Despite what most people think about Las Vegas there is a lot of fun things you can do with your family during the hot summer months. For the past several years I have devised a summer calendar for family friendly events so that we are scheduling something almost everyday. I even had a separate blog (logo above) dedicated to summer activities. Why everyday you ask? Because I seriously can't be cooped up in a house with 5 kids for 3 months if we all want to survive {smile}. Below are general guidelines to help you plan your summer and I will link my calendar here too in case you want it all done for you. Warning: this post is gonna be a doozy... bookmark it or pin it so you can keep it as a reference. Enjoy!
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Movie Day
Summer time is great time to catch up on some good flicks. Regal Cinemas has an awesome program throughout the summer.
Summer Movie Express takes off every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10am. Check the link for a theater in your area. All movies are G or PG and you have 2 choices each week (or if you feel so motivated you could make movie day a double feature each week). Bonus!! It only costs $1 for admission. Here is a list of movies that will be shown this summer:
The Three Stooges
Ice Age: Continental Drift
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Parental Guidance
Mr. Poppers' Penguins
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
Monte Carlo
Rio
Coraline
ParaNorman
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
Big Miracle
Yogi Bear
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Racing Stripes
Happy Feet Too
African Cats
Chimpanzee
Want an evening expeience? Grab a blanket and some snacks and head out for movies under the stars. There are several areas around town to choose from...
Thursdays at sundown
Friday and Saturday nights
Starting at 8:00 pm May – August • Starting at 7:00 pm September – October
Yes! We still have one! It's over off Rancho and on Tuesday nights kids are only $1 and adults are $5.
Still need more movies? Check the links below for the libraries and the local rec centers. They will also have events about once a month that include a movie night.
Park Day
We usually take the afternoon after our movie morning and bring our lunch to a park. Of course we like to mix it up and since it's summer we must go to a park that has a splash pad! Check out these links for your parks and recreation departments to find a park that includes the water features...or better yet... a POOL!
Pool Day
There are a few different ways to celebrate pool day. The cheap way would be to set up a rotating schedule with a few friends who are blessed to have pools in their backyards. Within your group you decide that every Monday works great so if you have 4 friends with pool access then they host once a month. Definitely make sure to bring snacks to share and help the hosting mamma to clean up after.
If you don't want the hassle of cleaning up for company or for another change of pace, check out the local parks and rec pools. Our favorite are the activity pools! With several ages to cater to, there is always something that appeals to each of them. These links will take you to the pool information for each city department. The best way to go is to invest in a punch pass if your area does that. It works out to cut the price in half in most cases!
Library Day
We love books at our house! I usually do some kind of incentive program to encourage my kids to continue to read over the summer. One idea that I loved was to have the kids log their reading minutes. They could turn them in for the same number of minutes of electronic play - you know... the ds, wii, playstation, ipad, etc. But take it one step further! Local libraries and some businesses also provide awesome incentive programs for summer reading. The best part too is they earn prizes along the way that usually lead to other fun adventures (you'll see what I mean in a minute). Check out all these different programs:
Museum Day
We invest a little but of money each year and buy annual memberships these museums. With a big family it is not only more cost effective, but in the summer we hit one a week and it doesn't dip into my summer budget - yeah! Here are our favorites...
If you haven't been since it was moved you are missing out!! It is phenomenal and will require several trips to really see and experience everything they have there now. Simply amazing!! Bring a cooler with lunch so you can take a break from playing and eat at the grass area by the Smith Center and then go back in for more play time. I'm telling you... you won't want to leave!
My kids call this the "dinosaur museum". Our favorite times to go are on the weekend when they do science projects for the kids or during the week when they are feeding the sharks! GREAT value for a family membership and the
weekend science programs are free with admission.
Great way to spend a day but you will be outside quite a bit so make sure to bring sunscreen and water. You aren't supposed to eat here, but we keep a cooler in the car and once your hand is stamped with the animal of the day you can grab a bite to eat and head back in for more fun. We have been at least 10 times and we just discovered a part of the park we had never seen before! Another GREAT value for family membership too!
Theme Day
I am a little cheezy so this part may be too much for some of you and that's ok. At least twice a month I will plan a "theme" day for the kids. All our food, activities, and crafts will revolve around that theme. Some days may include some of the other things mentioned above. Here are a few examples:
Dinosaur Day
Dinosaur eggs for breakfast
Nature Discovery Park (Aliante)
2627 Nature Park Drive has sand pits to dig up fossils surrounded by a huge triceratops
Dinosaur chicken nuggets for lunch
Make rock candy
Natural History Museum to check out the dinosaurs
Watch Disney's Dinosaur
Mermaid Day
Coordinate this day with the mermaids swimming at Silverton
Fish sticks and goldfish crackers for lunch
Seashell art project
Watch Disney's Little Mermaid
Go swimming and practice your mermaid skills
Pioneer Day
Bake bread
Make your own butter
Visit the Old Mormon Fort
Make rag dolls or button spinners
"Letter" Day
Choose a letter and everything you eat, play, do or create for the day has to start with that letter. Get the kids involved with this one and get creative!
Field Trips
Remember how exciting it was to go with your class on a field trip? Who says you have to go with your class? Get a bunch of friends together and take a few trips. These usually require the work of a few mammas to coordinate times and collect money, etc. but they are well worth the effort. Also remember that most of the museums offer group discounts too if you get a large enough group together.
Roos-N-More
Take a trip out to Moapa, NV and inteact with some unique animals. (I may have kissed a camel the last time we went - good times). With a group of 25 or more you can reserve your own tour for $10 per person. WELL worth the price!
Anderson Dairy
Barnyard Buddies tour is so great for the kids. You get a guided tour of the factory to see how the history of the products and how they are made. Plus, at the end... FREE ICE CREAM! You must reserve a time for your group but it is won't cost you a thing.
Old Mormon Fort
For $1 a person you can tour the very first settlement in the Las Vegas valley.
Bonnie Springs
Take a little drive out to Bonnie Springs petting zoo! If you go on Monday or Tuesday it only costs $7 per person.
Gilcrease Orchard
Take a tour of how this Las Vegas orchard is run and make sure to bring some extra $$ because you will want to bring home some of their homemade apple juice! Yummo! The kids can buy a bag to fill with fruits and veggies or you can buy them by the pound. Take a hay ride out to fields and let the kids pick their own foods.
Super Summer Theater
Bring a picnic for a night of theater under the stars! All shows run Wednesday - Saturday and tickts are $12 in advance.
Music Man - June 12-29th
How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying - July 10-27th
Legally Blonde the Musical - August 7-24th
The Producers - September 5-21st
Fill-In Activities
Just in case all of this doesn't have you totally booked for the summer, don't forget to fill in these other fun activities around town.
This is a list of storytimes all over the valley. Our favorite is Wednesdays at 10am at the LV Premium Outlet. After storytime the kids get a free ride on the carousel.
Every first Saturday of the month kids get to work on a FREE project. Try out different stores to find one as cool as ours on Eastern and Serene - they have treats for the kids too!
Typically the second and fourth Saturday of the month you can take the kids to Lowes to build yet another project. Click on the link to register to save your spot, but this is a free class too!
And still another freebie! Check website for dates and projects.
Every Saturday from 11am-3pm they have free craft time for the kids. Beware though... you will see lots of cool things that we mammas think we need too (I just love this place)/
At this link you can pull up the calendar for your local store. There are some crafts that you can pay a few dollars for the kids to go make and there are usually some freebie activities too!
These guys really know how to cater to kids. Check back soon for summer activities. Last year there was a different project each week and activities the kids can do while they wait.
At the Galleria at Sunset on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday kids can experience educational activities, crafts, or just some good old free entertainment.
Las Vegas 51's
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks! Keep an eye out for promotion nights where they give away prizes to the first few people who arrive. Also Monday nights hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, cracker jacks and pretzels are all only $1.00!
Vegas Style Fun
I am starting this section out with the FREE things you can do with the family in Vegas - cause I'm CHEAP! Plan a stay-cation and include some of these stops. Last summer we did just that. We decked the kids out in tie-dyed shirts and knee high socks, and gave them all a disposable camera. We were going for cheezy tourist and they all had a blast! We started off at the "
Welcome to Las Vegas" sign and worked our way down the strip. Our final stop was the Golden Nugget hotel where we got a great local rate on a room because we were there on a week night. They have a sweet pool that has a shark tank you can swim right up to or even take a water slide THROUGH the tank. Such a fun experience!
Bellagio
Dancing Fountains - if you haven't taken the kids to see this you all are missing out. The fountains are amazing. You can see them come to life Mon-Fri. 3 pm - 8pm every 30 min, then from 8-12 midnight, every 15 minutes. On Sat & Sunday the shows start at noon.
Flamingo
Wildlife Habitat - Wanna see some actual flamingos? turtles? ducks? swans? This is the place. Fun fact... this is where my hubby popped the question <3.
Caesars Palace
Forum Shops - Remember those Roman statues that come to life? Pretty neat.
Mirage
Volcano - just got a new makeover & it is spectacular! Erupts every day at the top of the hour from 5pm-11pm.
Aquarium - while you are there, you may want to peek at the huge fish tank behind the front desk & the atrium is a little indoor rain forest - also lovely.
Downtown Las Vegas
Fremont Street Experience - This brings back fond memories of my high school days. Great light show every hour from 8pm - midnight.
Silverton
Aquarium - A huge reef aquarium complete with sting rays, sharks, AND mermaids! You can see watch these animals being fed or plan your day around when the mermaids are swimming in the waters!
If you want to save up for some other attractions for Vegas families, here are a few to add to your list - these will all cost you...
Play Date Day
Don't underestimate the power of a good play date! I often forget how easy it is to have friends come over. When my kids have friends over I see a lot less of them ;). Plan on swapping days with several friends too. If you plan it right you may end up with an afternoon all to yourself. But be prepared to pay it back! Also, don't forget to give the kids a break. After all it is summer and sometimes they just want to sit back and relax and that's ok too!
Family Day
This is probably the most important day of the week for our family. For us, it happens to be the day we go to
church too. After church we try to keep the rest of the day free from other distractions. The kids don't play with other friends, we don't go shopping, we don't run errands, we reserve this one special day to focus on our family. We want this one day to feel special and set apart from the rest of the week. Whatever that means for your family, just know that for us keeping this day to ourselves has done more to strengthen our bond as a family than any other activity we can plan.
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I am so sure that this is not all the things that can be done in our neck of the woods, but by golly, it's a great jumping off point. When planning your summer activities here are a few tips:
#1 - Involve the Kids - you want to make sure they are excited about each adventure
#2 - Write a summer bucket list - this can be as simple as a bunch of post-it notes next to the calendar
#3 - Be flexible! No matter how much we plan things always come up - just roll with it!
#4 - Be a kid again - show your kids you can be a grown up and still have fun too!
I really hope this helps with some of your plans for the summer! Feel free to email me or leave a comment if you have any other suggestions to share.
To get the full schedules, information on hours, and costs, etc for any of the things I have listed above just click on the links provided and fill in your calendar as needed. If you are not in the Vegas area, hopefully this will give you some ideas to look for in your community.
