Las Vegas

There's Bruno's Indian Museum, and the Las Vegas Natural History Museum for Native American history.

If you're interested in art, you can always check out the Indian River Gallery and IndianSoulArt. I do believe the second one is really just a store, though.

The Valley of Fire State Park has petroglyphs from early man, which is something in which I'd be very interested.

I'm definitely going to look into the parks. That's more my style. I also found some bus tours that Max and I might be able to enjoy.

I pasted one for example but it looks like there are plenty to choose from

1-Day Grand Canyon West Rim Bus Tour from Las Vegas [E] - TakeTours

When I lived in Germany my grandma came to visit and she took me on a bus tour through a couple countries. I remember when we went to a mountain in Switzerland she actually got down on her hands and knees and drank the water that streamed down....

Also, if you do go to the Grand Canyon, bring a jacket. I'm not sure if it'll be as bad as when I was there, but I'm glad I had my coat in my car because when we stopped at Hoover Dam, it was around 70 degrees and sunny. We got to the Grand Canyon at just before sunset (we were only there maybe an hour or so) and, at 6000 feet above sea level, it was maybe 15 degrees.

When my bf and I went to Vegas last year, we went on an ATV tour in the desert with these guys:

Awesome Adventures Las Vegas and Utah Tours

And it was totally awesome, definitely my favorite thing we did when we were there!! And they do lots of different things (kayaking, horse rides), and they have pick ups all along the strip. They also let you actually go into the Techatticup Gold Mine, which I found to be the coolest thing!!

If/when we go back I will definitely book these guys again, and definitely something to look into, but I don't know if they do kids ATVs or not..

Have fun!! And if you want to see something fun in the evenings there's the pirate show outside treasure island which is totally free :)

OMIGOSH! Thanks Anebel! I'll have to e-mail them to make sure Max could come but WOW!

I loved Vegas, I went when I was 13 & we went to Circus Circus for a day, I have to say that was the most fun. (your 8yo would most likely LOVE IT)
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I have to say, this is highly amusing to read solely because I lived in vegas from 17-24 and I STILL hate to return to the place for more than a day or two. :P

My family and I went every couple years when I was younger. I guess I can only give you a kid-friendly perspective...I haven't been since I was about 12. The highlight of the kid's lives was going to Circus Circus to play all the carnival games. Your son will be able to spend hours in there, but be warned - you'll come back with a ridiculous amount of stuffed animals.

Other than that, Treasure Island used to put on a cool, free pirate show - not sure if they still do that. The Bellagio? Maybe? Has a water show that's set to music. Excalibur has a Medieval Times-esque dinner show where knights joust. I went to Medieval Times last year and loved it as an adult and as a kid, so if it's similar, it'd be a great choice for both you and your son.

The adults always dragged all us kids around to look at the different hotels and architectures - we always hit Caesar's Palace without fail. I'd like to do that now that I have an appreciation for that kind of thing. Also, the Mirage has a white tiger/white lion/dolphin sanctuary that I've never been to, but it looks neat.

Oh Crimson believe me, I HATE Vegas with a passion. I find it to be a paean to gluttony, rampant consumerism, and the pursuit of the almighty dollar, as well as pandering to all sorts of questionable impulses. But hey, whatever floats people's boats, right?

Nevada now, that's another story. The whole state isn't Vegas. In fact, when I went to Vegas, I was surprised at how small it actually was. It looks huge on TV and in the movies.

There were exactly 3 things I liked in Vegas: the mini NYC streets in New York New York, the Bellagio fountains, and the inclinators at the Luxor.

I'm a big country outdoors girl. I'm trying to expand my horizons. My parents dragged me all over Europe and I remember being so cranky about it. Looking back... How many kids get to spend their summer in Europe? Anyway... I did the NY thing and while I did not like NY, I had a blast. It really was an amazing experience. I didn't like the way I felt there, with all the people and cars and buildings but I really did enjoy myself. It's definitely something that's worth doing once.

I think Vegas will be the same, something worth doing at least once. I'm still debating. Husband hasn't gotten any definite on whether he's going to the conference or not so it may not happen. I told him that I am going to tag along on something this summer. I can't go to alot of the stuff he does, but a conference... that I can go to...