Vegas Family Vacation: FREE Shows and Attractions

It's the first day of summer, which means that road trips/ family vacations have officially kicked off! Just because you may have people under 21 in your group doesn't mean you can't have a good time in Las Vegas! This city has so much to offer. You just have to know where to go!

Even if it's your first time in Vegas, I'm sure you've heard of the fancy shows and over the top clubs our city has to offer. However, there's a lot of other things it has too. One popular thing that tourists love to do here is see the FREE shows and attractions that some of the casinos on the Strip offer:
*Venetian:
      ~Carnevale Festival Parade (Until September 9th. 2012): starting at 8pm nightly
      ~Light of Venice light show: Nightly at 9:15pm, 10:15pm, 11:15pm, & 12:15am

My little cousin enjoying the Carnevale Festival

*Caesar's Palace - In the Forum Shops: Fall of Atlantis (Every hour on the hour Sunday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. - midnight.)

*Circus Circus - Circus Acts (Starting at 11am Daily).

*Mirage: Volcano (Begins at 8:00 p.m. and runs every hour on the hour until 12:00 a.m. nightly)

*Treasure Island (TI) - Sirens of TI pirate show (5:30 p.m. (fall/winter only), 7:00 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m., 11:30 p.m. (spring/summer only)) TIP: WEATHER PERMITTING!! If it's even a little windy out they will cancel the show.

*Bellagio:
      ~Fountains (Monday - Friday 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. show every 1/2 hour & 7:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. show every 15 minutes; Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays 12:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. show every 1/2 hour & 7:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. show every 15 minutes. On Sundays Fountain show times begin at 11 a.m. and run every 15 minutes)
      ~Conservatory (Open 24/7)

*Planet Hollywood (PH)
      ~Fountain Show (Sunday - Saturday Top of each hour 12pm-11pm)
      ~Rain Show (Monday - Thursday Top of each hour 10am - 11pm, Friday - Sunday Each half hour 10am - 11pm)

*Rio - EDIT: Their icon show closed its doors in March 2013. Show in the Sky (hourly from 6 pm until 11pm every Thursday through Saturday)
       ~VooDoo Zipline - Daily 11am - 11pm (Must be 21 years and older after 7:30pm) $27.49
       ~KISS Mini Golfing - Daily 10am - Midnight. $11.95 (18 Holes)

* Flamingo - Wildlife Habitat (Feeding times are daily at 8am & 3:30pm)

*Imperial Palace - Auto Collection (10am - 6pm Daily. Print out pass for free admission)

Past the Mandalay Bay Hotel you can find the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign. It's free to take a picture in front of the sign. Sometimes there's impersonators there who charge to take a picture with them, but it's free to take a picture with just the sign so beware of people trying to trick you. Parking is limited and lines can get long, but everyone's in an out so just be patient.

My lovely cousins and I

On the other end of the Strip past the Stratosphere, you can take Las Vegas Blvd. down to downtown Las Vegas AKA "Old Las Vegas". Head down to Fremont Street to see the great light show under the canopy! The show is about six minutes long and runs every hour on the hour from dusk to midnight.

There is so much to see and parking and driving from hotel to hotel can get pretty hectic. If you're not in a hurry and don't mind taking public transportation I HIGHLY suggest buying a pass for the Deuce Bus. There's a bus stop at almost every casino and it goes all the way downtown to visit Fremont Street! Some buses are double deckers so it's a fun experience for the whole family! Kids 5 years and younger ride FREE. You have a variety of bus pass options: a 2 - hour pass for $5, a 24 - hour pass for $7, or a 3 - day pass for $20. The great thing about these passes is the timing is based on the first time you use the pass. For example, it's 24 hours from the first time you use the pass not just for that day you bought the pass (IE. buy the pass at 9pm, it's good until 9pm the following day).

Summer is in full swing! This is definitely a list you'll want to print out because it'll definitely come in handy every time you come into town or every time family and friends come into town to visit locals. Stay tuned for more Vegas Family Vacation tips!