From spotting mermaids to touring a chocolate factory, here are 11 free and family-friendly things to do in and around Las Vegas.

Las Vegas locals can live like tourists without spending a dime. 

While many of the city’s attractions are prohibitively expensive (even Starbucks on the Las Vegas Strip marks up its prices), there are plenty of places to go and things to do on and off the Strip for free. You can see art, hear music, watch a light show, visit with flamingos, and much more without opening your wallet.

From spotting mermaids to touring a chocolate factory, here are 11 free and family-friendly things to do in Las Vegas.

1. The Aquarium at the Silverton

The Silverton

Located in the Silverton Casino Hotel next to the Bass Pro Shops (which is also free to explore), the 170,000-square-foot Silverton Aquarium is a fun, free attraction where a mystical mermaid swims with thousands of colorful tropical fish, eels, and various species of stingrays and sharks. 

Unlike her aquatic friends, the mermaid isn’t kept captive. She only stops by for photo opportunities at select times on Thursdays through Sundays. 

Watching the fish in action is mesmerizing and relaxing for the whole family. Sometimes divers do live interactive feedings, and at Christmastime, Santa Claus makes a splash.

2. Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens

Bellagio Resort & Casino, Las Vegas

The 14,000-square-foot Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden is a beloved, free attraction for visitors worldwide. Located inside the hotel near the parking garage and hotel lobby, the conservatory gets busy, but most visitors agree it’s worth it. 

Displays of flowers, trees, and decorations change five times a year for the seasons and the Lunar New Year, so locals and visitors are always in for a seasonal surprise when they stop by. A horticulture staff of 120 people makes the changeout, which is a show in its own right.

This fabulous public garden is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in person or via the Earth Cam. While there, check out the Fiori di Como glass ceiling by Dale Chihuly in the hotel lobby and the world’s largest chocolate fountain next door at the Bellagio Patisserie.

3. Bellagio Fountains

Bellagio Resort & Casino, Las Vegas

Soaring as high as 460 feet in the air from an 8.5-acre manmade lake in front of the Bellagio, the Fountains of Bellagio are a Vegas icon. 

The fountains have been seen on television, in movies, and in music videos. The water shoots into the air and dances to music, including pop, rock, opera, and classics like Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley, while pedestrians watch from the sidewalk out front. Each show has been meticulously choreographed to match the music. 

The free shows take place every 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the time of year.

4. Ethel M Factory Tour and Cactus Garden 

2 Cactus Garden Dr, Henderson

With a free chocolate factory tour (followed by a free sample), the Ethel M Chocolates in Henderson is the luxury chocolate shop’s flagship store. 

It is also home to a prolific three-acre Botanical Cactus Garden with over 300 different species of plants, all specifically selected for their beauty and ability to thrive in the Mojave Desert.

Like the factory, the botanical garden is free to explore year-round, but it’s even more magical during Christmas and Valentine’s Day when it’s decorated with sparkling lights.

5. Seven Magic Mountains

Jean

About 10 miles south of Las Vegas off I-15, the Seven Magic Mountains art installation rises from the desert floor. Created by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinon, the seven 30 to 35-foot-high towers are stacked with multi-colored boulders. 

Located at the end of a dirt pathway in the desert near the Jean Dry Lake, the installation looks quite different up close than far away, offering plenty of photo opportunities. Your perspective of the piece will also change when driving past it. 

Admission is free and open to the public. There aren’t any restrooms or amenities, but occasionally, there’s a food truck in the parking lot. 

6. Downtown Art Murals 

Downtown Las Vegas

Downtown is home to more than 30 murals dispersed between the Arts District, the Fremont Street Entertainment District, the Casino District, and beyond. Some are out in the open, on the side of casinos and buildings, while others are hidden in alleyways. There’s even a solar-powered 3D mural (located at 7th Street and Ogden).

Painted by globally renowned and local artists, the downtown murals are viewable for free on foot. Decorative, innovative, interactive, historical, and controversial, they provide a chance to experience contemporary art at no cost.

If you venture near the Downtown Container Park (which is free to explore), you’re also likely to see public sculptures like a 40-foot by 30-foot fire-breathing mantis. 

New art often pops up during the annual Life is Beautiful festival.

7. Barrick Museum of Art

UNLV

The Barrick Museum of Art is the city’s only fine art museum, and the best part is that it’s totally free! Located on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, it was originally a natural history museum that opened in 1967. 

The museum transitioned to contemporary art in 2011, inheriting the collection from the Las Vegas Art Museum (LVAM) after it closed its doors. Comprised of six diverse galleries, it serves as a great introduction to the museum experience for children while also captivating adults.

Outside the museum, the two-acre Donald H. Baepler Xeric Garden thrives with plants native to the four desert regions of North America, plus Australia, South America, Mexico, and the Mediterranean, including blue yucca, agave, eucalyptus, jojoba, and the creosote bush. It’s a peaceful and tranquil setting with 9,000 square feet of paved pathways or resting on a bench or a shaded area. 

8. Flamingo Wildlife Habitat

Flamingo Hotel & Casino

Where else would you find flamingos in Las Vegas other than the Flamingo Hotel and Casino? Located on the south side of the Flamingo near the property’s pool, the four-acre Flamingo Wildlife Habitat is home to a flock of Chilean Flamingos as well as multiple species of exotic waterfowl, brown pelicans, sturgeon, koi, albino catfish, turtles, swans, ducks, and parrots. 

Kids and adults love roaming the grounds and observing the animals, and can even watch the brown pelicans get fed at 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily. 

9. Hoover Dam & Memorial Bridge

Boulder City

Located only 37 miles from Las Vegas on U.S. 93, the Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam that impounds Lake Mead while providing hydroelectric power and irrigation to California, Nevada, and Arizona. Attracting 7 million visitors a year, this enormous Art Deco masterpiece is a feat of American engineering. 

Although you can park in a large parking structure at the dam, you can also reach the area on foot by embarking on a moderate, pet-friendly hike through old train tunnels, starting at the Lake Mead Visitor Center.

You can stand at the top of the dam and look down at the Colorado River, but some of the coolest selfies at this National Historic Landmark can be taken along the 1,905-foot-long Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. The bridge stands 880 feet over the Colorado River and dam, offering expansive views.

10. Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign

 5100 Las Vegas Boulevard South

The landmark Welcome to Las Vegas Sign is a huge draw for Vegas visitors, but it’s also a fun photo opportunity and history lesson for locals. You might even catch a photo-friendly costumed character or Elvis impersonator on site.

Designed by Overton-born visual artist Betty Willis in 1959, the 25-foot-tall sign is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is believed the artist gifted the sign to the city, though it is currently owned by Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO).

Despite its historic nature, the sign is also a modern marvel. In 2014, solar panels were added to light it. Safety improvements include a parking lot with loading areas for buses and limousines, turf, a paved walkway, crosswalks, and traffic signals. Thanks to these improvements, it’s a safe place to stop for families who want to celebrate living in this neon oasis. 

11. Fremont Street Experience

Downtown Las Vegas

Another tourist hot spot spanning five blocks in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas, the Fremont Street Experience offers several free entertainment options from live music to people-watching.

Starting at 6 p.m. nightly, you’ll find live concerts on three stages, which you can watch for free. To catch the immersive Viva Vision light show on the world’s largest video screen, look up. This dazzling spectacle of lights and music runs every hour on the hour. It’s also free to check out the street performers, but you should tip them if you take pics.

While exploring the area, stop by the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino lobby to see the Hand of Faith, a 61-pound nugget of gold. It’s the biggest golden nugget in existence and the second-biggest ever discovered. As for big rocks, you can also rub the Blarney Stone for luck. Taken from the famous Blarney Castle in Ireland, the chunk sits on a pedestal on the second floor of The D.