People are always saying there isn’t anything for kids to do in Las Vegas. Not true. In fact, there are a ton of activities in Las Vegas for families and kids – many of which are free. Below are the five free things to do in Las Vegas with kids away from the famous Las Vegas Boulevard strip.
1. Ethel M Chocolate Factory
The tour of Ethel M Chocolate Factory is completely free and so is the parking. Each person or child receives a free sample of chocolate at the end too. Kids of all ages will love this activity because it is interesting and, again, you get candy at the end. See how chocolate is made and packaged as friendly workers wave through the glass. Ethel M Chocolate Factory is fifteen minutes from Las Vegas Boulevard Address: 2 Cactus Garden Drive Henderson, NV 89014
2. Check out Lake Mead and become a Junior Ranger
Not too many visitors to Las Vegas know about Lake Mead. Well, parents and children alike will fall in love with the beauty of Lake Mead, which is only twenty minutes outside of Vegas and sits on the Arizona border. If you stop by the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, in Boulder City on the corner of Nevada Highway and Wyoming, children can earn a Junior Ranger badge and certificate by completing a number of activities in the free Lake Mead National Recreation Area Junior Ranger Guide and Activity Book.
3. Henderson’s Bird Viewing Preserve
This preserve is located in the neighboring city of Henderson and is about 15 minutes from the strip. The Preserve opens at 6AM daily. You and your children can enjoy thousands of migratory waterfowl as well as numerous resident desert birds. There are nine ponds available for birding, surrounded by both paved and soft surfaces. The down fall is there is no feeding the birds so don’t bring bread or popcorn. Address:350 E. Galleria Dr.(near the intersection of Galleria Drive and Boulder Highway)
4. Durango Hills Park
This park isn’t like anything you have ever experienced. Kids and adults will flip over all the amenities offered. This park has a large jungle gym, toddler jungle gym, golfing, basketball, a roller rink, skate park and shade structures. It is beautiful, clean and the nearby residents do their best to ensure it stays safe and secure. Address: 3545 N Durango Dr. LV 89129
5. Anderson Dairy’s “Barnyard Buddies” Tour
Yes, Las Vegas has a dairy. And, kids can tour it for free! This activity is great for children between 2 and 10 years old. The tour takes an hour and is entertaining, yet informative and educational. Kids can meet a Talking Cow, a Hound Dog and a Rooster.
You see, Las Vegas offers a variety of family-friendly and free events. You just need to know where to look!
*Have you visited any of these Las Vegas attractions? Any other off-the-strip attractions you’d like to add?
————————————————-
Helene Vece is a writer for Vegaskids.info. She is a mother and grandmother and has lived in Las Vegas and surrounding areas for more than 35 years. Writing has always been her first love. Ms. Vece is an official contributor for Yahoo! and BlogCritics, and was credentialed by CNN to cover a prior Las Vegas based Presidential event. Recently, she won the Nevada Business Magazine, “Swimming Upstream Award.”.
[stextbox id=”black” bgcolor=”b0c4de”] If you liked this post, please get the latest posts and updates free. Follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, or Facebook. Thanks! [/stextbox]
This is a part of a series called Five Free Family Friday. I hope this will grow into a collective guide of free family-friendly attractions of places all over the world. If you’d like to contribute with the free attractions in your home city, I would love your guest posts
What a great list of original choices. I want to adopt some kids to take to Vegas:)
We visit Vegas at least once a year & are always looking to make nature connections while we’re there. Thanks for giving us some new places to check out!
I never think of Las Vegas for kids but you’ve got some excellent suggestions here. Red Rock Park is also nearby I think and would probably make for a nice outing if it wasn’t too hot.
Lake Mead and the Barnyard Buddies would have been favourite with my children. I
must admit I have not thought of Vegas as a family destination, but combined with
the “5 Free Things to do in Vegas” post I see this is not the case.
Hi! I’m a new follower on Bloglovin’ and I thought you might want to know that you have multiple feeds. I just wrote a post about fixing this issue that you might want to take a peek at. Thanks from your newest follower!
– Diane
Great to know there are so many things to do outside LV.
Durango Hills Park and Lake Mead would be my picks.
Las Vegas, after visiting Macau, is on my bucket list! :):) and guess where I would
spend a few hours … in Ethel M Chocolate Factory of course!
When I think of Las Vegas, it never occurs to me as a place to visit with kids. So this is really useful for families who want to enjoy Las Vegas. I know I’d be in that chocolate factory even if I go with adults :)
I’ve been to Lake Mead (gorgeous!), but next time I’m there would love to check out the chocolate factory! Another fun thing (kinda off the strip) to do is to visit the Pawn Shop that has made its headlines on TV (Pawn Stars). They have some fun stuff in there, and it’s interesting to see it in person!