For Christmas, Matt's sister Kori gave us a sizeable gift card placed inside of a cute, little bucket, along with instructions to use these funds to enjoy the remaining items on our Vegas Bucket List. Such a clever and thoughtful gift!
So, we dedicated this past 3-day-weekend to seeing the sights in Vegas! Here's what we did:
Friday night: Lion Habitat and Rainforest Cafe at the MGM. John loved the lions, attempted to hug most lion stuffed animals in the gift shop, and was completely enthralled by the "live" rainforest scenery at dinner. We sat near elephants and cheetahs, which acted up frequently, and the looks of excitement and fascination on John's face were priceless.
The lions laid down right above us!
Saturday morning: Bonnie Springs. Just outside of Vegas, past beautiful Redrock park, lies a restored Western town. The skits, stores, and displays were enjoyable, but John loved the train ride, duck pond, and petting zoo. He was just besides himself being able to pet donkeys, sheep, and deer that didn't try to run away or lick him.
Duck Pond
Petting Zoo
Spotting the train
The restored 1885 (?) train
Gorgeous Redrock backdrop
Rickety mining shaft. For Halloween, Bonnie Springs goes all out as "Bonnie Screams", with haunted houses galore. This mine shaft was creepy enough already!
Playing on the stage, rather than listening to the guided tour of the wax museum.
A sudden burst of affection while posing in front of the center of town. Love them open mouth kisses :)
Saturday night: Aquariums at Bass Pro Shop and Silverton Casino. The Silverton aquarium is huge and has a mermaid lady doing back flips, waving, and blowing kisses under water. John loved the animals on display in Bass Pro Shop and sharks in the aquariums.
Greeting the Mermaid
Fascinated by a spastic shark
Next, The District Carousel and Best of Las Vegas Dining. We had fun on the classic carousel, then enjoyed the top rated pizza restaurent, Settobella. Very authentic Italian. Delicious salads!
On his own!
Monday: The Natural History Museum and Discovery Museum. The Natural History Museum is not huge, but the displays were interesting and well done. We really enjoyed the exhibits and John did really well, enjoying 2 hours of pressing buttons and pointing out a huge variety of animals and dinosaurs.
John randomly assumed "professor pacing", with hands behind his back, slight hunch forward, and constant movement. Very appropriate for the venue.
The favorite exhibit
Best picture: Matt. A frogfish.
Playing Peek-a-boo in an African hut
Feeling a black bear's sleek fur (don't worry, it was allowed for these two!)
Pointing out sharks and manta rays in the tank
We finished off our weekend with a quick stop at the Kids Discovery Museum, where John loves all the hands-on exhibits.
A hurricane simulation. John looked like this for most of the "hurricane", but kept wanting to go back in.
Driving a plane with Dad
Overall, we had a lot of fun and saw a wide variety of attractions! Still on our list: Old Mormon Fort Park and Visitor's Center, Springs Preserve, Bodies Exhibit at Luxor, and Ethel M Chocolate Museum. Vegas really has a lot of great things to do and see!
What fun! It looks like all three of you had a really great time. I wish I had been able to make it to all of those places while I lived in Vegas. Hope you are all doing well. :) Cat
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