Updated July 2016.
Visiting Vegas with the family? Looking for free things to do in Las Vegas with kids? Las Vegas is full of fun things to do with your kids… without spending a dime! You can really stretch your vacation budget further by mixing in some free activities to the pricier options in town. If you mix some of the items from this list with some of the pricier paid Vegas kids’ activities you can really save money on your trip to Vegas.
What You'll Find in This Post
Here is my list of the top 10 FREE things to do in Las Vegas with kids!
Fountains at The Bellagio, Las Vegas
Fountains at The Bellagio
The lake in front of the Bellagio is home to a spectacular water show every half hour from 3pm and every 15 minutes from 7pm. Get there at a few minutes early to nab a spot for an unobstructed view. The fountains dance along to classical and contemporary tunes for about five minutes. You won’t believe how high the water cannons shoot into the air. It’s best after dark.
Enjoy the street performers
Along The Strip, as well as on Fremont Street, you’ll find every kind of street performer you can imagine – break-dancers, musicians, singers, celebrity impersonators and your kids’ favourite cartoon characters.
Botanical garden at The Bellagio
Before you watch the fountains dance outside, take a walk through the botanical garden inside The Bellagio. You’ll find the garden after walking past reception. The garden is themed based on the season or holiday – there’s always something interesting to look at. In addition to flora there’s a large watermill, pond and even a talking tree!
Volcano Erupting at The Mirage, Las Vegas
Volcano at The Mirage
The volcano outside The Mirage erupts with lava and exploding fireballs choreographed along to tribal music. Even little kids will find it fascinating – it’s not at all scary. The eruption begins every hour on the hour from 6pm to 11pm. Get there 10 minutes before the hour to make sure you get a good viewing spot. There are usually street performers on this wide stretch of sidewalk to keep little ones entertained while you wait.
Walk Fremont Street after dark
You have to see The Fremont Street Experience to truly understand it. Words don’t do it justice but The Fremont Street Experience is a canopy of light and sound the arches over the main section of Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. There aren’t a lot of attractions in Downtown but if you’re staying on The Strip head down for at least one night time walk along Fremont Street. Plenty of street performers line the street.
Visit the Playground at Town Square
There’s an amazing playground at Town Square, a beautiful outdoor shopping center, just south of the famous Las Vegas sign on The Strip. Let your kids work up a sweat playing and then cool off in the water splash park which is open all summer.
Garden at Flamingo
Kids will enjoy wandering through the garden at Flamingo. The garden is populated with pink Chilean flamingo as well as turtles, ducks and swans. In addition to the wildlife there are some lovely waterfalls and koi ponds to peer into.
Circus acts at Midway
Circus Circus offers up a free circus performance every hour from 11am. You’ll find these ustairs in the Midway. Kids will love the trapeze, acrobatics and juggling. Performances last about 40 minutes. Arrive early to be sure you get a seat. There are also amusement arcade games to play – though you’ll have to pay for these.
Tubes of Brightly Coloured M&Ms, M&Ms World, Las Vegas
M&Ms World
Visit this four-story, brightly coloured world of M&Ms. You’ll see rows of colourful candies in shades you’ve never seen before, lots of themed toys and you’ll get to taste some free samples. You probably won’t get away without making a few little purchases! Personalised M&Ms make a good choice.
Ride the free trams
There’s a free high-tech monorail tram that runs between Monte Carlo, City Center and Bellagio and another that runs between Excalibur, Luxor and Mandalay Bay. They’re on elevated platforms so offer good view of what’s going on below. There’s also an old-fashioned tram that runs between The Mirage and Treasure Island. If you don’t take public transport or trains at home then kids will get a kick out of taking a ride on these trams.
Want more posts about visiting Las Vegas with kids?
- Top Ten Things to Do in Las Vegas with Kids
- 10 MORE Fun Things to Do in Las Vegas with Kids
- The Best Hotels in Las Vegas for Families
- The $20 Dollar Trick: How to Score Amazing Hotel Upgrades in Las Vegas
- How to Book Cheap Five-Star Hotels in Las Vegas with this Amazing Priceline Hack
- Best Buffets in Las Vegas
- Visitng the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas
Need a Packing List for Your Trip to Las Vegas?
Go to this post to download your free packing checklist for what to pack for Vegas.
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When I was younger my parents were going to take my sister and I to LV but since we wouldn’t stop fighting they just went by themselves – still haven’t been…
Oh poor you! You really missed out. You’ll have to go back. 🙂
These are all great suggestions. TI is currently closed so no pirate show for us… Didnt know about the volcano better get our butts over there!
That’s a great list. We were just there over New Years and that would have been perfect. Something you can add is a quick stop over to Bass Pro Shops (next to the Silverton Casino). They have life size landscapes of (stuffed) wild animals. That store had a lion pride and giraffes! Our 2 year old LOVED it. Plus they are always so friendly there.
That’s a great tip. Thanks Brianne! Next time we’re in Vegas we’ll check it out. We didn’t have a car when we were in Vegas so were a bit isolated. Definitely plan on going back though!
Wish I had doubled checked the comments, Sirens is closed & I went thru a lot to try & get there for my 3 year old. He was sad. But he went to the dolphins the next day which was fun. Dolphins tank area is under reconstruction so you can’t go underground, only see them from above & it’s discounted to $15 for adults.
Thank you very much for this, me and my wife are taking our 11 year old in march next year
Awesome Dallas! Let me know if you need any more tips about travelling in the US with kids. 🙂
How do you get on the trams? do you just go to one of the hotels and get on it?
Yes! There’s a tram that runs between The Mirage and Treasure Island. There’s another that runs from Bellagio to City Center to Aria to Monte Carlo. And another from Mandalay Bay to Luxor to Excalibur. If you’re just going to ride for the fun of it the best one to choose it the Aria tram as it’s the most modern. 🙂
All greet suggestions except taking your kids to Fremont after dark….that is no place for small impressionable children. To much drinking and unruly people.
I think it’s OK Mandy. We aren’t out late and it’s been pretty tame each time we’ve been.
I agree with Mandy. We live in Vegas and thought it would be a good idea to go see the light show but the street performers are basically naked nowadays. Women in pasties and men barely covering their junk. This isn’t the only list I’ve seen it suggested on and I’m surprised. It really isn’t for kids anymore. Also, the people in costumes to get kids attention…. they aren’t hired professionals and usually very cheap looking. Who knows who they are or if they are a creeper. Our children are 2 and 3….we were there very early.
Totally ageagreewith you. I used to love walking Fremont to see the light show and the performers. We took our 9 year old and there was a pikachu so we decided to park so he could get a picture well when we got there the guy was in costume in the store buying beer and was clearly already drunk. His costume was disgusting very dirty and torn up. Needles to say no pikachu picture. We kept walking going to find another but instead found a whole bunch of naked or nearly naked people doing different mostly inappropriate things. They are free to do so but I don’t have to like it. So we stay away from Fremont. But I do still think you should go at least once just talk with kids first. Plus the most amazing toy store is right there. So you can walk through and see all the cool toys.
With kids, Freemont during the day is OK, but once the sun goes down the weird ones come out. The zip lines are a blast for the older ones.