Las Vegas has tried over the years to market itself as more family-friendly, which hasn’t been nearly as successful as the whole “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” campaign – which is yet another indication of the challenge of making this a good spot for a family trip.

It’s a challenge, perhaps, but it can be done – and with so many great deals on offer for Vegas pretty much year-round, it can be an easy way to take a family trip without spending a fortune. Here are a few reasons why taking a family vacation to Las Vegas is a budget-friendly and fun option:

Airfare is Cheaper

As anyone who travels with their kids knows, buying airline tickets for a family can be enough to make the budget-conscious cry. Whereas international airfare for four or more people is prohibitively expensive, however, buying tickets to Las Vegas is often a bargain. There are often special vacation packages available to Vegas as well that combine accommodation with flights, and can include activities as well.

Off-Strip Hotels are a Good Deal

The bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip are appealing to young and old alike (I recall my eyes bugging out of my head the first time I saw them at the age of 12), but the hotels that line the Strip are often too costly to consider for a family. You may find a great deal on one room, which is fine if you’re just traveling with your spouse, but getting a room big enough for the kids as well (or getting a second room) is another story. Looking at hotels off the Vegas Strip is a good way to find better deals, and that’s where many of the family friendly hotels in Vegas are, too.

Kid-Friendly Activities

As mentioned above, there are plenty of things to do in Vegas that are decidedly not family-friendly – but there are also excellent options that parents and kids will both enjoy. The area around the city offers a veritable plethora of outdoorsy activities, including hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and off-roading. In the winter months, there’s skiing in the nearby mountains. There are day trips you can take to places like the Hoover Dam. Within the city itself, there are lots of great shows that kids will love as much as their parents, and although Circus Circus isn’t exactly the place most people want to stay in the city it does offer a whole kid-friendly section full of carnival-style games. There are lots of options in Vegas for teenagers, younger kids, and their parents to keep everyone entertained.

Further Reading:

• Las Vegas for Kids
• 8 tips on taking the kids to Las Vegas
• Family Travel in Nevada
• Day trip to the Hoover Dam

photo by D. Sharon Pruitt

Try Allens Boots on South Congress Avenue; the area is often referred to by the trendy term SoCo and when you’re ready to kick up your boot heels, there are fun, funky and family-friendly places to shop and eat nearby.

My favorite is junky treasure-hunting at Uncommon Objects, with a chaser of Amy’s Ice Cream or Tex-Mex at Guero’s Taco Bar.

There’s a Round Rock branch of Allens about 15 miles north of Austin, which makes sense if you’re in that town for one of the many youth sports tournaments in the “Sports Capital of Texas.”

Besides that whoosh of leather smell when you walk in the door at Allens, they have hats, accessories and Western wear….but it’s mostly all about the boots, with names like Mad Dog Goat Roper and Old Gringo (or hand-tooled Lucchese if you want to drop big bucks.)

Be sure to look for a squarish toe box so those tootsies aren’t squooshed.  The pointy-toed boots look fashionable but, er, those boots aren’t really made for walkin’.

Here are my thoughts about this surprising place:

1)  Even though the campaign to market Vegas as “family-friendly” was mostly a bust, it’s still not a horrible destination with kids, as long as you avoid the racier casino floor action.

I was constantly amazed by how many parents seemed to think it was OK to walk their children through smoky areas (with gyrating dancers around the blackjack tables) at 10:30 at night.

Where the hell do they think they ARE….Poughkeepsie?

2)  The climate is incredibly dry. Be obnoxious about making everyone drink extra water and pace themselves, or the whole clan will have raging dehydration headaches every day.  Bathe in lotion, while you’re at it.

3)  The city’s reputation as a cheap place to visit is only true up to a point. The struggling economy has resulted in some amazing hotel deals in Las Vegas, but they’ll get you elsewhere in the wallet.  Food at those famous gourmet Vegas restaurants will cost a pretty penny. ATM fees are some of the highest I’ve seen ($4.99 – are you kidding?) Cocktails are not cheap unless you game the system and work those Happy Hour deals. It cost me money to check in online and print my boarding pass for my outbound flight; whoa. There are free things for families to do, but as always, plan ahead.

4)  Public transportation is poor. Either prepare to walk a lot, or catch a lot of taxis. The monorail seems like it would be helpful, but it has a weird schedule of stops and doesn’t run the length of Strip. It’s OK sometimes, but not something I could depend on to run to the places I wanted to go (nor was it always easy to find the stops via the confusing signs in meandering casinos.)

Update 13 Dec 2010: a new Las Vegas express bus service just opened connecting the airport with more of the city. If you aren’t laden down with luggage, this could work.

5)  If you are a social media fan, this is your town. Most of the major hotel properties/resorts are very active on Facebook, Twitter and location-based services like Foursquare (often with check-in deals available to participants.)

6)  Across the board, at every resort and restaurant, the staff that I met were really nice and friendly. The tough economy has hurt them badly, plus the real estate crash in this part of Nevada is godawful. They want your business.  It’s not glitzy at all a few blocks away from the Strip; it’s tough. Tip generously when you can – I did to the casino bartender who generously pointed out which drinks would NOT cost me anything at a conference social event, before I dropped $14 on my favorite bourbon and Coke.

7)  I’d say, go hang out at the swimming pools – except in the midday sun, of course. There are a bunch of family-friendly pools in Las Vegas, and my travel blogging friend Mary Jo says her top pick is the pool complex at Mandalay Bay resort.

8 )  For a half-day trip, do try to make it out to the Hoover Dam. That is one impressive place.

Fellow traveler Gary Arndt had the best description of the town’s bizarre otherworldliness: he’d heard that “Vegas fakery is like a Beatles tribute band. You know they aren’t the Beatles, but you appreciate the attempt.”

This was a short trip and I was tied up with the BlogWorld conference, so didn’t get out much….what did I miss for kids?

Welcome to the December 2, 2010 edition of the Carnival of Cities, where we tour the world in a single blog post.  We were supposed to publish yesterday but ran into some technical glitches; thanks for your patience.

Thanks as well to the host of the previous edition on Byteful Travel, and the next host is Sheila’s Guide to the Good Stuff on Wednesday, December 15.

If you’d like to host a future Carnival edition on your blog (December 29 is open) please contact me at Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. Thanks!

Off we go….

Cities in the Americas

Tampa, Florida, USA Traci Suppa presents World’s Largest Spanish Restaurant, Tampa, FL posted at Go BIG or Go Home, saying, “As we discovered on a recent “date night,” the world’s largest Spanish restaurant is not in Spain at all. The 105-year old Columbia Restaurant is the jewel of Ybor City, the Cuban enclave in Tampa, FL.”

New York, New York, USA Jennifer Miner presents Thanksgiving Parade Floats and Balloon Pictures posted at The Vacation Gals, saying, “Here are some great photographs of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.”

Havana, Cuba Katherina presents La Habana Vieja, Cuba posted at 100MILES HIGHWAY, saying, “Pictures and Impressions of La Havana, Cuba.”

Portland, Oregon, USA Rachel Center presents Keep Portland Weird posted at Balance and Blueberries, saying, “Keep Portland weird (and awesome)! A tourist’s look at Portland and the surrounding area.”

Fort Myers, Florida, USA Kara Williams presents Things to Do in Fort Myers, Florida posted at The Vacation Gals .

Detroit, Michigan, USA Dominique King presents “The Thinker” ponders life in Detroit posted at Midwest Guest, saying, “This casting of Rodin’s iconic statue, “The Thinker”, surveys the Woodward Avenue scene from his prominent perch in front of the Detroit Institute of Arts”

Mendoza, Argentina Timothy Scott presents A Decadent Symphony of Wine and Food in Mendoza, Argentina – Luxury Wine Tour posted at Luxury Latin America Blog, saying, “Eating and drinking for days in Mendoza, Argentina.”

Cities in Europe

Bude, Cornwall, UK Jack Norell presents Leopallooza Festival in Bude, Cornwall posted at Eyeflare – Travel Articles and Tips, saying, “Leopallooza Festival is now in it’s 5th year, after starting out as a summer get together for a group of friends in 2006. A couple of touring bands heard about this, showed up, and it’s all gone from there. In 2010, there were 2,000 people selling out all tickets in advance.”

Maastricht, the Netherlands Keith Kellett presents Maas Cruise posted at Travelrat’s Travels.

Madrid, Spain Tim Freeman presents New Madrid and Old Madrid posted at Madrileño Americano, saying, “This post addresses Madrid, Spain and the differing faces of its northern and southern districts.”

That concludes this edition, and thank you for visiting.

Please submit your (ONE, non-spammy) blog post to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

It was a spelling bee in progress at the Rose Hill School, an historic one-room schoolhouse built in 1895, but now located behind the small Cherokee Strip Museum – all about this unique area which was partially populated by an 1893 land run – in Perry, Oklahoma.

The students I saw were from a modern school near Tulsa, but once brought by bus to Rose Hill for a day of pioneer schooling, they were transformed by period attire and their surroundings.

I almost missed this magical moment, because I was in a hurry to get down to the Oklahoma City area for a business meeting. Thank goodness I decided to hop across the little wooden footbridge over a creek and poke my head into the classroom “just for a minute.”

The real teachers were seated in the back to watch, but the starched-shirt pioneer teacher substitute seemed to need no assistance in class control as students were marched through spelling words at fourth grade level, with each word featured in a sentence that might have been used one hundred years ago in McGuffey’s Reader (sentences featured a lot of farm work, like churning butter.)

It was a lovely fall day, with leaves swirling over the period toys laying outside – like wooden hoops – and there were student bonnets neatly hung on pegs in the mudroom entrance and little lunch cans in a hutch.

For a huge American history and Little House on the Prairie fan like me, it was one of the best 20 minutes  I’ve ever spent in a museum, with its original cast-iron stove in the middle and wooden desks in tidy rows.

Visit Rose Hill School on Facebook, and if you want to see a class in session yourself, they’re held between 9:30 am and 1:30 pm Monday through Friday (but the Cherokee Strip Museum itself is closed on Mondays.) Visitors are welcome to tour the school any time, and watch a bit of any classes in progress, but for the full experience you’ll need to be brought there with a student group, arranged through the museum.

For a quick meal while in Perry, drive into town (it’s right off of Interstate 35, past the corporate headquarters for Ditch Witch construction equipment) and try the Kumback Cafe on the town square, serving thousands of customers for decades, including a visit by gangster Pretty Boy Floyd.

Pick out a sampler six-pack (or more) of cold sodas.

Great burgers in the diner.

The shake that I got with my burger was spoon-thick.

Ridiculously futuristic and cool architecture, with a giant 66-foot-tall soda pop bottle out front that lights up at night.

It’s POPS on historic Route 66 in Arcadia, Oklahoma – just north of Oklahoma City – and you HAVE to go!

(This post was included in this week’s Wanderfood Wednesday, over on Wanderlust and Lipstick.)

Therefore, as an official Conch, I do feel an affinity for the Sunshine State.

This is where I recommend taking kids in Florida if I didn’t want to deal with theme parks and Disney (although here are my tips for the Walt Disney World parks, if you insist.)

Gulf Coast beaches

No, they are not all oil slicks. Once you’ve been spoiled by Florida beaches, it’s hard to put up with grungy sand or chilly water elsewhere (except, yes, OK, I’ll admit maybe Hawaii gives them a run for the money.)  The Atlantic coast has pretty good choices in Daytona, Cocoa Beach and Jacksonville/St. Augustine, but my vote goes to the Gulf Coast because the water’s warmer, the sand is usually nicer and the wave action is gentler for younger kids.

Try Clearwater/St. Pete for lively urban beaches, nearby Caladesi Island State Park for isolated beauty or Siesta Key near Sarasota, an all-around winner.  The northwest Florida Panhandle and Pensacola have lovely sand and clear, warm water; sometimes I roll my eyes at the occasional tacky commercialization there, but my kids LOVED stuff like mini-golf. Shut up, Mom.

Clear, cool freshwater springs

They are all over the state and they’re marvelously refreshing – a real Old Florida moment when you jump in! For example, Wakulla Springs State Park is perfect for a stop-off between Tallahassee and Jacksonville.  The park is home to a massive freshwater spring, one of the delights of northern Florida and a great excuse to go swimming.

Take one of the glass-bottom boat tours to get crystal-clear views of spring wildlife below the boat. The comfy Lodge in the middle of the Park was built in 1937, and still welcomes guests for meals or an overnight stay.

The Everglades

Truly a U.S. national treasure and a World Heritage Site, the enormous 1.5 million acre “sea of grass” boasts nine distinct habitats and teems with hundreds of species of mammals, birds, and fish.

There are ranger-guided tours and activities, mangrove coast boat tours and tram tours on a fifteen-mile loop; check individual sections of the Park for specific activities. Miles of both land and water trails tempt walkers, hikers and canoe/kayak enthusiasts. The December through April dry season is the least humid, most bug-free time to go, but is also the most crowded, so reserve early.

Gainesville and funky Cedar Key

In addition to the University of Florida Gator hoopla in Gainesville, there’s also the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History.  Join the other lepidoptera fanatics of all ages walking gently through hundreds of colorful butterflies.  You can also observe human researchers at work, but it’s more interesting to watch baby winged ones struggle valiantly to escape cocoons.

Just south of town is Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.   Sweeping open prairie grasslands and marshes contain wild bison and horses.  Look for hundreds of bird species (including Sand Hill Cranes) from the many marked trails.  There’s even the hulk of an 1800’s steamboat from the days when this was Alachua Lake.

Cedar Key on the Gulf of Mexico.  The Old Florida atmosphere makes this a perfect day trip from Gainesville.  Nope, that tiny public beach is not what you came for.  Wander the art galleries, chow down on fresh seafood, then kayak out to Atsena Otie Key offshore, just before the vermilion sunset.  Check with Adventure Outpost in High Springs for guided kayak outings here and all over north central Florida.

The Florida Keys and Key West

You don’t have to drive all the way down the Overseas Highway to Key West (although “Cayo Hueso” it is more kid-friendly than you’d think) but there’s something about the Keys that makes everyone kick back a little more and relax. In Key West, the whole family will enjoy the hokey-but-thorough Conch Train Tour, but hit it in the morning for cooler breezes and smaller crowds.

After the tour, you’ll know where to return later on bike. Spare yourself the headaches of driving and parking here; the main attractions lie within a few square miles.

Kid-friendly places to visit include the live-action fun at the Shipwreck Historeum, the small Aquarium, Mallory Square festivities at sunset and treasures at Mel Fisher’s Maritime Museum. There are also local sailing trips and day trips to the nearby Dry Tortugas.

Older kids who are writers or history buffs (or who must live with annoying parents who are) might like Hemingway’s House or President Truman’s Little White House.

What are your Florida favorites?

Let us know down in the comments!

The historic Hoover Dam on the Nevada/Arizona border really is massive and well worth the side trip from Las Vegas, where I was speaking at the BlogWorld and New Media Expo Tourism track.

For heaven’s sake, though, go fairly early in the morning or the crowds and heat will simply do you in, and the kids as well.

None of the indoor exhibits or tours are free, but there is plenty to look at if you stroll around and across the bridge itself.

I shot some video and will edit and put that up as well, but thought I’d show you this quick photo from my phone.

Tourism and visitor numbers are way down all along the coast, often for no reason other than people are assuming that the beaches are full of tar balls and such.

I’m not discounting the tremendous damage that some areas have experienced, but many places are suffering from a lack of visitors because people aren’t calling ahead or checking online.

For an overall view of coast conditions, go to the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) oil/tar tracking map.  It….

“….tracks the history of closures, advisories, and notices by county for beaches that have been affected by the oil spill. The tar ball icon indicates counties with any historical or current beach actions related to the oil spill. The sand pail icon marks counties that have not had official closures, advisories, or notices due to the oil spill.”

For Florida, go to the Florida Live site set up by Visit Florida and including beach webcams and local CVB (Convention and Visitor’s Bureau) tweets.

For anywhere, make some calls ahead to the local hotels and even restaurants.  They’d love to give you their perspective.

St. Joseph, Missouri (@StJoMo on Twitter) is one city that was the hub of numerous trails in American history.

The most famous is probably the Pony Express National Historic Trail; it runs for 1,966 miles from the launch point at “St. Jo” to California, and this year (2010) is the Pony Express Sesquicentennial 150 Year Anniversary.

You can visit the Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph – interestingly, the Express only lasted 19 months because once the telegraph was run and then the trains were established, there was no longer any need for it.

Explorers Lewis and Clark camped on the Missouri River near what is now downtown St. Joseph. The Underground Railroad passed through here, too; find out more about it along with other African-American history in the Black Archives of the St. Joseph Museum.

Close to St. Joseph (mostly to the south and into Kansas) are more trails to explore: the Santa Fe Trail, the Oregon Trail and the California Trail.

Here is a National Park Service list:  all the National Scenic and Historic Trails.

For maximum fun, plan a trip to St. Joseph on the second full weekend of October, when the town goes orange for the free PumpkinFest fall festival (including hundreds of carved, lighted pumpkins on the “Great Pumpkin Mountain.”)