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!

Town Square

A great place to spend some time as a family is at Town Square. The center is located just off of Las Vegas Blvd, at 6605 Las Vegas Blvd South- if you are staying in a strip hotel, you could easily take a short ride in cab or on the city bus. Once there you will find great shops, delicious restaurants, a great park, and a movie theater. There is even a Whole Foods market where you can pick up any last minute trip essentials. The center is open Monday-Thursday 10am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-10pm and Sunday 10am-8pm. Be sure to check the events calendar for upcoming activities.

Family trip plans:

The children's park, located in the middle of Town Square, is one of my favorite places to go with my 3 and 5 year old. If you are in town on a Wednesday, you can catch their interactive storytime from 11:00-12:00 pm and then let the kids run free- the park has a tree-house, hedge maze, princess tower playhouse and a designated toddler playhouse. In the warmer months, the park has a water feature that sprays up out of the spongy soft ground. This is a great way to cool off from the desert heat! After all of the playing, everyone is usually hungry so we walk over to California Pizza Kitchen for some lunch where the kid meal options are delicious and nutritious. Or sometimes we bring a lunch and picnic on the grass at the adjacent park by the water fountain. There is also a great little shaved ice stand nearby where we can grab a chilled treat to refresh everyone's pallets. Then, if the children aren't too tired we catch the latest kid flick at the Rave Motion Pictures movie theater. Before we go, a few fun shops we love to stop at are the Gymboree clothing store and the Apple Store, where they have a few computers with children's games loaded up.

(Photos courtesy of townsquarelasvegas.com)

Some family fun things to do in Las Vegas

Moving to Las Vegas with a family-oriented mind was difficult, because when most people think of Las Vegas they think of casinos, gambling, the "strip"- adult entertainment. I was quite surprised to find so many fun things to do. Aside from the strip, there are lots of parks with play structures, swings and water features. There is a zoo but I would never go there again- if you have been to any other zoo, this is a joke. There are chickens running everywhere and the animal pens appear to be to small for the animals housed in them- it's a sad and gross place. There is also the Red Rock Canyon or the Boulder City train. On the strip, there is the M&M factory where you can take a tour and buy any color of M&M you can imagine. There is also Circus Circus- an indoor circus with free circus acts performing throughout the day and games and rides that are appropriate for about 3 and up. There is also the dolphin habitat at the Mirage that is more than just dolphins- there are also numerous big cats. Another great place is the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay where there are lots of sea life creatures. The Excalibur also has a great dinner show with knights and horses. For older kids there are rides and arcades at the Stratosphere and the New York, New York. If you are staying with family and would like a night out, some of the casinos, including The Palms, The Orleans and most of the station casinos (you can check their webpages) offer hourly childcare for children 6 weeks and up. These are great places with separate rooms for kids under 2, with more focused care. The "bigger" kids can play in the free roam area where there is a huge jungle gym, karaoke, art, basketball, and several other activities. These centers can fill up- especially the younger rooms- so call ahead for reservations. There are lots of other things to do with families here in Vegas, but hope this information is helpful and provides a good starting point.