“Love All Serve All”

Who can forget that famous quote that appeared on the walls of all Hard Rock Cafe’s back in the 80’s? To be quite honest, I kind of did. I forgot about the Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas that was once upon a time the most rocking-est place to go. Oddly enough, it was my son who reminded me about the place, in a round about sort of way.

He has been bugging me to go mini-golfing ever since he found out he has to miss a classmates birthday party at a local mini-golf spot because we will be in Disney World at the same time (poor kid), so for an end of the school year celebration, my sister, brother-in-law and I took the kids to play a round of mini-golf. The theme? None other than KISS…yes, the popular rock band of the 70’s & 80’s, popular for their flamboyant outfits, hair and make-up, but most famous for their music. Once we figured out the location was directly across the street from the Hard Rock Cafe, we decided to make it a Rock ‘n Roll kind of day and take the kids to lunch, too.

The great thing about the Hard Rock Cafe is that it keeps the kids busy. They have plenty to look at, people are expecting them to walk around and look at things, and you can’t hear them over the already loud music. There is also a kids’ menu with lots of great options and activities to work on. For the adults, the food is edible. Definitely not a 5-star restaurant, but pretty decent eats for a cafe that’s been around for awhile. I, personally, have to pay homage to the Hard Rock Cafe because no matter where I was in the world, when I saw the Cafe, I knew it would take me home for a little bit. When traveling, I prefer to live like the locals do, but after a few weeks and months, I would miss American specialties like Iced Tea, Ranch Dressing and Buffalo Wings. The Hard Rock Cafe always provided me with those small comforts of home.

It was pretty fun to reminisce and check out an old stomping ground. What was once a small retail store is now 2 high-backed booths with a bit of a VIP feeling. Elvis is still in the house, Viva-ing Las Vegas above the restaurant goers, and the full KISS regalia greets you upon entering. Speaking of KISS…

Afterwards, we headed over to KISS Mini-Golf. I have to say, I was quite impressed. Though my experience with mini-golf is Scandia, again, dating myself here, for an indoor course in the middle of the desert to entertain the family, how could you go wrong?! The entire place is visually stimulating with glow-in-the-dark course, clubs, balls, scorecards and pencils. The music blasted, of course, is KISS favorites, and the entire course is lined and decorated with massive bobble heads of each band member, giant platform shoes, and guitars. A robo-animatronic version of the band plays while you make your way through the course to the final hole, and try to put your ball into Gene Simon’s mouth via his iconic snake-like tongue.

As if that’s not enough entertainment, you might also catch a wedding there at the Hotter Than Hell Wedding Chapel, which boasts of 22 weddings since opening in March 2012. There is also a VIP room and a birthday party room, along with a gift shop, arcade, and snack bar. I mean, seriously, where else would you find something this crazy-cool but in the capital of crazy-cool itself, Las Vegas. Golf rounds are $12.99 for adults (5 and up), but $9.99 for locals or military, teachers and students with ID.

RSMLV Tips

Hard Rock Cafe…the staff was super friendly and quite helpful. I have to give a huge shout-out to our waiter who spotted my bro-in-law’s sunglasses left on the table. He literally walked across the street to the KISS Mini-Golf to deliver them to us. They also gave us a sweet local’s discount on our tab, which he said they only give to awesome people. Otherwise, they do offer a military discount with ID, and a Happy Hour.

KISS Mini-Golf…kids ages 4 and under are free, but I would caution taking a little one. It’s pretty dark in there (a la the “Glow in the Dark” status), and it’s quite loud, which may frighten or upset them. My youngest nephew is almost 5 and he did great, but he also dressed up like Gene Simons for Halloween and sings rock music at the top of his lungs, so he may be the exception. Also, there are laser lights that might bother a child if he is sensitive to those things. With that being said, the staff is great and totally entertained the kids with tickets and prizes and cheered them on throughout the course.

The ability to rock it like no other for lunch and a fun day with your kids is another reason why I {heart} Vegas!

See more of my Rockin’ Day in Las Vegas on my Google+ album.