Right smack dab in the middle of the beautiful Luxor on the Las Vegas Strip, past the Bodies Exhibit and the Titanic Exhibit, and just before you hit the Blue Man Group merch shop, you’ll find Play Playground (not to be confused with the “Strip’s Sexiest Tease” also conveniently close by). Play is pitched as an adult playground where you can throw back a couple of drinks and let loose like a kid again. Now, I’ll be honest: the last few times I walked past, I was intrigued but never quite committed. Finally, on my last trip, I took the plunge, and I can confirm—Play is exactly what you’d expect from an adult playground in Vegas. Loud-as-hell music? Check. Overpriced drinks? Check. Cheesy photo ops and—everyone’s favorite childhood memory—waiting in line? Oh fuck yeah, you bet your ass.
All jokes aside, the real pull of Play is the interactive experiences, and if that’s what you’re here for, I’m not gonna lie—It’s exactly what you are expecting. They’ve got a supersized Bop It, a giant inflatable bounce maze, a Survivor-style table puzzle, a Velcro wall, and plenty of other experiences to jump into. If you’ve checked out Play’s social media or website, none of this will be news, so I won’t bore you with a play-by-play of each game. Instead, here’s what I didn’t realize before going in—some helpful insights, both good and not-so-good:
- Be ready to Pay-to-play: Almost every experience here has its own price tag. The only freebies were the slide, the silver photo room, and the bounce maze. You load up a card with credits (starting at $50 for roughly 12 experiences), and off you go. Fun fact: a few swipes didn’t even charge me, which was a nice little Vegas bonus.
- On this playground more than the drinking fountains have lines (also there is no drinking fountain): Nearly every activity had a line. Some were long enough that I just bailed altogether. And keep in mind, I was there on a Sunday during off-season, so I can only imagine peak times might require a bit of patience.
- Does anyone know who A.S.S. is?: Maybe it’s from years of jamming quarters into Galaga machines, but one of my favorite features here is the live scoreboards. After each experience, you can see where you rank—hourly, daily, and across other timeframes. And yes, my crew did snag “Best of the Day” on their oversized version of Operation (now, if only I could get paid like a surgeon).
- Just make it a double: If you’re going alone, prepare to chat it up or grab a drink because it might feel a bit awkward without a buddy. Definitely a place best enjoyed with friends who are down to share some laughs and line-waiting.
- Bar struggles: Not sure if this was just bad timing, but the bar seemed to be missing key ingredients for their signature cocktails—garnishes were especially elusive (how can you have a dink that literally has shark in the name and use gummy bears instead of a gummy shark?!?!).
Overall, Play Playground is a fun, unique experience thats worth a try if you have nothing else to do and are looking for something uniquely Vegas. Is it at the top of my must-do list? No. But am I glad I went? Absolutely. Would I go again? I’d maybe consider it if I was with others who had not gone before, or I wanted to burn the rest of these credits I did not use due to not wanting to wait in more lines.
If you want to learn more about Play, check out their website or details below (Fair warning, their site should have an epilepsy warning):
Play Playground:
playplayground.com
(725) 696-4541
Luxor Resort and Casino Atrium Level
It’s just a phase…