One Day in Las Vegas for Families

We’re a family of four with two young boys. We went to Las Vegas as a starting point for an RV adventure through Southern California. Although we didn’t have much interest in spending a lot of time in Las Vegas, we did want to make the most of the time we had. Here’s how we spent one day in Las Vegas.

Getting to Las Vegas

The airport was easy to navigate. When we flew out of the same airport we couldn’t believe how many slot machines were inside the airport.

We had planned to get a taxi outside the airport to our hotel. I’d never done this before but it was very easy. The taxi loading station was well marked and had a huge line of taxis that were guided into numbered spots to pick up fares. The rates were flat rates to different zones. Traffic was slooooww so I was glad we had a flat rate.

During our trip, I checked the Uber app a few times to compare prices. Uber was always cheaper but I have never used it before and I don’t know if there are additional fees beyond the first quote. I meant to try using an Uber but I chickened out… maybe next time.

Getting around the strip is best on foot. Having a car would be fairly inconvenient, so we were glad we decided not to rent the RV until after we were leaving Las Vegas.

What We Did in One Day in Las Vegas

Our priorities were to see a show with the kids, ride free trams, and walk around, seeing as much (for free) as possible. It was an ambitious plan, and we had arrived the night before with a 3 hour time change.

Since we woke up early – 4:30 a.m. – we headed out to see the lights of Las Vegas in the early morning. This worked out really nicely, in the end, because the casinos were almost empty and easy to walk through. I liked seeing the city with less people around. There are lots of 24 hour attractions to see. We started out by getting a snack at the very expensive but 24-hour CVS in the middle of the strip. Then we headed to the Bellagio conservatory to see their Christmas displays.

We ate breakfast at La Salsa Cantina at the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile shops and then started walking north up the strip. We went inside some of the hotels but stayed outside of many because they require you to walk through the casinos to see any attractions inside. Our favourite sights in the north end of the strip were the Venetian (although the canal was much smaller than expected and it was funny to see the gondoliers paddling back and forth in the little swimming pool) and the little green park area at the Flamingo (but the flamingos were off exhibit due to bird flu). We didn’t get to see the volcano at the Mirage because it only started past the kids’ bedtimes.

After a nap back at the hotel, we set out again to see the south end of the strip. The boys liked seeing the Statue of Liberty at New York-New York, but their favourite parts were Excalibur (the one that looks like a castle) and the Luxor (the one that looks like a pyramid with a sphynx) and the tram that travels between them. We saw the Blue Man Group show at the Luxor. The theatre was smaller than I expected, which meant all of the seats were good seats. Tickets were fairly standard prices across multiple websites, but Ticketmaster had a sale around Black Friday.

When I was planning the trip, I had a hard time deciding whether we should see Cirque du Soleil or the Blue Man Group. Mr. B and I have seen BMG before, years ago, and I’ve seen one of the Cirque shows. I would have leaned towards seeing a Cirque show, but I was outvoted 3 to 1. We all loved it. I probably spent half the show watching the boys’ faces and reactions.

After that, we meant to head further south to Mandalay Bay but were getting hangry and tired so we ate at Shake Shack and rode a tram back to the hotel.

We didn’t get to do all of it, but here was my outline of a walking and free tram route plan from the north end of the strip to the south:

• Treasure Island Tram Station
• Get off at Mirage Tram Station
• See Mirage (Volcano) and Venetian (Grand Canal and Bouchon Bakery)
• Walk south on East side of the strip, past Eiffel Tower
• Lunch at Ocean One (in Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile Shops)
• Break at hotel
• Walk south on West side to Excalibur North Tram Station
• Get off at Luxor station to see sphinx and pyramid
• Blue Man Group at the Luxor 2pm
• Get back on and continue South to Mandalay Bay
• Return north to Excalibur, walk north on west side to Aria Express Park MGM station
• Ride north to Bellagio
• Cirque du Soleil 7pm

Tips for walking around Las Vegas – keep the map on your phone handy. Hotels almost always require you to walk through the casino to get to the rest of their attractions. It’s easy to get turned around. Plan breaks in quiet places (hard to find!) or head back to your hotel room for some quiet time. Las Vegas will overload your senses and it can be exhausting.

Where We Stayed

Our hotel, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, was in a great location, right next to the Bellagio, with a view of the fountain, in the middle of the strip. If you want to walk around and see a lot of the strip, the Cosmopolitan is in a great spot. I booked it online using Hotwire.com, narrowing down the map to that specific area (Centre Strip – Fountains) and comparing the reviews on Hotwire to those on Expedia.

It’s a 5 star hotel with two outdoor pools. The bigger one is closed during the winter but the Chelsea pool is heated year round and plenty big. There is also a large hot tub.

What We Ate in One Day in Las Vegas

We ate at three different places in the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile Shops, across the road from the Cosmopolitan hotel, known for cheap food. With two kids, we weren’t looking to splurge on food in Las Vegas.

La Salsa Cantina

• Breakfast special: $5.99 for two eggs, southwest potatoes, 2 tortillas and your choice of bacon, sausage or ham
• 99 cent Bloody Marys
• Open 8am

Blondies

• Breakfast special: $4.99 for two eggs, hash browns, and your choice of bacon or sausage
• Directly across from La Salsa Cantina
• Open 7am

Ocean One

• Lunch special: everything on the menu is $5.99
• Often has a line and a waitlist but they are fast and efficient – worth the wait

What I’d Do Differently

If we did it over, I’d spend less time in north half of the strip and more in the south half. I would still see the major hotels between the Bellagio and the Luxor, but I’d try to get to Mandalay Bay too. We missed it this time. I’d also see one of the Cirque du Soleil shows!

I was really happy with our hotel, the Cosmopolitan, and I’d stay there again.

Video of our One Day in Las Vegas

After Las Vegas…

We picked up our rental RV in Las Vegas and started driving toward California and the Mojave Desert. Follow along to hear about the rest of our first family RV road trip and how I planned it.