Best Things to Do in Las Vegas With Kids- Free and Inexpensive Activities

Our first line of business was figuring out where to stay. Some of our friends highly recommended Excalibur as one of the great Vegas hotels for kids. Check out the picture above and you can see why! It looks like a castle in Disneyland... When our kids first saw this hotel, they were sad they weren't staying there... Frankly, the hotel is nice...but according to my friend the rooms are a bit plain.

We got a great deal at the MGM Grand AND the rooms had been recently renovated. But, the main reason we chose the MGM was for its insanely cool pool area. It's called "water republic" and it lives up to the republic part. It has a total of five pools, covering a total of 6.6 acres. The best part of the whole complex is the lazy river. With a moderate current, you can float, swim or walk your way around and around this amazing loop. Our kids could not get enough of the pool area... it's a surefire winner!

We have a large family, so we had to get two rooms with the double queen beds. They were quite nice and the views were lovely. One room had a nice view of New York-New York, the other DID have a view of Hooter's... but it was still a nice city view.

The rooms were clean and surprisingly quiet! Because of the carpet, we couldn't hear anyone tromping above us. Of course we'd hear the occasional "WOO HOO!" late at night, but you'd get that anywhere in Vegas. We never heard the neighbors on either side, either.

We stayed on a non-smoking floor, but we could still smell the smoke emanating from the casino. Although they do their best to filter out the smoke, you'll still find you smell like cigarettes.

The MGM Grand is the second largest hotel in the world. You will be immediately struck by its magnitude the minute you walk in the door. You could easily spend a few days just exploring the hotel! Fortunately, it's well marked with signs, so getting lost wasn't too much of an issue. It has numerous restaurants scattered throughout the first floor and it has a food court (complete with a McDonald's), which was nice. The food court isn't cheap, mind you... The cheapest restaurant in the MGM Grand is definitely the McDonald's (but even their prices are elevated). If you walk just a block or so down the strip, there's a food court that's a bit cheaper. Our kids ate at the Panda Express there.

There's also some fun shopping inside the hotel. We ended up buying a few t-shirts for their souvenirs.

M&M World- 3785 Las Vegas Blvd S

True to Las Vegas style, M&M World is huge, flashy, colorful and total eye candy (literally). It's a total of five floors, so it's worth at least an hour of your time poking around with the kids. They also offer a free 3-D movie on one floor... The t-shirts are a lot of fun, but make sure to check out the clearance racks. If you are staying at the MGM, it's only a couple of minutes down the strip.

World of Coca Cola- 3785 Las Vegas Blvd S

In the same strip you will find the World of Coca Cola... you can't miss it with the huge bottle of Coke as its landmark. Like M&M World, this place is huge and stuffed full of Coca Cola memorabilia. Make sure to check out the little cafe upstairs where you can taste test a multitude of fun flavors from around the globe.

Fountains at Bellagio- 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S- Mon-Fri 3 pm - 12 am, Sat-Sun 12 pm - 12 am

We easily walked from the World of Coca Cola to the Fountains at Bellagio. You will find you can take detours inside many shopping centers and hotel/casinos on the way, too. The fountain shows run every 30 minutes, so you'll never have to wait long for one. Speakers bellow beautiful music both before and during the performance. Water sprays high up into the air, literally dancing and perfectly choreographed to the music. Our kids were totally mesmerized, as were we. Not to mention, it's simply a beautiful area. You can't get much better for free in Vegas!

Paris Hotel and Casino- 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. S

Both you and your kids will love spending some time exploring the Paris Hotel and Casino. In the main section of the casino, you will come across an awe-inspiring section that mimics being in the streets of Paris. Start outside and take a look at the Eiffel Towel replica- it's amazing. We decided not to go up in the tower to save money, but the views are supposedly stunning. We had fun admiring it from the outside and then strolling around the inside of the hotel. In the main section of the casino, you will feel like you are taking a walk down the streets of Paris. Look up and you will see an artificial blue sky scattered with clouds. The Eiffel Tower legs come down into the floor giving the illusion the Tower is ascending up into the clouds. There are quite a few quaint French restaurants you can check out, too. It conveys a vivid dream-like atmosphere you will all love.

Street Performers Along Strip

You will be amazed at the variety of street performers along various parts of the strip.  Granted, they are asking for tips, but it's still a blast to watch.  Don't miss Elvis or Hello Kitty!

Water Republic at MGM Grand

My kids could not get enough of this place! As I said, if you are staying at the MGM, make sure you take them to the Lazy River at Water Republic. Don't bother spending any money on their donut rafts, either. When people leave, they are more than happy to give theirs to you. We went numerous times and always got them for free. Most of the hotels in Vegas have stunning pools, so no matter where you are you will have some great pool time. But, it's hard to beat Water Republic!