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It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t fe It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t feel like it in Miami, it really never does but that just gives us a reason to explore other states. West Virginia is one of them, fun fact I actually lived here between undergrad and grad school! Here are Things to do in West Virginia (SAVE + SHARE): 

1. Enjoy New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, or visit any of the states 35 state parks as West Virginia has 1.5 million acres of parks and public land. We personally walked the Shavers Lake Trail and canoed on the lake. 

2. Enjoy some serious adventures! We’re always trying something new and West Virginia offers a lot of options from whitewater rafting, to 1,000+ miles of off-road ATV trails, to rock climbing, caving and mountain biking . 

3. Take a train ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad which stops at the Whittaker Camp where those who worked in the lumber and coal industry lived during the work season. 

4. Explore Cranberry Glades Botanical Area where you might just get to see some black bears! 

5. Walk the Falls of Hills Creak trail to get up close to some gorgeous waterfalls! 

This week I’ll be sharing various cities and states you can experience a beautiful Fall getaway. What are some of your favorite places to enjoy autumn?

Tap the link in my bio for my West Virginia blog post and a blog post of the best places to experience Fall in the US!
Still not over our day exploring the waters of For Still not over our day exploring the waters of Fort Pierce. We danced, snorkeled, fished and went tubing. Definitely want more days like this and still pinch myself that this is what a day of work looks like for me sometimes. Thank you @seadoo for the opportunity.
If you know my husband you know water activities a If you know my husband you know water activities are his favorite! Fishing, jet skiing, just being on a boat on the ocean relaxing, name it, he’s there. So we couldn’t be more excited than to not only get the chance to test out the new @seadoo Switch but be the stars of a whole commercial for it. We had entirely too much fun filming this. Of course now he wants to buy one!

Do you like getting out on the water? Favorite activity?
Our 3 Day London Itinerary (SAVE + SHARE): 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 1: Walked across the Tower Bridge (you can take a tour of London of Tower as well), walked along the River Thames and took a make a fascination hat class with @create_your_own_hat! 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 2: Harry Potter walking tour, checked out Borough Market and went on a night ghost bus tour. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 3: Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen, Buckingham Palace for Changing of the Guards, and explore Westminster for the infamous red telephone booths, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

If you have more time on previous visits to London we have taken a day trip to check out Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle, rode the London Eye, took a ferry ride down the Thames River, checked out Warner Brother Studios, and did a graffiti/street art tour.

Is London on your list? If you’ve been what did you do that you think is a must for visitors?

Things to do in London, London with kids, family travel
Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are no Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are not babies anymore. Where has the time gone? Excuse me while I go cry in the corner 😭😭😭😭. 

Too in my feelings to provide an informational post, I’ll be back tomorrow.
Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? List Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? Listen replace husband with whoever you need to but why these ppl keep acting like we can take our money when we’re gone?!? Y’all feel me or nah? 😅😬😩
Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is us Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is usually on everyone’s things to do in London list but since the girls and I don’t eat beef or pork the menus for most places didn’t make sense for us as they are filled with ham sandwiches and other things we don’t eat. I ended up finding Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen instead which offers a tea menu with breakfast items, while not traditional it worked best for us! It cost £35 pp.

For a traditional Afternoon or High Tea Try:

🫖Palm Court at The Ritz
🫖The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason
🫖Theatre Royal Drury Lane
🫖The Grill Room Hotel Cafe Royal (has vegetarian an vegan options)
🫖Coronation Afternoon Tea at Cellarium, Westminster Abbey
🫖The Rosebery Coronation Afternoon Tea at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
🫖The Goring Hotel

Afternoon Teas Geared Towards Families:

☕️Peter Pan Afternoon Tea at Aqua at The Shard
☕️Jurassic Afternoon Tea at the Ampersand Hotel
☕️Jungle Book Afternoon Tea at Brown’s Hotel
☕️Secret Garden Afternoon Tea at Taj 51
☕️The Buzzy Bees Afternoon Tea at St. Ermin’s Hotel
☕️Grover’s Children’s Tea at Grosvenor House Hotel
☕️The Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
☕️Sherlock Holmes Inspired Afternoon Tea at the Mind Palace
☕️Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tea at One Aldwych
☕️Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea at The Sanderson
☕️Wizard of Oz Afternoon Tea at The Soho Hotel

Have you done a proper Afternoon or High Tea in London before? Was the one you did on this list, if so what did you think of it? If you have additional recommendations please do leave a comment!

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3 Days in Las Vegas With a Toddler

July 7, 2016      Destinations, Nevada, North America

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

Why would you go to Las Vegas with a toddler when it’s better known as sin city? Well outside of the strip regular people live in Las Vegas and many of them have kids so yes you can plan a Las Vegas family vacation. Here’s how to spend 3 days in Las Vegas with a toddler or older kids too!

Toddler girl standing in front of the welcome to Las Vegas sign at the airport

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you.

How to Get to Las Vegas with a Toddler on a Budget

I had just quit my job and had two weeks (unpaid) before starting my new job and I wanted to take advantage of this spontaneous time off . Where we went didn’t matter but it needed to be affordable but I couldn’t find any posted flights deals for the upcoming week. I turned to Skyscanner to find the cheapest flights from my home airport in the next two weeks. If you have a specific destination in mind but are flexible on the dates you can also search Skyscanner for the cheapest time to go to that destination. I was able to find tickets from Miami for under $200 4th of July weekend. They have a free app I use often, download it here.

You May Be Interested in Reading: Tips on Flying with Toddlers

When to Travel to Las Vegas with a Toddler

Since I was traveling to Las Vegas with a toddler in the dead of summer, we started our days very early in the morning to beat the burning sun. We then took a long afternoon break before heading out as the sun began to set. Be sure to always take water with you when you’re exploring the outdoors and bring plenty of sunscreen. We visited again in November as the starting point of our Southwest road trip and the weather was much more enjoyable. I recommend visiting October-November or March through mid-April for the mildest weather.


Things to Do in Las Vegas with a Toddler

Day 1: Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and 7 Magic Mountains

We landed in Vegas at 9:30AM with a full day ahead of us. We went straight to the Hoover Dam which is a 40min drive from the airport. Parking at the Hoover Dam is $10 per vehicle. If you just want access to the Visitor’s Center without going on a tour it is also $10. The Power Plant tours lasts 30mins while the Hoover Dam tour takes 1 hour.

The Hoover Dam tour is only accessible to those over 8 and wheelchairs and crutches are not allowed. If either of these restrictions apply to your group you can only do the Power Plant Tour. Honestly we got most of the information from the short movie they show before each tour so if you can’t do the Dam tour you aren’t missing too much. All Hoover Dam tours are free for kids 3 and under. The Power Plant tour is $15 and the Hoover Dam tour is $30. They have special discounts for seniors and military personnel and you can find more info here.

mom holding daughter in front of a bridge 

On the way back to Vegas to stopped at the Lake Mead Overlook. It’s a short stop but you get a stunning view of this man made lake.

Mom holding daughter in front of a lake

By this time in the afternoon it was about 112 degrees so we rested a bit. Around 5PM we headed out to Seven Magic Mountains, a perfect stop when visiting Las Vegas with toddlers. It’s a temporary art exhibition 10 miles south of Las Vegas and my toddler was so fascinated. Who can blame her, these 30-35 foot colorful boulders are quite a site to see in the middle of the desert. It will only be here until May 2018 so make your visit quickly! (Edited to add the exhibit has been extended until at least the end of 2018 with plans to keep it longer.)
​

You May Be Interested in Reading: Things to do in Las Vegas with Kids: The Ultimate List

 

Las Vegas with a Toddler Day 2: Red Rock Canyon

We spent our 2nd day exploring Red Rock Canyon, a National Conservation area located about 13miles from the strip. They have a 17 mile scenic drive in addition to quite a few trails ranging in difficulty. Don’t worry you can still see lots of its beauty from the several overlook stations if you’re not up for a hike.

mom and daughter in front of Red Rock Canyon sign

The park opens at 6AM and closes at 8PM during certain times of the year so be sure to check out their website to confirm the hours during your stay. The current cost is $7 per vehicle. The Visitor’s Center is a great place for kids to explore and learn about the canyon and the wildlife that live there. It is only open from 8AM so if you are headed there earlier you will have to kill some time before it opens.

girl sitting on rock with red rock canyons in the background

If you are really adventurous you can also camp overnight in the park. The amount of time you spend in the park really depends on how many trails you hike. There are also many overlooks you can stop at take in the views. We spent about 3hrs in the park. There are restrooms at each overlook but they are basically outhouses so be prepared to hold your breath or hold it until you get to the visitors center.

mom holding daughter at red rock canyon

Day 3 in Las Vegas with a Toddler: Flamingo Hotel, Shark Reef Aquarium, The Wynn, and the Bellagio Fountain Show

We spent our 3rd and last full day` exploring the strip. I know what you’re thinking. Are there things for to do on the Las Vegas strip with toddlers? There is plenty and the best part is a lot of them are free!

We started the day at the Flamingo to visit their free wildlife habitat. It is a small outdoors habitat with various birds: parrots, pelicans, and flamingos. Nothing exciting for an adult but my toddler was very excited to see the Flamingos. They open at 8AM and have two daily pelican feedings at 8:30AM and 2:00PM.  We parked in their parking garage which is still free, (all MGM properties have begun to charge for parking unless you have a Nevada license). You can find out more info on the Wildlife Habitat here.

girl standing in front of flamingo exhibit

Next we drove down to the end of the strip near Circus Circus and had breakfast at the Peppermill, a neon-lit diner that has been on the strip since 1972. They have their own parking lot which is free for customers to park in. Both the food and service was great and they have high chair! Check out their menu here.

Circus Circus has a free circus show every 30mins, starting at 11AM until midnight. We aren’t huge circus fans so we skipped this activity but it’s a great option when visiting Las Vegas with toddlers.

We drove to the other end of the strip to Mandalay Bay to check out the Shark Reef Aquarium. Mandalay Bay is apart of MGM properties and parking is no longer free unless you self park and stay less than 60mins. Nevada state license holders are granted free parking with ID until December 30, 2016. You can find out about parking fees at each hotel on the strip here.

Shark Reef Aquarium is small by adult standards but a great size for toddlers. They have a touch tank that my daughter did not want to leave. They also have two walk through aquariums where the fish are swimming on both sides of you and above you. Admission is free for kids 3 and under, 4-12 is $14, and adults are $20 for standard admission. If you have a Nevada license you receive a $3 discount per person. Find out about more admission options here.

girl leaning on display glass at aquarium

After the Aquarium it was time for a nap. We waited until it cooled down to head back to the strip and drove to the Wynn which has free valet. Here we checked out their sick array of flower displays including a hot air balloon and carousel. It is so amazing what they did with flowers and my daughter was so excited, jumping up and down when she saw them.

girl looking at a hot air balloon made out of flowers

We left Wynn and drove down to the Bellagio (no more free parking). Here we went to their Conservatory and Botanical Garden. The level of excitement on my daughter’s face with her screeching when she saw this place was so unbelievable. It made me so happy!

girl looking at botanical garden with seahorse shaped flower display

After the botanical gardens we walked to the front of the hotel to take some pictures with the Eiffel tower in the background and watched the fountain show. Then we got some gelato and walked to the other side of the fountain to watch another show- they are each different as the water moves to a different song. The shows are from 3PM-midnight, every 30mins from 3-8PM and every 15mins from 8PM-midnight. It was nearly 9PM so we headed back but Jordyn had a great time.

 

We’ve since been to Las Vegas with toddler three times and here is an updated extensive list of additional things we’ve done with them. I hope I’ve convinced you that Las Vegas with a toddler is possible and appropriate. Looking to explore more of Nevada? Check out our Nevada road trip itinerary here. If you’re looking for the best places to eat in Las Vegas, check out this post from a local. Share this article to show someone else there are things to do in Las Vegas with a toddler. Enjoy your Las Vegas family vacation!

The Traveling Child is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

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Comments

  1. Mercedes says

    December 28, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    I’m planning to visit las vegas next month with my baby! She is 9 months and this has great tips on what to do 🙂
    Thank you!!

    • Monet says

      December 31, 2017 at 2:45 pm

      There is so much to do in Las Vegas besides the strip and we only scratched the surface. Enjoy your trip next month, and Happy New Year!

  2. Sidney says

    December 31, 2017 at 1:56 am

    What hotel did you all stay at?

    • Monet says

      December 31, 2017 at 2:44 pm

      We stayed with my friend who was living there at the time. I have stayed at Treasure Island previously before I had kids, it was nice, but it is at the end of the strip.

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Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

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