We have already explored traveling on a budget in our piece Affordable Family Vacation Ideas, and now we are drilling down to a specific location for you; Las Vegas.
This vibrant, fun-filled city is renowned for sumptuous hotels, casinos, high-roller poker rooms, and gourmet restaurants. In 2019 it was estimated that 42.5 million tourists visited Sin City, and 88% of hotel rooms were occupied, which rose to 95% at the weekend. If you feel flush, there are some luxurious top-class attractions to visit. The MGM Grand Hotel has five outdoor pools, which is a great deal in Vegas, as well as designer stores, restaurants, and a lavish casino. The Strip is home to some of the world’s largest and most extravagant hotel resorts, offering restaurants, entertainment venues, and abundant, high-rise residential properties.
Of course, spending money is your call, and if you are savvy, you can do Sin City on a budget, as we will show you now.
Cheaper Casinos
Hitting the casinos in Downtown Vegas is a budget-friendly way of having a flutter. Twelve hotel resorts have a classic Vegas atmosphere ranging from modern cozy casinos to old-school joints. Unlike the casinos on The Strip, where you have a minimum wager of $25, Downtown, you won’t lose your shirt if you set a strict limit and only stake the minimum $5 amount. The Golden Gate casino has been a favorite place to visit since it first opened in 1906 with poker and plenty of other games, and it has witnessed the birth of Vegas as we now know it, making it a site of interest also.
Red Rock Canyon
Las Vegas isn’t just a city; there is a vast national park a few miles away situated within the Mojave Desert. Red Rock Canyon is one of the best things to do in Las Vegas once you have folded at the poker tables. This beautiful Natural Conservation Area is family-friendly, with hand-curated maps and great driving directions. All nature lovers will discover plenty of wildlife, whatever their age. There are many hiking trails, some flat with pretty picnic spots, others involving rocks and hills giving splendid views over the surrounding area.
Bellagio Fountains
The Bellagio Fountains are a complex water feature that is completely free to visitors. Arrive early to sit on the wall and watch this fabulous display where each performance is unique. The shows start at 3 pm and then every 30 mins, after 8 pm they are every 15mins until midnight. Day or night, they will delight and enthrall you, spanning 1,000 feet with beautiful color and stirring music ranging from classical and opera to popular tunes through the ages.
Walk The Las Vegas Strip
Plan your route if you are going to walk along The Strip, maybe breaking it down to cover a couple of days. Please consider the temperature outside as it gets boiling during the summer months. Go out at night and see all the neon signs that light up the sky and are an iconic part of any family trip. Wear sensible comfortable shoes and take regular breaks for refreshments. Be careful crossing the roads. Even though safe jaywalking has been decriminalized in California, the accident rate for pedestrians is still high. If you do stay safe, it’s a past time that won’t cost you a cent.
The Flamingo Wildlife Habitat
This free attraction in the middle of Las Vegas is a great place to visit. Here you can watch exotic birds, Koi carp, and other creatures in a beautiful environment. You will feel like you are in a tropical paradise with grassy areas, trees, waterfalls, and streams. See the bright pink Chilean flamingo up to four feet tall and weighing six pounds stand on one leg while sleeping. This habitat also houses a variety of ducks who all gather on the rocks and swim together, along with the beautiful brightly patterned fish that turtles join in the glistening pools.