te nights in a row, we all wanted to sleep in a little. Once everyone was up and clean, we walked from our camp/parking lot site over to the Circus Circus buffet for breakfast. I probably mentioned before that Circus Circus is one of the older casinos on the strip. But it is really the only one that caters to families. And because it is older, and not as fancy and shiny as the new casinos, the prices for the restaurants and amusements are much more reasonable. And having turned the back parking lot into an RV campground makes it a good place for families with trailers to use as a “jumping off” place to see the strip. Anyway, after breakfast we had told the kids that we would spend some time in the Circus Curcus “adventuredome”. The adventuredome is a large pink dome that has about 20 amusement park style rides including a large rollercoaster and log flume ride. We got a c
oupon that knocked 25% off the price of an all day pass for all the rides so we got each of the kids a pass and turned them loose. I followed AJ and Missy and Nana followed the girls. They all had a blast. And since it was still relativity early in the day (I think we got there around 10:30) the lines for the rides we short. They all rode the kiddy railroad rollercoaster five times in a row. Sarah was very understanding about limiting herself to the rides that her brother and sister could also ride. I was reminded that she can be a very considerate big sister when the mood strikes her. After 3 hours in the Adventuredome, the adults needed a break. AJ had been asking to go back and see more circus acts. Missy had checked out the schedule and seen that the high trapeze act was at 2:00. So we made our way over to the Midway to see the show. Again, it was a 
very good (albeit short) circus act. Afterwards we played some carnival games while we waited for the next show (they do them every 45 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends). Sarah managed to win several good sized stuffed animals. Sarah has a knack for the game where you throw the softball into the tilted apple basket. She nailed it on the first try. I was really impressed. However the fact that Sarah had several large animals and Abby only had one was causing some frustration and tears. So we headed over to the only game I can reliably win at, the “throw the dart and pop a balloon” game. Four bucks, four darts, four popped balloons got Abby a nice big stuffed animal. I was actually impressed that I didn’t miss. I guess the pressure of a crying 5-year old honed my dart throwing skills.
oupon that knocked 25% off the price of an all day pass for all the rides so we got each of the kids a pass and turned them loose. I followed AJ and Missy and Nana followed the girls. They all had a blast. And since it was still relativity early in the day (I think we got there around 10:30) the lines for the rides we short. They all rode the kiddy railroad rollercoaster five times in a row. Sarah was very understanding about limiting herself to the rides that her brother and sister could also ride. I was reminded that she can be a very considerate big sister when the mood strikes her. After 3 hours in the Adventuredome, the adults needed a break. AJ had been asking to go back and see more circus acts. Missy had checked out the schedule and seen that the high trapeze act was at 2:00. So we made our way over to the Midway to see the show. Again, it was a 
very good (albeit short) circus act. Afterwards we played some carnival games while we waited for the next show (they do them every 45 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends). Sarah managed to win several good sized stuffed animals. Sarah has a knack for the game where you throw the softball into the tilted apple basket. She nailed it on the first try. I was really impressed. However the fact that Sarah had several large animals and Abby only had one was causing some frustration and tears. So we headed over to the only game I can reliably win at, the “throw the dart and pop a balloon” game. Four bucks, four darts, four popped balloons got Abby a nice big stuffed animal. I was actually impressed that I didn’t miss. I guess the pressure of a crying 5-year old honed my dart throwing skills.The next Circus act was also very good. It was a man and woman team. Basically she twisted herself into 
a pretzel while he lifted and threw her around. The kids really liked it. A quick tip for those considering a visit to Circus Circus: When watching a circus act on the Midway, stand in the back along the edge of the stage to watch the show. While the performers tend to face the bleachers across from you more often, you are much closer to the stage and have a better viewpoint than those sitting in the stands. The downside is you have to stand up. But the view is much better.
We headed back to the camper for naps. After a morning of rides and circus acts, Abby and AJ had no problem falling asleep even in the hot camper.
a pretzel while he lifted and threw her around. The kids really liked it. A quick tip for those considering a visit to Circus Circus: When watching a circus act on the Midway, stand in the back along the edge of the stage to watch the show. While the performers tend to face the bleachers across from you more often, you are much closer to the stage and have a better viewpoint than those sitting in the stands. The downside is you have to stand up. But the view is much better.We headed back to the camper for naps. After a morning of rides and circus acts, Abby and AJ had no problem falling asleep even in the hot camper.
We decided to eat fast food for dinner because we wanted to go to Downtown Las Vegas and check out the “Freemont street experience”. For those who have not heard about this, I will try to bri
efly explain. Some of the older casinos in Downtown Vegas several years back banded together in an effort to lure people away from the glitz of “the strip” and built a 4 block long electronic canopy over Freemont Ave. They closed the 4 blocks to vehicles and now several times every night, they give a show on this enormous long video screen that is suspended over top of the street.I had read about the “experience” and the reviews varied from amazing to hokey. But since I am into electronics and electronic controls, I wanted to check it out. So after eating dinner at the McDonald’s inside of Circus Circus, we piled into the truck to drive the 10-blocks or so north to Downtown Vegas. We found parking on the street one block away from Freemont Street. While it is true that Downtown Vegas is dirtier than The Strip, I didn’t think it any worse than walking through Chicago or another large city. And there was a TON of police and casino security in the several blocks around Freemont Ave. I saw several reviews that said downtown Las Vegas was unsafe, but that was not what I saw.
Now about the Freemont Street Experience…in a word….awesome! Really, really cool. I liked some the other Vegas attractions we saw like the Pirate ship show at Treasure Island and the erupting volcano at The Mirage. And the Bellagio’s fountains were very neat, but the Freemont Street Experience was easily my favorite Vegas attraction. When we arrived it was about 8:00. We kne
w that the first show was at 8:30 with a second show at 9:00 (they do them every hour after the 9:00 show until 3:00AM everynight). There was an Elvis Impersonator giving a show and the music was pretty good. The kids liked dancing to the music. We walked around a bit and then picked a pretty open spot to park our stroller to watch the show. The theme this summer for the Freemont Street Experience shows is “The Summer of 69”. So when all the casinos lights went off and the show started on that huge screen overhead it was really cool. The kids were enthralled. AJ stood still the entire time, with his mouth wide open, looking up at the 4-block long screen overhead. The video is coordinated to music they play and the effect is amazing. We all really liked it. The first show was a collection of early KISS songs called “signs of life”. After the 10 minute show, Sarah and Abby begged me to stay for the next show. We looked and saw the next show was Don McLean’s “American Pie” with a sing-along of 3 Dog Nights “Joy to the World” afterwards. These are great songs, and I was just as excited to see all the funky 60’s era flower power video and graphics that would accompany them as my kids were. So after dashing into one of the many souvenir shops, we took our spot and waited until 9:00. As much as I liked the first show, this one was even better. The video they played from 1969 of the Moon landings and Woodstock was really cool on the huge screen. And everyone on the street sang along to both songs. It was really fun and a very different “vibe” than you get on the Strip. It was more fun and relaxed.
Now about the Freemont Street Experience…in a word….awesome! Really, really cool. I liked some the other Vegas attractions we saw like the Pirate ship show at Treasure Island and the erupting volcano at The Mirage. And the Bellagio’s fountains were very neat, but the Freemont Street Experience was easily my favorite Vegas attraction. When we arrived it was about 8:00. We kne
w that the first show was at 8:30 with a second show at 9:00 (they do them every hour after the 9:00 show until 3:00AM everynight). There was an Elvis Impersonator giving a show and the music was pretty good. The kids liked dancing to the music. We walked around a bit and then picked a pretty open spot to park our stroller to watch the show. The theme this summer for the Freemont Street Experience shows is “The Summer of 69”. So when all the casinos lights went off and the show started on that huge screen overhead it was really cool. The kids were enthralled. AJ stood still the entire time, with his mouth wide open, looking up at the 4-block long screen overhead. The video is coordinated to music they play and the effect is amazing. We all really liked it. The first show was a collection of early KISS songs called “signs of life”. After the 10 minute show, Sarah and Abby begged me to stay for the next show. We looked and saw the next show was Don McLean’s “American Pie” with a sing-along of 3 Dog Nights “Joy to the World” afterwards. These are great songs, and I was just as excited to see all the funky 60’s era flower power video and graphics that would accompany them as my kids were. So after dashing into one of the many souvenir shops, we took our spot and waited until 9:00. As much as I liked the first show, this one was even better. The video they played from 1969 of the Moon landings and Woodstock was really cool on the huge screen. And everyone on the street sang along to both songs. It was really fun and a very different “vibe” than you get on the Strip. It was more fun and relaxed. The girls begged to stay for the next show, but 10:00 is past my comfort range for having them out, so we headed back to the car and then back to Circus Circus. Tomorrow is a travel day and we are squeezing in our trip to Hoover Dam. So I wanted to get them all to bed so I could rest up also. Travel days ar
e hard on me since I do the bulk of the driving. And since we are towing the trailer over the dam, and it will have to be inspected before we can pass the check-point, I am hoping for an early start.Our time in Vegas was good but I will not come back here in the summer until I can do it without my children or they are much older. The heat is too hard on them and, as a result, I have carried AJ on my shoulder so much the past 3-days my back is pretty sore. I am looking forward to getting back to National Parks and away from big cities. So right now, a week at the Grand Canyon with the cooler temperatures sounds very good.
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