Thinking About A Vegas Family Vacation? Here’s What You Need To Know.

Posted March 15, 2022 by Prairie Wife -

This last week The Cowboy and I took all 5 of the Cowkids (ages 16-7) on a road trip, a Vegas family vacation!

This was NOT The Cowboy and my first time in Vegas, we’ve probably been there together about 8 times. The Cowboy has been there way more than that, and he knows his way around really well.

But it WAS the first time we’ve ever taken The Cowkids.

The trip was a big success (even though the weather wasn’t as warm as I would have liked) and there were definitely some things we would and wouldn’t do if we did the trip again.

While I am by no means a vacation expert, I have traveled all across the United States with our kids.

I’ve survived multiple 20-hour road trips with a 4-month-old and potty training toddlers. I’ve flown solo while 6 months pregnant with a toddler and a few school-age kids…you name it…I’ve done it.

In my opinion, a Vegas family vacation is best for older kids.

It CAN be done with toddlers and younger children, but in Vegas, there is a whole lot of walking, late nights, and crowds to navigate.

Our youngest two Cowkids (ages 7 and 9) were able to keep up, but there were definitely points in the trip where we had to make time for them to rest.

As with all vacations I recommend taking at least one day to just be lazy.

We picked the day with the warmest weather to hang out at the hotel and let the kids (and me) relax by the pool. We still went to a show at night, but a day with no schedule and rushing made it so we could all make it through the rest of the busy days we had planned.

Below is a list of what we did in Vegas, and while I know there is a TON more to do I thought it would be a good starting point for those of you thinking about taking a family vacation in Vegas.

• Walking Up and Down the Strip

Part of the fun of Vegas is people watching, looking at all the fancy buildings, and seeing all the bright lights. Taking your kids for a walk up and down the stip is definitely a must when you’re in Vegas. We took some time to prep our kids ahead of time about what they might see. The truth of Vegas is that there are all kinds of people, and yes your kids will see people who are homeless, scantily clad, and likely high or drunk. The later at night you go walking, the chances are the more of this you’ll see. We never felt like our kids were in danger and we did make sure to hold hands with our littlest Cowkids. The Cowkids loved all the fancy buildings, and we went inside of lots of the casinos so they could see all the amazing decor. The strip at night is its own special kind of beauty, and of course, the fountain show outside of the Bellagio is a must!

• Shopping

We had a great time walking around and looking at all the fancy shops, specifically the Forum shops at Caesars Palace. For kids from rural Wyoming, it was amazing to see all the stores, and while my teenage daughter and I took off to help the local economy the other Cowkids enjoyed some time playing Virtual Reality games.

• Eating

Vegas has some of the BEST FOOD. And almost anything you want can be found at almost any time. From delicious gelato to fabulous pizza, and of course, the Butter Cake at Mastro’s (trust me) the food in Vegas is something you need to take advantage of. Thankfully our kids are foodies, so we were able to find lots of places that appealed to all of us. If you’re looking for a good burger I suggest Whalburger’s and the Irish Pub in New York New York has great macaroni and cheese.

• Cirque Du Soleil The Beatles LOVE at The Mirage

This show is 100% kid-appropriate and was by far the Cowkids’ favorite thing we did! The music is amazing, and since I am a HUGE Beatles fan the Cowkids knew a lot of the songs. Any seat in the theater is great, but if you can get one close to the stage it will definitely create an even more unforgettable experience for your family. We buy the tickets directly through Cirque Du Soleil and haven’t had any issues. We chose an earlier show, and then went out to eat afterward. Keep in mind if you sit near the stage the cast WILL interact with you, which the Cowkids loved!

• Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur

This is the Vegas show that the Cowkids picked, and the two younger boys (11 and 9) were the most excited about this. Admittedly The Cowboy and I were less excited, but it was a family vacation so we let them have a choice. It’s an interactive dinner theater experience where you eat a medieval feast while watching kings of the round table battle to keep Arthur’s kingdom safe. The kings sword fight, joust and show off their horsemanship skills in a dirt arena while the crowd cheers them on. It was actually pretty darn impressive (and yes a bit corny) to watch what they did and in the end, we felt like this show was definitely worth the money.

• Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay

We honestly had no intention of doing this particular activity. But, the weather was cold and windy and so we decided to give it a try. The kids all loved it, but it’s something that will not take up a lot of time…I think we went through the whole aquarium in an hour or so. The Denver aquarium is a lot bigger, but if you’re looking for a kid-friendly activity to kill some time it’s a good choice.

Something that we weren’t able to do because of the weather was Top Golf, so keep that activity in mind.

We also went and did Meow Wolf, but it’s not anything we would plan to do again. If your kids are big into gaming and/or anime they will probably enjoy this. And from our experience, I’d say it’s an activity geared towards the 11 and up crowd.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that everything in Vegas costs A TON of money.

EVERYTHING in Vegas costs money, and it costs way more money than you’d think.

So, just keep that in mind.

Would we go on a Vegas family vacation with the Cowkids again?

100% YES!

Categories: Life As It Happens, Parenting, This and That

Tags: , family vacation, going on vacation, Vegas, vegas vacation, what to do in vegas