High Roller is a fun, frugal adventure

A version of this was originally posted at What's On magazine.

A Guide To Vegas For Kids

Take two kids, a reluctant husband and a mommy afraid of heights and slowly spin them 550 feet in the air for 30 minutes. You’ll get one of the best family deals in Las Vegas and a lifetime of lovely memories.

We were so excited to finally be able to ride the High Roller at The Linq. Well, by ‘we’ I mean the shorter half of our family of four. I’ve been to most of the family-friendly attractions in Las Vegas with my 4-year-old twins in tow, but the towering High Roller gave me a bit of trepidation. I’m not one for heights. But my twins are fearless, so up we went. (I used to be fearless, and then I had kids!)

The High Roller at The Linq takes you 550 feet off the ground in a comfortable, spacious bubble for a 360 degree view of the Las Vegas valley, the mountains and exciting Strip action below. And the High Roller’s Family Hour Package offers serious bang for your entertainment buck at $49.95 for two adult and three child tickets, a steal for this frugal mom.

The Family Hour Package includes:
2 adult tickets
3 child tickets
3 High Roller binoculars for guests to keep
3 Juice drinks from the Sky Lounge

At that price, we had to give the glittering ride a whirl. My husband is reluctant to traverse the Strip, which can be difficult with children. But this ride is a breeze to get to either from walking on the Strip or by car or taxi. Once we were handed our tickets from the easy access window at the back of The Linq promenade, we were on the ride in less than a few minutes as we made our way to the platform accompanied by lively music and friendly attendants.

The ride is smooth and the view is fascinating. The twins called out landmarks they knew and asked about new ones they viewed through their sturdy new binoculars. These will come in handy for years! Music and trivia play on flat-screen TVs during your ascent, with a bubbly video host supplying information as you climb to the pinnacle of 550 feet. There is much to talk about as curious little minds take in all of the interesting things they can see, from the airport to Red Rock. This is one of the only places in the country to get this type of experience, and at $10 a person for a family of five, it’s a phenomenal deal.

If you go early in your Vegas stay, you can check out all the places you’re considering going to while you rise over the Strip. It gives you a sense of how much there is to do and see in Las Vegas. And if you decide to make this a cap to end your vacation, it’s a nice way to reminisce about where you’ve been and make plans for your return visit to the Entertainment Capital of the World.

Pinterest worthy: To get the kids to be part of the experience, I quickly drew up “passports” on hotel stationery that had our confirmation number written on it. They tucked them into their pockets and felt they were a big part of the day’s adventure. They carried their passports carefully until we got to the window and handed them off to me, the official ticket-taker for the family.  It will be a nice addition to the scrapbook!