Forty years old and still going strong, Circus Circus was a great idea that continues to appeal to the family vacationing in Las Vegas: Within a glitz and glamour adults-only environment of round-the-clock gaming, dining, shopping and entertainment, shouldn’t the kids have some fun as well? Send in the clown, a.k.a Lucky, the 123-foot neon jester looming over the north Las Vegas Strip, inviting both parents and children to come on in for a laugh or two. Happily, this fun comes with a fairly low price tag. Circus Circus serves up well-priced meals and economically-priced rooms.

The newest and nicest rooms are in the West Tower, which is 35 stories high, and contains the lobby and the Shopping Promenade, connecting to The Adventuredome. The other two towers are The Skyrise, which is 29 stories and contains the hotel's two pools, and The Casino, or Main Tower (15 stories, contains two casinos, the Midway, restaurants, circus area).

All Tower rooms include cable TV, hairdryers and iron. There are no refrigerators or coffeemakers. Wireless internet is available.

The Manor (a motorlodge consisting of five three-story buildings) is located a half-block behind the main casino, with access provided via an enclosed walkway. Some guests prefer these rooms because of the addition of a refrigerator, as well as the fact that the Motor Lodge has self-parking and a separate pool.

Leave it to the big imaginations in Vegas to create the five-acre indoor theme park of The Adventuredome with ferris wheels, rollercoasters that move every which way, splash rides, bumper cars, laser tag, a merry-go-round, etc. Find the likes of Marvin the Martian and SpongeBob starring in SimEx Theatre's 4D attractions. With height restrictions enforced for the more intense rides (18 thrill rides at current count), they are divided into Premium, Large, Junior and Family. Adventuredome is open daily; rides can be purchased individually ($7 per premium ride) or with an all-day pass ($24.95 regular, $14.95 junior).

The attractions include rock climbing at Xtreme Zone, miniature golf at Pike's Pass, bowling on Highway 66, a dizzying number of carnival games at the Midway, and state-of-the-art video games in the Arcade. Given its theme, it's not surprising that Circus Circus has a "be-a-clown" booth where kids can apply clown makeup and red foam-rubber noses. If children need to take a break, they can watch the free clown shows occurring throughout the day, and on Friday and Saturday nights as well. World-class circus acts fly continually overhead from morning until midnight.

The hotel's layout allows for the parents at the gaming tables to check in on the kids - if properly situated, they can simply look up to the play area on the mezzanine level directly above.

Two outdoor pools are open seasonally, February through October. A third pool is located in the Manor.

Circus Circus offers family fare at reasonable prices. The formerly-named Pink Pony is now the Casino Cafe, which still caters to the younger set with hamburgers, corn dogs, grilled cheese, PB&J - all of which are $5.99 and served with fries and a soda. The Circus Buffet serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and is also suited for children. Ages 4 to 12 are charged $7.49, $9.49 and $10.49 for breakfast, lunch, dinner, respectively. (Prices for adults are $3 more than the aforementioned prices.) Children 3 and under eat free. Fast food restaurants are plentiful throughout the Strip, including an on-site McDonald's. Though coffee is not available in the hotel rooms, note that there is a Krispy Kreme concession on the ground floor.

Other on-site restaurants include: Barista, The Garden Grill, Pizzeria, Mexitalia X-press, the Westside Deli and the higher-end Steak House, serving lobster, crab, prime rib, la mb and yes, steak.