Fabulous Las Vegas

Mike had a convention to attend in Las Vegas last week, so we took the kids out of school and tagged along. Las Vegas is not my ideal vacation destination, but we ended up having such a fun time! We stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club off the Strip, which was fantastic. No smokey casino to walk through, no bar, no showgirls. Just a ping pong table in the lobby and a huge suite complete with a full kitchen and washer and dryer. It was the way to go.

In general, we tried to avoid the Strip, but we did spend a little time at the Bellagio one afternoon to see the pretty conservatory and fountains. Another day we had tickets to see comedian/magician Mac King, and the kids loved it.

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum was great. Lots of stuffed animals, a few live sharks, and an Egyptian exhibit. It is just the right size and kept everyone's attention for the entire visit. Plus, it had a playground next door, which was good for getting some wiggles out.

Our room was such a nice surprise. The hotel seemed brand new, there was lots of space to stretch out, and did I mention the full kitchen? So convenient when traveling with children. You don't have to be a member of their vacation club to stay there, but I can see how people get suckered into it. It was just the right hotel for our family and really made our trip a success.

One morning we went to the Springs Preserve. It was a beautiful day, but I sort of wish we had made the drive to Red Rock Canyon instead.

We stopped at the Hoover Dam on the way home and I'm glad we did. It was a marvel!

I am a major homebody, but sometimes it is nice to get out of my routine for a minute, you know? And really, it doesn't take much to impress the kids. I'm pretty sure it was the hour spent at the ping pong table that secured this vacation as "the best ever". I can't imagine what they would have thought if it had actually been warm enough to swim!

Hooray for trips!