Vegas � A Family Getaway Destination

Las Vegas is a great family holiday destination. This city, famed for its numerous casinos and its scintillating nightlife also has a lot of activities that you could enjoy as a family. In fact, many casinos recognize the importance of family vacations and offer a host of family-friendly activities alongside their primary gambling attractions.

One of the main attractions in Las Vegas, other than the casinos is the High Roller. The High Roller is a 909-foot high roller coaster at the Stratosphere Hotel. Unless a newer and bigger roller coaster comes along, the High Roller has the distinction of being the highest roller coaster in the world, making it literally the biggest attraction in Las Vegas. The High Roller consists of tracks in excess of 800 feet and with sharply banking turns that could zip you along at speeds as high as 32 miles an hour. This exhilarating ride could set you back $5 a trip and you do get daily passes. As with most roller coasters, especially ones that are so high and steep, height restrictions are enforced.

Another great activity to indulge in with the kids is spending the day at the zoo. The Nevada Zoological and Botanical Park makes no tall claims of being the biggest zoo in the world, nevertheless it is a great way to spend the day with the kids. They have quite a few exotic birds and animals including wallabies, ostriches, flamingoes and emus. The chimpanzees at this zoo are a huge hit with the smaller kids. Sometimes their antics could even impress older kids. You can make a choice between a half-day and a full day ecotour of the desert. This could be a great fun-cum-learning experience for children as they learn about so many different aspects of the desert.

Who could resist the romantic charms of a gondola ride? You could stay at the Venetian Hotel and Casino and experience its authentic gondola ride as a double bonus. You have a choice of outdoor as well as indoor gondola rides. The gondolier serenades you with the romantic sounds of Venice while you float under bridges and past beautiful landscapes. There are romantic 2-person gondola rides as well as gondola rides for the whole family. Reservations for gondola rides have to be done in person on the same day as the ride.

Did you know there was a Madame Tussaud�s Wax Museum in Las Vegas? This is an absolutely-must-do on your Las Vegas family vacation. It offers you that unforgettable opportunity of golfing with Tiger Woods, singing with Elvis and sailing with the infamous Jack Sparrow. Here you could come face to face with some of Hollywood�s most famous faces. Don�t forget to take your camera along to record those memorable moments.

Las Vegas, the original gambling town was completely focused on its casinos and glitzy nightlife. Rather lately the city has recognized the importance of promoting family activities alongside the gambling activities. The gambling casinos themselves offer families a lot of tempting choices that have families coming back for more!

Now you can know when air is bad (Las Vegas Sun)

Many Las Vegans simply rely on a quick check of the brown ring of smog across the mountains rimming the Las Vegas Valley for an indication of our air quality.

Advice: There's no known cure for brown spots (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

It's like the good old days - catching up before the end of the year on last-minute mail. Whether you send email (petworld(at)stevedale.tv) or snail mail, I read it all. Here are a few samples: "Dear Steve: I felt compelled to write you about the brown spots on the lawn caused by dog urine.

15:24 (BST), 11/12/2008 Indie MMO Game Developers Conference 3.0 Press Release PROVIDED BY GAMES PRESS Las Vegas, NV – ... (gamesindustry.biz)

Las Vegas, NV – December 8, 2008 – Last Straw Productions announced today the location details for the upcoming Indie MMO Game Developers Conference 3.0, set for April 17-19, 2009. Newly established in the accessible city of Las Vegas, the conference will be held at the Alexis Park Resort Hotel.

16:08 (BST), 16/12/2008 Monster Jam: Urban Assault Press Release PROVIDED BY GAMES PRESS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SANTA ... (gamesindustry.biz)

SANTA MONICA, CA – DECEMBER 16, 2008 – Monster Jam® is proud to announce that fans will once again be able to “game their way to Vegas” in the Monster Jam: Urban Assault National Tournament, the video game equivalent of the Monster Jam World Finals.

Bob Owens (Pahrump Valley Times)

Longtime Pahrump resident Bob Owens was born in Searchlight in 1910. When he was 7, his family moved to Las Vegas, where they built a house on 40 acres about three miles northwest of downtown that his mother had purchased for $1.25 per acre.