Most Vegas-aholics will tell you to leave the kids at home - despite the things to do with kids, it's not really a kid friendly destination. Others disagree. I met two 14-year old boys standing behind me in line at Payards at Caesars Palace, and they said they were having a blast - (they also highly recommended the brownies at Payards which I bought on their say-so, and wow- yum). They liked the various roller coasters, arcades, and had been to some of the Cirque shows, which they rated highly. (Even the Disney Family Travel site okays some of the Cirque shows for kids ).
Anyway. Since then I've been watching for posts about kids and Vegas. Some folks will always take their kids to Vegas - and here is some of the wisom I've collected.
Best off the strip - Red Rock Casino comes in rated pretty highly as a kid friendly place. (tho, ouch! watch for the "resort fee" they tack on to the room rate - a hefty $24.95/day). On the Strip, Circus Circus is considered fun for the kids, but a little run down so far as Las Vegas hotel/casinos go. The rides at the Stratosphere are a hit with kids of all ages. Ditto Mandalay Bay's wave pool and shark reef.
Here's a link to all the Disney Travel recommendations, though I totally disagree that the Forum Shops at Caesars are good for kids. The moving/talking statues are cool - and kid friendly - but the crowds are enormous most of the time and it's a lotta, lotta walking to get to the the venues. Not worth it unless you also want to stop at the Forum Shops gelato stand and pay $18 for two scoops of gelato.
Here's a link to the Vegas.com kid recommendations - and I wholeheartedly agree that the Ethel M chocolate factory and cactus garden is a must see. What? I've never seen it? Well, that's true, but I keep MEANING to.
Of course, if you are going to run all around seeing the kid friendly sites, when do you have the energy and time to go out and enjoy the grown up side of Vegas?
My guess is it's hardest for the 18-21 year olds ... they are so close to being grown up that the bars, clubs, music are really appealing but Vegas cards people like crazy.
Texas Town Sent to Vegas
Here's a marketing gimmick that I totally understand:
Tiny Texas town heads to Las Vegas
FORT WORTH, Texas – The tiny town of Cranfills Gap really needs a vacation. That's why Las Vegas tourism officials decided to fly nearly half the 350 residents to the desert playground for a five-day getaway and publicity stunt...more
Seriously, I am really loving the way the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is marketing the town these days. Big ideas - big giveaways - really good Web info - great online gadgets. I'm not sure how much is coming from the Convention bureau staff, and how much comes from R&R Partners, the ad agency that works with the group. If any of you know, pass on the info.
Tiny Texas town heads to Las Vegas
FORT WORTH, Texas – The tiny town of Cranfills Gap really needs a vacation. That's why Las Vegas tourism officials decided to fly nearly half the 350 residents to the desert playground for a five-day getaway and publicity stunt...more
Seriously, I am really loving the way the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is marketing the town these days. Big ideas - big giveaways - really good Web info - great online gadgets. I'm not sure how much is coming from the Convention bureau staff, and how much comes from R&R Partners, the ad agency that works with the group. If any of you know, pass on the info.
Get Your Brain in Gear
What does brain speed have to do with Vegas? Everything - you need to stay sharp and pay attention to have a positive "good luck" attitude. Here's a simple brain builder you can do each day just to stay in shape. Click New Game to get started.
The Creative Side of Vegas
To my ad industry pals: If you have a yen to know about the marketing and advertising side of Vegas, the Las Vegas Interactive Marketing Association has a site where you can view various campaigns for 2008. Third Annual Creative Media Award Show
Quotes about Vegas
Recent got thinking about sources of Vegas quotes, and from time to time I figured I'd post some links here.
EDIT: Here's one that came from Steve Wynn at the Encore grand opening: “I’ve never met a gambler that would win a bet and retire from gambling" - a great quote that appeared in Oskar Garcia's AP article.
And here's another, from a Vegas observer as quoted by the SJ Mercury article about Omar Siddiqui [Fry's VP of Merchandising arrested for shaking down vendors to get money to pay off Vegas debts]: "People think they can do whatever they want when they're in Vegas. Their language and behavior changes.''
Watching a rerun of TV show (Las Vegas - episode 77) and caught this: "What do you want to do?" (casino host Sam Marquez to a customer - Sharkey Rosenthal) -- "What do you think?" (replies Rosenthal) "Drink, gamble and get laid. I'm in Vegas aren't I?"
Yet another addition, from the LA Times, "if you are an international traveler, Las Vegas represents the perfect experience of United States culture -- maybe, not the one Americans would choose to make a first impression, but nonetheless we are a purely frontier creation in our nouveau riche gaudy fecklessness."
1 ) Quote Garden
Sample quotes:
The night before I left Las Vegas I walked out in the desert to look at the moon. There was a jeweled city on the horizon, spires rising in the night, but the jewels were diadems of electric and the spires were the neon of signs ten stories high.
Norman Mailer
Las Vegas: all the amenities of modern society in a habitat unfit to grow a tomato.
Jason Love
2) Hold Em Secrets
(Not quite Vegas themed - poker themed - but appropriate to Vegas)
Sample quotes:
Sample quote:
EDIT: Here's one that came from Steve Wynn at the Encore grand opening: “I’ve never met a gambler that would win a bet and retire from gambling" - a great quote that appeared in Oskar Garcia's AP article.
And here's another, from a Vegas observer as quoted by the SJ Mercury article about Omar Siddiqui [Fry's VP of Merchandising arrested for shaking down vendors to get money to pay off Vegas debts]: "People think they can do whatever they want when they're in Vegas. Their language and behavior changes.''
Watching a rerun of TV show (Las Vegas - episode 77) and caught this: "What do you want to do?" (casino host Sam Marquez to a customer - Sharkey Rosenthal) -- "What do you think?" (replies Rosenthal) "Drink, gamble and get laid. I'm in Vegas aren't I?"
Yet another addition, from the LA Times, "if you are an international traveler, Las Vegas represents the perfect experience of United States culture -- maybe, not the one Americans would choose to make a first impression, but nonetheless we are a purely frontier creation in our nouveau riche gaudy fecklessness."
1 ) Quote Garden
Sample quotes:
The night before I left Las Vegas I walked out in the desert to look at the moon. There was a jeweled city on the horizon, spires rising in the night, but the jewels were diadems of electric and the spires were the neon of signs ten stories high.
Norman Mailer
Las Vegas: all the amenities of modern society in a habitat unfit to grow a tomato.
Jason Love
2) Hold Em Secrets
(Not quite Vegas themed - poker themed - but appropriate to Vegas)
Sample quotes:
In the long run there's no luck in poker, but the short run is longer than most people know.
-- Rick Bennet
Trust everyone, but always cut the cards.
-- Benny Binion
Sample quotes:
Vegas is everything that's right with America. You can do whatever you want, 24 hours a day. They've effectively legalized everything there.
- Drew Carey
Retirement is like a long vacation in Las Vegas. The goal is to enjoy it the fullest, but not so fully that you run out of money.
- Jonathan Clements
4) Brainy Quote
This site is hard to use, and appears to be duplicates of other places - but perhaps not
Sample quote:
If you know how to live in Vegas you can have the best time.
Tony Curtis
Sample quote:
“Las Vegas is sort of like how God would do it if he had money.”
- Steve Wynn
Sample quote:
Las Vegas history, the real Las Vegas history, makes fops and fools of even the most sincere explorers. The city's story is riddled with blind alleys, dead ends, crazy twists, and outright fabrication.
JOHN L. SMITH, foreward, Nevada Yesterdays
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