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The best way to make a family vacation affordable is to do the free stuff. And there are plenty of free things to do in Las Vegas to help you have a cheap family vacation.Mirage Aquarium - This massive aquarium is behind the front desk. Standing 53 feet tall, holding 20,000 gallons of salt water the aquarium features more than 1,000 animals representing 60 species from all over the world.
Tropical Rainforest - In the Mirage as soon as you walk in the front entrance is a 100 foot dome with lagoons, plant life and a waterfall.
Wild Life Habitat - Found at the Flamingo. Full of lush foliage, flamingos, penguins, cranes, turtles, fish and lots of other birds. The penguins are fed daily at 8:25 AM and 2:55 PM. This was a big hit with the kids.
Lion Habitat - Located inside the MGM Grand. (Every time we have gone we have seen the lions, but we've never been lucky enough to catching a feeding time or trainer time)
Atlantis Aquarium - located at Caesars in the Forum Shops near the Cheesecake Factory. This aquarium is full of colorful fish, sharks, and sting rays. They are fed at 3:15 PM and 7:15 everyday. In addition every hour the statues on top of the aquarium come to life. This show has lights, fire and smoke. My kids could watch the aquarium forever trying to pick out all the different fish. The show scared my 3 year old, but the other two kids liked it and are still talking about it.
World's Greatest Circus Acts - located at Circus Circusin the arcade. From 11 AM until midnight every half hour is a circus performance. You might see a trapeze artist, tight rope walker, jugglers, or clowns. I have not been impressed with the clowns, but the juggler is phenomenal.
Bellagio Fountains - Located in the lake in front of the Bellagio. Mon - Fri from 3:00 PM - midnight and Saturday and Sunday from noon - midnight. This show goes off every 30 minutes until 8 and then goes off every 15 minutes until midnight. Watch the water dance to music. You can see several different shows on the same day since they are constantly changing. Regardless of age, your entire family will enjoy this.
Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens - Located inside the Bellagio near the check in area. Full of trees, plants, flowers, gazebos, bridges, ponds, and water features. This area is changed often and is always stunning. It is a great place to take some pictures of your kids with professional backgrounds.
Ethel M Chocolate Factory - Located at 2 Cactus Garden Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89014. You can take a self guided tour, enjoy free samples and watch the chocolate from behind large glass windows. You can also walk through the cactus garden. At Christmas time, this cactus garden is beautifully done in Christmas lights.
Fremont Street Experience - Located in downtown. This has a ceiling outside made of 12.5 millions lights. On the screen they put videos to music. (I feel like I can not describe this, but it is awesome) There are also street performers, Elvis and other celebrity impersonators, spray paint artists and more. My kids love watching the guy down there spray paint pictures.
M & M's World - Located in front of the MGM Grand near the coke bottle. You can take your kids to the store or you can walk through their "factory" and watch a short 3D movie. This is very fun for kids.
Bird Show - located at the Tropicana in the Tropics Lounge. The birds perform tricks like singing, dancing, riding bikes, and flying through hoops for twenty minutes. Open to kids everyday except Thursday. Shows are at 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 2:30 PM. I can almost guarantee your kids will like this. There is just something about birds doing tricks that amazes children. (Update: They are no longer offering a bird show at the Tropicana. If your interested in seeing a show for kids ages 5 and up check out Recycled Percussion.)
Hike Springs Preserve – You can take your kids hiking around the Springs Preserve without paying to go into the main part. There are 1.8 miles worth of trails split between four themes. The trails are open from 10AM until dusk. This is located across the street from Meadows Mall.
Mermaid Show – Located in the Silverton Hotel. A free mermaid show occurs in the aquarium Thursday through Sunday at 2:15 pm, 3:15 pm, 4:15 pm, 5:15 pm, 6:15 pm, 7:15 pm and 8:15 pm. The fish are feed daily at 1:30 pm, 4:30 pm and 7:30. Sometimes your kids can ask her questions and she will answer.
Calico Basin Red Springs – Part of Red Rock Canyon National park that you don’t have to pay to get into. There you can see the red and white sandstone cliffs, walk around the boardwalk, and go for a hike. The boardwalk is a half-mile round trip and is an easy walk. My mother has a bad knee and she was fine walking it. We hiked to the right of the boardwalk along a trail over to a rock where they teach people to rock climb. It was highly entertaining at times.
Meagan is our Military Traveling Mom. You can also find her blogging at Mommy Travels. She has a passion for family travel, including maximizing military travel options. For more of Meagan’s adventures find her on facebook Mommy Travels, or follow her on twitter @MommyTravels
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