<p>My family will cap off a working staycation with a 10 day trip to Las Vegas. Plan to go to Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam. D will just turn 14 and S is almost 16. They are sort of over the amusement park thing. We have a week’s stay booked in Vegas but thinking of popping over to Hollywood + Venice Beach. </p>
<p>Please give me your suggestions of things we must see/must do on this trip.</p>
<p>Edit: First Thread started. Think it’s the wrong forum. ):</p>
<p>Make sure you stop at the Petrified National Forest and the Painted Desert in Az on your way. You could also see the Meteor Crater but although it’s interesting to see, it’s a privately run place and quite expensive to peer at the hole in the ground. This really needs to be a National Park! Not far from the Grand Canyon (relatively speaking) is Sedona that you might want to see.</p>
<p>I don’t know what time of year you’re going but Death Valley is very interesting to see and isn’t terribly far from Vegas. It’s very hot in the summer though.</p>
<p>You could also head up 395 in California and see Mammoth Lakes and then head on to Bodie National Historic park which is an old western town being preserved in a state of arrested decay. Along the way to there Mono Lake is interesting to see with its Tufa formations.</p>
<p>If you feel like a detour from the freeway you might want to stop at the ice caves in New Mexico. It’s something completely unexpected there.
<a href=“http://www.icecaves.com/[/url]”>http://www.icecaves.com/</a></p>
<p>A week in Vegas is along time depending on what you like. I suggest definitely heading to the beach around Venice/Santa Monica or anywhere from LA down to San Diego. </p>
<p>When in the LA area you might want to stop at Disneyland. It’s still a fun place for the ages of your family (including you). You could think about Universal Studios as well.</p>
<p>You might even want to head to LA for a couple of things, head to San Diego for a couple of things (Sea World, Zoo, beach), and then back to Vegas (about a 4.5-5 hour drive from SD).</p>
<p>Thanks GladGradDad! You’ve offered up lots of ideas. We’ll explore the “natural” wonders. The kids have really over done the amusement parks. The only one I could revisit is Sea World but one is conveniently a weekend trip away in San Antonio. San Diego Zoo might be worth the trip.</p>
<p>Ps. We leave Houston Aug 14, so in the heat. ;)</p>
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Yes, it’ll be hot in all the desert areas, Vegas, Death valley would be really hot, etc. Grand Canyon might be somewhat hot as well but the rim is at a higher altitude so it won’t be like the desert areas. The beaches would be a good respite from the hot weather.</p>
<p>If you drive I-15 from Vegas to LA/San Diego you might want to stop at Calico Ghost Town along the way by Yermo just east somewhat of Barstow for a break from driving. It’s somewhat interesting.
[Calico</a> Ghost Town](<a href=“http://cms.sbcounty.gov/parks/Parks/CalicoGhostTown.aspx]Calico”>http://cms.sbcounty.gov/parks/Parks/CalicoGhostTown.aspx)</p>
<p>In Long Beach there’s an aquarium and the Queen Mary. you could see both.
<a href=“http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/[/url]”>http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/</a>
<a href=“http://www.queenmary.com/[/url]”>http://www.queenmary.com/</a></p>
<p>In the San Diego area also has the Safari Park, formerly known as the Wild Animal Park, which is actually part of the SD zoo but 20 miles away in a large area that gives the animals much room to roam.
<a href=“http://www.sdzsafaripark.org/[/url]”>http://www.sdzsafaripark.org/</a></p>
<p>Since they’re burned out of amusement parks, what other things do they like to do? There are plenty of areas for hiking, mountain biking, both in the mountains and in beach and other areas, and of course at the beach - boogie boarding, surfing, sailing (even in little boats), etc.</p>
<p>Sadly, they don’t actually like to do anything. They like to go places and see things. They’ll be more than happy to do plain old sightseeing and will enjoy eating out.</p>
<p>We’ll add the Ghost Town stop and Safari Park to the SD Zoo trip. Then we’ll overnight in LA area to go to Venice Beach and the Hollywood.</p>
<p>We’re all prepared to withstand the heat to see the Grand Canyon from the skywalk. 
I’d love to hike there but I’ll be outvoted.</p>
<p>Haha - okay.</p>
<p>If you go to San Diego they might also want to see the aircraft carrier USS Midway -
[USS</a> Midway Aircraft Carrier | San Diego Museum | San Diego Tours](<a href=“http://www.midway.org/]USS”>http://www.midway.org/)
And wander along the waterfront and possibly see some of the other historic ships, do a bay cruise, go to Old Town for some history and Mexican food, the waterfront for seafood, Little Italy for Italian food, and any number of other places.
[Old</a> Town San Diego State Historic Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_San_Diego_State_Historic_Park]Old”>Old Town San Diego State Historic Park - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Go to La Jolla and wander along La Jolla Cove (very scenic) and check out the sea lions in Children’s Pool (a cove near La Jolla Cove - a short walk). If they actually feel like geting adventurous and doing something you could go to nearby La Jolla Shores beach and rent kayaks and paddle around (you’ll see places there and people kayaking). If you get lucky you might see some of the leopard sharks that hang around the La Jolla Shores area (harmless but cool looking).
<a href=“http://www.lajollabythesea.com/la-jolla-cove[/url]”>La Jolla by the Sea - The Official Website of La Jolla, California;
<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jolla_Cove[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jolla_Cove</a></p>
<p>Lots of other possibilities but I’m using up all your Vegas time.</p>
<p>Honestly, I’d skip southern California if your family is into more outdoorsy things (unless you /really/ want to hit up a beach), and instead I’d go to southern Utah. </p>
<p>I’d drive up to Denver, and then take I-70 west. You’ll get to see some of the most beautiful miles of highway along that stretch of Colorado. Along the way to LV, you could visit Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Bryce NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, drive along UT-12 one of the most beautiful roads in the country, and Zion NP. Then hit up LV at the end of your drive. Here’s a link to a brief map showing your general route: <a href=“http://■■■■■■/maps/g8CSJ[/url]”>http://■■■■■■/maps/g8CSJ</a></p>
<p>On your way home take the southern route and see the Hoover Dam (it’s alright…don’t take the more expensive tours, not worth the $$$) and Grand Canyon.</p>
<p>If you get to LV and find you’re not the kind of person that enjoys the city (I can’t even stand driving through it), you can always make trips out to Valley of Fire to the northeast. It’s easy to get to, and actually really nice for a state park.</p>
<p>The drive from LV to LA is dreadful, and traffic can be a bear around the state line if you go on a Sunday. If you do wind up coming to LA and want to see some nature, I recommend driving up into the San Gabriel mountains, maybe visiting Mt. Wilson. It’s a beautiful ride, there’s a neat tour you can take of the various telescopes/observatories, and it has a great view of the San Gabriel Valley.</p>
<p>I’m actually planning out a couple of day trip from Vegas and plan on going to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and spending a day or two in Page, AZ to take a boat cruise on Lake Powel to see the Rainbow Bridge and then a day of hiking at some of the nearby sights.</p>
<p>I agree with RacinReaver on how nice Utah is with all of its national parks but I mentioned what I did about Southern Cal because the OP stated they plan to go there.</p>
<p>On the drive between Vegas and LA/San Diego - try to avoid driving to California from Vegas on a Sunday unless you do it very early in the morning because the traffic can be lousy even in the middle of nowhere. It stacks up when the freeway goes from 3 lanes each way in Nevada to 2 lanes each way in California. Outside of that timeframe though the drive shouldn’t be bad.</p>
<p>There’s lots to do/see so it’s just a matter of what you’re interested in and how much time you have and your tolerance for driving distances.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy your time in Las Vegas! For a family that enjoys sight seeing and restaurant dining, this is a great place to stay. </p>
<p>I concur with RacinReaver and GladGradDad about the drive between Las Vegas and LA. Absolutely do not drive to Las Vegas on Friday or to LA on a Sunday (or the Monday of a holiday weekend) - the traffic is guaranteed to be ridiculous. </p>
<p>Hoover Dam is right next door and will only take a few hours to tour. It is quite an amazing sight, and the tour is worthwhile. While you’re there, take the time to also visit the bypass bridge. There is parking on the Nevada side, and a protected sidewalk on the bridge (almost 1000 feet above the river), provides spectacular views of the river and Hoover Dam.</p>
<p>If you are planning to do the skywalk at Grand Canyon West, it is best to do it on your way to or from Las Vegas since it is a 2.5 hour drive away.</p>
<p>@ RacinReaver - thanks for the tip about traffic into CA. I was considering going on Sunday because I figured that’s when Venice beach is at it’s liveliest. </p>
<p>@ LVKris - the kids are soo looking forward to see what’s all the fuss about Vegas. They don’t mind at all that it’s “bright lights big city.” Hoping to sample some good foods, at night with all the lights on. </p>
<p>@ GladGradDad - I’ve decided on the scenic route through NM to see the Ice Caves + Meteor Crater + Painted Desert on the way to overnight in Flagstaff. It seems very doable and totally worth it.</p>
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<p>I’m sure your son will enjoy all the hawkers along the strip giving out little cards that are pretty darned explicit. ;)</p>
<p>I’d also recommend trying to get to Hoover Dam as early as possible. The time I went there was hardly any traffic when we showed up (I don’t remember what time, but I remember after our tour we were still able to get lunch by 11:30), but by the time we left the traffic jam was enormous to either get across the bridge or park to view it. I’m not sure how things have chance since they opened that alternate bridge (I think it’s open now…?).</p>
<p>Also, GladGradDad, have you ever driven the stretch on I-40 coming from Flagstaff back to LA on a Sunday or holiday Monday? My current vacation plan is hitting a pretty bad block with being forced to drive from St George back to LA on a holiday Monday, and I’m not sure if we’ll be able to wake up at 5 AM to beat the traffic after all the days of hiking we have planned.</p>
<p>You should see if you can find the Brady Bunch goes to the Grand Canyon episode :p</p>
<p>We did the “big holes in the ground:” tour one year with our kids. Stayed in Vegas cause it was inexpensive and went to death valley for a photo op and dinner at some little tourist trap restaurant. On the way back it was dark and all we could hear were the coyotes howling…we all joined in an still laugh about that silly moment. Then we did Hoover Dam. Don’t forget to spit over the wall… The third big hole was the Grand Canyon. Once we arrived, we took a helicopter tour. We were flying low over rock and prairie grasses…all of a sudden the Chariots of Fire music was blaring and the ground dropped out from under us. It was the most spectacular site ever!</p>
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I have but can’t remember anything too specific about it. It shouldn’t be nearly as bad as I-15. It hits I-15 at Barstow and by Barstow the bad I-15 traffic from Vegas has usually strung out enough that it’s no longer so packed like it is from the California border on towards Barstow. You may run into a bit a merging traffic there though.</p>
<p>It’s hard to say whether it’s worth the detour or not as far as time savings and frustration savings. It might be worth it for the latter alone even if it ends up costing a bit more time.</p>
<p>I haven’t tried it but you might want to check out this map on some Sundays between now and then to see how traffic is at around the time of day you think you might drive it - </p>
<p>[i-40</a> Kingman Traffic Conditions](<a href=“http://www.i40highway.com/i-40-traffic/kingman.html]i-40”>i-40 Kingman Arizona Traffic Conditions)</p>
<p>As of now I’m staying the night in Page, AZ on Saturday night, planning to see some of the stuff around there for the day. Have a hotel booked in St George for Sunday night (maybe visit Zion for the fourth time to get in a hike we haven’t done), then make the rest of the ride on holiday Monday. Other option is to keep going south after Page on Sunday morning, maybe stopping at the Grand Canyon (again…). Haven’t been to Death Valley, but I’m not sure if that’s worth stopping at since then I know I’ll hit all the traffic at Barstow and going westbound all the way across the 210.</p>
<p>It’s funny, for as much as I love driving the wide open roads out there (as well as the small back country roads), I hate getting stuck in LA traffic. Something about the way people compete over the smallest little gap makes me get so agitated.</p>
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<p>I agree with RR on this, Lake Powell is amazing, the tour boat will show it to you, unless you wanted to rent a boat or jet skis yourself, but for a quick stop, the tour boat will show you the high points.</p>
<p>RR- be sure to drive down 89 past Wal-Mart, toward Flagstaff, about 10 minutes south of Wal-Mart, you can park and walk to Horseshoe Bend:[File:Horseshoe</a> Bend 1 md.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Horseshoe_Bend_1_md.jpg]File:Horseshoe”>File:Horseshoe Bend 1 md.jpg - Wikipedia)
Very Darwinian, no guard rails, and yes, people and dogs like to go to the edge and many years someone or some critter falls off.</p>
<p>Also near Page are various slot canyons, like Antelope.<a href=“http://navajonationparks.org/htm/antelopecanyon.htm[/url]”>http://navajonationparks.org/htm/antelopecanyon.htm</a>
Google Images.</p>
<p>If you like to hike, you can try for a day permit to “the wave” but I am not sure I would do that in August! People have died this summer getting lost and overheated</p>
<p>Bryce is cool to see with all the HooDoos, Zion is also nice.</p>
<p>Arte you driving from Houston?</p>
<p>Houston to Carlsbad Caverns, NM, on to Santa Fe/Taos, Chaco Canyon and on to Las Vegas then Grand Canyon</p>
<p>JamCafe- If your Grand Canyon adventure takes you anywhere near Sedona, you might also hit Jerome. It is a very artsy little community up the 89 less than an hour from Sedona. If you take the 89 from the 40 up the back way to Jerome, it is a beautiful drive with great views of the valley below including the Grand Canyon. </p>
<p>If you do opt to go to San Diego from LA, also be wary of the traffic between the two cities. The 2-1/2 hour drive can easily turn into a 4 hour drive, especially on the weekends. I would make sure you go first thing in the morning or late in the evening to avoid traffic. </p>
<p>If you are in the Hollywood area you might go up to the Griffith Observatory as it offers a wonderful view of the surrounding area. There are also some cool hiking trails in Griffith Park. My kids tend to like Santa Monica and it is a fun place to hang out- there is the pier there and Malibu beaches are not far. You can rent bikes and ride the boardwalk down to Venice. Also, as someone else noted, La Jolla Cove is a very cool area to go. You can walk out the walkway to the water where the sea lions are playing just feet away, you can go kayaking in the cove, and there are a lot of neat little restaurants and shops. Another really fun place to eat is at the Torrey Pines Gliderport which is right across from UC San Diego in La Jolla. There is great little cafe there and you can sit out on the bluff to eat while watching the paragliders and hanggliders taking off right there. If you are adventurous and want to spend the money you can do tandem paragliding with an instructor. Pricey but well worth it - an amazing experience!!! My kids had outgrown the Wild Animal Park by 13 or 14 and would have been bored there.</p>
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<p>@ some mom - Yikes! I clicked on your link and Horseshoe Bend is breathtaking. I was tempted to make the detour then I saw the falling off bit… </p>
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That’s the whole point right?</p>
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<p>Hahaha. I think he’ll more likely be grossed out but we’ll see. This is a test…</p>
<p>The pink jeep tour was fun when we were in Sedona. I thought meteor crater was a waste of money, especially if you are headed to the Grand Canyon.
Enjoy…it sounds fun.</p>
<p>My teenage boys found the painted desert rather dull…so did me and hubby. They didn’t enjoy the drive just to “look”</p>
<p>We drove from Phoenix (flew from Philly) to the painted desert, viewed the GC but didn’t make a big deal out of it, just a stop, no hiking or donkeys…that would have been nice to do.</p>
<p>Went on to Vegas, drove by the Hoover dam and don’t think we stopped. I cant remember because i saw it as a kid and dont know what i am remembering! We did the ghost town, which I had forgotten until i saw it written. Got some cute photos of the kids in jail.</p>
<p>They weren’t overly excited by Vegas because they weren’t old enough to gamble. I think they were 13 and 16 give or take a year. They liked the food and sights though. Wish I had had the $ to stay at a hotel with awesome pools for them.</p>
<p>On to LA, is that where Universal is? We went on a tour and saw a sitcom being filmed. Went to the beach out there…what it called, maybe Venice beach? It was different from Jersey.</p>
<p>Finally to San Diego to stay for 3 nights at a nice marina hotel. The young one got up early to get his gear and go fishing. It was cool to see him get up early (6:30am) on his own and take himself to the tackle shop The weather and pool were nice. We biked over the bridge to the beach. Dad and boys took a fishing trip one day on a charter boat. It was quite a whirlwind, I think it was 10 days. We flew home from San Diego. So many people think you need to fly home from the same airport you went to originally, but you don’t. It was nice, wish we’d stretched the time and seen more of San Diego, but we wanted some chill time to relax.</p>
<p>Rainbow bridge sounds familiar too. We made a lot of stops and I can’t even remember. We had our guide books and all kinds of stuff to find our way and find what to see. There were a lot of canyons for sure. I also remember stopping somewhere with Indian stuff where I bought a clay vase. I forget where it even was!</p>
<p>Have fun.</p>
![http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Horseshoe_Bend_1_md.jpg]File:Horseshoe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Horseshoe_Bend_1_md.jpg%5DFile:Horseshoe){kind=link}
