5 Ways to Thrill Kids in Las Vegas

Are you travelling to Las Vegas with your family soon and wondering if there will be enough activities to keep the kids entertained? Never fear, this is Vegas we’re talking about, and “Sin City” never fails to deliver on entertainment options, even the family-friendly ones!
From checking out the wonders of the human body, to learning how a detective investigates, to waving at mermaids in aquariums, there are plenty of creative, entertaining and educational attractions kids will be keen to see. Read on for a taste of five family-friendly places to take your children in Las Vegas.

The Aquarium at Silverton Casino Hotel

If you’re planning to visit Las Vegas with children who are obsessed with mermaids (and let’s face it, most little girls go through a mermaid phase), don’t pass up an opportunity to spend some time at the aquarium at Silverton Casino Hotel.

Kids will be enthralled watching live “mermaids” in action in the 442,000-litre reef aquarium, one of the most popular free attractions in Las Vegas.

The huge tank is equipped with over 4,000 tropical fish, as well as three types each of stingrays and sharks. If you have a mermaid fan in your family make sure you head to the attraction on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays when the lovely mermaids can be seen swimming around. Interactive fish feeding shows are also scheduled daily at 1:30pm and 4:30pm.

CSI: The Experience

CSI: The Experience is the perfect activity for children aged 12 years and up (although parents are sure to love it too). It is a unique, interactive crime-solving experience located within the MGM Grand Hotel. At the attraction, participants have the opportunity to test their crime-solving skills by playing the role of a crime scene investigator. The interactive challenge is based on the hit TV show of the same name and features three “murders”, 15 lab stations, 15 “suspects” and three “killers”.

Visitors are guided by videos featuring cast members as well as real-life forensic scientists. Participants have the chance to match DNA to suspects, examine bullet casings, check out state-of-the-art forensic crime labs and learn to identify the source of a single strand of hair. Kids who find the “killer” during their investigations will receive an official CSI: Diploma, an award that will probably become one of the most treasured mementos of their trip.

Bodies: The Exhibition

Experienced by more than 15 million people so far, Bodies: The Exhibition provides visitors with a fascinating view into the human body. Kids and adults are sure to enjoy learning all the anatomical details of the body formerly only seen by medical professionals.
The Exhibition features more than 200 actual human bodies and specimens that have been dissected and respectfully displayed using an innovative preservation process. The preservation process ensures specimens won’t decay and allows visitors to get a glimpse into the depths of the human body.
Kids are sure to be enthralled when seeing and learning about the skeletal, muscular, nervous, respiratory, digestive, endocrine and circulatory systems. Bodies: The Exhibition is housed within the Luxor Hotel and Casino.

The Adventuredome

Located within the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, the Adventuredome theme park is the perfect spot for a fun day out with the family. The Adventuredome is a five-acre indoor amusement park featuring 25 rides and attractions. Housed inside a dome over 60 metres high and enclosed by 8,615 panes of glass (each weighing more than 135 kilograms), the Adventuredome is the largest indoor theme park in the United States.

Kids can have a blast on rides such as The Sling Shot, which shoots upwards like a rocket at a 4G force, or the Canyon Blaster, a roller coaster featuring a double-loop and double-corkscrew track and runs at 88 kilometres per hour. Other amusements at the theme park include laser tag, mini golf, bumper cars, an arcade and a 4-D Special FX Theatre with bubbles, water squirts and special effects.

Discovery Children’s Museum
The Discovery Children’s Museum is housed within a 5,388-square metre building and features nine themed exhibition halls chock full of interactive, hands-on exhibits to entertain and educate children. The three-storey Museum has won a host of awards over the years, including being named as the best museum in Las Vegas by Parents’ Picks Awards and the best place to take kids by Nevada Magazine. Visitors to the venue can learn about sustainability in the Eco City, engage their imagination in the Fantasy Festival and experience the power of water in the Water World.

Silverton Mermaid by Yelp.com on Flickr.

Adventuredome image by Miss Shari on Flickr.