Family Friendly Vegas

Open the door to a refrigerator at Omega Mart and step into a netherworld of flowing lights where you are as likely to encounter a futuristic robot as an anachronistic rotary phone.

Once inside MW, wander. You'll encounter more portals, like a fireplace, or you crawl through (on hands and knees), transporting you from one world to the next. And yes, there is a recurring story of the various doings at Dream Corp, a massive company that might be ruining the environment… or not. For those who like more linear experiences, you can pay an extra $3 and receive a card with quests that edge you into becoming an employee at Dream Corp.

But, beware, you might become a Flicker Worm. Let me explain.

A new feature of MW is the flicker worm migration. It all starts in the Omega Mart with various wildly costumed guides taking you into the desert to watch the flicker worm pageant and participate in the migration. I managed to snag one of the poles topped by a flicker worm, a cross between a glow worm and a flashlight, and thus became a flicker worm myself.

In addition to Meow Wolf, which has separate tickets, you can purchase three levels of experiences to pick from among twenty more immersive experiences in Area 15.

One experience is Haley's Comet, a zip line that flies you in under a minute, along the top of the building.

A young lady, about 14 years old, told me that her grandparents took her here today. She was from Lake Havasu, Arizona. Grandma and Grandpa, she told me,  take her on a summer trip every year. This year was Vegas. I asked her where her grandparents were from. She answered, "Rome, Italy". This was not the only encounter I had with children ages 3 to 17 who were there with parents and grandparents.

My husband and I were particularly taken by Brainstorm, a giant brain that asks questions and assures me that my authentic personality would be revealed if I answered truthfully. My husband and I took the test four times with four different results. Oh well, life is ever changing.

And technology is ever-changing, too. AREA 15 has a variety of virtual reality experiences, including flying (Birdly), virtual dodgeball (AR Dodgeball), and golf (Five Iron), and more. Children gravitate to Army of the Dead VR Experience to navigate through a zombie-ridden Vegas shooting from the confines of a tactical taco truck.

For short experiences with lighting effects, choose the Fiasco Museum and Wink World: Portals Into The Infinite. These might be too tame for some kids. Frankly,  despite the constant warnings about the effects of strobe lights, I found them easy to take. I chuckled at the philosophy of Chris Wink, Co-Founder of the Blue Man Group, when he reminded us at the start of Wink World,  if we can't imagine Infinity, live in the moment… that's infinite enough.

We had second-level tickets that permitted us to choose most of the experiences and choose from one of the premium adventures. We chose the Dopeameme Institute for Pleasure Research, and never regretted it. The experience begins when a sardonic rabbit explains that we will, like Lab Rats, follow a direct course of tests. Failure will result in the extinction of several other small but unidentifiable animals. The lab tests included answering questions truthfully, peddling a stationary bike, and two more experiences that would spoil the surprise if revealed. I'm not sure young children would get the irony behind some jokes. But we did.

Between Area 15 and Meow Wolf, you can easily spend a few days in this immersive world.

For adults and families, there are clubs, restaurants like Dueling Axes  (a new take on an English Dart Pub), the Asylum Bar + Arcade,  dance raves where kids and adults of all ages can dance unashamedly and wholeheartedly. AREA 15 was named the Best Place to Dance by Vegas locals. You can also get off your feet for an hour or two at the Illuminarium while watching the story of Rock N Roll and more through 4k laser projections.

Evening entertainment in Vegas still includes burlesque, celebrity performances, and Cirque du Soleil. But excellent alternatives for kids, as well as adults, are magic shows.

We enjoyed Piff the Magic Dragon with his adorable dog Mr. Piffles II.  Piff wears a dragon costume and is so kid-friendly that he selected at least three children from the audience to participate in this show. You may remember Piff from America’s Got Talent.

Then there is Shin Lim, a two time AGT winner, who weaves the story of his childhood through his magic act. His show begins with an audience participation card trick that I certainly cannot explain, which had kids fascinated by the word go.

During the 1990s, Vegas touted itself as a family vacation center. But places like Caesars Magical Empire, a "high-tech, themed, multichambered wonderland," lasted only six years. Here's why AREA 15 SUCCEEDS.

Caesars Magical Empire tried to shoehorn kids' activities into an adult mold…dinner included, a defined three-hour experience, a high price of up to $200 per person.

AREA 15 gives you self-directed, active adventure for $80 pp, on average. More critical to its success is the new breed of children that travel today. Kids have a sense of sophistication fueled by their parents' willingness to take them traveling,  and their grandparents' continuing influence as active adult world travelers. Children have "been around," and know how to take tourist experiences.

Computer and social media have enabled the younger generation to fathom unreal circumstances as real, while keeping a firm grip on reality. Kids want to be part of the action and create some of it themselves. That's what Virtual Reality and immersive experiences accomplish best.

AREA 15, and other consciously age-friendly venues should be applauded for instilling the love of tourism at an early age. And for us ageless travelers, our love of travel and family goes on and on. Never Stop Traveling!