Welcome to Las Vegas (www.visitvegas.com), where room prices average just over $130 a night (a lot lower in summer). Rooms, as a rule, are cheaper Sunday through Thursday, if there isn't a big convention in town. There's just one problem: "We don't market to families," said Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spokesman Erika Pope. In fact, Las Vegas may be the only city in America not rolling out the red carpet for families this summer.
But that's not keeping families away. Why is it we always pine to be a member of the club that doesn't want us? Despite the decidedly adult "What-happens-in-Vegas-Stays-in-Vegas" ad campaign, 10 percent of the more than 39 million visitors last year reported that someone under 21 was in their group, according to Las Vegas tourism officials. That's nearly 4 million underage visitors in Sin City!
I admit I'm not a huge Vegas fan, but I've been there often because my family lives here and it seems every trip, I see more visiting parents and kids. It's obvious what draws vacationing families here — besides the chance for parents to gamble or golf. Where else can you take a ride on a gondola, see the Eiffel Tower and Cirque du Soleil — all in one place? Let's not forget shopping till you drop and sampling all kinds of food — even in the middle of the night.
Along the strip, I see parents and kids gawking at the ersatz New York skyline and sphinx-shaped hotel or splashing in the giant hotel pool complexes. Check out the newest water attraction, the 53,000-square-foot Wet Republic, scheduled to open this month at the MGM Grand (www.mgmgrand.com).
INSIDER TIPS
? If you are walking from resort to resort, wear comfortable shoes. The distances can be deceiving. ? Don't dawdle in the casinos. It's OK to walk through with kids, but if you stop, security officers will ask you — very politely, of course — to leave. ? Should you want to gamble, you can, of course, arrange for child care or a babysitter. Ask at your hotel or check out New Horizon Kids Quest (www.kidsquest.com); located at several hotels, they offer hourly, supervised day care.
? Consider staying off the strip with the kids. It will certainly be more relaxing. There's Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa (www.redrocklasvegas.com), opened just two years ago. This resort sits on 70 acres near the Red Rock Mountains, 10 miles west of the strip. The guest rooms are some of the largest in Vegas hotels and there's a four-acre pool area, a 16-screen movie theater and a 72-lane bowling alley. Teens will like the summer concert series.
In suburban Henderson, a short drive from the Strip and the airport, there's the Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa and Casino (www.greenvalleyranchresort.com) where we stayed last summer. Besides the big pool, my kids loved The District, a hip restaurant-shopping area connected by a pedestrian walkway.
Here are a few ideas on what to do, but check out "Kidding Around Las Vegas" by Kathy Espin (www.huntingtonpress.com) and "The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas," by Bob Sehlinger, too.
? See a magician (Lance Burton is particularly kid friendly, www.lanceburton.com), or the amazing acrobats at Cirque du Soleil (take your pick of five different productions, www.cirquedusoleil.com).
? Go hiking at Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park (www.desertusa.com). The kids will be impressed by the color of the rocks and their ages. Some are more than 1 million years old. Just go very early in the morning or late in the afternoon and bring plenty of water!
? Tour Hoover Dam (www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam).
? Gain a new perspective on lions at The Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand. (www.mgmgrand.com) and sharks at Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef (www.mandalaybay.com), where you travel through a replica of an ancient temple surrounded by sharks.
That's assuming you can get the kids out of the pool. Got plenty of sunscreen?
Eileen Ogintz, a resident of Fairfield County, invites questions, comments and stories about your family travels. Write to Taking the Kids, 578 Post Road East, #566, Westport CT 06880, or visit www.takingthekids.com.
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