Teenagers in Vegas?

I enjoy reading the threads about kids vacationing in Vegas, and I agree with the prevailing opinion that kids + Vegas don't mix very well.

When I think of kids, I think 12 and under. But what about teenagers in Vegas?

And bonus question- if one did bring a teenager (or two) to Vegas, is it better to stay on the strip? or downtown?

Whatcha think?

 

I brought each of my kids to LV when they were in high school. While they cannot do anything in a casino except walk through, Las Vegas is well know to teens as well as adults and who cannot be impressed by the sheer size of hotels, properties etc. My kids were all into theater so that was kind of the focus of our time. I brought one of my boys and my daughter during april vacation. It was an adventure ; I think the 2nd time they had flown, and 5 days or so with dad in a hotel! They were quite impressed with the buffets, Roxie's diner at The STRAT , and shows like Mama Mia, Mystere, EFX, The Scientas, Mac King, Ron Loucas, American Superstars, Legends in Concert, Rick Thomas. and more. My youngest boy came with me for a week when February vacation fell during the same week as my trade show. He is a good worker and helps me out a lot and was interested in the machinery, supplies and seminars relating to the awards and recognition industry.
There are amusement centers with all kinds of games, amusements from circus circus performers to virtual reality, and roller coasters. My daughter, of course needed to go to the MALLS! They got a kick out of riding on the buses. Each had some time to expore during the day in the bid city. There are parks and museums, the show at TI, Bird Santuary at the Flamingo, Secret gardens of S&R, shark tank, the volcano at Mirage, Big Elvis, drunks, panhandlers and all the city has to offer.

Though they enjoyed seeing the light show, there isn't much going on downtown for kids. I stayed with one of my boys at Fitzgeralds but we spent most of our time on the Strip. They all had a good time and I enjoyed the one on one time with them as well.

Jimbo338

 

I am not sure how a teenager would be much better other than a teenager should be old enough to at least listen and do as they are told....but at the same time a teenager is able to know that their vacation consist of a bunch of stuff they can't do, a bunch of stuff they might want to try when they are a few years older (mostly not necessarily "positive" ) and that to do anything fun they need to go from place to place to place doing single activities and seeing single things before packing up and moving on to the next place that has something they can participate in or partake of or might enjoy

and downtown would be the worst of all choices....the pools are either non existent for the most part or they suck (GN the exception), circus circus is not there, there are no rides other than the zip line, no movie theater, no bowling, the shows are pretty much not there and I guess the Mob Museum which might interest a teen to some degree if they have any knowledge or appreciation of history and they can understand all that was involved in that time period

I would say SunCoast or SouthPoint would be as good or better choices than the strip

Both have decent pools, SunCoast has bowling, a movie theater and an arcade while SouthPoint has the pool as well, bowling, a movie theater and the arena with BMX events and horse events and if your teen is a girl well girls and horses are a match made in Heaven and if your teen is a guy....horse girls are from Heaven

with SunCoast you have RedRocks close by which is more bowling, another theater, IMAX and some shows that are kid friendly and SunCoast is surrounded by golf

with SouthPoint it is closer to the strip, but other than that more isolated, but Silverton with the aquarium and the outdoors store (if where you live does not have mega shopping) is not too far and Callaway Golf center (to just hit for fun) and well as Bali Hai are an easy drive as are multiple other courses

I would probably go with the one that had the pool open the latest (that is just me) and off the strip keeps "teens" away from people that will sell beer to anyone with a pulse (like homeless people) and people selling weed and other libations (never had any of them ask for ID just cash) so if your "teen" is sometimes known to sneak out or party a little harder than you like.....well you can bet the strip will hook them up if out of eyesight or hell even if in eyesight

 

I think it comes down to your teen and nobody knows your teen the best but you. If you know that they're prone to do things that they shouldn't be doing when unsupervised then maybe you'd want to rethink this idea, but if you trust them then I would take them. I wouldn't care so much about the drinking, the US drinking age of 21 is just a tad ridiculous. I would probably supply it for my kid so at least I knew where it was coming from, avoid them from being tempted into that awkward situation of having someone buy it for them, and I could monitor how much is being drank and would keep it in the privacy of our room. The drinking age here in Canada is 18-19 depending on the province and I know that I was definitely drinking socially a good few years before I hit 18 and didn't get into any trouble, but everyone isn't me.

 

Again, simply another case of what is best for a parent and that parent's kid(s) and not how it might or might not ruffle the feathers of other visitors.

I think the off Strip idea is sound, and I always recommend that for people traveling with kids. If you choose the property wisely, you end up with more resort than casino, and for me I always come back to the JW Marriott. (When it was rocking at full, well at least for that place, full tilt, Lake Las Vegas fit the bill, though the isolation was problematic.) When I think back to when I was a teen I wanted to be doing stuff. Then again, I'm like those here who grew up and Xbox and the internet weren't mind-numbing "babysitters." (Guess that's why we had pot. lol) A pool, catch a movie, maybe bowl, certainly get outside and hike or bike, go to the lake ... stuff. A variety of stuff; don't just stick me in an arcade for the entire afternoon.

 

Never brought 'em for vacation, but have had 'em in town for plenty of soccer and basketball tournaments and cheerleading competitions. Agreed on the off-strip, as we've stayed at the Fiesta Station and SouthPoint primarily. Lots for them to do... We tried the Treasure Island once and that wasn't so good, the Strip proved to be a big distraction for all of us!

 

Everything you need to know about how teenagers will fare in Vegas in in 'Vegas Vacation'.

Rusty: Those four cars over there... they're mine.
Clark Griswold: [surprised] What do you mean they're... they're yours?
Rusty: Yeah.
Clark Griswold: [suspiciously] Where did they come from, Russ?
Rusty: Well, four slot machines and I won four cars. You know, I put a dollar in, I got a car. I put a dollar in, I got a car. I put a dollar in, I got a car. I put a dollar in, I got a car.

Ellen Griswold: [Clark and Ellen have found Rusty in the hot tub] Oh my Lord... Rusty!
Girl in Hot Tub: Oh, you must be lost. This is Mr. Pappagiorgio.
Clark Griswold: His name is not Pappagiorgio! His name is Rusty Griswold and he's a C+ student! Now out of the pool, let's go young man! Now!
[Clark yanks Rusty out of the hot tub]


Clark Griswold: [Clark and Ellen have found Audrey dancing at the Club Aereola] Audrey! What are you doing? Ten years of tap dancing lessons and this is the way you repay us?
Audrey Griswold: What? You told me to get a summer job!

 

Don't forget, they get bored fastttttttttttttttttttt!
M Bay might have one of the more fun pools for them and it's easy to get to the excalibur if they are into that stuff for an hour or so.

 

when I visited before I was 21, we played lazer tag over at the CC tent a bunch and we stayed with some friends a couple of miles off the strip. that worked out OK. we drove up the strip, but we mostly did things with the friends that were off strip as most locals do. but I definitely had the urge to gamble even when I was 12, which made it kind of miserable to be there. I made my mom run $1 through a $0.25 slot at MGM Grand for me while I watched from the walkway and I hit $10 on the first spin and cashed out. i went back a couple more times in my teens and it was really miserable because all i wanted to do was hit the casino. I couldn't wait to turn 21 and Vegas is the first place I went. played $5 craps at GN, got stuck $200 in the first hour and won it all back. I was hooked!

 

Not much in casinos is geared to teens. Teens work mostly off other teens or off various solitary activities. Spending some time looking at what's available in the vicinity, as opposed to in the actual casino, would be time well spent.

South Point crawls with kids. A kid might meet somebody to pal around with, and it does offer some activities. The place has a big floor with some nooks, so a kid could even hit-and-run wet his gambling whistle, although this would be illegal and is not recommended.

Best looking place I have seen for younger kids is not in Vegas. It's Soaring Eagle, an Indian casino in Michigan. Offers a game room (essentially babysitting for younger kids), free pop machines, nice pool, a room called Cyber Quest that might be okay for teens, and a nearby water park.

 

We stayed at the Orleans. My teenager love having 2 arcades and a bowling alley, along with movie theaters and a food court. The pool was great too. One block away was indoor go-carts. And we also spent a morning at the Pinball Hall of fame(awesome for all ages) and another morning at the Clark County Shooting range(also awesome for all ages, you can rent guns or bows). We visited the strip and downtown but we specifically didn't stay on the strip because of his age.

It's a big city with alot to do, and if planned well a teenager can have alot of fun.

 

Define Teen. There's a big difference between what you're going to do with a 13 year old and what you're going to do with a 19 year old.

But regardless of the age, my recommendation is that it be a short trip. My friend did what I thought was the best 'teenage trip' ever with his two highschool age daughters. They did a three night vacation, but the second night they spent at the grand canyon. Their two Vegas nights were the first and third night, and they did them at different hotels on different parts of the strip, so that they could see different things.

 

Man, I'd be to tired to do anything after during all that.

 

I am not even sure we should share the planet with teenagers much less our mecca!

 

My first trip to Vegas as an adult was with my teenager and another friend of hers as they were in the World Championships in Hip Hop held in Vegas. We were there for 9 days and had a rental car so we did a lot of exploring, did the Circus Circus thing, M and M world and so much more. They loved the pool at the Strat where we were staying and even the shops. While it worked out well for us, I can totally see how it could have been awful depending on the teenager (my job is a middle school teacher). I think you just need to do your homework and explain things clearly to teenagers.

For what it's worth, since that trip, I've been back to Vegas on my own every year and my now 19 year old is planning to come with me when she turns 21. I expect a fantastic time.