Vegas Trip Diary - December 2019

No, you're not seeing things . . . the title of this post is "Vegas Trip Diary - December 2019" and this post is dated June 2022.

We took a trip to Vegas in December 2019, and I was very slow in getting a post together. And by the time I was ready to post it in 2020, COVID hit and my priorities went elsewhere.

Fast forward to 2022 . . . I just got my May 2022 Trip Diary up, and I decided, "why not post the 2019 trip?" So here it is!

This was our first trip to Vegas with the kids. They were barely teenagers at the time, and they've never really experienced cold weather before, so this was a fun trip for them to see what the fuss was all about when Mom and Dad goes to Vegas.

As usual, my first meal when landing: won ton mein from The California's Market Street Cafe. Funny story . . . we got in after midnight, and finally got a table after a 20 minute wait (it was packed). When I ordered won ton mein, the waitress asked if I minded waiting about 20 minutes for it. I commented that it must be very busy and she replied, "That's not it. We don't have enough bowls because everyone is ordering ox tail soup." IYKYK. 😂

A California clubhouse sandwich from Market Street Cafe.

We visited the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay.

The touch tank was the best part of the aquarium.

Siegfried and Roys' Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat is a hidden gem at the Mirage. Here, you can visit with dolphins at the Dolphin Habitat and the see many large cats at the Secret Garden. I don't know what's going to happen to this attraction with Hard Rock Cafe purchasing the Mirage. If you haven't heard, Hard Rock is planning to demolish the Mirage's fronting Las Vegas Boulevard and replace it with a guitar shaped hotel.

The next few pictures are from the Bellagio Conservatory.

We dropped the kids off at the HyperX E-Sports Arena at Luxor for a couple of hours and gambled for a bit. 😀 

Holiday decorations at Wynn.

Container Park on East Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas

Praying mantis at Container Park. 

Favorite slot machine of this trip.

And that's it for this trip! I hope to make to Vegas again soon! Thanks for reading!

Vegas' Best Kept Secret - Family Friendly

Way past the erupting volcano, slot machines and tables games at the Mirage is an oasis that not many people may know about. It's Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.

This place is pretty huge; I could not believe it existed in the middle of the Strip, hidden deep within the Mirage. I had the best time there, and I highly recommend it. It's divided into two sections, the Dolphin Habitat and the Secret Garden.

The facility focuses on scientific research and education, so you won't be seeing any animal shows. What you will see, and learn about, are some pretty amazing animals.

The Dolphin Habitat is a guided tour. The tour starts off above the pool, then takes you below so you can see the dolphins swimming under water. You end up at a "beach" where you can stay as long as you like. The dolphins will get up close and personal and you can even toss a ball back and forth.

Past the Dolphin Habitat is the Secret Garden. Here, you can pick up wands to listen to a self guided audio tour and see many different types of cats - lions, white lions, tigers, white tigers, leopards and pumas. I don't think I've been so close to these animals before.

I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. It was definitely unexpected, "un-Vegas" and a great way to spend a couple of hours.