Shows in Vegas

We went to the Michael Jackson "The One" show at Mandalay Bay. Best show I have ever seen and I'm not a huge MJ fan. I like his music, but the show was amazing. That being said, I wouldn't waste my time for a day trip.

We saw Blue Man Group in Vegas when our daughter was in 8th grade and we all loved it.

We had front row seats and we had to wear special ponchos provided by the show because the people in the front few rows get splashed with the foods and other items they use in the show. LOVED the show and would do it again in a heartbeat. After the show, the group came out to the foyer area where we were able to get pictures and autographs. HIGHLY recommend Blue Man Group in Vegas.

The Hoover Dam is something that I would not miss either..

M.,

You've been to Vegas before, so you know the drill. Pretty much all of the Cirque shows are okay for kids (with the exception of Zumanity and maybe Criss Angel), and Blue Man is great fun for families.

If you're already in LV, and you have the time, Hoover Dam is a quick trip that you can do in a day. My brother and his family did that when they were visiting us. I'd wait to do that the next day, though, not when driving directly from CA. One previous poster said something about it being a 14 hour round trip bus ride, but maybe that's because it was a BUS TRIP that included the Grand Canyon. Trust me, you can do the Dam in a day in your vehicle.

One of the newer attractions is the High Roller at the LINQ. It's basically a huge ferris wheel on the strip. Something you might want to do just once, although some of my friends have been on it a few times now. If you do the ride at night, it's kind of a neat thing, and all of the shops and restaurants around there are fun.

Climbing and hiking at Red Rock Canyon is a great day activity. Mt. Charleston is also very pretty and you can usually still ski there in February, but you're probably pretty sick of snow by then being from Kansas.

I live here----in Henderson. I can be to the strip in about 15 min on a good traffic day. I think it's hysterical the gross stereotypes tossed out here by some who see one small part of the city and decide children canNOT be here.

Um, hello. Families with children DO live here, and we do just fine! All four of our kids were born and raised here. They have not been traumatized by the ads on taxicabs. There are more activities and entertainment options here for families---beyond the strip--- than we have time to do them.

I've been to every major metropolitan area in this country and other cities worldwide. Every big city has parts you need to avoid. Just common sense.
What, there are no drugs in NY? No strip clubs in Miami? No sleaziness in LA or Paris?

Don't let ridiculous stereotypes keep you from enjoying the many things our city has to offer for families. If you want any other information from a local's perspective, please feel free to message me.

Gotta go and get my little guy to lacrosse practice. Yes, we do "normal" things here! : )

J. F.

My kids LOVED Vegas. They were 10 & 13 at the time, we spent two nights and we all had a blast. I would recommend staying the night, not only because of the long drive but to enjoy one of the big hotels and a fun swimming pool. You can pick a hotel that's geared more towards families to avoid the "scene".

We saw a Cirque de Soleil show and I cannot recommend it enough. Mystere at Treasure Island was perfect for the kids, they LOVED it. Enjoy a nice meal first, we went to Tao but there are so many great choices.

Honestly, your kids are of the age when they will really enjoy Vegas. Sure it can be seedy and tacky but it's also exciting and over the top. Just walking around is fun, check out some of the major hotels. Bellagio fountains and indoor sculpture garden is cool and the Venetian will not disappoint a teenager.

You will see some of the ugliness. We used those moments as a slice of life teaching moment. There is no better way to impress kids with a sense of the reality of excess then them seeing it themselves.

Dress up a little, let them stay up late and enjoy the lights, people and a great show. Sounds like fun to me.

The Cirque or Blue Man show would be completely appropriate. But I agree with Shannon. This is not a day trip from Vegas. The drive could be 4-5 hours, and Boulder (Hoover) Dam another 1 hour. Stay overnight and enjoy yourselves.

With kids, The Cirque show at Treasure Island is your best bet. The hotel is also set up so you can take your kids to the pool, arcade, and buffet with very limited exposure to the gambling floor. The actual "Pirate" show outside (Sirens) gets a little risqué but it looks like it's been cancelled. The Cirque show is fine. It's called Mystere. You may also want to consider the options at the Mirage, like the Aquarium and Secret Garden. YES, the Mirage has a nude pool, but it's adults only and is hidden away. I have not seen the Beatles Cirque show to comment (that's the one at the Mirage).

Although Vegas can be seedy, there are locals and they DO have kids and they do sometimes enjoy local attractions and shows - the just choose them with care. The were LOTS of kids at Mystere when I went. That said, if you aren't driving through Vegas on your way to California, you may want to focus on where you are going because there is a TON of stuff to do.

The Cirque show Mystere would be great for those ages!

There are many family friendly shows but I think you'll have to go to some travel sights to see some general information to narrow it down. My friend lived in Vegas for years and was always taking her kids to shows.

I do think your family tastes will help you narrow it down. I would love to see the Cirque show, one of our friends is in the cast.

When my husband and I went, my MIL bought us tickets to the tournament of kings at Excalibur. We loved it. It was violent, obviously, as it was jousting and sword fighting and stuff, but I love jousting and sword fighting. It was a meal and a show. I would think it would be appropriate for your kids unless they have changed it drastically since then.

I just came from a vacation in Vegas in October. Vegas is NOT for children. There is really nothing for them to do. Sure you could see a show like Cirque or Blue Man Group but would it really be worth the minimum 3 hour drive CA (Los Angeles Area) to get there? Also note the Hover Dam and Grand Canyon was a 14 hour round trip bus ride from Vegas.

I just believe there are so many things to see and do in CA as well as content with the massive traffic on their highways that an extended trip to Vegas with kids wouldn't be worth it.

The best description I can come up with for Vegas is a glorified mall with hotels and gambling. It was great for hubby and I because we are disciplined and don't gamble. We had a great time but we saw many adults there with their kids and the kids were miserable. Again there isn't much there if anything for kids to do.

I hope this helps.

We loved the cirque du soleil shows, "O" at Bellagio and Mystere at Treasure island. Unbelievable and beautiful to watch! We love Vegas. We're waiting til our son is older, in his teens, to take him. Your kids would love these shows.

The Dam is a fascinating place.... if you are looking for other daytime activities, there are a couple of really neat park areas nearby.

Red Rock Natural Conservation area is a really beautiful area. There are a lot of good day hikes and things to see. There is also a visitor center to go to. It is fairly close to Las Vegas.

http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/

Another beautiful are is Valley of Fire State Park.

http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire-state-park/

It is further away, but only about 45 minutes north of Las Vegas, and again, an amazing Natural History area!

Sure you could make a day trip. There is first Friday, must come on a Friday and must be the first one of the month...if you like art. There are two different sections of the food truck line ups.

The dam has a beautiful overlook or you can schedule the tour, which takes you down below. I haven't done it in years, but they still do it.

For 16 and 13 year olds, there are the Excalibur and Adventure Dome. Yes, the shows are fine and the kids would enjoy them. There is BMG, the various Cirque shows, including LOVE, Le Reve, you can hang out on the strip or Fremont.

Have fun!!!