Vegas Advise?

[mathnerd]

In a somewhat last minute adventure, my boyfriend and I are taking the kids to Vegas for a day. I have a good friend who's going to be there, and it's not too far from me, plus we've been wanting to visit bf's BIL who lives about halfway in between, and I got a hotel for $27, so we decided why not!

The plan is to get there late morning on a Thursday morning, do some touristy type things and hang out with my friend in the evening. We'd like to find a cheap buffet (Chinese preferably, because of my allergies), for dinner. We'd leave Friday afternoon. This is sort of a birthday trip for the kids, as we didn't do much for their birthdays. The hotel is the Circus Circus hotel.

So, given the limited amount of time, and the fact that we have to be a cheap as possible, what fun stuff would you guys suggest?

ETA: The trip isn't this week. It's in a couple weeks, but we just started thinking about it last night, and when I found the hotel room for so cheap today, we made the decision. I should be recovered from my health adventures by then. I hope, anyway.

[Ironclad Alibi]

One thing Mrs IA and I enjoyed was a tour of the Ethel M. Chocolate factory. The kids would probably like that, and it's free (except for the shop at the end). You could do that Thursday afternoon.

[mathnerd]

That does look neat! Thanks.

[Aragarthiel]

It's been a while since I've gone, but I'll try to remember. Slots-A-Fun, next to Circus Circus, has $1 foot-long hot dogs if any of you are into that kind of thing, and I'm not sure if it's still there but the MGM Grand had a lion show on some days of the week. Fremont Street has shows that I'm pretty sure are every hour after dark, DEFINITELY worth going if possible and last few times I've been there, there were some pretty awesome spray paint artists doing their thing. Also, the canyons nearby are beautiful to drive around and look at if you can trust yourself (or your GPS) not to get lost.

[Victory Sabre]

Fremont St. Lightshow. Every hour on the hour at dark. I highly recommend it. You could also take them to the pinball museum. You actually get to play the games. Both things recommended are on the bus line. The Deuce is avery good, all be it slow, way to see the srtip.

[Kittish]

If you guys are athletic and it's not too hot yet when you visit, there are some awesome hiking trails around Vegas. There's also Red Rock for a gorgeous scenic drive. And if you feel like driving another 60 miles or so over the mountains to a little town called Pahrump, I'll be happy to offer you folks a home cooked dinner.

[mathnerd]

Oh, now a home cooked dinner sounds appealing! As for hiking, one of my kids used a wheelchair. Some trails are accessible but most aren't.

[Kittish]

PM me if you decide to take me up on the offer, and we can work out when and a menu and I can give you contact info.

[jedimaster91]

There's some great shopping on the strip as well as the wax museum at the Venitian. We did the CSI Experience which was a lot of fun. I think that was at the MGM. Stuff like that is a bit pricey, though. The MGM also has a theater where you can preview new TV shows for free and they give you some coupons for your time. When we went we got coupons for a little bit off some FroYo. Harrah's has a great show called In Defense of the Caveman, which is absolutely hilarious. I think it's one of the less expensive shows there, but there are kiosks and websites where you can get discounts. If you go to the strip, just...don't look down and don't take anything anyone hands you.

[cindybubbles]

If you go to the strip, just...don't look down and don't take anything anyone hands you.

Don't look down? What if you need to check to see if your kids are ok, and they're not at your eye level?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Probably has to do with the "slap n' slippers," the people whose job is to stand on the sidewalk and hand people flyers for....adult entertainment.

The name comes from their tendency to slap the stack of fliers against their hand, and then try to slip one in your hand as you pass by.

It's been several years since I was last in Vegas, and the buffets seemed to be on the way out back then. My favorite was at the Excalibur, which is also one of the more kid-friendly places on the strip. A lot of the buffets have serving stations with different kinds of cuisine, so you could probably find a lot that wouldn't trigger your allergies.

Try to catch the fountains at the Bellagio (they spray water synchronized with music) and the volcano at the Mirage (spectacular at night). If you want to go off the strip, the Fremont Street light show is worth seeing. There's much more worth seeing on the strip but your hotel is on the opposite end from those.

ETA: related thread from my second-favorite message board on the internet. Take it for what it's worth, which may be not much. It does contradict some of the ideas already given.

[Sunshine]

There is a coca cola store and an m&m store on the strip that are a lot of fun to browse. We enjoyed just walking the strip. Its really fun to see the sea of humanity.

[Sliceanddice]

Don't look down? What if you need to check to see if your kids are ok, and they're not at your eye level?

you crouch and bring your purse in front of you and you only do this if they start crying, and i dont mean im tired crying i mean 'something could have just about killed this child' crying. you never let go of their hands if you have more than one you have more than 1 adult or you dont walk you drive and pay for parking. your talking about a highly tourist rich city with constant construction projects, side alleys, narrow streets (the strip is one of the widest you'll see and it has 4 lanes and a median and is going to be just about always full. you have pick pockets and they like around. im not trying to be scary but seriously you need to treat it like your on seedy street in Bangkok sometimes.

hell my mom and i dont even carry purses there. My mom sticks all her cash and id in her bra because she can't see that well and she rather be a little embarrassed by her lack of modesty by pull cash from her bra than not see herself be stolen from. I on the other hand only carry cash, always carry less than 100 dollars, and carry then in my pockets up front or in a book

[Jetfire]

My mom and I have never had any issues walking along the Strip on our visits, and we walked around at all times. Still, you should maintain your alertness; don't flash money around, ignore the Slappers and such.

Since you have kids, keep an eye out for the Characters; the people dressed up in Transformer and Cartoon character costumes. If you see one your kids are a fan of, maybe get a pic with them (and tip for it), but otherwise watch how the actors act; if they seem grabby, avoid them.

As mentioned, the Coke store is a place we visit a lot; usually to get a float every visit. The M&M store and the new Hershey store can be OK to browse through as well.

Freemont at night is nice to visit for the light shows and the buskers. I found it was usually a little less crowded than the Strip was too.

The shows on the Strip itself (the Fountains and such) are nice to watch as well.

If you're into racing (and even if you aren't), the Las Vegas Motorspeedway has tours on non-race days that are pretty cheap (7$/person or so IIRC). Not sure how accessible it is for wheelchair bound; but they would load people in a van and show off the various tracks, including a couple of laps on the big track.

[mathnerd]

You guys have given me lots of great ideas! Thanks. I'm going to get a bunch of tabs open on my laptop with the stuff that has web pages and see what the kid think when they get home from school.

As for staying safe, I grew up in Miami during the days of the Cocaine Cowboys. I taught in an area of town called Overtown (look it up). I'm assuming Vegas is like any other big city in that respect, and treat it as such.