Las Vegas with a 3 year old

[Josbangs]

Hi
My brother-in-law is getting married in Las Vegas and my husband is best man. Having not much money (we are having to pay for this on (gulp) the credit card), therefore gambling is out of the question, this is our idea of hell. I would be grateful for any advice on where to stay with our then 3 year old daughter and what to do!!
Help please!

We went with dd when she was 2 we stayed in the Excaliber as it is a castle and she loved it
Not much gambling to be done as children aren't allowed on casino floor even when sleeping in the buggy

TBH we had been before so we just took our time going in and out of the Hotels in the strip there is always something to see and do, we didn't do half of the stuff we probably should have with dd

If this is really awkward finance wise does your H really have to be his best man?.

Have you booked the flight to LV yet and what time of year will you go?. I only ask this as this is a popular destination and is priced accordingly (it can be very expensive indeed to fly there). It can also be very hot there between early June and the end of August in particular. Hotels often charge more on the weekends.

Look at www.tripadvisor.com for up to date reviews on hotels in LV along with photos of tooms.

Have a look at both BA and Virgin as both of these fly direct from the UK to LV.

The MGM Signature is an apartment complex that is both a non smoking and non gaming facility. It is more family friendly than some of the other hotels on the Strip. Also accommodation is room only so you would have to pay extra for all meals.

There is not much to do there for very young children.

With regards to children they are not allowed to linger in the casinos. You will all have access to the casino floor but you will need to keep moving and stay on the carpet.

Hi

Thanks everyone for the responses - so quick! H has committed (I hit the roof), long story but yes it looks like we are going....., the wedding is not until next Feb 14th so plenty of time to look around for deals and to pay off at least some of the cost! Attila, thanks re MGM - that looks ideal for our needs - will look into this and check out Trip Advisor.

I think any child would be happy in a pool for a good few hours (with lots and lots of high spf sunscreen) as long as the hotel is definitely family oriented. Other hotels and their pools tend to be hookup spots. It's important to find a hotel that distinguishes itself from the "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" culture, or at least one that has a separate pool for families with young children.

There's a children's museum which might be nice and not too frenzied for a 3 yo (interactive, educational, hands-on things to do, climb on, pretend, etc)

I don't recommend the zoo but this is a nice place for a picnic, and cooler than the city in the valley. You can wander around and go at a 3 yo's pace.

Would agree totally with mathanxiety's comments here. Would not for instance go to the Mandalay Bay or the Bellagio to name but two as they are not family oriented in any way.

Have taken my young child before now to the Signature and was glad we did. The Signature is separate from the MGM Grand but you can use all their facilities if you want to (MGM Grand guests cannot use the Signature). I would suggest though using the pool attached to your apartment block (the pool is max 4 foot deep). I recommended the Signature as it also has a fully equipped kitchen with crockery etc, a bathroom with a truly ginormous bath in it and a separate room for your child, there is a sofabed in the other room (you can have a one or two bedroom suite). Also it is a fully non smoking and non gaming facility, two definate pluses where families are concerned. Las V to my mind has become far less family oriented over the past few years.

At least it's Feb - temps not too bad by then - say, mid 70's?

My brother has lived in LV for about 10 years now and hates it with a passion. It's certainly one of the least child-friendly cities in the US. Sure, there are a few things to do on the Strip that are allegedly child-oriented - look at the lions in MGM, gawp at the animals at the Mirage (are they still there after one of them tried to eat Roy?), the M&Ms 'attraction' (expensive and essentially a big advert for buying their chocolate), watch the volcano erupting outside whichever casino that is, lots of the casinos have evening 'events' outside their pitches to draw people in. And so it goes. The pools outside are good, but don't expect the casinos (where you'll probably be able to get a good hotel deal) to put on a lot for young children. They want to keep kids out of the casinos!

But it's horribly over-stimulating for a three year old, and though it's one of the cheapest places to eat and sleep in the US, money has a habit of being spent there...

Sorry, can you tell I hate the place? There's an upside - if you have a car or get a taxi, you can drive to the Red Rock state park, about 20 mins off the Strip, and another world. Lovely rock formations, gentle, signposted walks, a visitor's centre with local tortoises. And Valley of Fire state park, the other side of the city (but more like an hour's drive out) is fantastic - great petroglyphs (rock art) of people, animals and handprints for children to spot. And Boulder, a small and cute town a few miles away, is worth a visit for the peace and quiet, and fab 50's diner with great milkshakes!

Here's a site with a lot of links listed on the right side of the page.

I agree about the over-stimulating potential of all the attractions of the strip for a 3 yo. Very flashy, loud, and essentially nothing to really do, just stuff to look at, advertising to bowl you over... Getting out of the city with a LO would be the best plan, if you can spare a day from the wedding festivities. Roads are very good -- you're not poking around on little country lanes, but getting places relatively fast on highways with good signposts for everything, exits clearly marked.