Pro Tips For a Family Vacation on a Budget. How about Las Vegas

Las Vegas isn’t just for grown-ups anymore! The city is becoming increasingly family friendly and you can take advantage of the typically low-priced rates for a great family Vegas vacation. It’s no longer considered “Sin City” when you see the various kid-friendly attractions like the roller coaster atop New York, New York, or the theme park inside Circus Circus.

There are arcades just about everywhere and special shows geared toward the family audience. The best part is that many of the attractions that kids love are free! You can see the Pirate show outside Treasure Island, view the amazing light show on Fremont Street, or watch the volcano “explode” outside the Mirage at sundown.

Meals are cheap everywhere in Vegas. We once had a complete prime rib dinner including potato, vegetable, and salad bar for a mere few bucks at a small casino across from the Stardust. And it is not necessarily sacrificing taste or quality. The various buffets have anything and everything you could ever want to satisfy a picky eater – all at a low price anyone can afford.

Vegas is designed to be inexpensive in the hopes that tourists will spend most of their money in the casinos. This is where you can splurge a little and hold back when you’re getting a little short on funds. After all, you’re in Vegas – you have to pull at least one slot machine’s arm.

Depending on when you book, you can get an air/hotel package for as little as $200 per person round trip! In many places, kids get a discounted room rate, and if you want your older children to have their own room, many hotels will let you have that at half price.

Bright blinking neon lights, loud music, and spotlights are more of what people envision in Vegas than wide open spaces, natural park like settings, nature watches, and the beauty of the desert at sunset. Of course that is if you can get a little ways out of Vegas otherwise you'll never notice the sun going down for all the bright lights.

Granted most of these beautiful places to visit are fair distances from Vegas but if you are this close to them it would be a shame to miss out on their beauty for the sake of a car ride.

Floyd Lamb Park is the closest example, and is open each day from 6 in the morning until 7 at night. This park is located about 20 miles from the strip in Vegas. It also has four fully stocked ponds, a barbecue area, and is home to some very interesting fossils and remains. The fossils and remains that have been identified here include the following: bison, mammoths, camels, giant sloths, and horse among other animals. This area became a state park in 1977 and visitors who have a fishing license for Nevada may fish in any of the park's ponds but there is a limit of three fish per person.

If you consider further options, renting a car and going on an exploration of the area is your option. You can check out the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon although these are a little over a couple hundred miles away or take in the Richard Petty ride-along racing experience. There’s so much to do in and around Vegas, you’ll never be bored!