Cheap? Check. Cheesy? Check. The last-standing reminder of when Vegas tried to go family-friendly? You betcha and thank goodness. This is one of the few places in Vegas where cash-strapped families can come without worry, knowing they won’t mortgage the house for a vacation, and that they can let their kids loose to be entertained (or entertain themselves). They do the latter on the midway level, with its hundreds of carnival games and non-stop circus performers. And we don’t mean a couple of sad jugglers or cut-rate clowns honking their noses—there is a permanent circus with serious athletes, from jaw-dropping trapeze artists and high wire acts, to acrobats, magicians, and yes, even some truly fantastic jugglers. It’s this free, delightful spectacle that keeps Circus Circus the best option for families.

Sure, Circus Circus is a budget resort/casino in the sense that it’s way cheaper than anything new on the Strip, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find another that’s as massive and accommodating to all ages. There are almost 4,000 rooms over the three towers and five low-rise, motel-like Circus Manor buildings that sit on the property’s 68 acres. Circus Circus is also home to the only RV park on the Strip. If you’re going to be a stickler for modern appointments, the West and Casino towers were the most recently remodeled, with flatscreen TVs, Wi-Fi, and comfy pillow top mattresses. Standard room sizes are all comparable, averaging about 360 square feet, so the only thing that sets these two towers apart from the Skyrise Tower is that the latter feels slightly less blah and dated.

The enormous hotel also sports a casino to match its size, clocking in at 101,000 square feet, for when parents want to play a few games of their own. The dining options are mostly kid-friendly, with pizza, sandwiches, and a buffet to satisfy everyone’s taste. The Steakhouse is the hotel’s culinary diamond in the rough, a bona fide classic Vegas red meat joint with white tablecloths, good cuts of dry-aged beef, and stellar service.

We did say this place was family-friendly right? Indoor amusement park Adventuredome pleases kids of all ages—even the grown-up ones.