Kids in Vegas ? Is it a no no ??

Hi everybody ! As someone who has travelled to Vegas many times over the years from not so sunny England i just wanted to ask the age old question. Is it acceptable to take kids to Vegas ? I know alot of people frown upon kids on the strip but having not visited Vegas for a few years due to becomming a father a few years ago i just wondered if i could still have a good time in Vegas with my young son. I'm not a big drinker or gambler but just love all the amazing sights in Vegas. I was thinking maybe Circus Circus might be ok ?? I would appreciate any feedback on this matter . . .

 

From 8am to 8pm sure.....from 8pm to 8am not so much IMO

 

dont stay at circus circus, what a dump!! im thinking of taking my daughter to vegas in june. i would suggest staying in a nicer hotel. we are staying at the paris.

 

As I see it, the porn slappers are the biggest problem. If they were gone then I wouldn't mind taking my daughter to the strip. I don't really see much that a kid could really enjoy on the strip anyways, a trip to one of the nearby outdoor attractions or parks has to be a better choice IMO.

With that said, Circus-Circus is a great choice to take a kid. The ongoing carnival and indoor amusement park will be a big hit. There's also no reason to take them out on the strip since there's not much near Circus-Circus anyway.

Orleans has a great pool, a bowling alley, an arcade, a movie theater, and a Kids Zone where you can check in your youngster for a few hours if you need to play. You will need to check the immunization policy for that, especially if your from abroad.

 

I'm baffled by it (especially after seeing baby-filled strollers in smoky casinos) but to each their own I guess. I'll take mine to WDW instead where the atmosphere is more family-friendly and continue to go to Vegas for grown-up time without them.

 

I doubt your kids will be as thrilled as you and will quickly lose interest within the first few hours of the first day.

Seriously, for the distance you are travel you are better off either continuing to California and shorten the flight and go to Florida to visit Disney.

 

I really don't get people bringing kids to vegas. I honestly feel the parents that are hammered drunk with their yard drinks pushing strollers down the strip should be arrested. Vegas is not a good place for kids its just selfish to take your kids leave them with someone responsible or go on a family vacation somewhere the kids can enjoy nothing in Vegas is for kids they have things set up to occupy kids so mom and dad can gamble but that doesn't make it a good destination to take the kids. Any parent thinking Vegas is a great vacation for anyone under 21 should have their head examined.

 

When I was a kid, I enjoyed Vegas more than I did Disney parks.

 

I guess because my wife and I aren't there to get "hammered drunk" and drag our child around at midnight on the strip, I have a different perspective. We just had a wonderful vacation with our 4 year old daughter. We stayed at the South Point, mainly because of great rates, bowling alley, nice pool, and movie theater. All of us had a fabulous time.
My daughter loved walking through the Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, Tropicana, MGM, and NYNY, Monte Carlo, Aria, Cosmo, Bellagio, and TI enjoying seeing all the unique features of each. She loves escalators, lights, fountains, people in costume, and good food. They got to see Mystere. My daughter got to take her picture with "Hello Kitty". She got to buy a bright green golf ball at the M&M store. Yes, we were out in the daytime, the latest we were ever on the Strip was around 8:15 on Friday night, which was still fairly quiet I would say. There are not a lot of vacation destinations where you can have all the different experiences that we did for the price.
This was my daughter's 3rd trip, and certainly not her last. Sure, we go other places on vacation as well, but there is always more to see in Vegas. Yes, there are lots of things we would rather she didn't see, so we steered clear of those places and situations.
I guess my point is, blanket statements like "kids don't belong in Vegas" don't necessarily apply to everyone. For some folks, yes. I've seen plenty of degenerate drunkards pushing or dragging kids around that were just miserable. For some of us though, it's a great place to visit for a family vacation, and will continue to be going forward.

 

Kids will always find things to amuse themselves anywhere. I suppose the real question is are you happy to forego all of the possible great adult adventures available to you in Vegas to spend time doing basic family stuff?

 

I agree with you 100% I hate kids and they are the last thing I wanna see while I'm on vacation in Vegas.

 

Off the top I would have to say when your very first post ever to a Las Vegas message board is "I want to bring my kid to Las Vegas, what do you all think?" don't be surprised if you get pegged as a troll.

As for kids in general I don't think most people care one way or another... but what most people have issue with is things like kids being left off to the side on the casino floor just sitting there while their parent(s) gamble, or kids being dragged around The Strip at 1AM because their parents are irresponsible boobs... in general the biggest problem is usually with parents that aren't mindful that they have kids with them.

As for "i just wondered if i could still have a good time in Vegas with my young son?" thats not something anybody here can answer - some people can, some people can't... which doesn't mean you can or you can't. Its all going to depend what you want out of the trip - if you want to be up and about all hours of the day and night, binge drinking, hitting on women, gambling until the wee hours of the morning... then I would say you probably fall in to the "can't" category.

 

These 2 sum up my thoughts on the subject. I have seen examples of both. I hate the first type and I see nothing wrong with the second type just because there is plenty to do in Vegas as a family. It just happens that the vast majority of adults that visit Vegas ignore 95% of what you would do with a family because they just want to drink and gamble.



Basically I feel that if you bring kids, make it a family vacation and don't make it a party vacation you might have had when you were 21.

 

My parents took all of us kids (or maybe it was the oldest four of five) to Vegas when I was pretty little, and then never did it again. I think the reason they didn't was that it was a big hassle, cramped their style, and not that much fun for the littlest ones. This was the early 1970s -- Circus Circus existed then, and it wasn't a craphole, but other than that there was little there for kids.

I go to Vegas to engage responsibly in adult activities (gambling, drinking). My kids do not need or want to be along for that.

I mean, you could bring your kid to Encore and never leave the premises, and I'm sure nothing bad would happen. But is that the best vacation for your kid? Is that the best Vegas vacation for you? No -- save Vegas for an adults only experience, and take your kid to Florida or a beach somewhere.

For a kid who is, say, nine or older, a side-trip to Vegas for a couple of days added on to a California vacation might make some sense. Take them to a few fun places and show them the spectacle, and most would appreciate it. I know I did when I was that age. I remember the first time my dad hung a left onto Fremont Street at night and drove me through old Glitter Gulch (back in the days when you could drive down Fremont) when I was about ten, and it was really awe-inspiring. But for a full vacation all the way from England, I don't think it's a great choice.

 

Actually I dont mind skipping the adult adventures while with the kids. Because I'll be back a couple weeks after that to do the adult stuff anyways. There's a time for family and a time for adult fun. Balance it out.

 

Very well said! ...and I don't even have kids (yet).

 

I think you will find younger kids will have a great time in Vegas! Would be nice if you as a parent respect others in the evening and don't dump your kids to annoy others when they are having their more "Adult" fun!! Also remember that the couple sleeping in the next room might not have got in until 4am and wont appreciate you screaming at your kids at 7.30am to get out of the bathroom and get dressed for breakfast!!! Why do they always stay next door to me!!!

Teenagers 14 to 20 will have a boring time, they will find the restrictions placed on them in Vegas (USA) will be very different to those they enjoy in the UK. I made the mistake of taking my 16 and 18yrs to Vegas and although they had a good holiday they were bored out of their minds in the evenings. Where they were used to being in bars in the UK with us enjoying the live music etc they were refused entry in Vegas due to the 21 rule. It really restricted us to what we could do in the evenings, there are only so many times you can watch the Fountains or the Fremont St canopy!! We felt guilty if we left them in their room while we went off to play.........

 

I know I've told this story several times over the years, but having once made the mistake of taking a toddler to Las Vegas and assuming she (and we) would have a great time, I suggest you take them instead to DisneyLand/World, Six Flags over {wherever}, go National Parking, sightseeing, whatever.

Then when your kids turn 21, THEN take them to Las Vegas!

 

I don't think it is a place for kids, but that may be because I want to do all the stuff I usually do. If you go into it knowing that it is going to be a kid vacation with family events you should be ok if you do a little research. If you are bringing your kids on your adult vacation and plan to do all the things you usually do, then everyone is going to be miserable, including other guests.

Check out Nurse Lisa's post on the Misc. Vegas Chat, there are a lot of good family friendly suggestions.

 

I don't get the whole "bring the kids to vegas" things either, but that's up to the parents as far as I'm concerned. What bothers me MORE are the people who seem to get so pissed about what other people do with their kids!

This topic usually brings out many, "your kids are ruining my vacation" posters... really? Get over it, mind your own business and go have some fun! One well known poster went on and on once about getting hit in the heel by a stroller or some damn thing and had to be taken to the hospital for a surgery that they made sound just this side of open heart surgery!

Too many busy-bodies in the world for me... you're in Las Vegas... go get your groove on!