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Horses, & Peacocks, & goats, Oh My! This spot is great for people who like to get super up close and personal. There is a ghost town, a restaurant and a petting zoo. Great day trip for kids from Las Vegas. There’s a train that runs from the parking lot to the entrance on weekends. It’s free from the parking lot but if you want a ride back you have to dine at the restaurant or buy tickets. Which are inexpensive and then you get unlimited train rides all day.
This is a newer attraction, but it’s unique location and exhibits make it a must for those who love not just sea creatures, but a variety of reptiles and birds from all ends of the earth. You can gawk at toucans and turtles, and even swim with the stingrays if you choose. Seaquest is located in the newly-renovated super kid-friendly Boulevard Mall and offers both daily and annual passes.
8. Silverton Casinos Saltwater Aquarium
This one is not necessarily a jaw dropper, but it’s beautiful and free. Plus, real mermaids swim around with the tons of tropical fish. With the new Cracker Barrel located in the same casino, this is a definite must-stop if you’re in the area. Named the “Best Free Attraction” in Las Vegas, the saltwater Silverton Casino aquarium is really cool and impressive and will keep the kids happily entertained. On the outskirts of the casino at the Silverton, you will find a 117,000-gallon reef aquarium with stingrays, sharks and over 4,000 tropical fish. The aquarium is in cylindrical form so that kids can get an up-close look at various species of fish and sea creatures on any side of the aquarium.
7. The Tank at The Golden Nugget
This is a place where you can swim with sharks, without actually swimming with sharks. Another uber impressive fish tank that offers a unique pool and includes a waterslide that puts you right in the middle of the action. This is one that definitely needs to be on your summer bucket list. Though guests can wade up to any side of the pool and swim beside the marine creatures inside, one of the best ways to view the aquarium is from the inside; the slide, which starts at the top of the Tank, works its way down through the aquarium and past the monstrous sharks. This slide isn’t just for kids, and you’ll definitely want to wait in line for it.
This ranch features the famed lions of the Las Vegas strip. You can get a behind the scenes tour where you can ask a lion specialist all the questions you have and even feed their baby giraffe. On the weekends, you can watch these lions romp, play and rest. You might recall these lions at their former habitat inside MGM Grand. For 11 years, owner Keith Evans brought his big cats from the ranch to the hotel on a daily basis. They never spent the night at the hotel.
5. The Wildlife Exhibit at The Flamingo
Touted as one of the most unique and beloved attractions in Las Vegas, Flamingo’s Wildlife Habitat is a serene paradise. It is conveniently free of charge and open to the public daily. Nestled on the Flamingo hotel’s lush 15-acre grounds, the Habitat is stocked with exotic birds, fish and turtles. Visitors can walk through the habitat’s winding walkways, peer over bridges at the colorful koi in the lagoons below, and take a breather on the benches scattered throughout the habitat. The atmosphere is serene and quiet; for a second or two, it’s even possible to forget you’re in Las Vegas when you’re sitting among the habitat’s palms and magnolias. There are also several prime areas for photographs.
Fun fact: It’s completely free to come and walk a puppy, even if you’re not in the position to get one at the moment. It’ll be fulfilling for you, and the puppy will sure like it too! (puppies come in all ages, btw:))The Animal Foundation is a non-profit organization operating Nevada’s largest animal shelter. Founded in 1978 as a small low-cost spay and neuter clinic, The Animal Foundation quickly picked up speed and soon after opening its doors, began offering adoption services. Over the past 33 years, growth has been a constant. Today, The Animal Foundation operates and manages an 8 acre Las Vegas campus that houses a multitude of services and provides a refuge for the more than 50,000 homeless, lost, neglected, unwanted and abused animals received each and every year.
3. The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay
A fun and educational way to kill a couple of hours. This aquarium has over 2,000 animals (over 100 of those are sharks, hence the name!) Come face-to-face with some of the earth’s most fascinating creatures in nearly 1.6 million gallons of seawater. The largest exhibit is the 1.3 million gallon shipwreck where visitors experience through an acrylic tunnel, an almost 360-degree view, teeming with sharks of all kinds, along with sawfish, giant rays, endangered green sea turtles, piranha, and jellies.
This park features a ton of birds you wouldn’t normally see elsewhere in Las Vegas, as well as a fishing pond stocked with bluegill and sunfish. This is a perfect picnic spot to get out and enjoy some wild animals for a very small entrance fee. In a city filled with palms and desert landscape, the grass lawn, pond and cottonwood tree-filled Floyd Lamb Park might look a little out of place in the Mojave metropolis of Las Vegas.
However, this oasis has been popular for literally thousands of years.
1. The Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat
A tried and true Las Vegas attraction. You can watch the dolphin show, swim with the dolphins, or ever do yoga with the dolphins! Opened in 1990, Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat is the dream of legendary magicians Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn, better known to millions as Siegfried & Roy. For years the duo has worked to help save endangered animals, primarily white tigers and lions.
The Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage Las Vegas showcases the duos dedication to animals with two areas – the Dolphin Habitat and the Secret Garden.
Very good review! I especially like – The Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.