Today we're talking family friendly things to do in Mesquite, Nevada. Before I stayed with my mom, I made sure to check out some things that we could do to keep us busy before we went down and Valley of Fire was one of them. But I found that there were a lot of other fun things to do as well.
And if you've found a place you want added, let me know and we will get it added to the list! We know it changes a lot down there and want to make sure we keep you updated! Be sure to check out some of our other family adventures!
MESQUITE FAMILY FRIENDLY LODGING
We found that Mesquite can be a great hub between Las Vegas and Saint George. Staying here may cost you a little less than staying at close by hubs like Saint George and Las Vegas and in recent years Mesquite has grown to become a destination for many youth competitive sports which has opened up even more family friendly housing in the area. The new Rising Star Sports Ranch is adjacent to many of the youth sports venues and is family friendly with no casino and no smoking.
Mesquite still offers some of the most inexpensive hotel prices with some hotels being under $30 a night. If you want a more home like experience, there are some great homes and townhomes available to stay in that are scattered throughout Mesquite next to family friendly parks and areas. Don't forget to check this site too to compare!
MESQUITE FAMILY FRIENDLY EATING PLACES
Mesquite offers a HUGE range of great eating places for everyone. From inexpensive casino buffets that taste great to fine dining to little hole in the wall amazing eateries, you can find it here in Mesquite.
Inexpensive dining
My boyfriend and his family can't head on a trip to or from California without a stop in Mesquite to enjoy Sierra's Buffet at the Virgin River. The Virgin River Casino is often known as an economy style hotel and casino but the buffet always gets rave reviews for the prices and the food--often voted better than the Las Vegas buffets! Prices start at $6.99 with specials often posted on the billboards or some coupons available.
There are also the usual eateries like fast food available in Mesquite and you will find a lot of the same local chains that you will find elsewhere. For healthier fast food eating try places like Cafe Rio. Cafe Rio is also good if you are looking for an allergy friendly eating place. I can often have them build the meal that I need to fit what i can have.
If you're looking for a "Cheers" like atmosphere and a killer hamburger, you need to head over to Golden West Restaurant and Casino where the hamburgers are top rated for a reason. Definetely a hole in the wall style restaurant with a hidden gem. Peggy Sue's was also a great place to eat.
Fine Dining
You wouldn't think in a town of under 20,000 people there would be a lot of fine dining available, but Mesquite offers some incredible fine dining eateries.
My mom wanted to take the kids out to dinner one night and spend some time with them, so she sent my boyfriend and I out to hit the town. It was mandatory. I was really, really, really looking forward to playing bingo but last time I came through here nothing was electronic. I remember bingo looking like this:
But now it looks like this:
I'm really going to miss my bingo stamper. 🙁 RIP. I love all the ladies that play bingo. If they would just let me sit and people observe bingo on a Friday night I totally would. It can get heated and the conversations are awesome! I think the kids were a wee bit disappointed I didn't come back with any funny stories.
But it's going to take me awhile to figure out how to handle the electronic bingo and the stamper bingo at the same time.
We headed over to Mesquite Grill at the Eureka and the food was so good! I opted for some fish and my boyfriend went for a steak. It was HUGE for the price and on par with steak you would find at comparable fine dining establishments.
Other places that were mentioned to us by locals as great fine dining places in Mesquite were Katherine's Steakhouse at the Casablanca, Cucina Italiana, and these also made the list.
FAMILY ACTIVITIES IN MESQUITE, NEVADA
There are some great family friendly places to go in Mesquite. The parks are a plus. There are plenty of them, and even dog parks too! Each park offers something unique so the kids (and the pooches) won't get bored. You can get some more information on parks here
Mesquite Recreation Center is a great place to kill some time when kids are bored and needing to burn some energy. There is an indoor and outdoor pool with a water slide, weight room, raquetball court, pool tables and foosball tables, climbing wall and basketball courts.
The Virgin River Casino offers family friendly bowling. Birthday party packages are also available here.
There are plenty of activities available just a short distance away. The Gold Butte Backcountry Byway offers over 60 miles of backroading adventures. Ten minutes away from Mesquite in Bunkerville, enjoy a Camel Safari with the kids. A once in a lifetime experience!
Road Trip
Saint George is just a short distance away (30 minutes) and offers TONS of family friendly activities. You can plan on a full day or two there depending on the activities you want to do. There are also lot's of free things to do there and even an all abilities park. We've been going here for over 15 years and have long considered it our second home. I think we've done just about everything you can do in Saint George and still love it!
We talked about Valley of Fire. It's one of our favorite hiking spots and is located on your way to Las Vegas.
Speaking of Las Vegas, you can also head there too! There are TONS of things to do in Las Vegas. We decided to tour and walk The Strip this time.
We stopped for Coke Around the World. I highly suggest starting with this if you are going to do it because the caffeine fuels the kids for awhile.
And now you can see what that shot looks like behind the scenes:
It became quite a process for us. And then at the end we just mixed everything together and it actually tasted somewhat good.
Of course, darn, the Coke Store is right next to the M&M store and so we HAD to go. We probably spent more at this store than any other store.
And more time because it takes a long time to pick out the perfect combination of blues and purples.
PS I would like to take a moment to stop and let you all know I met my idol--the green M&M. I always save the green for last. I did NOT tell her that though. It's a little creepy. I don't know how to bring that up to someone I just met. I really didn't want to tell her that she gives me a massive stomachache either but i still eat M&M's on occasion anyway. I'm not sure if that would be too "over the top" for someone you just met or not.
She was safe. The Hershey Store was next and I think I snagged a few samples. I had the nerve to ask if they had anything gluten free and dairy free. She told me the strawberries were gluten free.
Really? After looking at THESE???
Next stop, helping my teenage daughter get sticker shock. We stopped at an indoor mall where she could hit up any super high end designer she wanted to. She usually came out with wide eyes, floored by how much stuff costs. I couldn't believe how much UGLY stuff cost. No wonder they have to up their prices. Some designers spend so much time creating the most hideous looking pieces they have to sell their few CUTE pieces for thousands of dollars to make up for it.
After awhile we let the older ones go in to the stores while we enjoyed my favorite type of splash pad.
And of course, there is always time to get your Zen in.
At the end of the day, Vegas is Vegas and it was nice to get in the car and head back to a quieter place.
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