Adam surprised me with a vacation to Las Vegas to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. We spent 2 nights at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino, right on the famous Vegas strip and one night downtown at the Golden Nugget to experience the Fremont Street Experience. Our trip ended with us renewing our vows at The Little Neon Chapel, serenaded and officiated by Elvis himself.

The strip reminded us a lot of Disney with the way the casinos/hotels were scaled. The interiors were as incredible as the exteriors with endless incredible things to see. The themes of each casino was really fun to walk through, connected through what felt like a labyrinth of escalators. leading to different worlds. Paris, New York, Egyptian pyramids, Venice, and our home base the Excalibur castle. The casinos/hotels were massive, our room was #17202. 

Many attractions were closed due to COVID including most the bars and big restaurants. The casinos are open, which is an experience in itself. Dylan was tortured by all the blinking lights and sounds which he was not allowed to touch. We were pleased to visit Vegas when the streets were a bit quieter due to the COVID closures. Even with a quieter scene than normal, the crowds felt a bit rowdy especially after the sun went down. We only stayed on the strip after dark one night to see the Bellagio water fountain show at 8 pm. We experienced lots of beautiful people, but also a large homeless presence and an unpredictable element with the crowds and party atmosphere.

On the other hand, the four level M&M and Hershey’s store was made for children to visit. We made a custom mix of the following M&M’s: vanilla orange, English toffee, coffee nut, mint crunch, and cocoa crispy.

The concentration of culinary excellence, exceptional beverages, specialty shops, shows, and glitz and glam make Vegas an incredibly fun place to visit. We are not gamblers, but we do love to spoil ourselves in other ways.

The kids and I spent lots of time at the Excalibur’s three pools, so much time that they befriended a lifeguard. The lifeguard allowed them to sit with her at her post and trained them how to be a lifeguard. The kids loved the water slide! The weather was in the low 90s and laying at the pool every afternoon was just AWESOME.

We spent one night downtown Las Vegas at The Golden Nugget. We visited the downtown container park and Fremont Street. Fremont Street had a three block long canopy light show synced to music which was pretty spectacular. Street performances and scantily dressed women were everywhere. Our hotel displayed the world’s largest Golden Nugget which we estimated to be valued at 1.5 million.

The mountains surrounding Vegas are gorgeous. We visited Red Rock Canyon National Conservation to escape the bustle of the city.