you were to go to Grand Canyon National Park, it would take double the time (4 hours) to drive there from Vegas – so this is part of why Grand Canyon West has become so popular.

Grand Canyon West has amazing views, and is definitely worth a visit. My husband has also been to Grand Canyon National Park, and said that Grand Canyon West was slightly more dramatic in views.

Read about our experience here.

If you bring kids to Grand Canyon West, you just need to really watch them because they don’t have a lot of barriers against the cliff edges. Also, once you scan your entrance ticket, you waive all rights to sue in the event something went wrong.

Day trips to Grand Canyon West tend to be a full-day affair, where you leave early morning and return 10-12 hours later. But its definitely worth it.

These tours would probably be best for older kids (ages 6+) because of the long day, and because of the natural landscape, with rocks and how careful you need to be.

Book a full-day tour to Grand Canyon West and Hoover Dam (10+ hours, $100 per person,includes meals, water, pick up from hotels)

17. Go Ziplining

There are a few places in Las Vegas to go zip-lining. One of them is near the main stip, and one is more in the outskirts.

• LinQ Ziplline – this one is right next to the High Roller, and you soar down the Linq promenade which is a really nice view. You can fly on your stomach (superhero style) or seated. You only have to be 34″ to ride, and riders under 12 need to be accompanied by someone over 13.
• Slotzilla Ziplining – You need to be 50 lbs for the smaller zipline, and 80 lbs for the larger one. Guests under 13 need to be accompanied by someone over 13 with a paid ticket.

18. Las Vegas Mini Grand Prix Family Fun Center

The main attraction at Mini Grand Prix is go-carting. In addition to riding go-carts, you can also visit the arcade.

They have three different kinds of go-karts, you need to be 14 years old to ride the high-speed ones. But the other two ones are family-friendly.

It’s about a 15-minute drive from the main strip, but might be fun for an afternoon in Vegas!

Best Family-Friendly Places to Stay in Las Vegas

• Mid-Range: Horseshoe Resort (around $300 per night) This is where we stayed. Its right beside the Parisian part of Las Vegas, and close to Bellagio Fountain. Has restaurants, casinos, an outdoor pool and cafe on site
• Mid-Range: MGM Grand (from $300 nightly)- huge resort which has four swimming pools on site, 17 different restaurants, and is right on the main strip
• Luxury: The Venetian (around $600 per night) over a dozen restaurants on-site, well located on the strip, everything you need right in the resort, room service, breakfast offered

Things to Keep in Mind About Visiting Las Vegas with Kids

Here are some things to realize about Las Vegas while planning a trip there. Knowing these things in advance will help you plan accordingly

✅ Las Vegas is huge and can be hard/expensive to get around

We got a LOT of walking in when we visited Las Vegas. Each day, I clocked in about 20,000 steps.

The Las Vegas strip is somewhat walkable, but some of the attractions outside of it (like the High Roller) will take 10-15 minutes to walk from the main strip.

Some of the other attractions mentioned on this list, are outside of the ‘main strip’ area, and you would need to either drive, take public transit, Uber or Lyft.

Both Uber and Lyft are in use in Las Vegas, and the taxis are managed and very trusted. They have machines in them that allow you to pay with card if you need to. (You can save a few bucks if you pay cash though.)

For getting around Las Vegas as a family, I would highly recommend:

• All members of the family wearing good walking shoes
• Planning out your day so that you’re not doing more walking than what your kids are able, based on their ages and temperaments
• A stroller if you’re visiting with younger kids.

✅ Follow the rules if you bring kids into a casinos

If you’re planning to visit Las Vegas for the casinos, then its important to know that they have strict rules about children being in the casinos unattended.

Children are allowed in the casinos, but they need to be accompanied at all times and underage gambling isn’t allowed. (You need to be 21 years old to gamble.)

✅ It’s pricey

Expect Vegas to be pricey. We found the cost for food, attractions and getting around to be pretty high. A 20-minute cab ride can cost almost $50.

Here are some family travel budget tips for Vegas:

• Pay cash for cab rides when possible – the machines display two prices, and its always less expensive if you pay cash
• Stay and eat outside of the ‘main strip area.’ You could use the downtown strip area as a place to visit, without staying there the whole time. You can get much cheaper food in Chinatown, or the Fremont area. And there are many kid-friendly Vegas attractions that are located in the outskirts of the downtown, such as The Adventuredome, or the Slotzilla Zipline. Staying near those things could save hundreds of dollars

Final Thoughts on Visiting Las Vegas with Kids

I hope that this article on things to do in Las Vegas with kids was helpful to you in planning a really fun family trip to Las Vegas.