Sin city can be family-friendly
Osborne the bottlenose dolphin swam over with a big smile, snapped up a paintbrush built into a small styrofoam buoy and began to pirouette.
I picked up a canvas my two-year-old daughter had painted pink 10 minutes earlier and held it above the spinning Osborne.
The brush had red paint on it, a colour my daughter chose.
Osborne then took a brush with orange paint. Again, my daughter's choice.
For the finale, Osborne grabbed a brush with purple paint on it, spun like a top for another 15 seconds and there it was: a beautiful painting not too different from a Kandinsky or Delaunay.
Next was my five-year-old son's light blue canvas and Osborne eagerly swirled dark blue, aqua and white as I held it above him.
Again, another beautiful painting.
My jeans and a shirt were saturated but the kids, standing behind me, were ecstatic.
My wife brought them over to personally thank Osborne, give him a pat and pose for a photo.
We are not at a marine park in San Diego or Florida, but the Mirage Casino on the Las Vegas strip.
Australia ranks No.2 in overseas visitor numbers to Vegas.
Australians love to drink, party, eat, drink, party a little more, drink, eat and party, so Vegas is tailor-made for us.
But, what if you are an Aussie family on an American vacation?
Do you include Sin City?
Vegas deserves its nickname and has its drawbacks.
It's legal to smoke on the football field-sized casino floors you, and your kids, have to walk through to get to your hotel room. Thankfully, lighting up is banned in restaurants.
Security is tight, but when you mix masses of drunk people in party mode, there are always issues.
You need to be 21 to drink or gamble in Nevada, so don't linger with your kids at a poker machine or you'll get a tap on the shoulder.
Family friendly suggestions:
* Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat - Mirage Casino
Walk around the lush garden and pools to get up close to white lions, leopards, panthers and dolphins.
Adults ($US19.95, $A21.59), children four to 12 ($US11) and kids under three are free.
The Secret Garden offers the dolphin painting ($US199 a painting and kids have to be over eight to hold the canvas because Osborne gives it a decent nudge), Trainer for a Day ($US495) and the VIP Tour ($200 a person).
* CSI: Experience - MGM Grand
Based on the hit TV series franchise, you become a crime investigator in an interactive challenge.
It cost $US28, lasts about 90 minutes and is recommended for ages 12 to adults.
* Big Apple Coaster - New York New York
This isn't recommended if you've just eaten or are nursing a hangover.
For $US14 a ride, or $US25 all day pass, the coaster weaves above and through the New York New York at 108km/h. You have to be 137cm tall. If you want to get married or renew your vows on the coaster it costs $US600 (minister included).
*Shark Reef Aquarium - Mandalay Bay Casino
Sharks, piranhas, jellyfish, a rare golden crocodile and plenty of other creatures swim in more than six million litres of water. It is $US18 for adults, children five to 12 $12 and kids under four are free.
You can also dive with sharks ($US650), feed stingrays and crabs ($45) and turtles or sharks ($US70).
*The Adventuredome Theme Park - Circus Circus
A 2ha indoor theme park offering themed rides and attractions.
Rides are $US5 or $US10 each, or a $US29.95 all-day pass or $US16.95 all-day pass for juniors.
SHOWS
Vegas is known for its shows, whether it is one of the many Cirque du Soleil productions, Tony Award-winning musicals such as Jersey Boys, magician David Copperfield or A-list bands and singers who stop in Vegas for a night or season, such as Celine Dion.
If you want to be patriotic, Olivia Newton-John is playing at the Flamingo until August 30, Human Nature play five days a week at the Venetian, and strippers Thunder from Down Under display their abs nightly at the Excalibur.
To get an updated list of shows and discount tickets, see vegas.com.
WHERE TO STAY?
Vdara and Mandalay Bay are family-friendly.
Vdara doesn't have a casino, is new, central on the strip and has kitchens in the rooms so if you crave home cooking, you can either duck down to the Vdara Market Cafe and buy some ingredients or catch a cab to the nearby Whole Foods supermarket.
Mandalay Bay has the best pools in Vegas, including a large wave pool and a lazy river.
WHERE TO ESCAPE THE FAMILY
If you can get your wife or husband to babysit for an hour or two, take advantage of the world-class spas on the strip.
At Vdara's ESPA I had a $US310 110-minute Desert Rose treatment involving a salt scrub, massage, scalp massage and body butter application. Nice.
WHERE TO EAT?
Yusho, at the front of the Monte Carlo overlooking the strip, is a gem.
It is the Vegas branch of the popular Chicago street food, Asian-inspired restaurant of the same name and serves light, fresh food.
Try the tiger shrimp ($US10) and Logan Poser Ramen ($US21).
A great deal is the $US59 early-evening menu at Sage in Aria and a refreshing Form of Flattery cocktail (gin, cucumber juice, lemon juice, simple syrup and rosewater).
For something heavier, next door to Yusho is Double Barrel Roadhouse. Try the Double Barrel Snack Tower.
At MGM's Pub 1842, the peanut butter hamburger is interesting.
If you want a buffet, the grandest of all is the Bellagio's for breakfast ($US18.99), lunch ($US22.99) and dinner ($US33.99), which features mountains of fresh seafood.
* Hotel, restaurants and entertainment were supplied by MGM Resorts International.
