Family Tips

Families with kids should know one thing. Kids they're not allowed in casinos at all. Because most hotels are laid out so that you frequently have to walk through their casinos, you can see how this becomes a headache. Some casino hotels will not allow the children of nonguests on the premises after 6pm and this policy is seriously enforced.

Note also that the Las Vegas Strip is often peppered with people distributing fliers and other information about decidedly adult entertainment options in the city. Sex is everywhere. Just walking down the Strip might give your kids an eyeful of items that you might prefer they avoid. (They don't call it Sin City for nothing!)

Although still an option at most smaller chain hotels and motels, the major casino-hotels on the Strip offer no discount for children staying in your room, so you may have to pay an additional fee (anywhere from $10-$40 per person per night) to have them bunk with you. You'll definitely want to book a place with a pool. Some hotels also have enormous video arcades and other diversions.

Vegas is simply not a good place to bring your kids. Most of the major hotels are backing away from being perceived as places for families, and few of them offer babysitting services, let alone more exciting children's activities. But if you want to make it a family trip, here are our recommendations, based, if not on an overall kid-friendly attitude, at least on elements that make it appealing for families.

In addition to the suggestions below, you might consider choosing a non-casino hotel, particularly a reliable chain, and a place with kitchenettes.

Circus Circus Hotel & Casino: Centrally located on the Strip, this is our first choice if you're traveling with the kids. The hotel's mezzanine level offers ongoing circus acts daily from 11am to midnight, dozens of carnival games, and an arcade with more than 300 video and pinball games. And behind the hotel is a full amusement park.

Excalibur: Now owned by MGM MIRAGE, Excalibur features a whole floor of midway games, a large video-game arcade, free shows for kids (puppets, jugglers, and magicians), and more. It also has child-oriented eateries and shows. It also now has a heavily promoted male-stripper show, though, so it's not perfect.

Four Seasons: For free goodies, service, and general child pampering, the costly Four Seasons is probably worth the dough (your kids will be spoiled!).

Luxor Las Vegas: Another newly acquired MGM MIRAGE property. Kids will enjoy the Games of the Gods Arcade, an 18,000-square-foot video-game arcade that showcases Sega's latest game technologies. Another big attraction here is the IMAX Ridefilm, a high-tech adventure/thrill ride that uses motion simulators and IMAX film.

Mandalay Bay: Mandalay Bay certainly looks grown-up, but it has a number of factors that make it family friendly: good-sized rooms, to start, which you do not have to cross a casino to access; a variety of restaurants; a family-appropriate show; a big ol' shark attraction; and, best of all, the swimming area -- wave pool, sandy beach, lazy river, lots of other pools -- fun in the Vegas sun!

MGM Grand: While decidedly no longer targeted toward families -- their high-profile nudie show La Femme should be your tip-off -- MGM Grand still has family appeal (or at least, families continue to frequent it), thanks to an excellent swimming pool area, a decent arcade, and other goodies.

New York-New York: Overstimulating and hectic, for sure, but between the roller coaster and the Coney Island-style midway, not to mention just looking around, this has many options for children (though going almost anywhere requires walking through the casino).

Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas: Like the Four Seasons, it's costly, but with so many recreational activities and the Lake Las Vegas setting (well out of the way of the path of Sin City -- although parents can make nighttime getaways, thanks to the hotel's babysitting services), it offers a lot over the regular Vegas resorts.

Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino: For families looking for reasonably priced digs, this is a good choice. Plus, it's not in the middle of the Strip action, so you and your kids can avoid that, it's (thus far) not moving in the "adult entertainment" direction, and it has thrill rides at the top.

Las Vegas has a curfew law: Kids younger than 18 are not permitted on the Strip without a parent after 9pm on weekends and holidays.