what to do?

First off,there is pedistrian bridges to get to other hotels,so never really worry about crossing the street with kids,theres a monorail from the hilton to MGM grand with stops,a mere $5.00 one way gets you to where you need to be.
I love the corner of where Bally's is and Bills{old barbary coast} is,why pedistrian bridges and close to all.With kids the are is great why,free things to do and see.Lets start with ceasars,i can walk ove rthe bridge an dbe in the forum shops,your hubby may or may not like this,tones of stores,window shopping,free show for family,restraunts,fao toy store for kids,i recommend you bring a stroller for smaller kids,the rentals are expensive for kids in ceasars.
Then walk on over to mirgae,the tigers,there is teh secret garden an dyes they charge but well worth it,take the little tram to TI,see the fish,flowers and the free show called"sirans" which starts at 5;30pm and the volcano at the mirage.
Walk on over the bridge from teh race book area to the fashion show mall,not a bad place either,starbucks,ice cream,snacks, toy stores, clothing,etcI enjoyed it,why,I bought my son some outfits on sale mind you,walked around some,got a soda for me and my son, sat outside under the misters an dhad a smoke,no smoking in the malls people.
Now i wondered around alot,the pedistrain walk ways are a god send,believe me.
Now onto belligio,take the walkway by bills to the walkway to belligio,want to see th dancing fountains,stand and watch,go inside to the botanical gardens they are beautiful,then theres also my fav,a candy store.The flamingo,great to see flaminogos and other wildlife.
Cross back to Ballys and walk through the shops to paris,there shops are nice,even if you don't wnat to shop and window shop,it has AC,drinks and just a nice walk,go outside and your enar Planet Hollywood.
The peistrian walkways have elevators and are stroller friendly,I had no problem with my stroller use or carring bags underneath.Always keep your kids close, why,theres those nasty men who hand out nasty fliers for icky things,walk right past em.
Now Mircle mile shops at Planet Hollywood,Mall beyond Malls in my book,107 or more stores, restraunts,a fountain show,build a bear is there,kids love this place,i went twice for my kids to build a bear and the staff is very nice.

I loved,loved Harrahs and am staying there in October, why do I love it?My son and I like french Fries,we ate french fries in the carnival court,theres table and chairs and you can hear music,kids can not be near the bar it self,theres little carts selling pretzals,etc,I watched Topby Keiths restraunt bar being built it was great,we went just about everyday to have fries.Theres a Burger King on the way,we stopped an dhad burgers,never again,to crowded,some wackos in there,never again made me feel uncomfy.Now as for flavors buffett,I liked it,my son did to, mac and cheese,we will be back again and crab legs,mmmmmm.Orleans buffett was ok,not to kid friendly,there was kids tehre but the staff was to huffy.I enjoyed just going out on the shuttle to teh strip and doing my own things.Yes now theres a Mcdonalds by harrahs and casino royal,24hrs and with picky kids the all important kids meal will do the trick.

The vention,i loved, so pretty,theres a people mover great for tired feet to the mall shops,didn't buy anything but to see the gandilas were amazing,art work is pretty,the mall is like being what it is,italy,the pizza place was yummy,my kids liked it,we ate outside,had a pizza,soda and people watched.
By o'sheas,you can by t-shirts,i did two for one and really loved my extra large one to sleep in,theres plenty to do if you look.MGM,lions, game works{going during the day} the m&m store and coke store,ny ny,shops and being like in ny with stands etc.shops in mgm are ok, magnet store,i love the candy store{chocolate raspberry sticks mmmm}.

so your on the strip on the way to your Hotel,hummmm

So you get to your hotel safely and the driver unloads your bags,tip him.You will notice ahhhhhh a possible long wait at the check in line, be patient an dtake in what you can.Tipping helps sometimes to get a better room or a better floor however yes you cna hear sometime the gamblers having fun or music,be prepard.
With kids, there not to be in the casino alone,they can walk through with parents to a room or outside.
Don't always listen to others or read the reviews and say"oh there bad" thats not always the case, people gripe.I do recommend check your room ,make sure the bed, bathroom is clean and the floors look vaccummed,I do that and if they aren't,i ask for a room change.I expect my room to be cleaned, smell clean wheather i am a smoker or not,i wnat my roon cleaned,towles in my bathroom,the toilet cleaned,the tub cleaned and it drains well however complaining to the desk with attitude dosen't work,be friendly and nice nad they will work with you.Some hotels do not give free fridges ,they do for holding meds,they do try an dhelp though.
Once in your room,unpack depending when you get in,go and explore the hotel,take kids with you outside and explore,let them see where the pool is,get a snack or dinner,get rested up for your full day of exploring,wear sneakers,good shoes, don't wear heels ladies while walking you'll be in pain.depending on the weather,bring slacks for a nice dinner,two pairs of jeans and possiblie shorts,in the summer it's hot,hot,hot,bring shorts and short sleeves,sun dresses,sun screen ,hats,in teh fall{october},it's still warm during the day and cool at night,bring shorts but also jeans and a sweater and a light jacket for kids.

lets star with what to do when you get there

While your on the plane an dnow remember bring snacks for kids,you may see grand cayon and once over it you will feel excitment as the plane starts to decend on Las Vegas.The airport is lovely and clean,I have never had a problem with the people who work there,they are very helpful.

Once your there,remember hold a childs hand,the airport has millions of people from other places and can be crowded.Yes you will notice in the departure area and arriving there is slot machines, don't play them, i have and i wasted $20.00 and won nothing,My child thought they were candy machines lol.

There are signs to baggae claim,I recommend you not only lable your bags but put bright colored ribbons or brightly tape on your bag because it seems the block bags with rollers were poupular and i had the idea to make sure mine were marked well to find them.If you get lost,yes there are people who will guide you and help you find the right baggae carousel with your flight number above,so don't worry.

There are fast food places to grab a bite if you or your child is hungery and thats a god send if you haven't eaten a thing on the flight and forgot to bring a snack because airliens have cut back on food, now it's peanuts or a cookie.

If you land inC,DGates, yes there is a tram to and from theC,Dgates to the main building to baggage claim,yes you will walk but it's not that far and your there.Trams take passengers from Terminal 1 to the C and D Gates at McCarran Airport.

Once you get your bags,there are some hotels with stands to check in at the airport,buy show tickets,i do not remommend this because the lines are long.However,there cabs are expensive unless your shareing a ride,the shuttles to strip hotels are better $6.00 one way,$12.00 round trip,make sure your get a number to call them the night before to make sure they will pick you up ahead of your flight to the airport.

The airport dose not have a monorail yet to the strip,maybe soon ,one day but for now it's taxis,limos or a shuttle bus.Some shuttles are nice, pay $6.00 per person,some are nice to kids and don't charge them as long as they are with a parent,I tend to tip a few bucks because they were nice to me.

What is also nice, you can smoke outside, there are msoking rooms in the airport, you can not bring a child in there,so smoke outside.I am a smoker but I do smoke outside, while waiting for the bus to leave and teh drivers are pretty nice,they'll wait most time syou have time.Las,airport code is now non smoking people smoke outside, all little smoking rooms have been converted to slots,Not even in the ars,so while wiating to load up on the bus,have a smoke there.

Welcome to The Thrifty Traveler

Hello and Welcome to the thrifty traveler.I have traveled to alot of places in my time,Hawaii,Ca,Fl,Washington,DC,Virgina,I grew up on Long Island in NY and traveled to New York City.
I have been to places where theres alot of kids and parents just don't know what to do with them.Heres where I come in.Even though I lived in las vegas,NV for 6 yrs,I watched hotels go up and some come down but I always saw stressed out parents with kids wonder"what can I do with them"?
In the last couple of years,I have reasearched options as I have kids of my own and I found theres more to do then the eye can see and I am here to help explain,lead you to the right places and share some imfo.
So sit back and enjoy.