Las Vegas & California trip

[OnlyGirlinmyHouse]

I have 2 week trip planned at the end of May, and I'm hoping for some tips & advice from people who have done similar!

DH, DS's who are 11 & 8 and I will have a few days in Vegas, then on to Desth Valley, Yosemite, San Francisco for 3 nights, Monterey, Pismo Beach, then 4 nights in Anaheim in LA.

Is the Grand Canyon a 'must do'? We would only be able to afford to do a bus day trip there, which would take a whole day most of which would be spent on the bus.

Footwear! Will we all need walking shoes for places like Yosemite, or will decent trainers be ok. We'll be doing a couple of days in Disney so will be doing a far amount of walking there I imagine, but would assume trainers would be ok there.

Any other tips or things to do or not do would be appreciated.

That is quite a round about route, lots of driving.

Go whale watching in moterey. We did and it was amazing. The kids saw humpbacks, orcas and a blue whale really close to the boat. There is also a tiny bit amazing taco place on Monterey pier.

Yosemite is my favourite of all those places. Try and avoid the bus routes and get a bit off the beaten track and away from the crowds.

SF can be freezing.

I'm really looking forward to Yosemite, I think that will be my favourite place.

Thanks for the whale watching tip, sounds amazing so we'll definitely do that.

I'll pack lots of layers!

I live Vegas but I wouldn’t take kids there. How about going to the Grand Canyon by car and staying there overnight. Dawn and sunset are great times to see it as the colours change in amazing ways.

That should be ‘love Vegas....’

We did a similar trip last year, did LA(3)-stopped overnight in tiny place called Bishop on the way to Yosemite (4), drove through Death Valley to Vegas (2) - Palm Springs (1) - San Diego (3)- Laguna Beach (2). We didn’t do Disney, looked at Universal as I think that’s better for older kids but if was nearly £1k for a day with fast passes and our DC’s (13,10,8) don’t even like rollercoasters much so we skipped it!

We were also tempted by Grand Canyon but figured the kids might be underwhelmed after seeing the incredible scenery in Yosemite and Death Valley...but you can take a tour from Vegas, or helicopter ride (which I was keen on and DH not!)

If you aren’t doing GC then I’d say 2 nights is plenty in Vegas with DC’s. Make sure you go to a hotel buffet, they are fantastic. We went to Wicked Spoon and the kids still rave about it.

Loved San Diego and Laguna was fantastic. It was nice to have the relaxing beach bit at the end, it felt like a lot of packing and unpacking along the way so think about that. Maybe one fewer location would have been better for us.

Have to say I really don’t love LA, we had fun, went to a Dodgers game which was really fun, and to Venice Beach and the observatory. Walk of fame I don’t get! I could have happily skipped LA tbh, traffic is horrendous, felt like hard work. I’d love to have gone to Monterey instead and seen the whales!

Everything is booked, so we're definitely going to Vegas as flying in there. But we'll only have 2 full days, as by the time we get to the hotel etc it might be time for bed! Just not sure whether to spend those 2 days in Vegas, or to go to the Grand Canyon. I'm inclined to think that the boys might not appreciate it enough to warrant 10 hours on a bus!

Sleepwhenidie - what footwear did you all have in Yosemite?

I love Vegas and go twice a year

Grand Canyon will be wasted on the children, it's an amazing place but there are lots of things for children to do

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/mikespohr/awesome-things-to-do-with-your-kids-in-las-vegas

Circus Circus is a sure thing

I've only ever worn trainers in the US (Yosemite, Yellowstone, Bryce, Zion, Canyon). But then I'm not one to go hiking, I'm your average wander-and-photograph tourist!

The Grand Canyon is too far the other way from Vegas - my dc of similar age love Vegas btw. Get over your jet lag and relax by the pool.

Even without GC you are being quite ambitious - that is a lot of driving. I know Route 1 is iconic but it is actually quite boring for dc after the first 1/2 hour and then you are stuck on it for hours. I was underwhelmed by Monteray too tbh. We preferered the mountains - Sequoia and Yosemite. Are you flying home from LA?

The GC is amazing though and my dc of similar ages adored it - but we did as part of a Palm Springs and San Diego holiday.

Enjoy your holiday - is a great part of the world.

I think I'm leaning towards relaxing by the pool and getting over the jet lag!

It will be a lot of driving, but it is the trip that DH particularly wanted to do. The boys are quite used to fairly long journeys in the car, they tend to be ok as long as they have snacks & iPads/phones to amuse themselves. I'm hoping they might sleep a bit too!

Thanks for all the tips. Keep them coming. Anything particular we should do in San Francisco? Is Alcatraz worth doing with kids?

Alcatraz is quite scary - the audio tour quite intense. My 10 year old DD found it very real - we didn't take them at 8.

Don't miss the Musée Mécanique at Fisherman's wharf - is my dc favourite. The submarine audio tour was really good too. We found the homeless problem round Union Square very in your face this year - my dc scared - i wouldn't stay round that area again. I prefer North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf - on a short visit you will likely spend most your time there anyway.

Our kids loved Alcatraz. Also china town in San Fran is pretty special - the dim sum is better than anything I have ever had in the uk.

I would make sure you book up for shows in Vegas sooner rather than later. Same with Alcatraz (which is brilliant) - you can book on line. SF can be very chilly - we went in July and were wearing fleeces and rainjackets. Visit the Golden Gate bridge as well. And agree about China Town. We also saw the most amazing close up magic show in SF - again booked in advance

Trainers in Yosemite will be fine

In Pismo Beach you should do a dune buggy ride, great fun. The aquarium in Monterrey is great and you can go whale watching with them. We went from San Francisco but that took longer to get out to the whales.

In San Francisco the cable car museum and the Wells Fargo museum are both free, quieter than some of the big attractions and entertaining. We also liked the Exploratorium. We had San Francisco cards which gave entry into attractions and free public transport, including the cable cars, we definitely got our money’s worth.

On the way down Highway 1 look out for whale spouts. Don’t miss the elephant whale beach on the way down the coast either.

Trainers fine, we weren't doing any serious hikes, just long walks.

The zip line in downtown Vegas is fun for all the family - min. weight 50lb. We also did a food walking tour downtown which would be great for everyone, you can book ahead from the UK. The Camelot dinner experience is geared towards children. TBH I am always surprised when people say Vegas is not fun for DC. Toddlers maybe not , but otherwise seems entertaining.
I have never gambled when I visit, there are plenty of other activities.

We (DH, DS1, DS2 and me) loved the GC, spending the whole day there hiking. If you do the GC, you’ll want to spend some time there, so I think it would be best to skip it this time around if you’ll spend so much time on the bus. The day before we went to the GC, we visited Petrified Forest National Park and Meteor Crater. The scenery in all these places is breathtaking. They sound like they will be out of your way on this trip, though.

We’re big on hiking, so every place we went we found a hike to do. We all wore new, comfortable trainers (called sneakers in the U.S.).

Have you booked your Vegas hotel yet? In most of the hotels, the lobby is one big casino, and security is very strict about letting children even stand in the lobby/casino. The gambling age is 21 and older, and when I went in 1998 (no kids at the time), I saw security guards telling families with small children to move along.

Consequently, when we went in August 2014 with our children, we booked a hotel that did not have a casino as a lobby. It was only a block from The Strip, so well within walking distance.

Two days in Vegas is plenty. The second time we went, we first visited Hoover Dam (it doesn’t sound like you’ll be able to get to this on your trip) and rolled into Vegas around dinner time. We walked Vegas in the cool evening, which by that time was around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (about 27 C). During the day in August, it’s too hot to do anything but stay by the pool, since you can’t hang out in casinos with the children.

My older son said his favorite part of the trip was Las Vegas. It’s very impressive at night.

We drove through Death Valley from Vegas to Yosemite. Death Valley was about 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees C), but again, this was in August. Getting out to stretch our legs and do some (very quick) sight-seeing was excruciating. Still, I loved the scenery. Amazing. If it was cooler, we would have spent more time outside. We loved Yosemite and did a couple of hikes there. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Monterey was cloudy when we were there but the scenery is beautiful. There was a car show when we were there.

San Francisco can be cool, even in August – I was surprised. We rented bicycles and did a bike trip around the city. About a month before our trip I remembered Alcatraz and when I went online to see about booking a visit, it was sold out. I’m still kicking myself. If you are thinking about Alcatraz, I’d look into that now.

I live on the U.S. East Coast, but I absolutely love the West Coast, by far the best trip I’ve ever been on. Every single locale we visited was special in its own right and I loved it all. I’m hoping one day we can get to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Lake Powell.

May is a very good time to go. Enjoy your trip!!

Elara and Signature are two good hotels on the strip that are non casino and very good for families with a pool scene (Signature means, as well as the small tower pools you can also use the MGM pools which are fabulous) only 2 mins short walk. Elara is attached to the miracle mile shops so great for easy eats. Both are lovely - Elara imo better location, Signature better pools.

The Grand Canyon sounds a bit ambitious when you only have a couple of days there but Hoover Dam is worth seeing and it's not very far away, it's around 35 miles.
The Slotzilla Zipline is really good, although your children may be too small.

Definitely prebook Alcatraz well in advance.

Universal is good, it's not too big and can easily be all done in a day without needing fast pass tickets. We were last there 18 months ago and queues were minimal, even in the Harry Potter area. It cost under $400 for four adults.

My must-do in the LA area is the Warner Brothers Studio Tour.

Go to the Griffith Observatory and the park. There's lots to keep children interested, miles of walking trails and if you're at the Observatory for sunset it's a sight that you'll never forget.

Outonthetiles - we're staying at the Luxor in Vegas. Hadn't thought of the age limit issue.

Thanks for all the tips. We will definitely book Alcatraz, can only book up to 8 May at the moment so I'm keeping an eye on it.

I think we'll hang out in Vegas rather than going to GC. Sounds like there will be plenty to keep us amused. The boys like the sound of the zip wire!

Can't wait for the trip now.

www.mgmresorts.com/en/offers/3-for-57-attractions.html

You need this OP

Especially for the Secret Garden, Shark Reef and Adventure Dome

Luxor is lovely! Great Titanic exhibition there

This was a few months ago

Loved it

@OnlyGirlinmyHouse
How about a trip out to the Hoover Dam. Not that far to drive from LV & can book entrance tickets online before you go

Take hiking boots or shoes, but not heavy leather as it will be hot, remember you are in snake and scorpion country so closed in is important and I prefer long trousers - something like a merrel hiking shoe will work at Disneyland. Death Valley will be baking but it's amazing, Grand Canyon is spectacular but I wouldn't day trip it by bus unless it takes in the hoover dam etc as it's a long way to stare at a ravine for an hour (or spend money in the gift shop) and return bearing in mind you are doing Yosemite (I preferred Zion in fact). Be aware apart from specific kids areas (not sure if circus circus still exists) kids have to walk straight through casinos without stopping. I'm guessing you have a car or transfers booked? Make sure your kids realise the travelling distances, British kids aren't used to such journeys. Oh and be prepared to queue everywhere, Yosemite can be crazy busy in particular.