Things To Do In Vegas When You're Broke (and a mommy)

January 17, 2007 7:47 AM

Stuck in Las Vegas for a week in April with a nine-month-old baby. What do I do to entertain him and myself,

In April, my in-laws are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary by taking the entire family (their 4 kids + kids spouses/partners + my son (the only grandchild)) to Las Vegas for a week. This is their idea of a "dream family vacation" and they are very generously paying our travel, hotel, and meals, plus buying us tickets to a show or two.

I anticipate, however, that I'm going to have a lot of time where I'm on my own, as other members of the family will really enjoy being in the Casinos, which is not something that is interesting to me at all, even if we had the kind of money that would allow me to spend five days gambling, which we don't.

I'm sure I can find a few sets of hands to take care of the baby while I spend an afternoon in a spa, or something of the sort, and I'm also sure that my sweetie and I will spend some time just walking about, shopping or looking at "the sights" or whatever, but I can't for the life of me figure out what I'm going to do for five entire days in Las Vegas that is a) inexpensive and b) something where I can take the baby along with me.

Please help me enjoy this vacation (my first real vacation in about five years) and not spend the entire time hanging out in the hotel room playing with the baby and reading books!

posted by anastasiav to travel & transportation (18 comments total)

It could be a bit tough, my wife and I took a 3 day trip to Vegas (left the kids behind with the grandparents), and we were commenting on how many families there were with kids. Definitely take a stroller if you can, I know how tough it is to carry around a kid on vacation. There are many shopping areas, if you enjoy that without spending a lot of money, including a relatively new Fashion Show Mall down by the Wynn hotel.

There are a few family friendly shows, including Gregory Popovich's Pet Theater; it might keep the baby's attention for a bit.

I'll try to think of some more things, maybe you can let us know what kind of things you usually like to do on your vacation?
posted by shinynewnick at 8:09 AM on January 17, 2007

Go see the Pinball Hall of Fame. About 150 pinball machinesset up for play, no admission fees, and money put into games goes to charity. If you like pinball, it's a great way to spend the day. Not sure how "kid friendly" they are, but since it's a museum and they're trying to preserve the games, I doubt they allow smoking.
posted by cosmicbandito at 8:10 AM on January 17, 2007

maybe you can let us know what kind of things you usually like to do on your vacation?

Well, of course its all different now that we have the baby, but my idea of a nice vacation would involve some good museums (art, pop culture, or otherwise), maybe a historic house or other bulding to tour, some time walking around outside, a bit of window-shopping, a few good meals, and hanging out with my sweetie. The last two items on that list shouldn't be a problem, but the rest...
posted by anastasiav at 8:16 AM on January 17, 2007

Ummmm... pop culture makes me think immediately of the Libarace Museum. it's a short drive from the strip on Tropicana Ave. Also the Bellagio Gallery of Art is great. It has an Ansel Adams exhibit right now.

Watch out for the smoke in all casino areas including Bellagio.
posted by Xurando at 8:31 AM on January 17, 2007

This is their idea of a "dream family vacation"

ZING!

Look, it's not as bad as it seems, I don't gamble and I really enjoyed my two visits to Vegas. If Ocean's (insert number here) haven't stolen all the paintings yet, there's a nice museum at the Bellagio. The Reading Room at the Mandalay Bay, if it's still there is a great place: excellent bookstore with many first editions. If you haven't been to Venezia, well, I have to say that the Campiello was reconstructed very well at the Venetian: check that out, too.

They have antique stores (ask your concierge) where you can find lots of golden-era Vegas memorabilia, it's a very cool kind of kitschy American cool (but then I'm European, and we usually like that stuff much more than you guys do, so ymmv).

And food is really good there, if a bit expensive. You can always eat, read, and relax in the sun. I've had worse times.
posted by matteo at 8:33 AM on January 17, 2007

We did this about a year ago, but with two kids - one the same age as yours, one three years old. It was not fun (partly because it was a work trip for me, and my wife had to handle both kids herself for big chunks of time).

In your case, it should be a lot more fun, since you don't have a toddler trying to run away from you. Here's the saving grace, though: absolutely positively get yourself one of these, and you can pretty much do anything you want.
posted by jbickers at 8:35 AM on January 17, 2007

(and I have to say the Elvis kitsch was really entertaining to this unAmerican infidel, I spent a really nice afternoon checking out chapels and impersonators. It gets old quickly, but then it's not like you have to move there)
posted by matteo at 8:36 AM on January 17, 2007

There's an aquarium at Mandalay Bay that might be a fun way to spend a couple hours. They market the sharks (I'm not sure if a 9-month-old would find them scary or not), but there are plenty of other cool fish as well.
posted by magicbus at 9:10 AM on January 17, 2007

I second the Maya wrap (or some other version). Just walk. Call it "urban hiking." Pack up your baby, a diaper, a onesie, and a few wipes and hit the pavement. If your baby is like mine (and I realize he may well not be at all), he'll be happy for hours riding around in the sling taking in the non-stop visual and audio spectacle that is Vegas. You'll likely find tastey things to nibble on along the way. Hopefully he'll nap a few times during the day at which time you'll get to rest your weary legs!
posted by nonmyopicdave at 9:20 AM on January 17, 2007

Do you have a handheld GPS unit? or access to one? If so, every heard of Geocaching? Huh? It's fun, I promise.
posted by TheAnswer at 9:35 AM on January 17, 2007

ever heard!
posted by TheAnswer at 9:41 AM on January 17, 2007

Bonnie Springs is a fun, not very pricey day out in a faux old west environment with beautiful mountains all around and nice critters to pet.
posted by Scram at 9:53 AM on January 17, 2007

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, just outside town, is very confortable in April.
posted by spasm at 9:58 AM on January 17, 2007

There's a chance it could be hot enough to swim. Kill an afternoon by the pool. Where are you staying?
posted by clh at 11:26 AM on January 17, 2007

I second Red Rocks. It is so nice to get a break from all the noise and people and take a nice walk/hike in the desert. There are plenty of walking trails and a little visitor's center.

If you are at all interested in cars, I recommend checking out the The Auto Collections at the Imperial Palace. They're usually giving out free passes and it's a good way to kill a few hours. Plus, it's also adjacent to clean restrooms and a meeting room with an amazing antique backbar rescued from a wild west saloon.

Mystic Falls at Sam's Town Casino is nifty and kitschy and the Conservatory at the Bellagio is beautiful. Both of them are stroller-friendly and away from the smoke and noise of the Casino floor.
posted by annaramma at 11:28 AM on January 17, 2007

Wandering around some of the theme-ier hotels can be entertaining. I've always enjoyed the scenery at New York New York, Paris, and Excalibur, just to name a few. I really think I could watch the Bellagio fountain all day -- that is the one thing I make a point of doing everytime I'm in Vegas.

Most of the hotels will have some sort of museums and exhibits, so keep your eyes open. Specifically, The Tropicana has two exhibits I've been wanting to see: Titanic Artifacts and BODIES: The Exhibition. The bodies exhibit consists of real human bodies that have been dissected and preserved to show musculature, skeletal structure, healthy vs diseased lungs, etc, so if you're squeamish, you probably want to skip that.

For window shopping, I recommend the M&M/Coca Cola store(s). Just look for the giant Coke bottle near the MGM Grand.

The Fremont Street Experience in the old downtown area is probably also worth going to see one night.
posted by natabat at 12:53 PM on January 17, 2007

Seconding the Mandalay Bay Aquarium and thirding Red Rocks, though a trip to Red Rocks prolly requires 1. a sturdy baby backpack, 2. a car, and 3. lots of sunscreen.
posted by hhc5 at 1:31 PM on January 17, 2007

Bring some swim diapers, sunblock, a baby float tube, and a floppy hat for the baby, then HIT THE POOL!
Some of the most joyful moments with my kids have been while playing with them in hotel and resort pools. Make sure you don't stay in cool water too long, or in the sun too long, as babies that age aren't the best at regulating their internal body temperature.
Extra bonus: baby will take a long nap, and sleep well at night.
posted by gnz2001 at 3:44 PM on January 17, 2007