Are you looking for the ultimate Las Vegas family itinerary for your family trip? In this guide we outline our favourite Vegas itinerary with kids to help you enjoy Sin City.
Note about this itinerary: Although I have outlined these as specific days, they can be done in any order depending on what suits your days, and weather best.
Now before we get onto actual itinerary outlines we thought it best to discuss how to get around Vegas for this itinerary and where you should stay to minimise your travel time.
Best Ways to Get Around Las Vegas for this itinerary
While you won’t need a car for your day on the Vegas Strip, we do recommend having a car for this itinerary. Without a car you will be unable to visit Red Rock Canyon, Death Valley National Park or the Mojave National Preserve.
However for your day on the Strip you can choose to get around either on foot, via the monorail, using the hotel shuttles or a Lyft or Uber.
For more information on if you need a car for Vegas check out this post.
On this trip we also visited some other cities as part of our Nevada – California Road Trip with toddlers. So if you want to follow our road trip be sure to check out some of our other regional city guides:
- San Diego with toddlers
- San Francisco with toddlers
- Las Vegas with Toddlers
- Palm Springs with toddlers
Where to Stay for this Las Vegas with kids itinerary
Best places to stay in Las Vegas with toddlers and Young Kids
The answer to where to stay in Las Vegas with family is a tricky one. You can almost be overwhelmed with choice when it comes to finding the perfect hotel in Vegas and it is worth shop around to find out if anywhere is offering a deal (you can often find them with a bit of searching).
The first thing we now look for when we visit Las Vegas with family is a hotel without a casino.
Hotels without casinos are inherently more family friendly in my opinion and will more likely be non smoking – or at least not have lots of groups of smokers which is obviously a healthier choice when traveling with kids.
Some of our favorite places to stay with kids in Vegas are:
- Tahiti Village Hotel – a great off strip hotel
- Four Season Las Vegas – a casinoless strip hotel
- Waldorf Astoria
- Wyndham Desert Blue – this even has an indoor play area for kids
- Palms Place Hotel and Spa
- Vdara
- Platinum Hotel
- Hilton Garden Inn – has a free shuttle to Mandalay Bay
Las Vegas family itinerary
Day 1:
Las Vegas Sign
Kids at Las Vegas Sign / Las Vegas Family Itinerary / Las Vegas Itinerary with kids
No trip to any trip to Las Vegas is complete without getting a family photo taken with the Las Vegas sign. The Las Vegas sign is located at the end of the strip near the Luxor hotel.
However, the only problem with the Las Vegas sign is that it gets crazy busy with super long lines. If you are traveling to Las Vegas with kids, especially if you are traveling to Las Vegas with toddlers or babies or if you are traveling to Vegas pregnant, you will want to keep them out of the midday sun. Vegas is a hot place and the queue for the Las Vegas sign has absolutely no shade.
For this reason we recommend that you do this first thing in the morning as the lines tend to be much smaller first thing in the morning than later in the day.
Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon with Kids / Red Rock Canyon with toddlers
And once you have done the Vegas Sign we recommend heading to Red Rock Canyon National Preserve.
Red Rock Canyon National Preserve is a short drive from Vegas at only 20 km and around 40 minutes from the Strip.
Red Rock Canyon has a scenic drive that is about c.13 miles long but there are plenty of pull overs and overlooks along the route, alongside some really easy and family friendly hikes.
Some of our favorite hikes with kids at Red Rock Canyon are:
- Lost Creek – Children’s Discovery Trail
- Petroglyph Wall Travel and the
- Fire Ecology trail
Red Rock Canyon is absolutely perfect for those who would like to visit the desert and get outside during your visit to Vegas. For more information on visit Red Rock Canyon with kids check out this post.
If you are visiting Red Rock Canyon during the peak months of October to May then you absolutely will need to pre book your tickets for a timed slot. Timed Reservations are available online here.
And for those who are traveling to Red Rock Canyon with teenagers and older kids you could check out one of the more adventurous activities on offer such as:
- Horseback riding
- Rock Climbing
- Jeep Tour
Also if you are visiting over this period you should consider taking a packed lunch or picnic with you. There are no facilities to buy lunch or snacks at Red Rock so you will need to take everything with you.
Alternatively you could grab lunch on your way back towards Vegas.
Mandalay Bay Aquarium
And once you have finished at Red Rock Canyon, why not head back towards the Strip and check out the Mandalay Bay Aquarium.
The aquarium is a sure fire hit with kids in Vegas and is a great way to escape the afternoon sun sun Las Vegas. There are also some add on experiences that you could get to enhance your experience such as stingray feeding and sea turtle feeds.
You can book your tickets for the Shark Reef Aquarium here
Top Tip: There is a food court next to the aquarium with lots of fast food options if you are looking for a cheap and quick place to feed a fussy toddler.
Day 2: Las Vegas Strip with Kids
Best things to do in Las Vegas with toddlers and Young Kids
No trip to Vegas is complete without a visit to the Strip. On Day 2 we will be exploring the best things to do on the Las Vegas strip with kids.
Ride a Gondola
Riding gondolas are an institution in Vegas at the Venetian Hotel but it can be a little expensive. For this reason we recommend starting your day with a gondola ride as the price and queues are far less first thing in the morning.
Best things to do in Las Vegas with toddlers and Young Kids
The cost of the gondolas is usually34$ per person Monday through Thursday , $39 per person Friday through Sunday.
Kids will love taking a tour of a hotel via a this fun interactive boat.
Shopping on the Strip
Best things to do in Las Vegas with toddlers and Young Kids
Once you have finished on the gondolas at the Venetian it is time to indulge in some retail therapy with kids. Although you don’t usually associate shopping with kids, there are plenty of shops on the Las Vegas strip that cater to families specifically.
Shops that my kids love on the Vegas strip include:
- the M&M Store and Shops
- Hershey’s Chocolate World – there are over 800 Hershey’s Chocolate and candy available in this store so be ready for your kids to have a serious sugar rush.
- The Coca Cola Store – although you can just do bit of shopping here, one of the best things to do with older children is a bit of soda sampling. They offer a taste test of cola from around the world.
- Lolli & Pops
And depending on how long you spend shopping you could add one of the following activities into your itinerary too:
- Bally’s Twilight Golf – an indoor neon mini golf course inside the famous Bally’s Hotel
- Marvel Avenger’s Station at Treasure Island – this would be particularly fun for teenagers in Vegas who love the Marvel Avengers movie franchise. The Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. is an exhibit that offers fans a chance to look at costumes and weapons from the movies. $40 for adults and kids 12 and above. $30 for kids ages 4 to 11.
- Circus Acts at Circus Circus – usually there are Circus acts in the foyer starting at around lunchtime. Also for those who are traveling with older children there is the Vegas Amusement park Adventureland.
- Flamingos at Flamingo
- Highliner
Dinner
And while you are walking along the Vegas Strip, one not grab some dinner. There are a variety of eateries for any price point of the Vegas strip from chain restaurants like Panda Express to more child friendly eats like BlackTap with their famous Freakshakes.
Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Bellagio Conservatory – Las Vegas Family Itinerary
After dinner on this day, it is all about the Bellagio hotel. The next two things can be done in whatever order you prefer. We have down first a visit to the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
This is one of the best free things to do in Vegas, and if you are visiting Las Vegas in one of the holidays such as Christmas, you will find it is beautifully decorated for the season.
Bellagio Fountains
And to finish the night off head to the Bellagio Fountains. An absolute must-do in Las Vegas.
Depending on the day of the week the show either runs every 15 or 30 minutes, for the best part of the day on weekends and from 3pm on weekdays.
The times of the Fountains Shows currently are
Monday – Friday
- 3 pm – 8 pm (show every 30 minutes)
- 8 pm – 12am (show every 15 minutes).
Saturday – Sunday
- 12 pm – 8 pm (show every 30 minutes)
- 8 pm – 12am (show every 15 minutes)
We have watched the show both during the night and daytime and I have to say that we enjoyed the show best in the evening best. This is because you can see the lights much better in the evening and night.
However depending on the day of week and time of year you go it could be rowdier on the strip in the evening.
Day 3: Museums Galore
Las Vegas is not famed for its museum however there are a lot of fun and one of a kind museums in Vegas. And there is something for everyone from Teenagers to toddlers including:
Children’s Discovery Museum
The Children’s Discovery Museum is just a six minute drive away from the Trip and will be loved by toddlers and those under 10 years of age.
Some of the exhibits include:
- Toddler Town,
- the Discover Lab,
- Eco City, and
- Young at Art.
General admission tickets cost 15.50USD.
You can book tickets here
Please note; the museum is closed on Mondays and some holidays.
However if you have older children there are a couple of museum that may appeal including:
Mob Museum
The Mob Museum is housed in the former Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse with lots of interactive exhibits. However due to some of the graphic content I would only recommend this museum for children in their teenage years.
General Mob Museum admission tickets are $29.95 per person but there are more add on experiences.
Neon Museum / Las Vegas Boneyard
Neon Boneyard – best things to do in Las Vegas with teenagers
Ever wanted to know what happens to neon signs when they aren’t being used anymore. This is where the neon museum and Las Vegas boneyard comes into play.
The Neon Museum is home to over 250 historic Vegas signs some of which have been restored. Teenagers in particular will love this.
And while you are in the area be sure to check out
The Fremont Street Experience
Day 4: Las Vegas day trip
Death Valley National Park
We absolutely love visiting National Parks with kids. And despite the name, Death Valley national park is even a great national park to visit with toddlers. The only downside to visiting Death Valley from Vegas is it can be a long drive for smaller children.
Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve
However if you want to visit the desert with children from Vegas, at around an hours drive away is the Mojave National Preserve. Here children can learn all about the wildlife of the desert and life in the area.
On the way to this you can also stop at
Seven Magic Mountains
This art installation is located 20 minutes outside of Las Vegas on the way to the Mojave.
There isn’t a lot to do here but standing in front of these brightly coloured rocks make for some great family photos.
Hover Dam
This impressive structure is likely to impress older children or teenagers more than toddlers but it is a true engineering masterpiece that is one for your Vegas bucket list.
Things to do in Las Vegas at Night with kids
Things to do in Las Vegas at Night with kids
One of the things you might be wondering if you are visiting Las Vegas with family is what is there to do at night that is child friendly.
Most people associate Vegas with drinking, and gambling but actually there are plenty of child friendly things to do in Vegas at night with kids including:
Bellagio Fountains
A Light and fountain show that is a Vegas icon.
The times of the Fountains Shows currently are
Monday – Friday
- 3 pm – 8 pm (show every 30 minutes)
- 8 pm – 12am (show every 15 minutes).
Saturday – Sunday
- 12 pm – 8 pm (show every 30 minutes)
- 8 pm – 12am (show every 15 minutes)
We have watched the show both during the night and daytime and I have to say that we enjoyed the show best in the evening best. This is because you can see the lights much better in the evening and night.
Tournament of Kings
If you and your kids love Medieval times then they will love Tournament of Kings. There is jousting and medieval feasts galore. Your kids will absolutely adore this.
Cirque du Soliel
The Mystere show does not have an age limit so you can fo this with toddlers to teenagers. Even little kids will be in awe at the aerobatic skills on display here.
Blue Man Group
The Blue Man Group is the signature show at the Luxor. This is suitable for children aged 3 and up. I personally love this show and it is completely child friendly.
FAQs about this Las Vegas kids itinerary?
How many days do you need in Las Vegas with family?
You can do anything from 2 days to 5 days in Vegas with kids without being bored. However for me, I think the sweet spot is either 3 or 4 days in Vegas with kids
Is Vegas a good trip for families?
Although Vegas may be associated more with adult orientated fun, Vegas is actually a good trip for families so long as you aren’t expecting to spend time in casinos.