If you are looking for fun and educational places to take your kids, parks are the way to go! Many showcase local wildlife and nature conservation, while others have fun trails, events, and amenities. Parks are an awesome space for you and your children to interact with nature, get lots of exercise, and meet new friends. Here are nine of the best parks near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Springs Preserve

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The Springs Preserve at 333 South Valley View Blvd. offers your family many ways to interact with the beauty and history of the Mojave Desert. You can walk the trail loops to see how Las Vegas developed, including an adobe foundation, a prehistoric spring mound, and pioneer structures, while enjoying the diverse ecosystems, like a tortoise habitat and the desert wetlands. You can even explore the desert with a 20-minute narrated train ride! The Springs Preserve also houses the Nevada State Museum and has an award-winning botanical garden that boasts 11 separate collections, too.

Plus, the Divine Cafe is the perfect stop for lunch on your day out at the park. Timed-entry tickets are required, with rates of $5 for adults, $2.50 for children between 3- and 17-years-old, and free for children under the age of two.

Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs

Floyd Lamb Park at 9200 Tule Springs Road offers 980 acres of shady trees, trails, and historical buildings. Your kids will love to see the peacocks and ducks that wander the grounds, and there are four ponds that allow fishing for you and your little anglers. When you need a spot to rest and have a snack, the picnic areas and barbecue pits are the perfect spot to eat lunch before playing on the volleyball court and horseshoe pitch. For a little local history, head over to the historic Tule Springs Ranch, which offers displays on both early ranch life and fossils that were found on site. 

The entry fee is $1 per person if you are walking, biking, or horseback riding into the park, or $6 per vehicle.

Sunset Park

Sunset Park is an expansive park at 2601 E. Sunset Road that boasts a pond, trails, two dog runs, picnic areas, and many recreational fields. You and your family can fish in the pond or launch from the RC boat ramp. Let the kids practice for tryouts at the softball fields, tennis courts, or basketball courts, or challenge the family to a round of disc golf on the 27-hole course. You can even get a workout in at the fitness course while the kids play nearby. Plus, there are four multi-use connected trails, ranging in length from a quarter-mile to one mile.  

Visit the Native Discovery Area to learn about Paiute Tribe culture and the Dunes Discovery Area for a history walk. Each Discovery Area has interpretive signage and 12-foot wide asphalt paths.

Clark County Wetlands Park

Clark County Wetlands Park at 7050 Wetlands Park Lane is a perfect park for enjoying how the wetlands looked before development. This park is full of wildlife, including wild rabbits and the great blue heron, and native plants, like reeds and desert scrub. They have both paved and unpaved trails, offering more than 3 miles of wheelchair-accessible trails. While entry into the park is free, you and your kids can participate in guided walking tours and many programs, like Nature Art for Kids and the Wetlands Explorer Club, for an extra fee.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

At Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, your family can explore the desert on hiking trails, the scenic driving route, or through tours on horseback, Segway, or bicycle. Enjoy the picnic areas, and stop by Visitor Center to learn about the Mojave Desert. Day passes range from $5 to $15, depending on the size of your vehicle.

Anthem Hills Park

Anthem Hills Park is 53 acres of recreational space and sports fields at 2256 N. Reunion Drive. Start your day by having lunch at the covered picnic shelters, open picnic tables, and barbecues. Then, enjoy playing in the open grass field and roller hockey field or strolling down the walking course. You can even spend your evening on the lighted basketball courts, multi-purpose fields, volleyball courts, and skate park.

Gardens Park

Gardens Park at 10401 Garden Park Drive is a recreational area with a community center and a festival pavilion where they host a weekly farmers market, yoga in the park, and festivals. You and your kids can rest at the picnic tables or run wild in the open field. Gardens Park also has a horseshoe court, shuffleboard court, and sand volleyball court. Their basketball courts, tennis courts, and bocce field are all lighted for playing safely in the evening.

The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

Visit the mountains of Nevada at The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, also known as Mt. Charleston. This beautiful park offers many trails, picnic areas, and camping sites, as well as many monuments and educational centers. Stop in at the Visitor Center for exhibits on conservation and local wildlife, an information desk, and a gift shop. Then check out the Seven Stones Plaza that honors the heritage of the seven southwestern Paiute tribes as well as the Education Center and two amphitheaters that host programs like art workshops, science safaris, and interpretive hikes.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Visit America’s first national recreation area, Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Your kids will love spending the day on a boat, playing on the beach, fishing in one of the bays, or watching wildlife from one of the many trails. Stop in at the Visitor Center to have park rangers help you plan your visit, get a national park passport stamp, learn about desert animals in the exhibit room and pick up a souvenir from the park store. A daily pass is $25 per vehicle.

Each of these parks offers your kids a unique way to experience Las Vegas. These spaces allow your children to develop a relationship with nature, history, and their community. At Crème de la Crème of Las Vegas on Farm Rd., we help foster stewardship for both nature and community. What is your favorite part to visit? Let us know in the comments!