Bellagio Botanical Gardens

I LOVE the botanical gardens at the Bellagio. I try to visit them as often as possible. My kids also love them. The great thing is the gardens are changed seasonally and never look the same. So, even if you have seen them before, they are worth seeing again (and they are FREE). We like to make an event of it by experiencing several of the sites at the Bellagio. First, we start by walking through the gardens. They are usually themed to the holidays and seasons. We were last there for the fall display and my kids loved the "talking tree" and 800+ lb pumpkins.

After walking around the gardens several times we pop into the chocolate shop just behind the gardens. The name is Jean Phillipe Patisserie and they have on display the world's largest chocolate fountain. Depending on the time of day we will wait in line for crepes and have them filled with eggs or ham and cheese or my kids favorite, strawberries and chocolate. They also have delicious pastries. We then find a seat at one of the tables near the windows overlooking the pools.

After a little snack, we head out front to watch the marvelous fountain show. Along the way, we pass through the beautiful lobby of the hotel which has a ceiling covered in glass blown flowers- it really is a beautiful display.

The fountain show hours vary by day, weekdays 3-8pm every half hour and 8pm-12am every 15 minutes, weekends 12-8pm every half hour and 8pm-12am every fifteen minutes- shows could be cancelled if there are high winds- which are very common here in Vegas. For the best view of the show, walk out to the street and watch from the somewhere near the middle. You and your kids will be blown away by the height and sounds of the fountain show. If you have time, watch more than one show because there are several different choreographed versions. My favorite is "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. The shows are about 4 minutes long. Enjoy!