When the air quality dipped into the 100’s in LA due to the surrounding fires, my husband and I decided it was time to get outta dodge. I have never been to Vegas with a kid before but my aunt and uncle recently moved there so we luckily benefited and got to play house (with a pool!) for a couple of weeks. Though this wasn’t a full blown vacation, we still got to explore Vegas and some of its surrounding areas… this trip really changed my perspective on the city.

Parks/Playgrounds

Developers are focused on creating family-centric/safe new developments in Vegas. Within these communities, they’ve built in some of the coolest parks and splash pads I’ve ever been to - and they’re completely free! One weekend we went park hopping with Mia and she had the most fun in playgrounds that transported you to the wild west, tiny communities built at toddler size, and very imaginative open-play playgrounds with lots of shade. Here’s three park we really loved:

Mountain's Edge Regional Park

8101 W Mountains Edge Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89178
Here’s a drone vid
Highlights: The climbing structure that looked like giant Pringle chips and the tiny town featuring a painted courthouse and little streets.

Exploration Peak Park

9275 S Buffalo Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89178
Here’s a vid from Vegas Family TV
Highlights: Lots of shade, Old Western facade playground, faux prehistoric dig site and splash pad area with generous seating.

Paseos Park

12122 Desert Moon Las Vegas, NV 89138
This drone vid will show you the entire community including splash pad and park
Highlights: Huge green area for picnics, gorgeous splash pad and super clean.

Hiking Outdoors

The options for trails and hiking is overwhelming. From Red Rock Canyon to Sloan Canyon, Vegas is only miles from some of the most unique geological features you can only really appreciate while hiking. I was 8 months pregnant by the time we went to Vegas and of course it was 100 degrees so I didn’t get to explore as much as I would have liked. That said, we did check out a few easy hiking trails and drove to incredible vistas:

Mount Charleston: After checking out a short and educational trail at the Desert View Overlook, we ate outdoors with our doggy on the back patio of Mt Charleston Lodge and it was honestly delicious upscale pub food.

Death Valley: We could’ve stayed here for a full week. The geologic diversity was jaw-dropping. From bright red rocks to marble slabs… there were just so many incredible trails and areas to see. Here’s a cool guide to checkout. I felt super empowered after we finished and left with a ton of gorgeous photos. We did the Rainbow Vista Valley hike in the Valley of Fire which was about 1.5 miles and easy/moderate (but moderate if you’re s pregnant as me haha).

Lake Mead: It was absolutely packed the day we went so we only dipped our toes in quickly before heading out but if I were to go back, I’d definitely set up a boat rental for the day to make the most of it.

Amboy Crater: On our way out of Vegas, we had a picnic under covered tables by this extinct volcano. For the brave, you could climb the entire crater!

Food & Treats

Ethel M Chocolate Factory & Botanical Garden: On our way to Lake Mead, we passed through Henderson and stopped by one of the most famous chocolate factories. We took a stroll through the cactus garden *while we had a delicious chocolate ice cream shake), and checked out over 300 cacti, enjoy the self-guided chocolate viewing aisle and see how we make the best chocolates we know how to make.

Soyo - Korean BBQ: Just trust me and get the garlic wings and pork belly with salad.

Taste - Chinese: My late uncles favorite Chinese restaurant in the city and I now understand why. Peking duck is a must!

Firefly: There’s two locations for this super fun tapas joint but we went to the less busy spot off the strip. Order all the shrimps and put in your order for Paella before you arrive (takes about 40 mins to make it). Mia even enjoyed some mocktails on the patio!