Need something to do (Las Vegas, Henderson: rent, home builders, movies)

Buy a couple loaves of day old bread and go out to Lake Mead. You can feed the always hungry fish at the marina. You can have lunch, even rent a boat for a couple hours.

Or go tour the Ethel M Chocolate factory on Mountain Vista. Interesting, free samples. And they have a huge(acres) cactus garden you can walk through. It's really pretty.

Go to Lake Mead. Swim...rent a boat...fish. Go to Red Rock Canyon..hike. Henderson has some nice parks try them. Contact the Rec Dept. See what programs exist. Join a church...try the church groups. Many schools have programs.

Talk to a couple of neighbors. Parents of other kids may provide opportunities. Join things. Volunteer. Libraries, politicians, museums, hospitals all use volunteers. These provide contacts and contacts provide opportunity.

One of my favorite things to do there was always hiking at Red Rock. They have guided hike tours that are free. You can look up the schedule online or call them. They give you the hike description and let you know how long it is and if it would be appropriate for kids.

Other things... the movies, bowling (there's a bowling alley on Sunset that's not in a casino), Chuck E. Cheese, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, etc.

oh dear god, the bowling alley on sunset is connected to a casino, the roof will fall down, lol...whats wrong with anything being in a casino? You moved to Vegas knowing there would be gaming and it is our main industry, some of the best things for kids are in casinos...

There's a family friendly event coming up in Green Valley Ranch that will run from May 5th (Sat) 10-6 and May 6th 10-5. It’s called Festival of the Arts and Spring Fling. It will host three events: an art festival, a Spring Fling and It’s a Dog Life.

The art festival will feature 50 painters, and artists from around the country who will display their works as well as create them live. There will be live music too at The Courtyard stage.

The Spring Fling will have art projects for the kids and live entertainment.

It’s a Dog’s Life will showcase 15 custom dog houses created by home builders in the Las Vegas valley which will be auctioned off on Sunday following the art festival. Proceeds will benefit charitable organizations. Also, pet adoptions will be held from 12 – 3 pm. This event is dog-friendly so people can bring their pets along.

I’m assuming this is an annual event. I’ve never been to one so I can’t say whether it will be fun or not. In any case, have fun if you go.

I honestly never even realized it (Sunset Lanes) was connected to a casino! Learn something new everyday....

I've bowled there before several times and never noticed a casino. I guess I just paid attention to the bowling alley.

I would think if you want to bowl it's a good option because you aren't walking through a casino (like at Sam's Town or something). But I've bowled at the bowling alley's inside quite a few casinos and they are great! Lots of kids are in there bowling too. It might be in a casino but it's still family friendly in the alley. I was always partial to bowling at Sam's Town.

I always liked going bowling at the Gold Coast...

What kinds of things are you interested in? You'll find just about anything around here but you've got to get out to enjoy most of it. If you are an outdoors type there are all kinds of outdoors activities. If you have a lot of motivation and energy, there are lots of great hikes in the Spring Mountains (Mt. Charleston), from short hikes to waterfalls, to an 18 mile round trip to Charleston Peak and back. That one is best done as an overnighter, but many people do it in one day as a sunup to sundown walk in the woods. On Mt. Charleston you'll find the oldest living things on earth, the bristle cone pine trees that were growing up there before Jesus' time. Southern Utah is a relatively short drive and Zion National Park a little ways from St. George is amazing. Then there are at least three museums that aren't bad, not world class, but not bad. There is also the Lost City Museum ( ancient Anasazi Indian site) at Overton which is pretty interesting if you don't mind a little drive to get there. But keep in mind that this is the wide open spaces of the wild west, and driving long distances is no big deal. Neither are the distances all that long from our perspective. If you go to the Lost City Museum be sure to take the route through the Valley of Fire. Much larger than Red Rock Canyon and more interesting stuff such as petrified wood from trees that haven't existed there for eons of time, and ancient Indian petroglyphs over 900 years old all over the place, and lots more. Floyd Lamb State Park (which may now belong to the city) is a great place to go for fishing, picnics, relaxing in the shade, horseback rides, touring the historical buildings, etc. You won't believe something like that exists in the desert. There is a small zoo on Rancho Road, plus there is a zoo of sorts at Bonnie Springs. The food ain't bad either. Spring Mountain Ranch is great place to take the kids too. I think you can get into Grand Slam Canyon without going through the casino at Circus Circus, and you can ride the roller coaster at NY NY but you'll have to close your eyes as you go through the dreaded casino to get to it. You newbies need to remember that the Nevada live and let live attitude about everything, including the casinos, gives you what you came here for, and doesn't annoy you with those things you came here to get away from. And as the man said in the book, Greenfelt Jungle, without casinos, Nevada wouldn't need a govenor, just a night watchman.

Grand Slam Canyon is now the AdventureDome, and its worse than ever, I wish the MGM Grand Adventures or Wet N Wild was still open (which wasn't part of a a casino and failed, as well as Scandia, even tho they closed for different reasons)...