Ultimate Guide to Visiting Las Vegas with Kids

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When most people think of Las Vegas, kid-friendly is not the first thing that comes to mind. But surprisingly, there are a lot of things to do in Las Vegas with young kids! Milana has been to Vegas 8 times now, the first time at just 5 weeks of age and most recently in June 2021 at the age of 9.  Read on for what to do in Las Vegas with kids.

Where to Stay in Las Vegas with Kids

Looking for a kid friendly Las Vegas hotel? We’ve got you covered! We always stay at different hotels on the strip, there are so many family friendly Vegas hotels on the strip that are perfect for toddlers and kids! Of course you don’t have to stay on the strip, but we do love all the entertainment the strip hotels have and you can go take your kids for a stroll without ever leaving the building. Aside from the ones mentioned below, we have stayed at the Venetian, MGM and Mandalay Bay and you really can’t go wrong with any of these.

Cosmopolitan: Our most recent stay, we stayed at the Cosmopolitan. This is a Bonvoy property, meaning your Marriott status is honored. As a titanium elite member, we were upgraded to a nice room on a high floor with an awesome view of the strip. We had a really nice balcony too, which isn’t common in Vegas hotels.

Monte Carlo: This hotel is part of Hyatt, so if you have status with Hyatt, you can get upgrades. Upon check in, we were upgraded to the Monaco suite, which was 700 square feet with 2 bathrooms. Definitely big enough for a family! Hyatt owns quite a few of the properties here, so definitely look into it and use points to get your room for free!

New York New York: Kids will love seeing the Statue of Liberty and roller coaster outside of this family friendly property! Inside, there’s an arcade for kids, Hershey’s World and lots of fun NY themed dining options. We have stayed here multiple times and always had a positive experience.

Best Family Pools in Las Vegas

If you are visiting Las Vegas in the summer with kids, you are going to want a family friendly Las Vegas pool. You’re in luck! Many hotels on the strip have kid-friendly pools.  Perhaps the best pool in Las Vegas for kids is MGM Grand, which has a lazy river and a kiddie pool area, with shallow water for the kids to play in. Because Monte Carlo’s pool was undergoing renovations during our stay, guest were able to use the pool at MGM or Mandalay Bay (another super kid friendly Vegas pool) during their stay.  We stayed at MGM on our last trip and were glad to be able to use their awesome pool again!

Mandalay Bay has a beach area by the pool, which is also perfect for families with little ones.

Things To Do on the Strip With Kids

If you’r visiting Las Vegas with kids, you’re going to want to find the best family friendly Vegas attractions. Here are the best things to do on the Las Vegas strip with kids.

Flamingo Hotel: One of the best things to do in Las Vegas with kids is visit the Flamingo hotel to see the flamingos and koi fish. Kids will love seeing all the wildlife in the back part of the hotel!

Venetian: Another fun kid-friendly Vegas attraction is the Venetian.  Milana loves watching the gondolas and loves seeing the fake sky ceiling! They also have gelato and candy shops which is sure to be a hit with kids.

Mandalay Bay Aquarium: Inside the Mandalay Bay hotel, is a small aquarium that is perfect for kids. We visited when Milana was a toddler and she loved seeing the sea life. This is a fun thing to do with kids in Las Vegas, especially if it’s too hot to be outdoors.

Bellagio Fountain Show: If your kids like watching water shows, then one of the best things to do in Las Vegas with kids is see the Bellagio Fountain Show. The show runs every 15 or 30 minutes, check the schedule on the Bellagio website.

The famous Las Vegas Strip: One of the best activities for kids in Las Vegas is hanging around the famous Strip area. Just walking around the strip will be entertaining enough for your kids!  Most of the hotels are unique with themes, so be sure to visit them. Milana was super excited to see the Eiffel tower, making comparisons to the one she saw in Paris. NYNY has the outdoor roller coaster with the Statue of Liberty.

M&M Store: A kid’s dream come true! The M&M store is a great place to visit with kids in Las Vegas. This multi-level store has everything candy themed, including a small theater where you can watch a short film. A must with kids!

Hershey’s Chocolate World: In case you haven’t had enough chocolate yet, head across the street from M&M World to the New York New York hotel for some more! Here you’ll find all your favorite Hershey’s brand chocolates, including everyone’s favorite-the Reese’s peanut butter cup! There’s an entire section dedicated to just Reese’s.

Bellagio Gardens:On our last trip, we visited the Bellagio Gardens.  Kids will love seeing all the different animals created out of flowers and it’s a good way to get away from the awful heat outside!

Coca Cola Store: We aren’t big soda drinkers. In fact, Milana hates even sparkling water, it’s just not her thing. But she saw a YouTube video of someone trying the different sodas at the Coca Cola store and asked if we can go. We got the international sampler, which had 16 different sodas.

We started off with tray 1, and they were all at least palatable. So when we got to soda 1 on tray 2, neither of thought anything and took a giant gulp of the Beverly. Now if you’ve never experienced such horror, let me warn you! It’s the nastiest thing you will ever try, kind of like a nice big gulp of straight up tonic water. Needless to say, it wasn’t our favorite! This was a fun way to try different sodas and drinks from all over the world.

Things To Do Off the Strip With Kids

Of course, not all of the Las Vegas family entertainment will be on the strip. Here are some of the best things to do with kids in Vegas off the strip.

Discovery Children’s Museum: One of the things we like most when visiting a new city is visiting their children’s museum.  Vegas has one of our favorites in the country, the Discovery Children’s Museum.  There are 3 floors filled with fun, engaging exhibits that are great for any age.  The water area on the first floor is bound to entertain your child for quite some time!

Meow Wolf: We were very excited to hear that Meow Wolf was opening up a second location in Las Vegas! This is our favorite thing to do in Las Vegas with kids and if you only do one, make it this! We visited the one in Santa Fe and fell in love so of course had to come to this new one too. It’s hard to explain this place, it’s an amazing, immersive sensory experience with tons of hidden doors and just a super fun way to spend the day. We loved the one in Vegas and highly recommend visiting!

Adventuredome at Circus Circus: I put this as an off the strip activity because while it’s on Las Vegas Blvd, it’s nowhere near the other hotels and you have to drive a bit to get here.  You can usually find coupons for the all you can ride wristbands, so research before you go.  Milana loved playing the games and riding the rides, so it was worth the visit for a couple of hours during the hottest part of the day!

Towne Square Park: A short drive from the strip is Towne Square Park, which has a really cute playground in the back of the complex.  It has play structures, a maze, and a splash pad, that was perfect on the 115 degree day that we happened to be there!

Container Park: Located in downtown near Fremont Street is Container Park, one of the best playgrounds in Las Vegas. With lots of dining options around the playground, it’s the perfect spot for lunch or dinner and playtime. But be warned, the playground gets super hot on hot summer days! We came in January and it was perfect.

Fox Hill Park: About 25 minutes from the strip, on the way to Red Rock Canyon, is one of the most awesome playgrounds you will ever see! This is one of the best playgrounds in Las Vegas, if not the best! We spent quite a few hours here and Milana had so much fun climbing the various structures. I imagine it’s quite miserable in the hotter months though as I didn’t see much shade. We came in January and it was perfect. If you’re looking for something fun to do, I highly recommend this playground!

Where to Eat in Las Vegas With Kids

Of course, you’re going to have to eat at some point so we rounded up some of the best restaurants for kids in Las Vegas. Vegas is known for its amazing restaurants, and finding family friendly restaurants in Vegas isn’t as hard as one may think. While there are many non-kid friendly options in the city, there are just as many family friendly restaurants in Vegas. Here are some of our favorite kid and family friendly restaurants in Vegas.

Gordon Ramsay Burger: Located at Planet Hollywood, this is a great option for burgers if you are willing to wait! While the burgers are good, the wait is awful during peak times and then on top of that, it takes around 25 minutes for your food to arrive (they tell you this once you are seated), so may not be a good option with small, impatient kids. Milana loves burgers and enjoyed the Ultimate Cheeseburger, with 3 kinds of cheeses.  Keep in mind, they don’t offer a kid menu, so your child’s burger will be in the $15+ range.

Luke’s Lobster: This place is outside of the Fashion Show Mall, close to Las Vegas Blvd.  It’s a tiny shack, located outside near the Sugar Factory.  The lobster rolls are awesome, however know that it’s a super tiny place with only outdoor seating.  Somehow it escaped their minds to order tables and chairs made out of something other than black metal, and since it was 115 degrees on the afternoon we went, we couldn’t sit outside without getting third degree burns.  The lobster is good, however be prepared to take your meal to go due to possible heat and limited seating.

Shake Shack: We never understood the hype (when we lived on the East coast, the NYC location had massive lines all day long!), and still don’t like their burgers but there was a location next to the Monte Carlo where we were staying at the time so we took Milana for some shakes and fries.  She had the peanut butter shake and loved it! The burgers are very popular though so give it a try. The place is very family friendly and you can eat outside while your kids wander around, it’s a nice outdoor patio not too close to the street.

Primeburger: This is probably our favorite burger in all of Vegas. It’s inside the Venetian and definitely worth a visit if you like burgers! The burgers are huge, juicy and cooked perfectly. I shared mine with Milana and she loved it as well. If burgers are your thing, this is one of the best kid friendly restaurants in Vegas.

Cucina by Wolfgang Puck: One day, Milana asked for spaghetti for dinner so we went to Cucina by Wolfgang Puck at The Shops at Crystals.  Definitely recommend this place! Their kid menu was basically smaller version of adult meals and the kid spaghetti and meatballs were amazing. Of course my child being the cheese addict that she is, we also ordered a cheese plate. Now this isn’t the most kid friendly place however they welcome families and as long as your kid isn’t screaming through the meal, it’s a really good option for dinner. Milana was the only child there when we went.

Buddy V’s Restaurant: This is another Italian restaurant, this time inside the Venetian. They have a kid menu and also seating outside (which is inside because the restaurant is inside of a building) but a great option if you want some great food while letting your kids roam a little. Milana had the kids spaghetti and meatballs, which was essentially a half portion of the adult version and I had the rigatoni all vodka, both were really good! This is a great kid friendly restaurants in Vegas.

Bazaar Jose Andres: Now with the good I feel like I must also mention the bad. We met up with a friend and wanted a nice meal, 3 adults and one child. We spent over $400 here and it was some of the worst food we’ve ever had. All of us, Milana included, hated the food and were so disappointed after this experience. I don’t recommend coming here, it’s overpriced for what you get. The meats were awful and chewy and the food was just not good and certainly not worth the high price tag. I realize this place gets rave reviews, which is why we went in the first place, but for us it was a bust and we wish we had spent this money elsewhere.

Viva las Arepas: If you have a car and are willing to venture away from the strip, you must visit Viva las Arepas!  It’s one of our favorite kid friendly restaurants in all of Vegas, and located right near Circus Circus, so you can easily come here after visiting the Adventuredome.  They serve arepas stuffed with many different things.  We got a few to try, and Milana’s favorite was the pork butt! So, so good, you won’t be disappointed!

Secret Pizza: Inside of the Cosmopolitan Hotel, is the Secret Pizza restaurant. It’s not so much secret as it is hidden but kids will love trying to find it! Head to the 3rd floor restaurant area and look for the long hallway with records on the wall. The pizza here is actually really good, true East coast style like we had back in Jersey.

Bruxie: Do you like waffles? Well you’re in luck! All of Bruxie’s sandwiches are served between two waffles. Bruxie originated from our home county, Orange County CA. They have since expanded and now there are multiple locations all over SoCal, one in Vegas and even international locations. The Vegas location is right by the New York New York hotel, next to Shake Shack. Our family favorite is the green eggs and ham sandwich, the green comes from arugula pesto. Give it a try if you’re looking for a kid-friendly restaurant option in Vegas!

Best Family Friendly Buffets in Las Vegas

As you probably know, Vegas is known for their massive buffets. Every hotel has one but they are not all created equal. We have tried a few and most leave a lot to be desired. Really, the only one we will recommend is Wynn. It’s the best family friendly buffet in Vegas and super clean, unlike many others we have tried.

The Buffet at Wynn: You aren’t going to find a better buffet in Vegas than Wynn, trust me! They have a ton of food options, it’s clean and by far our favorite on the strip. That said, keep in mind that Wynn Hotel isn’t very family friendly even though the buffet is. The hotel has signs all over saying that no strollers are allowed and if you do dine here in the summer, keep in mind that men aren’t allowed to wear cutoff shirts (you can buy a Wynn shirt at the register). It’s also one of the more expensive options but so worth it!

Best Kid Friendly Desserts In Las Vegas

Sugar Factory: Looking for the best dessert dessert place in Vegas? Then check out the Sugar Factory. This is a must if you love massive shakes! The Vegas location is inside the Fashion Show Mall. We’ve been to the one in Orlando in March and Milana loved it so much, we took her back to this one.  Once again, their desserts don’t disappoint! This is one of our favorites and we make it a point to visit every time we’re in Vegas.

The Sugar Factory has the best kid friendly desserts in Vegas!

Black Tap: Another amazing dessert in Vegas is found at a burger restaurant. Now most people come here for burgers however they are also known for their shakes. We came for dessert and were not disappointed! This place is located inside the Venetian and a must try if you like massive shakes. They have lots of options, but Milana picked the cotton candy one and it didn’t disappoint.

Sloan’s Ice Cream:  Tucked inside the Venetian is this awesome ice cream and candy shop. They have lots of ice cream flavors to choose from as well as lots of candy. Kids are sure to love the inside of the store as much as the ice cream!

Emeril’s Fish House: Now this might be an odd option for dessert, but if you like bananas it’s a must! Emeril’s is located inside MGM Grand and they have the best banana creme pie you will ever have. Milana, who isn’t a fan of the traditional cream filled banana pie, loved this! It’s huge, it’s fresh and it’s loaded with a ton of banana. It’s a must try for any banana lover!

Best Day Trips from Las Vegas With Kids

If you’re looking to take some day trips from Vegas during your trip, here are some of our favorites.

Red Rock Canyon: This is such a fun place! I recommend coming in the cooler months or early, before the sun gets too hot. There are hiking trails all over the park and it costs $15 to get in. You can drive around the 13 mile scenic route and see what wildlife you can spot! Milana loved walking around here and even spotted some of the animals on our map.

Hoover Dam: This is better for older kids, as some of the activities and tours have an age restriction. Again, it’s best to do this on a weekday and during months where it isn’t hot!

Lee Canyon: Less than 1 hour from the city, is a winter wonderland! Here you can ski, snowboard, go tubing and do all sorts of other winter activities. If you are coming in the winter months, don’t miss this place!

As you can see, there is a ton to do and see in Vegas with kids. Since it’s a short 45 minute flight for us, we will definitely be back! If you want some other kid-friendly destination ideas, keep reading this blog and join my group Tiny Globetrotters on Facebook. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for lots of kid-friendly travel ideas!