Things to Do in Sunrise Manor

A long silver limousine pulls up and releases a flurry of energetic moppets, who make their way down a red carpet to the front doors. Though this may seem like a scene from Nickelodeon's Teen Choice Awards, it's an everyday occurrence at Make Me a Star Studios, where aspiring superstars' dreams of the famous life can be realized.

At the studio, beauty experts sculpt coifs and gloss guises to get them ready for the camera. Then, against a green-screen backdrop, celebrities-in-progress strike poses as flashbulbs pop or perform choreography for music videos. Though activities are geared toward kids aged 7–14, grown folk often find themselves headbanging or electric sliding during sessions and can join in if they wish.

Party packages guarantee exclusive access to Make Me a Star Studios' enclave. The Reality Party gives kids glimpses into the true lives of superstars by bouncing them between scheduled interviews, performances, and photo shoots. Unexpected bumps in the road—which may include a limousine breakdown or publication of recent spelling tests in the Enquirer—challenge youngsters to make it to appearances on time and without losing their cool.

Madame Tussaud began crafting wax likenesses in 1770s Paris, and a sense of history clings to her wax museums around the globe today—according to the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventurers, the location is haunted by unsettled spirits. By day, the collection of wax sculptures fills the serene exhibits with characters ranging from daredevil Evel Knievel (complete with his original Harley Davidson and good-luck teddy bear) to Lady Gaga and Whoopi Goldberg. A Hugh Hefner figure, wearing the Playboy magnate’s signature smoking jacket, reclines on a bed, and a nightclub-themed section of the museum honors Las Vegas’s entertainment history with a waxen Elvis and Wayne Newton.

Velvet ropes no longer cordon figures off from the public, granting guests up-close-and-personal photo ops. Madame Tussauds Las Vegas honors its spooky roots with special late-night Scream events, a shriek-inducing tour through a maximum-security prison set interspersed with ghoulish wax figures and live actors.

Growing up in North Las Vegas, Tracy Eliason discovered that time spent bouncing on a trampoline can take a person places beyond the yard. Tracy's bouncing talents took him to the Junior Olympics, where he competed in the Trampoline and Tumbling event as a teen. The accomplished athlete knows well how trampoline bouncing can be irresistible to kids. He opened his multifaceted jumper's paradise, FLIPnOUT Fun Centers, in 2010 to serve as an outlet for youngsters and adults alike to have an enjoyable time while contributing to their fitness. The indoor gymnasium is comprised of large trampoline arenas, inflatable bouncy houses, and a video game arcade. A staff of energetic young trampoline tutors advises tykes on the art of safe jumping, supervises trampoline-enhanced games of dodgeball, and helps show gravity it's not the boss of anyone. Fundraisers and birthday parties are often held at the bounce headquarters, and the team at FLIPnOUT Fun Centers also offers Monday Night Air-obics classes.

Sun Buggy Fun Rentals’ dune buggies shred the sand all around the Las Vegas area. Designed and built in-house, these buggies are ideal for exploring off-road locales—including Vegas’s dunes and Valley of Fire State Park—without getting stuck in the sand or pulled over by the sand police. Customers can choose whether they want to ride with a guide, or maneuver a dune buggy themselves. Sun Buggy also organizes signature chases, during which visitors pursue one of Sun Buggy’s expert “dunies” through more than 15,000 acres of dunes, gravel, hills, valleys, and trails. Other rentals include ATVs and exotic cars, ranging from Mini Coopers to Ferraris.

Just inside Kids' Club Las Vegas' play area, little ones board a train and ride the pintsize locomotive around a play structure towering with yellow and green tubes, slides, and lookouts. Within the space, kids 18 months to 8 years old expend energy and let their imaginations spill into reality as they crawl through the equipment's twists and turns and soar down its slides. The staff harnesses this imaginative sprit during educational and developmental classes such as Tiny Tumblers, a session for toddlers that helps them learn to identify vibrant colors and the feel of soft, rough, and misunderstood blocks.

Behind glass walls, parents are encouraged to keep an eye on kids as they play. The facility's emphasis on security extends beyond the translucent barriers, as the staff outfits each child and parent with a photo ID, which they must use in tandem to enter and exit, and acquires a list of all imaginary friends' known aliases. All these efforts help grant peace of mind so moms and dads can also use the center's free WiFi and socialize at appropriate moments within the Sandwich Club Café, which envelops its visitors in the aromas of fresh fruit and gourmet coffee.

Kids careen over springy walls or safely tumble down inflatable slides at BounceU's supervised and climate-controlled pliant playground. Along with bouncing, kids can shoot hoops at pop-a-shot-style goals or don oversize boxing gloves and helmets to duke it out for pudding-cup pink slips. During open bounce hours, families can pop in unannounced for as much inflatable fun as the day allows. Alternatively, regularly scheduled day camps whisk kids along a six-hour structured day of exercise, crafts, and snacks. Birthday packages outfit parents and kids with a variety of options for making a party unforgettable without having to worry about cleaning up the mess from a rented shark tank.