While Las Vegas may be marketed as a “Disney Land for adults”, over the decades the city has embraced family fun with a number of attractions that specifically targets kids and tweens. From resort wave pools to arcades to family-friendly theatre, Las Vegas can now confidentially say that it’s the Entertainment Capital of the World for people of all ages, including 8 to 12 year olds.
Here are seven Las Vegas tours and activities sure to keep your tween entertained while in Las Vegas:
Madame Tussauds Las Vegas
If you’re tween is the type to scrunch her nose at the word “museum,” know this: Madame Tussauds Las Vegas isn’t a wax museum; it’s a wax attraction. Yep, that means no finger-wagging museum guards, no glass cases and no “do not touch” signs. With a VR room, a Marvel 4D show and exhibits that you can actually climb into, Madame Tussaud’s is 100 percent interactive.
The Hunger Games: The Exhibition
Does your tweenybopper obsess over everything Hunger Games? Then a trip to The Hunger Games exhibit at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino needs to be at the top of your vacation to-do list. The museum not only features memorabilia, props and over 30 of the original costumes from the films, but it also includes a number of interactive exhibits, including an archery range, a trivia game and more.
VR Adventures
At VR Adventures, tweens can choose from four different VR adventure options, including Soaring Superheroes and Freefall Zipline. If your tween is feeling brave, he can try House of Horrors—a VR storyline that navigates players through a haunted house of ghosts, zombies and more. VR Adventures is located at the LINQ Promenade, a walkway on the Strip that features a number of popular shops and restaurants as well as the city’s iconic Ferris wheel, The High Roller.
Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix
If you’re looking to get away from the tourist corridor for an afternoon and see another side of Las Vegas, zoom over to Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix. This family fun center is a popular attraction with locals and features four lanes of go-kart racing, amusement rides, an indoor arcade and even a 90-foot slide. At Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix, tweens can feel comfortable dropping the “pre-teen ‘tude” and spending a few hours racing and rough-housing—because that’s what a good kid vacation is all about.
The Strat Skypod and Thrill Rides
For the daredevil pre-teens in your family, the Strat Hotel and Casino offers three scream-inducing amusement rides, which are made all the more scary by their location—all three are perched atop the outside observation deck of the tallest building in Las Vegas. If your tween is shrugging right now and saying, “rollercoasters are for babies,” let him know that the rides were built to scare adults, so they’re far from lame. The Strat Skypod & Thrill Rides include a slingshot that catapults you straight into the air at 45 miles per hour and a ride that literally drops you off the side of the building, just to name a few.
Mojave Desert ATV Tour
Nevada may not have white sand beaches, but it does have miles of open space and the ideal environment for a host of sand-in-your-hair outdoor activities, including land sailing (yep, that’s a thing) and ATV-ing. On the Mojave Desert ATV Tour, tweens can explore the Mojave Desert in the loudest and most fun way possible: On the back of a 4-wheeler.
All American Helicopter Tour by Sundance Helicopter
Considering a trip to the Grand Canyon? Leave the rental car at the hotel and consider taking a helicopter instead. Not only will the All American Helicopter Tour save you 10 hours in the car, but it’ll also give you a birds-eye view of some of the unique Mojave Desert scenery (Hello Hoover Dam!) and your tween some pretty cool bragging rights. Because even the most teenager of all of tweens has to admit that a helicopter ride to exclusive landing area in the Grand Canyon is pretty cool.
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