20 Free Family Activities In Las Vegas Perfect For Kids And Teens

Family trips are expensive, and with inflation running rampant, free/cheap things are harder and harder to find. But planning a family trip to Las Vegas doesn’t have to bankrupt you — if you know where to go.

In our guide, we show you a handful of free and fun adventures in/around Vegas that won’t cost you a dime. You can encounter Vecna in person at The Stranger Things Store, see exotic birds at Flamingo’s Wildlife Habitat, experience the fall of Atlantis at The Forum Shops, and more.

Discover all the other unique attractions that make Las Vegas a treasure trove of free entertainment for families.

BONUS: At the end of this guide, we’ll introduce you to one of our favorite ways to experience paid attractions without totally breaking the bank.

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Walk through The Stranger Things Store

The Stranger Things Store at the Showcase Mall is an incredibly fun and fantastic find when it comes to free entertainment. If you are a Stranger Things fan like we are, this is a must-visit!

The Stranger Things Store is technically a merch store, but they have far more entertainment than a normal store would have.

Visitors can do so much here for free! You can explore iconic show locations such as the Palace Arcade, Hawkins High, Starcourt Mall, and Vecna’s attic, and even interact with some of the displays. The store also provides some super cool photo opps (like Will Beyers’ living room)!

True fans can easily spend an hour going through all the different displays, some of which are very Vecna-heavy.

If you want to bring home a memorabilia or two, you can choose from so many products from the show, down to little containers of ice cream from Scoops Ahoy.

Watch the free water fountain show at Bellagio

Bellagio’s famous free water fountain show is a must if you’ve never seen it. This free water show features lights and music (genres include classical, opera, Broadway, and even pop songs) to give visitors a quintessentially Vegas experience.

The fountain show runs every half hour during the day and every 15 minutes in the evening. We recommend catching it in the evening for an extra-pretty experience!

Explore the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens

After catching the free fountain show, head inside Bellagio to see the beautiful Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, featuring larger-than-life floral displays that change seasonally.

We’ve seen the displays in all seasons and they’re all so freakin’ colorful and pretty! This is a great spot to snap a precious family photo.

Walk The Strip (while the kids play Pokemon GO)

From the Bellagio, you can spend a few hours walking the Strip from hotel to hotel.

Our favorite hotels near Bellagio include Caesars Palace (and the Forum Shops) and The Cosmo (make sure you visit with an empty stomach, there’s so much good food to eat in there). Planet Hollywood has a ton of affordable shows and its own set of shops too — the Miracle Mile Shops — and can be a fun visit too!

If your kids find walking through hotels too boring, let them play Pokemon GO along the way. They’ll find a ton of Pokemon spawn points on the Strip!

See Flamingo’s Wildlife Habitat

The Flamingo Wildlife Habitat is an idyllic escape from the buzz of the Las Vegas Strip. Roam the peaceful and relaxing 4-acre gardens, complete with meandering streams, waterfalls, exotic birds, turtles, and fish. With no cost to enter, the habitat is a fun experience for the whole family.

You’ll wanna get there at 10 AM for the Keeper Talk to learn more about the wildlife habitat.

To visit the wildlife habitat, simply show up during operating hours. No reservation or ticket is required.

The Atlantis Show at The Forum Shops

Located within Caesars Palace’s Forum Shops are a couple of fountains that serve as the centerpiece of the mall. If you linger and shop long enough, you may start to hear sounds coming from the atrium near The Cheesecake Factory. That’ll be the Atlantis Show!

Consistently named among the top free attractions in Las Vegas, this popular animatronic attraction is an entertaining take on the legendary story of the fall of Atlantis.

Fun fact: The costumes and props featured in the show were created by the same team who worked on Thor and Pirates of the Caribbean, which is super neat. There are also fire effects, water effects, and a 20-foot winged dragon which is even cooler.

With more than 400 moving parts in each statue that comes to life, The Atlantis Show plays Thursday – Monday on the hour, beginning at 12:00 pm through 8:00 pm.

PRO TIP: While you’re there, check out the 50,000-gallon aquarium that serves as the backdrop to the Atlantis shows. It’s filled with more than 300 saltwater fish including stingrays, small sharks, and other colorful fish. You might also be able to see staff members feeding the fish twice a day.

Watch the Lake Of Dreams show at Wynn

If you don’t have the budget to watch Awakening (which we’d highly recommend), the next best thing is Wynn’s free nightly show, Lake of Dreams.

This enchanting environmental theater features a mountain rising 140 feet high, adorned with over 1,500 trees and a coursing waterfall. Shimmering with 4,000 color-changing lights, the Lake of Dreams combines light, water, trees and plants, architecture, music, and a massive singing frog to deliver a multi-media sensory experience unlike any other on The Strip.

The shows run nightly every half-hour from dusk until 12:30 a.m. It’s open to the public! You can watch it while dining in the patios at SW Steakhouse or Lakeside, or enjoying cocktails at Bar Parasol.

See the Viva Vision show at Fremont Street Experience

Fremont Street is probably what you first think of when you see the words “Downtown Las Vegas”.

This is a pedestrian-only street and is filled to the brim with touristy live entertainment, dining, and souvenir shopping opportunities, as well as zipline tours, free concerts, and even a free light show.

Viva Vision (the free light show) is the largest video screen in the world and recently got a $32 million upgrade so you know it’ll be interactive and blinding in the best way possible.

Featured shows run every night on the hour from 6 pm to 2 am. The show goes for approximately 6-7 minutes.

Pinball Hall of Fame

In a nutshell, the Pinball Hall of Fame is full of old pinball games, perfect for reliving the glory days of arcade gaming. Best of all, admission is completely free!

If you can think of a game, they probably have it — this spot carries the world’s largest collection of pinball machines, ranging from vintage classics to modern faves.

Play your way through decades of pinball history and experience the charm of these old-timey games while you’re there. You’ll find rows and rows of machines, all ranging from $0.25 to $0.50 per play.

(Don’t be surprised if you find that 30-40% of the pinball machines don’t work. They ARE old as heck, after all.)

PRO TIP: The Pinball Hall Of Fame is located right across from the famous ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign, so if you’ve been dying to get a pic in front of the sign, you can pair it with a visit to the museum.

Go swimming at your hotel’s pool complex

If you’re staying at a hotel with a pool, you’ve got super convenient access to a free activity right at your hotel.

But not all hotel swimming pools are created equally. If you’re looking for an amazing pool complex where the kids will have fun all day long, we’d recommend Mandalay Bay or MGM Grand. These two hotels have the best swimming pool complexes in Vegas, hands down.

We’ve stayed at both hotels and have had tons of fun at both (even as adults!). Both have massive lazy rivers complete with waterfalls. Mandalay Bay even has a wave pool!

At Mandalay Bay, the 1.6 million gallon wave pool will give you that open ocean feel, the lagoon is perfect for lounging, and the massive lazy river is available for you and your family to enjoy on the inner tubes (you can either bring your own or buy an overpriced one there).

At the MGM Grand’s 6.5-acre pool area, you will have the options of a lazy river, several pools to relax in, and waterfall views, all of which are surrounded by picturesque palm trees oozing island vibes.

Transport yourself to Italy at The Venetian

Want to take a free trip to Italy without needing to spend a dime on plane tickets? Head straight for The Venetian Resort.

Stroll through the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, where the cloud-painted ceiling creates the illusion of an open sky underneath the afternoon streets of Venice.

Marvel at the detailed architecture and enjoy the lively atmosphere of shoppers and alfresco diners as you window-shop at high-end boutiques and unique stores.

You can also watch gondolas floating by on the indoor canal or take a ride for yourself. The serenading gondoliers will make you feel like you’re really in Italy — in a kitschy way, of course.

Explore New York-New York

How about a trip to NYC next? You can transport the family to the bustling streets of the Big Apple by visiting New York-New York.

The hotel’s replicas of the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge are perfect for some quick ‘sightseeing’, offering excellent photo opportunities and a taste of New York’s iconic architecture.

While neither is free, the two main draws of this hotel are the Big Apple Coaster and the Big Apple Arcade, both of which are great for kids.

Paris Las Vegas

Don’t let the global exploration stop there — you can head to Paris next.

Wander through the cobblestone streets of Paris Las Vegas’ Le Boulevard District, where the charming storefronts and café patios replicate the ambiance of the French capital. Enjoy some French food at one of the hotel’s bistros and snap a few photos with the Eiffel Tower.

If you’re open to spending some money, you can even choose to go up to the Eiffel Tower Viewing Deck. This half-scale replica offers great views of the Las Vegas Strip.

Explore Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon is locally famous for its unique rock formations painted in shades of red and orange against a backdrop of clear blue skies.

Because you can get there in just about 25-30 minutes from the Strip, we like to go there for our early morning hikes. There are both easy and challenging trails to choose from, making this a great option if you want to burn off all those Las Vegas buffet calories.

Some of the most popular hikes here include the Calico Tanks Trail (2.2 miles roundtrip), Turtlehead Peak Trail (4.6 miles roundtrip), and Ice Box Canyon Trail (2.3 miles roundtrip).

If you’d rather not deal with the logistics of how to get there (or want to visit the park without hiking), there are tour companies that will take you there and show you the park in all its glory.

Ice Age Fossils State Park

Distance from Las Vegas: 20 miles, 23 minute drive

Did you know that one of the most spectacular records of Ice Age fossils on the entire planet sits only 20 minutes north of The Strip? The all-new Ice Age Fossils State Park in North Las Vegas proves to be a jackpot of fossil remains, brimming with one of the largest and most varied collections of Ice Age-era prehistoric fossils ever discovered.

More than 100,000 years ago, this part of Las Vegas, known as the Upper Las Vegas Wash, was once home to herds of Columbian mammoths, American lions, dire wolves, saber-toothed cats, and prehistoric camels, bison, and horses.

Adjacent to Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, the 315-acre Ice Age Fossils State Park opened in 2024 with a state-of-the-art visitor center and three trails. One of the trails takes you through the history of the Big Dig, a large-scale archaeology project that took place in 1962.

While there is a small day-use entrance fee of $3.00 for adults, children 12 and under are free.

Seven Magic Mountains

A quick 15-20 minute drive out of The Strip area will bring you to one of the coolest free art installations in all of Nevada. Seven Magic Mountains is a public installation of seven towers made up of painted, stacked boulders that stand more than 30 feet high.

These colorful rock totems look so darn cool against the dusty barren desert landscape!

The art installation was created by internationally renowned Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone and commissioned by the Nevada Museum of Art. It was supposed to be taken down years ago, but some way somehow it’s still standing so go enjoy it for yourself while you can!

Shelby Heritage Center

Ever heard of Caroll Shelby? As one of the most legendary American automotive designers and drivers, one of his most longstanding legacies is his contributions to Ford Motor Company’s development of the AC Cobra and Mustang.

Experience a piece of his legacy at the Shelby Heritage Center, which is a 2-in-1 facility that’s both a Heritage Center and a 150,000-square-foot production facility.

Among the vehicles on display are the Shelby Cobras, Shelby Mustangs, and even the rare GT40, vehicles known for their raw power and timeless appeal. Alongside 25+ Shelby vehicles, the museum also tells a comprehensive history of his automotive designs, racing experiences, and entrepreneurship.

The Shelby Heritage Center is free and open to the public 7 days a week. For a more in-depth experience, you can opt for the VIP Behind-The-Scenes tours that can be purchased on their site.

See the mermaids at the Silverton Las Vegas aquarium

Named the “Best Free Attraction in Las Vegas”, the Silverton Las Vegas aquarium holds more than 117,000 gallons of water and is home to thousands of tropical fish. From time to time, the aquarium is ALSO home to mermaids!

If you time your visit right, you can catch magically skilled mermaids swimming underwater and entertaining the crowd. Watch as they gracefully swim through the aquarium, interacting with a variety of sea creatures and bringing the magic of the ocean to life.

Mermaid appearances take place Thursdays to Saturdays from 12PM – 8PM and Sundays at 10:30AM – 6:30PM. Mermaids swim every half hour, except during scheduled stingray feedings.

Not free, but still amazing: For those who want to take their mermaid encounter to the next level, they offer an exclusive Mermaid School experience, where you can join the mermaids for an unforgettable swim in the aquarium. It’s an experience you won’t find anywhere else!

Explore the Arts District (and the First Friday Art Walk)

For a more local experience, leave the Strip and Fremont Street behind and head to the Arts District.

This up-and-coming little neighborhood has everything from third-wave coffee, art studios, vintage shopping, antique stores, breweries, and good restaurants. Because we like good coffee, the Arts District is one of our favorite areas to explore during our mornings in Vegas!

You’ll find unique attractions here, such as the Burlesque Hall of Fame, The Arts Factory, Main Street Peddlers Antique Mall, and more.

What you decide to do is entirely up to your interests, but I’d highly recommend grabbing a coffee at Makers & Finders or Vesta Coffee Roasters, a slice of pizza at Good Pie, and/or uniquely English bites at Cornish Pasty Co.

If you happen to be in town on the first Friday of the month, the Arts District hosts its festive First Friday art walk with live music, local artists, food trucks, and activities.

Clark County Museum

The Clark County Museum in Henderson offers a family-friendly glimpse into local history with a variety of engaging exhibits.

Among the many exhibits there, we recommend exploring Heritage Street, featuring historic homes that recreate lifestyles from different periods. Visit the replicated 1900s newspaper print shop, the 1932 Boulder City Depot (with a 1918 Union Pacific steam engine and caboose), and a mining exhibit.

Don’t miss the resurrected ghost town or the Anna Robert Parks Exhibit Hall, which will take you through a historical journey from the Ice Age to the Age of Entertainment.

Admission to the museum is not exactly free, but at $2 per adult and $1 per kid, it’s as close to free as you can get.

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Looking to save money on Las Vegas activities? We recommend the Go City Pass.

Go City Las Vegas is a digital attraction pass that provides discounted admission to some of the city’s most popular museums, tours, and day trip excursions. With certain activities, you’re even able to skip the line, saving you both money and time.

There are two flavors of these passes: the Go City All-Inclusive Pass and the Go City Explorer Pass. Both are designed to save you. loads of money compared to paying full price for top attractions.

Go City All-Inclusive Pass

The Go City All-Inclusive Pass is really great for travelers who want to see as much as possible while they’re in Vegas. With the All-Inclusive Pass, you can choose between a 2, 3, 4, or 5-day pass that will give you included admission to 40+ museums, excursions, full-day tours, and activities in the Las Vegas area.

The pass includes admission to tons of family-friendly attractions. Here’s just a small taste of what you can do:

• KA by Cirque du Soleil (Premium) – A dramatic journey of love and conflict through acrobatic performances. – $135.49/person normally
• Strip Highlights Night Flight on Papillon Helicopters (Premium) – A helicopter tour of the Las Vegas Strip at night. – $124.00/person normally
• National Parks Choice of Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon Full-Day Tour (Premium) – $119.00/person normally
• Finger Licking Self-Guided Downtown Foodie Tour (Premium) – A self-guided tour to taste the best of Downtown Las Vegas’s culinary offerings. – $125.00/person normally
• FlyOver: The Ultimate Flying Ride ft. Wonders of the American West – A simulated flight ride showcasing the beauty of the American West. – $39.00/person normally
• High Roller Observation Wheel: Daytime Ticket – A ride on the world’s tallest observation wheel for stunning views of Las Vegas. – $39.99/person normally
• Madame Tussauds Admission – Entrance to the famous wax museum featuring lifelike celebrity figures. – $38.99/person normally
• Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus Classic Daytime Only Tour – A classic way to sightsee with the flexibility to hop on and off at various stops. – $55.00/person normally
• The Tower at the STRAT – Access to the observation deck for panoramic views of Las Vegas. – $35.00/person normally
• The Big Apple Roller Coaster – The popular roller coaster ride at the New York-New York Hotel. – $25.00/person normally
• Fly LINQ Zipline – An exhilarating zipline experience over the LINQ Promenade. – $50.50/person normally
• Discovering King Tut’s Tomb at the Luxor – An immersive exhibition about the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. – $35.00/person normally
• Real Bodies at Horseshoe Las Vegas – An exhibit exploring the human body through preserved specimens. – $33.00/person normally
• Illuminarium Experiences at AREA15 Las Vegas – Immersive digital experiences showcasing various themed environments. – $35.00/person normally
• Dino Safari: A Walk Thru Adventure – An interactive walk-through experience with lifelike dinosaurs. – $28.00/person normally
• Virtual Reality Experience – A cutting-edge virtual reality experience offering various games and simulations. – $18.00/person normally

Go City Las Vegas Explorer Pass

If you don’t plan on visiting a ton of different attractions and would like to handpick your activities, Go City also has an Explorer Pass. With the Explorer Pass, you’ll pay one flat fee for access to a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7-choice pass.

You’ll then have 60 days to use the Explorer Pass on whichever attractions you’d like. There is also no need to pick attractions ahead of time, so you’ll have the flexibility to choose attractions as you go.

A lot of the same attractions included with the All-Inclusive pass are available, but some do differ. Here are some attractions that are ONLY included with the Explorer Pass (not available on the All-Inclusive one):

• Blue Man Group Show Ticket – A unique blend of music, comedy, and multimedia theatrics. – $86.89/person normally
• Particle Ink: Wanderlust Daytime Self-Guided Tours – An immersive daytime tour exploring the interactive art of Particle Ink. – $30.50/person normally
• Dinner at Café Hollywood at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino – $25.00/person normally
• Big Bus Las Vegas Night Time Tour – A nighttime sightseeing tour of Las Vegas with Big Bus. – $55.00/person normally
• Paradox Museum – A museum featuring mind-bending exhibits and optical illusions. – $35.00/person normally
• SkyPod + 1 Thrill Ride at the STRAT – Access to the SkyPod observation deck plus one thrill ride. – $39.00/person normally
• Nathan Burton Magic Show (inside FlyOver) – A family-friendly magic show featuring Nathan Burton. – $33.92/person normally

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