25 Fun Things to Do in Las Vegas With Kids That the Whole Family Will Enjoy

From family-friendly shows to iconic attractions, here's what to do with an underage crowd in Vegas.

Las Vegas has a long-standing reputation as an adult playground, but it's not all casinos and nightlife. The city offers fun for all ages, from family-friendly shows to amusement park rides, arcades, and even educational opportunities. Even better, many attractions and experiences geared toward kids are free.

"While Las Vegas is regarded as primarily a 21-plus destination, there are plenty of activities that families can enjoy," H. Fletch Brunelle, the vice president of marketing at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, told Travel + Leisure. His recommended highlights on the Strip include the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, Gondola Rides at The Venetian, and productions like "Mystère" by Cirque du Soleil. But he also suggests nearby natural and human-made sites like Red Rock Canyon and the awe-inspiring Hoover Dam. Read on for more ideas for fun things to do in Las Vegas with kids.

Top 5 Can't Miss

• Fountains dance to music at the Bellagio Water Show, one of the top free attractions in Las Vegas for all ages.

• The indoor Adventuredome amusement park at Circus Circus Hotel & Casino offers five acres of rides, arcade and carnival games, and more.

• Kids will marvel at the cloud-painted ceilings and European-esque square on a gondola ride inside The Venetian Resort.

• The M&M's store on the Las Vegas Strip is where you can make your own custom candies to take as souvenirs.

• Vegas is all about the shows, and there are plenty appropriate for children, from Cirque du Soleil to Wynn's "Awakening" performance.

Stop by the Bellagio Fountains.

This is one of the best free things to do in Las Vegas. Stroll past the fountains and enjoy the music while you marvel at the perfectly choreographed Bellagio Water Show. Each song is accompanied by a spectacle of water and lights. The performance takes place most evenings, every 15 or 30 minutes from afternoon until midnight.

Play at an indoor amusement park.

Circus Circus Hotel & Casino is home to Adventuredome, a five-acre indoor amusement park with a classic arcade, roller coasters, bumper cars, a rock climbing wall, and miniature golf. Play laser tag, ride a Ferris wheel, or indulge in some friendly family competition with classic carnival games.

Take a gondola ride.

You can hop in a boat at St. Mark’s Square in The Venetian Resort and glide along canals past shops and cafes and beneath bridges while a gondolier sings Italian favorites. St. Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge, and the Grand Canal are remarkable recreations of the real things in Venice.

Make your own M&M's.

Marked by a larger-than-life installation depicting three M&M's characters, this four-floor candy store and factory is packed with fun displays, merch, and, of course, chocolate treats. Kids (and adults) can create their own custom M&M’s using a personal printer, classic Vegas-themed images, and a choice of 16 different colors.

Enjoy world-class entertainment.

It's showtime all the time in Las Vegas with acts like Cirque du Soleil, magic shows, and big-name concerts. The "Awakening" production at the Wynn is presented in a 360-degree theater with music, dramatic choreography, technology, fantastic creatures, and puppetry by Michael Curry of “The Lion King” fame.

Related: A Local's Guide to Las Vegas

Drive a go-kart at Las Vegas Mini Grand Prix.

The Las Vegas Mini Grand Prix offers go-karting for all ages, including high-speed karts for ages 14 and up. There’s a bumpy 90-foot slide as well as arcade games, amusement park rides, pizza, and desserts.

Visit the Discovery Children’s Museum.

At the Discovery Children’s Museum, kids can create art with crayons and watercolors, solve a mystery, or have fun with experiments and inventions. For toddlers, a desert-themed exhibit is a great place to crawl and play.

See sea creatures at Mandalay Bay.

There are thousands of sea creatures at Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. You'll see apex predators swimming overhead as you walk into the tank via a glass tunnel and learn all about the aquarium residents through Shark Reef educators. To make your visit extra special, sign up to feed stingrays their breakfast in the touch pool before the place even opens, or buy a ticket to watch the afternoon zebra shark feeding.

Go indoor skydiving.

Vegas Indoor Skydiving offers guests (40 pounds and over) the experience of skydiving in a vertical wind tunnel with a mesh trampoline floor and foam-padded walls. After a brief training class, don flight gear, jump into the tunnel, and soar.

Have a sweet time at a chocolate store.

Learn how chocolate is made and discover the art and science of the sweet treat in a theatrical performance at Hershey’s Chocolate World right on the Strip. Visitors can create a custom candy bar, choosing the ingredients and designing the wrapper.

Brave a thrill ride with a Vegas view.

Prepare to be catapulted 160 feet into the air at 45 miles per hour from a 921-foot-high platform on Big Shot. During this adrenaline-pumping ride, you'll endure four Gs of force on the way up and get a magnificent view of the Las Vegas Valley from heights of up to 1,081 feet. Kids must be at least four feet tall to ride.

Cheer on knights in battle.

Jousting, sword fighting, horse racing, and a medieval atmosphere can fill an evening at the Excalibur Tournament of Kings. Spectators sit around the stage and dine on Cornish hen, potatoes, corn on the cob, and dessert while Merlin and the jester provide some laughs.

Chill out at an ice bar.

Minus5 is a literally cool experience where visitors will find everything made of ice, from seats and walls to beverage glasses. Ice sculptures, music, and a light show are part of the entertainment for guests, who are provided gloves and a parka or faux fur coat to stay comfortable. Kids ages seven and over are welcome until 9 p.m. at three Las Vegas locations.

Laugh at animal antics.

Featuring an all-star cast of rescued dogs, cats, parrots, and even a miniature horse, the Popovich Comedy Pet Theater show consists of stunts and demonstrations of the animals’ skills. Watch the adorable performers as they dance, jump, balance, and entertain in a variety of ways at this popular family show.

Visit the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.

You may not think of it as the quintessential Vegas attraction, but a visit to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum is a perfect way to spend some time with the kids, especially on a hot summer day. Exhibits include a recreation of King Tut’s tomb, a mummy, dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, and a gallery of Nevada wildlife.

Shop, eat, and play at Town Square.

This outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex offers more than the typical mall movie theater. For little ones 10 years old or younger, there's a Children’s Park that features a climbing cube, slides, and a trampoline, plus a splash park in the summer. Kids can also take a ride on the Cactus Coaster, an electric tram modeled on an old-fashioned steam train.

Fly over Fremont Street.

Get your thrills on either of two slot machine-themed zip lines. Zip-Zilla takes flyers halfway down the Fremont Street Experience in a seated position. On the upper level, the Super-Hero Zoom takes guests for a ride “superhero style” all the way down the Fremont Street canopy. Kids must weigh at least 50 pounds to fly.

Get wet at Cowabunga Bay.

Cowabunga Bay water parks are some of the best places to cool down with kids on a hot day in the desert. There are two locations on different sides of Las Vegas, in Henderson and Summerlin. The parks have lots of slides to ride solo or together, splash areas for the little ones, wave pools, and more.

Take a selfie with your favorite celebrity at Madame Tussauds.

At this wax museum, amazingly lifelike figures resembling music legends, sports stars, actors, and other celebrities are perfectly positioned for selfie-taking. The museum also shows a Marvel Universe 4D movie starring Captain Marvel, Thor, Black Panther, and Spider-Man.

See flamingos at the Flamingo.

The free Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo Hotel is a garden with a flock of Chilean flamingos, brown pelicans, native hummingbirds, and a variety of other waterfowl and songbirds. Visitors can learn about the habitat and creatures during daily Keeper Talks at 10 a.m.

Take a ride on the Big Apple Coaster.

This wild roller coaster goes 67 miles per hour with a 180-degree twist and 203-foot drop for a heart-racing ride (for guests at least four feet, six inches tall without footwear). At the Big Apple Arcade, you can play the latest video and arcade games as well as classics like Skee-Ball and air hockey.

Related: 7 Family Vacations Everyone Should Take at Least Once

Hit Topgolf for some friendly competition.

Topgolf Las Vegas has climate-controlled hitting bays with HDTVs, complimentary clubs, outfield targets, and self-scoring golf balls for a fun family competition. No experience is necessary, so everyone can pick up a club and swing. There’s a restaurant and bar to pause for refreshments between rounds.

See the Blue Man Group from the "poncho section."

The clever performances by Blue Man Group are presented in a specially designed theater at the Luxor Hotel. Music, art, comedy, and surprises make their shows unique and fun for all ages. The very first rows are called the "poncho section" — the people sitting there are given ponchos to wear due to the high likelihood of getting splashed during the performance.

Play at Downtown Container Park.

In addition to lots of shops and restaurants, Downtown Container Park has an interactive play area with towers, slides, and games. The shops here are set in shipping containers, and the venue greets guests with a 35-foot-tall praying mantis sculpture that shoots flames from its antennae. Kids are welcome during the day and early evening, but the venue is 21-and-over after 9 p.m.

Soar above the Strip on the High Roller.

Soar 550 feet above the Las Vegas Strip on the largest observation wheel in North America. The wheel takes 30 minutes to complete one revolution, providing 360-degree views from its spacious, enclosed cabins.

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