How to Spend a Weekend in Las Vegas (Kid Friendly!)

I’m going to be honest here: I’m not a huge fan of Las Vegas. I go fairly often, but I don’t love it. And the first two times I went, I kind of hated Vegas. But I’ve learned to prioritize the things that I enjoy doing on vacation and nix the ones I don’t, which has been helpful. For me, that largely means skipping clubs and casinos. It means seeing shows, relaxing by the pool, shopping, eating good food, and finding off the beaten path places to explore.

Last weekend, my stepmom ran a marathon in Las Vegas, so my husband and I drove out there to spend some time with my family. We left Friday night after work, which gave us about a day and a half to check out the city. Not a ton of time, but frankly, it’s enough for me. That sounds a bit pointed, but Vegas is expensive and I’m not a fan of smelling like a walking cigarette. So for me, the best way to enjoy Vegas is in short spurts. Of course, if you don’t live close enough to pull off taking a weekend trip to Las Vegas, this logic is complete and utter nonsense. But I do, so it works.

Our trip was relatively chill. We came to spend time with family, including two kids. That said, I do have a couple of spots to share with you!

Pinball Hall of Fame

The Pinball Hall of Fame is very much off the beaten path. And when I say beaten path, I mean the strip. It’s off the strip. My dad had stumbled upon this place the last time he was in Vegas, and was pumped to go back. We all happily obliged. I mean, look at the childlike joy on his face.If you like arcades, you’ll like this place. Their collection of vintage pinball machines is their claim to fame, but they’ve also got a decent selection of non-pinball games. Like Super Mario, which I didn’t even know existed in arcade game form.I also found my new favorite pinball machine: Bad Cats.

The Neon Museum

Unlike the Pinball Hall of Fame, this place has likely graced your Instagram feed. The Neon Museum is a non-profit organization that collects, preserves and displays old signs from around Las Vegas. It’s a cool way to immerse yourself in Vegas history, and it’s outside, which is a welcome change from the labyrinthian casinos and hotels that Vegas is famous for. Did I mention it’s also highly instagrammable? That’s just an added bonus, but my god is this place photogenic.

The rest of our trip was pretty standard (which isn’t a bad thing at all). Our group walked around the strip, wandered through elaborately themed hotels, and took advantage of Vegas’ lush snack scene. Ben and I also caught a Cirque du Soleil show, which was honestly kind of mind-blowing. It was a nice weekend away, and close enough to home that we didn’t have to worry about experiencing every tiny thing the city had to offer. I’ll leave you with a few more pictures to prove that we did some normal Vegas things.

Have you been to Las Vegas? Share your favorite spots in the comments! And if you’re planning a trip to Las Vegas, you might want to consider checking out Death Valley National Park, too.