Las Vegas And Kids

vfm

Having been to Vegas several times, it is not a place I would take children to.
Vegas is an adults playground and in my opinion not suitable for children.
There are many other places more suitable and where childlren would be happier.

mossmanfly

I was in Vegas in August for a few days during our 16 day tour of the West Coast. I would say you need to know what Vegas is like and make your your own mind on whether its right for you and your family.

On the Strip during the afternoon and night there are loads of people handing out calling cards and magazines for girls to call, magazines with girls advertised on the side of the street to just pick up free like you would an Argos catalogue. Billboards on vans advertising "Girls direct to your room". So obviously these girls are offering more than your typical Lap dance. The streets are then often filled with discard cards all over the sidewalk and roads.

I was 25 at the time, and went with my parents and it was embarassing for me to be confronted with this. If I was on my own or with mates it would be totally different situation .

sturll

Baz wrote: »

All opinion mate. And like i said its how you want to raise your kids. If your happy with it then thats fine, but as the pimps are handing your kids prostitute tickets whilst the hot babes van goes past and they start investigating the pretty !!!!!! magazine stands on the street mine will be somewhere more suited.

I'm also not the only one to suggest you start to accept differing opinions to your own and not get into a !!!!y fit when someone offers an alternate view.

I welcome debate - what i dont welcome is thinly veiled insults at how i choose to raise my children.
No one has ever handed my children a card with a woman on - but i have seen them. It is not something which causes me a huge concern and they have seen scantily clad women on general TV - Underwear adverts no doubt, or when we wander past Ann Summers in Leeds city centre. They think nothing of it.

I am trying to prepare my children for coming of age and realising the world around us. Not wrapping them up in cotton wool and preparing them for the biggest shoch of their lives when they realise life isnt as rosy as you have portrayed it to them.

I stand by what i said whn i think many cities are far worse then Vegas and that in fact Vegas is fine for children.

sturll

mossmanfly wrote: »

I was in Vegas in August for a few days during our 16 day tour of the West Coast. I would say you need to know what Vegas is like and make your your own mind on whether its right for you and your family.

On the Strip during the afternoon and night there are loads of people handing out calling cards and magazines for girls to call, magazines with girls advertised on the side of the street to just pick up free like you would an Argos catalogue. Billboards on vans advertising "Girls direct to your room". So obviously these girls are offering more than your typical Lap dance. The streets are then often filled with discard cards all over the sidewalk and roads.

I was 25 at the time, and went with my parents and it was embarassing for me to be confronted with this. If I was on my own or with mates it would be totally different situation .

At 25 you was embrarressed by the presence of flyers with semi naked women on because your parents were present?

That is just ridiculous.

Baz_2

sturll wrote: »

I welcome debate

No you don't. You welcome and thrive on arguments

- what i dont welcome is thinly veiled insults at how i choose to raise my children.

It wasn't even thinly veiled to be honest. I find it chavvy, my opinion. No insult intended, just my opinion, get over it. You have your opinion about what makes something chavy, I have mine and mine includes dragging children around Las Vegas strip.

I am trying to prepare my children for coming of age and realising the world around us. Not wrapping them up in cotton wool and preparing them for the biggest shoch of their lives when they realise life isnt as rosy as you have portrayed it to them.

You think Las Vegas is the real world and a good example of what the real world is like for your kids. :rotfl:I have never been to anywhere less real worldy than Vegas.

I stand by what i said whn i think many cities are far worse then Vegas and that in fact Vegas is fine for children.

I agree Im sure the slums of LA and the New York Bronx are far worse than Vegas too but then again my children wouldn't go anywhere near there either.

At 25 you was embrarressed by the presence of flyers with semi naked women on because your parents were present?

That is just ridiculous.

If you don't understand how that could feel embarrasing then maybe it says more about you then it does about mossmanfly. But I guess sex and prostitution and pictures of scantily clad hookers are openly discussed in your house.

duchy

mrs_lds wrote: »

Head up north for an hour go into utah and visit the High school musical 2 film location also you can do Zions park and Bryce canyon. OUr kids have done vegas tussauds you can use your pass and some of the theme hotels are good to view for maybe a couple of days but that is it. children can go into casino but only to walk through. Done this about 5 different holidays with the children

There's a very cool theme park in Utah too and the scenary is gorgeous.
Most people who go to Vegas go to gamble (except probably Mrs lds ) or see shows but to call it a kid friendly destination really is pushing it. My son at 16 found the whole Strip !!!!!! peddling embarassing-when he was younger it didn't bother him as he didn't really understand it.
He loved seeing ColdPlay in concert-enjoyed seeing Donny and Marie (or so he politely told me lol) liked the IMAX cinema and the coasters but overall had a better time in Utah and California where we went afterwards

Nobjocki

Thanks for all the replies so far - I feel like Mrs Merton calling for a hated debate.
For the record my boys are 12 and 10 and are fairly wise to the ways of the world if what I see on their Grand Theft Auto XBOX games are anything to go by.
I'm happy for them to see Vegas for what it is - and a couple of nights taking in shows,etc is what I'm planning with the days spent around the pool.
But we've got a couple of weeks next Easter flying in and out of LAX so I wondered what else was down in that part of the States they might be interested in apart from Disney etc.

mossmanfly

sturll wrote: »

At 25 you was embrarressed by the presence of flyers with semi naked women on because your parents were present?

That is just ridiculous.

I went to Jublee show (Topless stage show) with my parents so using the word embrarressed is probably the wrong word more like a little uncomfortable I shall say. Not at the fact of the pictures or anything as such, but the fact that we all knew that these flyers are basically offering girls for prositition.

franklally

We were in Vegas with our 9 and 11 year old in August - it was very hot (no surprise there) - too hot to swim or be outside for long - it was an interesting place for them to see (we stayed at the Desert Rose for 2 days en route to the Grand Canyon) - certainly the 'hot babes' advertising truck, billboards and topless cards interested my son - we all absolutely loved the 'love' show at the Mirage - and for us it was worth going there for that. The over the top feel to it was worth seeing - but would I go back to Vegas with children - no.:D

FiFi_Mad_Mum

Southern California is massive and rush hour lasts until about 10, so be prepared if your going anywhere. Universal Studios is up in north LA, which is why we stayed on Sunset Boulevard after the second time we went. All the studios do tours and we enjoyed the Warner Brothers one, you have a tour of a maximum ten people at a time, we stood on the set of ER and sat on the Central Perk couch! Seaworld, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Old Town, San Diego are good and San Diego Wild Animal Park used to do a thing called 'Roar and Snore' which puts camping in a new light (haven't tried it yet!). Further south is Tijuana which is just over the border in Baja California where you can get bargains but go in the morning when it is quiet unless you are not affected by beggars. You park your car at a car park near the border and they run a bus there and back, just don't buy any Cuban cigars! Newport Beach is nice and not far from Anaheim, Venice Beach (home to Muscle Beach) is worth seeing. Santa Monica (the pier with the ferris wheel) is nice, MSE tip, park in the shopping mall in the middle of the SM shopping district and I think you get two hours free. Another MSE tip when in Santa Monica is to go to Paramount Movie Ranch where lots of things have been filmed and it is free (I haven't been but wanted to go and left the directions behind - doh). If you go to Hollywood Boulevard (Walk of Fame - stars, Manns Chinese Theatre - handprints, Pretty Woman), please be careful with any belongings on your person. Rodeo Drive with the Beverley Wiltshire (Pretty Woman) at the bottom, also Beverley Hills are worth visiting if like me you must do the tourist thing. When driving in LA lock all your car doors!
Buy yourself an unnofficial guide to Southern California and enjoy
HTH FiFi