The Best McDonalds Playlands in the Vegas area

Did you know that the AMA recommends kids get at least an hour of exercise a day? I have to take my kids to a park or McDOnalds' playland almost every day because our yard is the size of a postage stamp. Following is a list of locations for McDonalds with really great playlands in  the Las Vegas/Henderson area. I've written a review on each one and only included McDonalds in areas of the town that are "safer." Please feel free to list ones you've found to be fun too!

LAS VEGAS

5811 E CHARLESTON BLVD LAS VEGAS  NV  89142 (702)457-1183

1. DESERT INN & PECOS
LAS VEGAS  NV  89121 (702)892-9670
THis has a halfway decent playplace, with a small slide separate for the little guys, but even better, it's located right next to a park that has picnic tables, crawl spaces and slides, and a mini water park. The area it's in isn't the best, but it's not the worst either. Go through the drive-thru, then take Pecos towards Sahara. THe park will be on your right about a quarter of a mile down on your right.

2. 4400 E CHARLESTON

LAS VEGAS  NV  89104 (702)453-1233

There aren't a lot of these in Vegas. This is an OUTDOOR playground, enclosed by a fence (which is great if you have little guys) and it has tables you can eat on out there too. Slide, craal area, accessible to little ones if theyre not TOO little.

3. 3815 S MARYLAND PKY

LAS VEGAS  NV  89109 (702)735-2266

 

Nice big playpark, again behind glass, with stations for the littel guys and a little area just for them. Big kids love this one too.

3480 S MARYLAND PKY PARADISE  NV  89119 (702)369-0717

3815 S MARYLAND PKY LAS VEGAS  NV  89109 (702)735-2266

4. 836 N NELLIS BLVD

LAS VEGAS  NV  89110-5308 (702)452-8624

This one's pretty cool. Lots of space to eat so you're not fighting over a table. The play area is completely separate from the eating area, and theres tons of stuff for little kids to climb on. Great for big kids too. A winner!

836 N NELLIS BLVD LAS VEGAS  NV  89110-5308 (702)452-8624

5811 E CHARLESTON BLVD LAS VEGAS  NV  89142 (702)457-1183

5811 E CHARLESTON BLVD LAS VEGAS  NV  89142 (702)457-1183

HENDERSON

1. 601 N STEPHANIE, HENDERSON  NV  89014 (702)898-1881

THis McDonalds has a nice-sized enclosed playplace that's great for older kids. It's a little difficult to order your food if you have little guys, but the big kids definitely love it. Lots of crawl spaces to explore.

2.  4934 BOULDER HWY

LAS VEGAS  NV  89121-3016 (702)434-1831

 

This is near Lake Mead Parkway. Nice little corral for younger kids as well as a large crawl area overhead for older kids. Stairs for kids too young to climb up other ways. I love this place and take my kids here a lot.

701 E HORIZON HENDERSON  NV  89015 (702)565-1465

 

 

there are more. I'll update as I find them :)

 

701 E HORIZON HENDERSON  NV  89015 (702)565-1465

Coupons, coupons, coupons...

The number one coupon book I highly recommend for traveling to Vegas with or without kids is the Entertainment Book. Find them at http://www.entertainment.com/. This book is priceless. Hundreds of restaurants for half-price, as well as hundreds of local attractions with serious discounts.

If you live out of town you can actually pick one up at AAA rather than wait for it to be mailed to you so you can benefit right away. The price is from between $15 and $35, depending on the time of year you buy it. Since the coupons are only good through November, and that's when their new book comes out, you can often pick up a good deal on the book later in the year.

Lied Discovery Children's Museum

This museum is fabulous. It's a hands-on science and play center all rolled into one. It closes at 4:00 weekdays, 5:00 weekends, so make sure you go early enough to enjoy it. If you have more than one kid, bring another adult with you because they're going to want to wander and explore.

I can't recommend this place enough, though it's a bit rough on the pocketbook. ($9.50 for adults, $8.50 for kids who can walk). However, the Entertainment book has buy-one-get-one-free coupons.(http://www.entertainment.com/, get the vegas version, it's WELL worth the price. You can also get them at AAA for a discount)  

833 Las Vegas Boulevard North, Las Vegas, NV 89101-2059 (702) 382-3445 () ‎ ldcm.org

Everythings Happening at the Zoo

Believe it or not, there's an actual zoo in Vegas. I'm not talking the lions at the Mirageeither, but an actual ZOO. And, believe it or not, it's on Rancho Drive not far from Downtown Vegas.

The Zoo was a fun trip I took with my boys. I do have to say it's kind of run-down, they got rid of their snack bar, and they had a sign in front that read: "No refunds," (not a promising sign).

Despite that, we had a fun time. There was a petting zoo with goats you could feed for fifty cents. They had a reptile house with lots of big snakes (my middle son loved this), monkeys, a crocodile, and a lioness. Plus tons of birds. THey had Wallabys and a Wallaby baby, which was very cute. All in all we had a good time.

A lot of reviews said this was a rip-off, it was $9 for adults and $7 for kids. My baby got in free, and theres a $2.00 off coupon on the website. It IS a small zoo, but for me it was nice to be able to bring my boys there because it's one of those things you just have to take little guys to do.

Moon Bounce anyone?

My kids LOVE going to moonbounce places. There aren't a lot in the valley, but there are a few... here's a list, with prices and locations:

1. McKee Ranch. I HIGHLY Recommend this place. It has seasonal activities (last weekend we went and picked a pumpkin). animals such as chickens and bunnies roaming around the place, horses and donkeys you can feed (bring plenty of carrots!), and for Halloween, the ranch is COVERED in pumpkins. THe cost to "pick your own pumpkin" is $20 per family, which was fine by me. You don't really get to "pick" it, because this is the desert and nothing grows here, however you can "choose" a pumpkin, and some of them are pretty nice. WE went on a pony ride ($5 per kid), went on a little tractor-pulled hayride (the only one I could find in the whole valley - and FREE!), a moonbounce ($3 per kid), crafts, games and food. A bit pricey once you start getting into it, but that was OK with me because the place was so charming. There's plenty of free stuff to do too, but if you go be prepared, they WILL make you pay the $20 to pick a pumpkin. Plenty of other seasonal stuff available at other times of the year.
Located at 8982 Dean Martin Drive, its just off the 215 and less than half an hour from my doorstep. Open til around 8pm even though the website says 6 (a nice surprise). They also have horse boarding and riding lessons. Website is http://www.mckeeranchevents.com/ Contact them at 702-361-9606.

2. Bounce U of Henderson. Located on Stephanie behind the galleria mall, this is a nice little place to bring your kids on the weekends or days off. It costs $7 per person, and adults can play but don't have to pay. Bring Socks or you'll spend $2 a pair here.  The only drawback is that they have very limited "open bounce" hours, so you have to plan your day oaround when their open bounce hours are. They have a fun Friday night "cosmic bounce" with music and strobe lights which is great for older kids, but I don't recommend it for small children (mine got trampled by the stampede). If you have LITTLE guys, your best bet is to go during the week. They also do kid's parties, but they're a bit on the expensive side. Check them out at http://www.bounceu.com/ they actually have locations all over the USA as well. The Henderson number is 702-735-JUMP.

3. Jumpfitkids. Touted as a "kids gym," (it's not), this place is off Eastern by the 215. I went there the other day and though they are great for the small set (miniature moonbounces that are perfect for preschoolers), I was dismayed to find out they'd increased their prices from $7 per kid to $10 per kid. I have three kids. So I'll only be taking my two preschoolers there from now on. They do have one advantage over BounceU, and that is that they allow you to bounce all day (you can even leave and come back). But this isn't helpful to me since my little guys can only take at maximum two hours before they get cranky. You may find differently. Check them out at http://www.jumpfitkids.com/ Call them at 702-403-2190.

4. Seasonal Adventures. These places have popped up all over the place in the last month, and since tomorrow is Halloween, I'm sure they'll be gone to be replaced by Christmas Tree Lots within a couple of days. The website was completely unhelpful - it said they'd list places but it didn't (not a good marketing strategy, guys), and I plan on taking my kids there today. Basically it looks like a bunch of pumpkins spread around and big moonbounces. I'll review it when I get back and hopefully get some more info. THe website is http://www.seasonaladventures.com/

Vegas With Kids

It's not easy to find fun stuff to do with your kids in Vegas even if you're a local, like me. I've found a lot of cool stuff over the years, and I'll share it with you. Save time and money... and headache. I'll be including special stuff just for locals, too!