The Daily Tribune from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin • Page 16

6B Daily Tribune, Wisconsin Rapids i RAVEL Friday, June 5, 1998 Gone fishing with kids k' n)v 1 If IV 1 Magician Lance Burton makes a ball of children from his audience at the s. llin III i i iri v41 fen 1 i tea j. V--5 iniri.r. jmitl I Las Vegas. Once touted as a "Disneyland for adults." Las Vegas is home to a growing number of attractions for children." Naughty Las Vegas transformed as a family vacation destination orms make me feel all warm and mushy inside.

That's not to say I like those slimy creatures. Ugh, I can't stand touching them! It's just that seeing a wiggling worm instantly brings me back to a lovely, simpler time in my life, one I wish could have lasted just a little longer: It's a warm summer evening along a pristine Midwest lake shore. The baby is sleeping (finally), and I'm sitting on the end of a dock at dusk with an oh-so-confident preschooler who knows without a doubt that the plastic container of worms by his side the worms his mom so obligingly will bait on his hook one at a time are all he needs to land a fish. I've staked out a spot brimming with small bluegills. We won't quit until the worms are gone and we've caught and thrown back several wiggling fish.

That they weren't big enough for doesn't diminish Matt's enthusiasm a bit. Later, his dad and I tuck in a very happy, tired little boy who can't wait for the morning and the larger fish he's certain are waiting for him. "Thanks, mom," he says sleepily. If only being a mom were always as simple as baiting worms on a hook. Nor did I realize then how fleeting the days would be when I could so easily guarantee my son's success and happiness.

Matt is 14 now, taller than me, and about to enter high school. Success, he's learned, no longer is a sure thing, no matter how hard he tries. Happiness has more to do with a certain girl's phone call or hitting a home run than anything I do. I'm just glad a decade later, my boy has such sweet memories of our fishing days. He likes to tease me about my love-hate relationship with worms.

I have a picture of him holding up his first "keeper" in a special spot. More important, Matt still loves' to fish. It's clear why I think fishing even for an afternoon is such a good bet for a vacationing family this summer. Others obviously agree. The Travel Industry Association's new report says half of families planning summer vacations will spend some time fishing this year.

"It's great one-on-one time with the kids, and the chance to teach them about the environment," says Mark Hurdy, who oversees fisheries programs for the U.S. Forest Service and fishes often with his own kids. It's also an activity everyone can share, whether they're 3 or 83. This trip, ask grandma to bait the hooks! "But you've got to concentrate on the kids, not on your fishing or the kids will hate it," warns "Gone Fishin' with Kids" HERITAGE GERMANFEST. RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL INTRIGUING ILLINOIS NEW ENGLAND BRANSON EUREKA SPRINGS RR.NSON FAIA.

SPECTACULAR TEXASINEW ORLEANS MUSICAL CHICAGO OPRYLANDCHRISTMiS CHRISTMAS IN HOLIDAY SPECIAL Wi Taking The Kids Eileen Ogintz co-author Manny Luftglass (Gone Fishin' Enterprises, That means when the kids are tired, head back to shore, Luftglass says. That also means don't even think about taking the kids fishing, even for a couple of hours, without a stash of snacks and drinks. To keep them going when the fish aren't biting, bring along Shaun Morey's "Kids' Incredible Fishing Stories" (Workman, $7.95) and read the one about the 1 1-year-old sinking the 300- pound tuna. Of course, most kids are lucky to catch a fish big enough to fry for supper. The Forest Service's Hurdy notes that because regulations vary widely about the size and number of fish you may keep, it's important to check the local rules.

The nearest bait shop also can steer you and the kids to the best spots and right bait for the area. Wherever you are, there's no need to spend big bucks heading out on an all-day fishing boat. The kids might get seasick: They'll definitely get bored. "I won't even take kids under 10," says Gary Nordlie, a Minnesota high school English teacher who spends summers as a resort fishing guide and says more parents these days want to share the experience with their kids, not realizing they might be asking for trouble. Instead, fish from the dock of the nearest lake, as we did, a river bank or even a city pond so that the kids can do something else when they're tired of fishing.

Seek out places where you know the kids will have some luck or special children's fishing events. The U.S. Forest Service, in fact, sponsors hundreds of kids' fishing derbies on government land around the country. (Contact your local Forest Service Office for information about upcoming events during National Fishing Week in early June and later in the summer.) Look for Eileen Ogintz's books from HarperCollins West: "A Kid's Guide to Vacation Fun in the Rocky Mountains" and, for parents, "Are We There Yet?" Send your questions and comments about family travel to Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 or e-mail to eogintzaol.com. While every letter cannot be answered, some of your stories may be used in upcoming columns.

July 24-25 $180Double' Aug. 22-23 $175Double' Sept. 9-11 $269Double Sept. 21-Oct. 2 Sept.

$629Double Oct. 19-24 $639Double Oct. 19-30 Nov. 4-5 $235Double Dec.7-11 $599Double Dec. 9-10 Dec.

15-16 $225Double' indicates per person double occupancy yM. Associated Press an interactive ride into the 24th century. William Bennett, who now owns the Sahara Hotel, has opened Sahara Speedworld, where drivers of all ages take the wheel of a three-quarter-size Indy car in a race simulator. At the Monte Carlo Hotel-Casino, magician Lance Burton headlines a show that is a big family draw. Mirage's newest resort, the $1.6 billion Bellagio, will include a $35 million water extravaganza on a lake in front of the prop-.

erty when it opens in October. It will also be free to the public. Las Vegas visitors are surprised at the growing number of attractions. "There's a lot more stuff for kids to do," Buru says. "It's not just gambling anymore.

There's so many things to see and do." Richard Morales of El Paso, Texas agrees. "I was definitely surprised," he says, exiting the Secret Garden area at The Mirage with his wife, Diana, and their 13-year-old daughter. "I never dreamed there would be so much to do." Mario and Rebecca Ramirez of Albuquerque, N.M., said it was the first time they had brought their daughters, ages 12 and 15, to the city. "I'd have never thought there were so many attractions," Ramirez says. "And I think a vacation here is cheaper, too." Schaeffer believes Las Vegas is growing as a family destination "because the entire market is growing." "While Las Vegas is family friendly, it's still an adult market," Schaeffer says.

"The family market is a subset of the tourism market." Simlt and a bird disappear to the wonder Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Star Trek and Atlantis attractions and interactive game venues. With 105,000 hotel rooms, and an additional 20,000 under construction, families are finding the attractions and the room rates to their liking. That's not quite what Siegel envisioned in 1946 when he built the Flamingo Hotel-Casino on a patch of road that would become the Las Vegas Strip. Cost overruns that angered his mob pals led to his execution-style slaying the following year. Las Vegas remained true to its past for the next 27 years, enticing gamblers with swanky hotels, chattering casinos, marquee entertainers and idyllic weather.

People under 21 who trickled in were banned from the gaming areas (a state law that remains in place today) and found Las Vegas anything but an E-ticket attraction. That began to change in 1974 when longtime gaming figures William Bennett and William Pennington bought a struggling resort called Circus Circus. They converted one floor of the tent-shaped structure to a carnival midway and, voila, the city's first family-friendly hotel. In 1989, Steve Wynn opened the Mirage Hotel-Casino, signing illusionists Siegfried and Roy to perform in their own theater. The hotel features a volcano that erupts several times nightly, a giant dolphin habitat and the Secret Garden of Siegfried and Roy, which features rare white lions and tigers raised by the entertainers.

Mirage spent $35 million on just the habitat and Secret Garden. In 1990, Circus Circus opened the medieval-themed Excalibur Hotel-Casino which features a dinner show with knights jousting on horseback. There's also a popular carnival midway. Next came Wet 'N Wild, with a sprawling water park next to Phantom Ragtime The Musical Aug. Oct.

New England Cape Cod July 11 12 Days $1,319 Canadian Rockies July 11 13 Days $1,689 Pacific Northwest July 16 18 Days $2,099 III the Sahara Hotel. In 1993, three major megare-sorts opened. First was the pyramid-shaped Luxor, adjacent to Excalibur, which features Egyptian lore and a giant interactive game complex. Then came Treasure Island, a pirate-themed hotel owned by Mirage and featuring a spectacular sea battle several times nightly between a giant pirate ship and a British frigate. The pirate battle cost $35 million and draws thousands of viewers nightly.

There is no charge, but pick your spot early for the best viewing. The $1 billion MGM Grand Hotel-Casino opened in December 1993, with the MGM Grand Adventures the city's first full-fledged theme park. About the same time, Circus Circus opened Grand Slam Canyon, a giant dome featuring a wide array of rides and games. Today the Canyon draws about 2 million visitors a year, according to Glenn Schaeffer, president and chief financial officer of Circus Circus Enterprises, Inc. In 1997, MGM and partner Pri-madonna Resorts opened New York-New York Hotel-Casino, which replicates the Manhattan skyline and some of its top attractions, was opened in 1997.

Included are a giant Coney Island-style game arcade and a roller coaster that encircles the resort. The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace features expensive clothing boutiques and "Atlantis," an eight-stories high attraction with animatronic figures telling the' famous sea legend. Included is a aquarium featuring 650 exotic fish, and an Imax 3D ride, "Race for Atlantis." The Forum Shops draws some 20 million visitors annually. In January, the Las Vegas Hilton opened a $70 million Star Trek attraction, featuring memorabilia for trekkie faithful and 15 Fireside Theatre 70 10 Orpheum Theatre $122 Mackinac Island July 28 3 Days $419 Southwest Parks August 8 13 Days $1,559 Native American Heritage August 10 5 Days $599 By ROBERT MACY Associated Press Writer LAS VEGAS Back in the early '50s, when I was a boy, my family stopped by Las Vegas on a vacation trip and my father tried to show my brother and me the inside of one of the town's famous casinos. "Get the hell out of here with those kids," barked a security guard.

That incident has often come to mind in my 17 years as a 1 reporter covering the evolution of this gambling capital. Departed mobster Bugsy Siegel would blanch at the idea, but Las Vegas once touted as a "Disneyland for adults" has spent big bucks to transform itself into a family-friendly vacation destination. When other areas began getting into gambling in a big way, Las Vegas began to broaden its tourism base. No longer just a cluster of casinos, Las Vegas today has an array of attractions for all ages. "Las Vegas is a lot cheaper than Orlando (home of Disney World)," says Imre Buru of Austin, Texas, pushing a stroller through a crowded shopping arcade at The Mirage Hotel-Casino.

"We anticipate our two-week vacation will be $1,000 cheaper than Orlando." At the Circus Circus resort, room rates range from $29 a night to $89 a night. On the high end is Caesars Palace, where the rates range from $109 to $279 for a standard room. Buru, his wife, Gabriella, and their three daughters ages 4, 3, and 11 months are among a growing number of families invading what was once "adults only" turf. And 15 years ago, Las Vegas was a boring place for kids. There were swimming pools, a few skimpy arcades and one hotel carnival midway arcade.

That was the extent of the youth fare. "As a kid growing up in Los Angeles, I used to hate coming to Las Vegas," says Alan Feld-man, now vice president for public relations at Mirage Resorts, Inc. "I'd spend my time just sitting around the pool. We have turned around the notion that there is nothing for kids to do." While hotel officials want to broaden their child-friendly visitor base, but they don't want kids in casinos. "It concerns us when we see people bring children through a casino," Feldman says.

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