Make Las Vegas a family-friendly adventure that’s fun for kids of every age. Lions, tigers, dolphins, sharks and feathered friends find a home up and down the Strip, while thrill rides will make your hair stand on end. Munch on candies, solve a crime or even watch knights on horse joust. A visit to any of these 11 attractions will make your visit unforgettable.
Lion's Roar
MGM Grand used to have its own lion habitat, but now the big cats roam this ranch south of the Strip. Lions from 3 weeks to 20 years old are on display. Go on a behind-the-scenes tour to see the lions fed, cleaned, bathed and more. Bonus: pet the ranch’s giraffe Ozzie. 382 Bruner Ave., 702.595.6666
Test your inner crime solver at the blockbuster interactive exhibit based on the hit TV show, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” State-of-the-art forensic equipment and interactive displays help fans survey the crime scene, gather the evidence and solve the case. MGM Grand, 702.891.8111
Get your thrills on more than 25 rides—including two roller coasters—at this 5-acre, indoor amusement park. Canyon Blaster is the world’s only indoor double-loop, double-corkscrew roller coaster, speeding through The Adventuredome at 55 mph, while El Loco ascends 90 feet before dropping over and under to experience a 1.5 vertical-G. Circus Circus, 702.794.3939
Head south of the Strip for an aquarium featuring more than 4,000 fish, three species of stingrays and three types of sharks in a 117,000 gallon tank. The front-viewing convex window at Silverton Aquarium measures 25 feet by 12 feet and is one of the largest single pieces of curved acrylic in the United States. As mesmerizing as it is to watch these creatures swimming around, it gets more exciting during two interactive feeding shows daily and mermaid swims on Thursdays through Sundays. Silverton, 702.263.7777
Chocolate lovers young and old will love M&M's World, where logo-shopping experience dreams come true. See the Colorworks wall and the 3-D animated movie “I Lost My M in Las Vegas,” or order personalized versions of the candies. Best of all it’s free, unless of course you buy candy. Showcase Mall, 3785 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702.740.2504
The original site of Bugsy Siegel’s Flamingo is now home to the property’s iconic, long-legged namesake birds and other exotic creatures. The 15-acre Flamingo Wildlife Habitat is open 24 hours a day and filled with a flock of Chilean flamingos, Ring Tealed ducks and Sacred Ibis as well as swans, koi fish and turtles. Two brown pelicans joined the flock from a pelican rescue in 2012. Flamingo, 702.733.3349
Rides sit atop the observation tower at Stratosphere for adventures not meant for the vertical challenged. Big Shot launches riders 160 feet to the tallest point in the city, only to free fall back to the platform. X-Scream travels 30 feet off the edge of the tower at 30 mph. And then there’s Insanity, an inverted centrifuge that spins you 64 feet over the edge of the tower at a force of 3 Gs. 702.383.5210
Look 15 species of sharks and 2,000 other underwater creatures right in the eye at Shark Reef, North America's only predator-based aquarium and exhibit. Tour the 14 exhibits, including the 1.3-million gallon shipwreck for an almost 360-degree view in an acrylic tunnel. Explore the Touch Pool, where everyone can touch sharks, rays or horseshoe crabs. Mandalay Bay, 702.632.4555
One half of the magical Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat features the white tigers, lions and other big cats from the famous magicians. The other half lives in a neighboring 2.5-million gallon habitat with dolphins. Be sure to head down to the underwater viewing areas. Mirage, 702.791.7188
Cheer on your favorite royal jousting knight (or even the fire-breathing dragon) while eating with your hands at Tournament of Kings. Fun fact: Excalibur is the No. 1 purchaser of Cornish game hens in the United States. Since June 1990, approximately 6.7 million hens have been served. Excalibur, 702.597.7600
Build huge mounds and push gigantic tires in a bulldozer or play “bucket basketball” in an excavator—the choice is yours. At Dig This, you can play on these big toys all day if you wish. 3012 S. Rancho Drive, 702.222.4344
