Horseback riding in Red Rock Canyon
A family goes horseback riding in Red Rock Canyon.

 

The recent announcement of a new $50 million Wet ‘n’ Wild water park opening in Las Vegas next summer brings to mind a time not long ago when several of the city’s resorts were actively courting families. The trend never really caught on and “What Happens in Vegas...” is the byword these days. That’s not to say families, especially with older children, can’t spend some quality time here—and they don’t have to wait until next summer.

While some hotels, such as Circus Circus and Excalibur, have arcades and other entertainment for younger guests, the real family fun starts by getting out into the sunlight. Las Vegas has a wealth of outdoors activities where families (and even unaccompanied adults) can have fun and a little excitement. Courtney Fitzgerald, public relations manager/leisure for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, tells Travel Agent that while the LVCVA doesn’t market the city as a family destination, it does tout a number of natural sites and family-friendly fresh-air adventures, such as Springs Preserve, just outside of town. 

“Springs Preserve has outdoor trails and a museum where you can learn why Las Vegas got settled and how it got its name,” she says. It also offers interactive science and nature exhibits, botanical gardens, hiking, trails, and live animal shows. Also recommended is Valley of Fire, just 40 miles away, which gets its name from the spectacular red sandstone formations in the park. It has hiking trails, picnicking and camping sites, and exhibits on the park’s geology, prehistory and ecology. 

Only 15 miles west of Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is also ideal for hiking, climbing and biking as well as horseback riding and taking naturalist-guided walking tours. The visitor center contains historical and geological exhibits, a cactus garden and a bookstore.

For a different perspective of the area’s terrain, Adventure Balloons takes off at sunrise for 45- to 60-minute flights over the Strip and the mountains. Afterward the balloonists get a flight certificate suitable for framing. Note: Children must be at least four feet tall and accompanied by an adult. 

If they prefer something more earthbound, Dig This Heavy Equipment Playground puts adults and kids 14 or older behind the wheel of Caterpillar earth-moving equipment. They can choose from a bulldozer, with which they can build huge mounds, push giant tires and “teeter-totter” over a giant mound, or a hydraulic excavator for digging large trenches, stacking a ton of tires and playing “Bucket Basketball.”

From Thanksgiving to Easter, your clients can even hit the slopes at Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort, just 30 miles from downtown.

And not long after Easter 2013 they’ll be able to dive, splash, slide and just cool off under the desert sun at the aforementioned Wet ‘n’ Wild. The park will contain an assortment of slides such as Canyon Cliffs, which will send riders on a 60-foot freefall, racing at speeds of up to 33 feet per second. There will also be an interactive children’s aquatic adventure playground, a giant wave pool, the Colorado Cooler for relaxing time and other attractions.