Spotlight: Las Vegas - The Mirage's Secret Garden

Spotlight: A couple of years ago, my daughter's soccer team played in the Vegas Cup. Although we drive by Vegas several times a year, since it's not really our style of entertainment, we usually only stop for gas. However, since we were going to be staying there for several days, we decided to find some family-friendly entertainment. One of the places we found was Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage. Although the dolphins were cool, what we really were interested in was the white lions and tigers. White tigers have always been my favorite animal, and I'd never seen white lions before. White tigers and lions used to be part of the famed Siegfried & Roy show that was performed here until Roy Horn was attacked by the white tiger Mantecore in a 2003 performance. The show was discontinued, but the big cats and their descendants can still be safely seen within the Secret Garden.

Location: The Mirage is located at 3400 S Las Vegas Blvd, in downtown Las Vegas.

Cost: $22/adult; $17 children (4-12)

Time: Open from 11:00 am - 5:30 pm (Mon. - Fri.) and 10:00 am - 5:30 (Sat. & Sun.). Plan on spending about an hour or more.

Description: Although Mantecore eventually died of natural causes, another white tiger and several white lions still live at the Secret Garden. In fact, when we went, there were several young white lions that were having fun tussling and playing with a carton cylinder.

     In addition to the great, white cats, there are also some leopards and a black jaguar.

     The Dolphin Habitat is a multi-pooled sanctuary for bottle-nose dolphins. Trainers regularly exercise the dolphins, so find try and stick around for that if you can. Unfortunately we missed out on that.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 5); potentially greater with the dolphin show

Things You Should Know: - As is the case elsewhere in Vegas, families should be cautious about exploring other venues within the Mirage, some of which are definitely not family-friendly.
- If you go, check online for coupons ahead of time.
- If you take a VIP tour, you can get a behind the scenes look at the facility. The Trainer for a Day program gives visitors the opportunity to feed, swim with, and even practice "training" the dolphins.
- If you go during the heat of the day, the cats will likely be napping. Try to go early for best viewing.
- Rather than driving around and trying to find parking, it is much easier to walk from place to place.

Nearby: The Venetian, Caesar's Palace, Sands Expo Convention Center, The Bellagio