Las Vegas with Kids: What's Allowed, What's Banned – and When to Skip It

Las Vegas wasn’t built for children, but it works with them. The difference matters: unlike a seaside resort, the city has no programme that simply happens on its own. If you’re travelling with children, you need to plan where you stay, when you’re outdoors, and how many hours an excursion takes. In return, there are things you won’t find anywhere else, and children often remember a Ferris wheel above the Strip longer than any beach.

This article is the overview for families. What you can see in the city overall is covered in What to See in Las Vegas, and the destinations in the surrounding area in What to See in Nevada.

Two Rules Every Family Needs to Know

Casino floor for adults only. Nevada bans anyone under 21 from gambling or lingering at the gaming tables and machines. Walking through is allowed, and it’s barely avoidable: in most resorts, the route from the lift to the exit, the pool or the restaurant runs through the gaming floor. Stopping, watching, or waiting for a parent at a machine is not allowed. Security staff will speak to families about it, politely but firmly.

A curfew on the Strip. Clark County has its own rule for the Strip and the surrounding streets: on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays, minors under 18 may only be there between 9pm and 5am in the company of a parent or guardian. For families travelling together, this changes nothing. It affects teenagers who want to head out alone in the evening to see the fountain show or go shopping while their parents stay at the hotel. On those evenings, that’s not possible.

Heat Is Part of the Plan

In July, the normal daily high is around 40 °C, as measured by the National Weather Service over the years 1991 to 2020. June and August are barely milder, and at night temperatures usually stay well above 25 °C. The walk between two resorts that looks like a quick hop on the map runs across bridges and car parks with no shade.

For families, that means: out in the morning, indoors at midday, out again in the evening. Desert excursions belong early in the day; the aquarium, rides and shows belong in the hottest hours. It’s worth asking a pharmacist or your child’s doctor beforehand about water, headwear and sun protection for children in this heat. Spring and autumn are a noticeably more pleasant time for families to travel.

What Children Enjoy in the City, with Real Prices

The prices in this section are the lowest currently bookable via GetYourGuide. They change with the day, the time and the operator.

High up. The High Roller big wheel on the LINQ Promenade has more reviews than any other listing in this site’s range, over 5,000, with tickets from €18.43. One rotation in the enclosed, air-conditioned pod takes about half an hour, which is just right for younger children. The observation deck in the replica Eiffel Tower costs from €25.54, and the STRAT Tower’s Observation Deck from €23.21. The STRAT also has rides out over the edge, for which a minimum height applies. It’s stated on the respective booking page.

Animals without the desert. The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay costs from €25.62 and features sharks, rays, sea turtles and piranhas. It’s air-conditioned, dark and quiet, so it’s ideal for the midday hours. The flamingos and pelicans at the Flamingo Wildlife Habitat, the garden at the Flamingo resort, are free.

Indoors, with plenty of effects. The Flyover flight theatre simulates a flight over various landscapes, lasts around 30 minutes and costs from €24.98. The Sphere shows “The Wizard of Oz” as a 75-minute performance with images all around and very powerful sound, from €106.79. For children who get unsettled by darkness and loud noise, this is probably not for them.

A theme park under a roof. The Adventuredome at Circus Circus is a theme park under a glass dome, so no sun and no heat. Day passes come in two tiers based on height, with the cut-off at 48 inches, around 122 cm. Anyone shorter pays less, but also can’t ride everything.

Free. The fountain show outside the Bellagio runs at short intervals in the afternoon and evening, and the Bellagio Conservatory just behind it is replanted several times a year and is also free.

Shows: Not Every One Admits Children

Many shows in Las Vegas are aimed at adults, and even the big productions have age limits. Cirque du Soleil doesn’t admit children under five to “O” at the Bellagio; everyone aged five and over needs their own ticket, and minors may only attend with an adult. The show lasts around 1.5 hours and costs from €98.57. “Michael Jackson ONE” at Mandalay Bay starts from €92.94.

For other shows, the rule is: each production sets its own age limit, and it’s stated on the booking page. Don’t assume that a show with acrobatics is automatically suitable for children. You’ll find an overview with prices at Las Vegas Shows and Tickets.

Excursions: How Long Children Can Last

The most exciting destinations lie outside the city, and that’s exactly where things get difficult for families. The difference lies less in the destination than in the duration.

Manageable: half days. Valley of Fire, around an hour’s drive to the north-east, is available as a six-hour small-group tour with a maximum of 13 people, from €85.26. Red rock, short walks, and you’re back after lunch. More destinations like this are listed at Desert and National Park Tours.

Borderline: the whole day. The day tour with the most reviews, to Grand Canyon West with a stop at the Hoover Dam, takes around ten hours and costs from €85.26. A large part of that is time on the bus. For school-age children who like looking out of the window, this can work. For children who start fussing after an hour in the car, it’s a long day for everyone. The options are compared at Grand Canyon Tours from Las Vegas.

A bad idea with small children: the tour to Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend in a single day. It takes around 17 hours, from €342.77. With children of nursery age, that’s no longer an excursion, it’s a night on the bus.

Hoover Dam on its own. There’s no age limit at the visitor centre; children up to three go free on the guided tours, and the Power Plant Tour has a child rate up to 16. For the Dam Tour through the passages inside the dam wall, the official tour page currently states no age limit. Tickets are sold on site only, pushchairs aren’t allowed, and according to the operator, tours can be cancelled without notice. The Bureau of Reclamation’s website gives the current status. You’ll find tours there at Hoover Dam & Lake Mead Tours.

Helicopter. The shortest night flights over the Strip last eleven to twelve minutes, from €85.26. For an older child, that’s an experience packing the cost of a day trip into a quarter of an hour. Each operator sets its own minimum age and weight rules, stated on the booking page. The full range is listed at Helicopter Tours Las Vegas.

Hire Car and Child Seat

If you’re driving the excursions yourself, Nevada requires a child seat for children under six who weigh 60 pounds or less, about 27 kg. At the rental desks at the airport, it costs extra per day, and you should reserve it along with the car.

When to Skip It

Las Vegas is a poor choice for families if your children mainly need water, a beach and free play. The city charges for every hour of programme, and what’s free is limited to fountains, shop windows and flowers.

With a baby or toddler in high summer, it’s exhausting. The heat only allows a walk in the morning, and the pushchair has to go through casinos, up escalators and over pedestrian bridges.

If you come in spring or autumn with school-age children, get up early and limit excursions to half-days, you’ll find more in Las Vegas than the city’s reputation suggests. The options in the city are gathered at Things to Do in Las Vegas.