A Day away - tour recommendations??

Hi

We are spending 4 nights in Vegas as part of a multi destination US trip next spring and our kids will be 12 and 8.

Please don%26#39;t complain as soon as you see we have kids we are not really gamblers and my kids have seen topless women in our national newspapers at my inlaws - they giggle and that%26#39;s that. If my husband wants a go at blackjack I%26#39;ll take the kids on some rides, go to The World Record Place, pool etc and vice versa - we are responsible parents and our gambling budget will be $100.

I have lots of ideas of suitable things for a couple of days that we will all enjoy but we want a day out in the middle of our stay to see some of the amazing scenery. We might hire a car or we might go on a tour, I don%26#39;t like helicopters though - scared when flying over Niagara Falls.

I have looked at a lot of posts on here recently and there seems to be so many choices - I%26#39;m not really excited by Hoover Dam but we might like to see wonderful rocky landscapes that we cannot see anywhere else.

I am also looking for value for money. Should we book online before hand or look for coupons when we get to Vegas.

Can anyone recommend something we would all enjoy.

Thanks.

A Day away - tour recommendations??

Renting a car is essential rather than trying to use a tour company. It will certainly be cheaper. Valley of Fire and Hoover Dam is a nice half day trip with some neat scenary. If you are looking for unique landscapes there are better alternatives. Death Valley is a longer trip but a very unique experience. Zion or Bryce National Parks would be a very long day trop, each of those places is awesome. Don%26#39;t consider doing the Grand Canyon as a day trip, you really need to spend an overnight there.

A Day away - tour recommendations??

If you%26#39;ve read some of the posts concerning day trips, and if you are planning to have a rental car, you could consider Valley of Fire for beautiful scenery or Red Rock Canyon for a hiking area. You can drive on a paved road, there are several places you can park, and the kids and see native grasses and reptiles in a display area by the entrance.

I personally haven%26#39;t made it yet to VOF, but those who have say it is breathtaking views.

I would not take a tour. If you take a tour you are going to waste a lot of time picking up other passengers and dropping them off after the tour. You are going to be on their schedule-not your own. When they say you have to get on that bus- you have to get on that bus even if you want to stay longer or leave earlier. You will see what they want you to see. They usually stop someplace extra- someplace you may not want to go to. It is also going to be much much cheaper to rent a car for the day.

I always recommend Hoover Dam/Lake Mead/Valley of Fire. To me that is a ';must see.'; You can skip Hoover Dam if you want to-although it is interesting. Lake Mead has a cute paddleboat cruise you can take.

http://www.lakemeadcruises.com/

If you don%26#39;t want to do that you can go right to Valley of Fire. It has spectacular sandstone formations that are simply breathtaking. You will feel like you are in another world. You can just drive from formation to formation- stopping to get out of the car but to truly enjoy its beauty you can hike on some of the trails. Some are short- even for a child. Take plenty of water and wear closed shoes (not sandals). You can also bring food and have a picnic in its picnic area. It is definitely worth a visit. It is about an hour away.

http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm

Red Rock Canyon is also a possiblility. It is closer to the Strip but it is not nearly as spectacular or awe inspiring. They have a 13 mile loop you can drive with pull off points. They also have hiking trails. It is a favorite with rock climbers. But rather than go here I would choose VOF. Actually, both can be done in one day but after seeing VOF- RRC will be a disappointment.

I would not try to see the GC in a day- espeically with two young children in the car. It is a long long drive(5 hours each way).

If you rent the car in the morning you then have the car the rest of the day to go see other off strip attractions- Mystic Falls laser show at Sam%26#39;s Town, etc- and perhaps eat at an off strip restaurant.

Have fun-whatever you decide to do.

Thank you all so much but I have a few more questions if you can help.

The Valley of fire sounds very tempting and I think hiring a car seems to make sense too, although I%26#39;ve heard driving on the strip is a nightmare. Also I %26#39;ve heard you have to spend a lot more on insurance than the car itself - is this true? Am I right in presuming that the weather will be around the high 60s to low 70s in late March? Good walking weather but it%26#39;s hard to imagine this dry heat I%26#39;ve read about.

Is it easy to hire a car for a day when we get there?

Our kids are also fine with walking and we all love picnics.

I%26#39;ll do a couple of searches on VoF and Lake Mead - this sounds like a good option time wise.

The GC can be saved for another time. :)

Hi

I have just had a quick look at those websites. Very useful thank you.

Driving on the strip can be a real pain but most of the time you do not have to drive on the strip. You can get a good map and use the back and side roads- even to get in and out of many of the garages. This site will help:

vegas.com/transportation/parkinggarages.html

Parking is free at all the strip hotels- even if you are not a guest. You can valet park- just leave a tip.

Traffic around LV is like traffic in any big city. It is not the greatest but it is doable.

Insurance does cost a lot. In the US most people%26#39;s own car insurance covers a rental as do many credit card companies. From what I have read on this forum- it is a different situation in the UK. People from the UK have recommended going through a site that is located there but I never paid much attention to it since I never needed it. You can start a new thread asking about it and I am sure you will get help. Most hotels have car rental kiosks in the hotel itself.

Weather- It is hard to predict what the weather will be like since the temps vary a great deal. The average high at that time- low 70s but the highs can range from the 40s to the 90s. Average low-around 50 but can range from the 30s to the 60s.

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/vef/climate/page5.php

You will not be hit with the very high heat that occurs in the summer.

vp03 - You are wonderful - What detailed and useful answers. Thank you.