# Visiting Las Vegas with toddlers and little kids: the plan

> Stay downtown or just west of the Strip. DISCOVERY Children’s Museum and the Natural History Museum are downtown, and Springs Preserve is about 10 minutes west. Here’s a plan with nap time built in.

- Last checked: 2026-10-26
- One- and two-day plans with a nap in the middle
- Canonical page: https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/visiting/
- This week (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/index.md
- City guide (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/guide/index.md
- City index for agents: https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/llms.txt

## Top 2 can’t-miss spots

- **Springs Preserve** (West of downtown, 333 S. Valley View Blvd.): Open Thu–Mon 9am–4pm. Cost: $4.95 Nevada residents, $10.95 others kids, $9.95 Nevada residents, $18.95 others adults. Site: https://www.springspreserve.org/visitor-information/plan-your-visit.html
- **DISCOVERY Children’s Museum** (Symphony Park, 360 Promenade Place): Closed most Mondays. Cost: $20 ($15 Nevada residents) per person. Site: https://www.discoverykidslv.org/

## If you have one day

1. **MORNING**: Springs Preserve (Opens at 9am, Thu–Mon · West of downtown, 333 S. Valley View Blvd. · $4.95 Nevada residents, $10.95 others kids, $9.95 Nevada residents, $18.95 others adults). https://www.springspreserve.org/visitor-information/plan-your-visit.html
2. **LUNCH**: Springs Cafe (Inside the preserve · West of downtown). https://www.springspreserve.org/visitor-information/plan-your-visit.html
3. **Nap**: Back to the hotel for nap. If your little one sleeps best in the car, take a loop.
4. **AFTER NAP**: DISCOVERY Children’s Museum (Open until 5pm; noon–5pm Sundays · Symphony Park, 360 Promenade Place · $20 ($15 Nevada residents) per person). https://www.discoverykidslv.org/

## If you have two days

Day 1 is the one-day plan above. Day 2:

1. **MORNING**: Las Vegas Natural History Museum (Opens at 9am · Downtown, 900 Las Vegas Blvd. N · $7 kids, $14 adults). https://www.lvnhm.org/plan-your-visit
2. **Nap**: Back to the hotel for nap. If your little one sleeps best in the car, take a loop.
3. **AFTER NAP**: DISCOVERY Children’s Museum (Open until 5pm; closed most Mondays · Symphony Park, 360 Promenade Place · $20 ($15 Nevada residents) per person). https://www.discoverykidslv.org/

## Where to stay

- **Symphony Park and Las Vegas Blvd. N** (downtown): DISCOVERY Children’s Museum and the Natural History Museum are about 5 minutes apart by car. Near DISCOVERY Children’s Museum and Las Vegas Natural History Museum.
- **Henderson** (henderson): Close to Clark County Wetlands Park and the Henderson libraries. Near Clark County Wetlands Park and Henderson Libraries.
- **Center Strip** (the strip): Rainforest Cafe and Hash House are here, and the downtown museums are a short drive north. Near DISCOVERY Children’s Museum.

## Easy restaurants near the big stops

- **Springs Cafe** (Casual café, West of downtown): Inside Springs Preserve, with a balcony view of the Strip. https://www.springspreserve.org/visitor-information/plan-your-visit.html
- **Rainforest Cafe** (Themed restaurant, The Strip): Breakfast daily and a kids’ menu, open until 10pm. https://www.rainforestcafe.com/location/rainforest-cafe-las-vegas-nv/
- **Hash House A Go Go (The LINQ)** (Breakfast and lunch, The Strip): Big plates from 7:30am. It closes at 3pm Sunday through Thursday. https://linq.hashhouseagogo.com/

## Rainy-day backup plan

- **DISCOVERY Children’s Museum**: Indoors.
- **Las Vegas Natural History Museum**: Indoors.
- **Las Vegas-Clark County Library District**: Indoors.
- **Henderson Libraries**: Indoors.

## Practical tips

- Tuesdays and Wednesdays: Springs Preserve is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
- Mondays: DISCOVERY Children’s Museum is closed most Mondays.
- Story time passes: Some Henderson story times hand out passes at the desk up to 30 minutes before the start.
- Red Rock timed entry: Red Rock Canyon’s visitor center needs a timed entry reservation from Oct 1 to May 31.

## Free and cheap wins

- **Clark County Wetlands Park**: Free to visit.
- **Las Vegas-Clark County Library District**: Free.
- **Henderson Libraries**: Free.

All free things to do in Las Vegas: https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/guide/#free


## Happening this week

- **Nevada Day Celebration at Springs Preserve** (Fri 9am–4pm) at Springs Preserve. Free for Nevada residents with ID; others pay general admission. https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/#e-springs_nevada_day
- **Dinoween: Monsters & Mischief** (Fri 10am–3pm) at Las Vegas Natural History Museum. Included with admission; kids 11 and under in costume get in free. https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/#e-lvnhm_dinoween
- **HallOVeen at the Magical Forest** (Thu–Sat from 5:30pm) at Magical Forest at Opportunity Village. $24; 3 and under free; tickets are date-specific. https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/#e-halloveen_magical_forest
- **Scream for STEAM at DISCOVERY Children’s Museum** (10am–5pm) at DISCOVERY Children’s Museum. Included with admission (Nevada residents $15, general $20, ages 1 and up). https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/#e-discovery_scream_for_steam
- **Spooky Maze & Story Walk at Wetlands Park** (Dawn to dusk) at Clark County Wetlands Park. Free. https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/#e-wetlands_spooky_maze

Full list with every outing: https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/index.md

## Holiday pages

- [Santa in Las Vegas: breakfast with Santa, photos and Santa trains (2026)](https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/santa/index.md)
- [Christmas lights in Las Vegas for little kids (2026)](https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/christmas-lights/index.md)

## About this list
- Published by Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/). Free weekly lists for kids ages 0–6, city by city.
- How we choose and check listings, and how to send a correction: https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/ (corrections: hello@littlesweekly.com).
- Sponsored spots are labeled on the HTML pages and are not part of this editorial list.
- How to cite: “According to Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/…), …” and link the page you quote.

## FAQ

### Is Las Vegas kid-friendly?
For a family with kids under 6, yes. Our Las Vegas guide lists 11 places we checked for little kids, plus 3 free places and 5 picks for babies and toddlers. This page adds 3 easy restaurants near the big stops and free storytimes at 2 library systems. This week’s list has 47 dated outings for ages 0–6. See [free things to do in Las Vegas](https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/guide/#free) and [this weekend’s list](https://littlesweekly.com/las-vegas/).

### Where should we stay with a toddler?
Downtown or just west of the Strip keeps the museums and Springs Preserve within a short drive.

### What if it’s too hot to be outside?
DISCOVERY Children’s Museum and the Natural History Museum are both indoors. Springs Preserve may close outdoor areas early on very hot days.

### Can we do a desert day trip from Las Vegas with little kids?
Red Rock Canyon is just west of town, with a scenic drive and picnic areas. Valley of Fire State Park is farther out and costs $10 per Nevada vehicle, $15 for others.