Jennie -
I've been to Vegas many many times. The good news is that many of the best places to see are free and appropriate for the kids as well.
The Excaliber is great, they all are. It is good because they have more low key (and less expensive fast food type) eating available.
I liked the Flamingo's pool area better because it had more grass around it (hard to find in Vegas). And it is more centrally located.
One other one you might consider is the Tropicana - It has a great pool area yet is often even cheaper than the Ex. It is right across the street from the Excaliber and MGM.
One thing - and this is incredibly important - is bring good walking footwear! Even though there are trams that can get you, for example, from the Excaliber to Mandelay and the Luxor, and one that can get you between the MGM and Bally's and another to get between Bellagio's and the Monte Carlo and even a short one between the Mirage and Treasure Island, the size of the casinos themselves are overwhelming! You will put miles and miles on each day. Bring several pairs of comfortable shoes!
OK, now here are some ideas about those freebies that are amazing...
See the Pirate Battle in front of Treasure Island. It happens in the evenings roughly every hour after dark. It gets really crowded, but it is worth it! An entire British Frigate (full size replica) sinks totally under water every show. Lots of Pirotechnics from the major sea battle.
While you are close, go next door and watch the volcano erupt in front of the Mirage. Then go in the Mirage and find the check in lobby and look at the incredible fish tank. Full size sharks among lots of fish - Yikes! Then head out the other exit and look for the White tigers which are often available for viewing.
Then head across the street and check out the Venetian. Walk in the front door and look up. The ceiling will amaze you. Then go up to the third floor and walk around - you have entered Venice! Complete with canals and gondolas and the ceilings there are painted and look like sky. It is almost surreal!
Go back across the street and check out the shopping mall in Ceasars. They have a new show now where the God Neptune has to make a difficult decision leading to the destruction of Atlantis.
Then wander down and at night check out the water show in front of Bellagio. It is simply amazing to watch. Head into Bellagio and check out the lobby. Then come back across the street and check out Paris. OK, it is worth a few bucks here to go to the top of the Eifel tower and see another water show from the top. The lighting is as cool as the fountains from up high.
Then next door is the Aladdin. Head into the mall that horsehoes around the casino floor. You have entered Arabia. On the hour Thunder and lightning storms occur. There is no way to describe what it is like to look up six or ten stories INSIDE a building that is made to look like the lost city. The mall walk is 1 1/4 miles from entrance to exit! This is ONE CASINO!!!!
NYNY is neat to see because it is like you have entered NYC in the early 1900's. Again, hard to explain the effect of seeing city streets and scenes inside but it is very realistic.
MGM is neat and for free when I was there last year you could go through a wild lion area. The Rainforest cafe is expensive, but the kids always love it.
The Tropicana has lots of birds on display - Parrots and such, but again, the price and pool are good there.
The Excaliber is fun to see for its medeval atmosphere, but also the best (and best priced) motion rides are there. Go to at least one! They are a kick. Try to find Desert Dueler!
The Luxor is neat to see from an architectural standpoint - it has the largest amount of free standing space inside a building in the world because inside the pyramid it is hollow except for the rooms that line the outer walls all the way up...
Finally, Mandelay Bay is neat to see (and the wave pool is fun if you stay there) but there is little there for free and it is more oriented toward the young adult crowd. The House of Blues is fun if you are with a party crowd...
Farther on down the strip is Circus Circus, but it is dated and frankly there is more to see in the core strip.
Two other fun things to do are, if anyone is really brave, take the rocket ride that shoots you vertically from the top of the Stratosphere. My kids, avaid carnival riders, still say that is the scariest ride they have ever been on! you start from the roof - 1100' up and get shot straight up 150' and then free fall and bounce a few times (OK this isn't free and not for the faint of heart, but if there are thrill seekers that and the inside/outside roller coaster at NYNY - which you can't miss- are the places to be...)
The last thing, again free, that I'll mention is to get downtown (OK a cab is a few $$ or a bus which is surprisingly available and cheap) in the evening and watch the light show that has now turned on every hour in the evenings. Go into the Golden Nugget if you do get down there and look for the nugget. World's largest, it is about the size of a plate!
If you do all of these things you will have spent at most a few bucks and will have walked about 20 miles!! I know as we have done it many times! The kids can go to all of it and if you use the trams you will still walk alot but can stay out of the heat for the most part.
K9Jeff is right - If you can get to the Rio for the buffet you should try to do so. It is the best in Vegas and fairly reasonable. The Rio is off the strip and, while I am a walking fiend and did do it, it isn't recommended as you have to cross the freeway on a busy overpass. Take a cab for a few bucks to get there...
For the most part the ultra cheap meals that used to be offered are a thing of the past. Food is reasonable in most places, but you can spend big bucks in others. Quality varies too though, so beware the "really good deals".
Now, if you want to know how to play C R A P S (OK I understand the filter might think I am swearing but I'm not!) let me know. :grin:
As I mentioned before, there are lots of Krispy Kremes so you can energize while doing all this walking!
[ 07-03-2002, 10:49 PM: Message edited by: Hogmaster ]