Frugal Family Fun

Movies are expensive. Sporting events are, too. When it gets right down to it, there doesn’t seem to be a lot for families to do, unless you’re willing to spend a lot of money.

So we checked around the valley for some family-friendly activities that wouldn’t break the bank. The following are seven things for the whole family to do, at least until it warms up.

RED ROCK CANYON NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA

The Bureau of Land Management and Red Rock’s Interpretive Association offer several family-friendly hikes and educational events each month. On Saturday, Ranger Jim will lead a two- to three-mile hike around Red Rock, talking about the development of the canyon and the various flora and fauna that can be found within. On Jan. 31, families with children ages 3 to 10 can attend Slitherin’ Snakes, an interactive program about the types of snakes found in the Mojave Desert.

The daily admission fee is $5 per vehicle, but if you park just outside the fee kiosks, you can walk in for free. The park is about fives miles west of the Las Vegas Beltway off Charleston Boulevard. For further details, call 515-5367.

PINBALL HALL OF FAME

Introduce your kids to the arcades of old at this hall of fame that honors the mighty pinball machine. There’s no “Dance, Dance Revolution,” just lots of paddle-flipping and ball launching and maybe a little tilting here and there. There are more than 140 pinball machines built during the past 70 years or so. If you grew up playing pinball, this is your chance to be superior to your video gamer kids. Admission to the facility at 330 E. Tropicana Ave. is free; games start at 25 cents. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays.

CLARK COUNTY MUSEUM

A McDonald’s cheeseburger or a trip to the museum? Cheeseburgers are delicious and cheap. Educational stuff can be cheap and — while not delicious — definitely fun. The museum is $1.50 general admission, $1 for children and seniors. For a mere pittance, you can teach your kids about how locals have been living since, well, the Ice Age. The Anna Robert Parks Exhibit Hall covers all eras of Clark County, from the Ice Age to the Age of Entertainment. You can learn about the Pueblo and Paiute Indians, the pioneers who settled the valley, mining and, of course, gaming. There are other exhibits, as well, so you can really stretch that dollar. The museum at 1830 S. Boulder Highway in Henderson is open daily, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 455-7955.

HOWARD W. CANNON AVIATION MUSEUM

McCarran International Airport may be a little off the beaten path as far as entertainment goes, but if you’re a fan of airplanes, why not introduce your kids to them through the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum? The main exhibit is above baggage claim; other exhibits can be found in ticketing, terminal 2, the A and B gates, and the North Las Vegas Air Terminal. From the first airplane flight in 1920 to present-day air travel, the collection covers the history of aviation in Southern Nevada.

Admission is free, but you have to pay for parking at the facility at 5757 Wayne Newton Blvd. When you’re done perusing the photos, artifacts and information at the airport, drive south on Sunset Road and tune your radio to 88.5 FM. You can hear the pilots and air traffic controllers talk during landings and takeoffs. Exhibits are open 24 hours daily.

CLARK COUNTY LIBRARY

Your public library provides more than just books and multimedia, it also provides free entertainment for the family. On Jan. 31, the Clark County branch at 1401 E. Flamingo Road is hosting a Scottish Céilidh, featuring an evening of Scottish entertainment, including dance performances by the Las Vegas Highland Dancers and music from fiddler Ed Pearlman and the local Desert Skye Pipes and Drums. Admission is free and open to all ages. The program is funded by the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The event starts at 7 p.m. For more information, call 507-3400. Check out the library Web site — lvccld.org — for year-round events.

LIED DISCOVERY CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

Even though the exhibits target children, there’s enough at Lied to entertain the kid in all of us. Exhibits include educational and interactive elements. You can create huge soap bubbles, and even try to stand inside of them before they pop. Or play the laser harp, a harp with lasers in place of strings.

The Everyday Living Pavilion gives kids a grown-up experience with a small bank and grocery store. They can go through the motions of grocery shopping and standing in line at the bank.

There are a variety of displays — including traveling exhibits — found within the 22,000 square feet of exhibit space at 833 Las Vegas Blvd. North, adjacent to the Las Vegas Library.

Museum hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for children ages 1 to 17, and free for children younger than 1. For more information, call 382-3445.

SPRINGS PRESERVE

This 180-acre attraction, thought to be the birthplace of Las Vegas, was designed to highlight the history of the valley while providing a “vision for a sustainable future.”

The preserve at 333 S. Valley View Blvd. offers a variety of activities for all ages. For nothing more than the gasoline it will cost you to get there, you can take the kids to the children’s playground, on a re-created desert canyon. The playground features ambient sound effects of the desert, as well as oversized replicas of wildlife. There’s a peregrine falcon, a woolly mammoth skeleton partially buried in the sand and a giant sidewinder snake — all made of concrete, of course.

Or, for the price of admission, you can gain access to galleries that display native wildlife and other exhibits. The Nature Exchange enables participants to bring in items they have found, such as leaves, rocks, shells or other natural things, and then exchange them for something brought in by someone else. You also can take part in walking tours and hike a network of trails.

A one-day pass costs $14.95 for adults; $13.45 for seniors and students older than 18; $6.95 for kids ages 5 to 17; and free for kids younger than 5. An annual pass for one is $40; for a family, a pass costs $75. For more information, call 822-7700.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.