LAS VEGAS -- Las Vegas' ad campaign, ''What happens here, stays here,'' paints this city in Nevada as a giant playpen for misbehaving adults. It hardly comes across as a kid-friendly destination.

Yet, Las Vegas packs more kid-enticing attractions than a family could hope to fully experience in a week-long trip.

Yes, after dark, Vegas is best left to the adults. The topless bar fliers littering the streets and stench of stale beer permeating the air are decidedly not kid-friendly.

The trick is taking in the sights, sounds and thrill rides during the day, while the city's shadier side sleeps. Even during the brutal summer heat, when temperatures can reach triple digits, Las Vegas is a hit with my 10-year-old stepdaughter.

Here's where the family-fare jackpots are:

AQUARIUMS, ETC.

The water behind the viewing glass ripples. A buzz of murmurs rises from the crowd of onlookers. And then, suddenly, a flash of gray appears. As if sensing the audience, it slows to a graceful glide.

There, a male calf swims alongside his mother, Duchess, a 30-year-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin.

Sgt. Pepper was born a year ago at Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage hotel-casino. He has become the most sought-after sight at the popular habitat.

The attraction itself is impressive. The 2.5 million-gallon Dolphin Habitat has four linked pools with a sand floor and artificial coral reef designed to mimic the bottlenose dolphins' natural habitat. Most of the dolphins were born here. They regularly perform tricks, from jumping through hoops to tail- walking.

A ticket also allows access to the Secret Garden, a lush jungle setting featuring black panthers, golden tigers, leopards, lions and Siegfried and Roy's famous white tigers.

(The Mirage is at 3400 S Las Vegas Blvd. Call 800-963-9634. It is open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day and 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. weekends from Labor Day to Memorial Day.)

Want more aquarium fun? Try these:

• The Mandalay Bay Shark Reef (3950 S. Las Vegas Blvd.) contains almost 2 million gallons of water. Inside are 1,200 species of sharks, sea turtles and exotic fish. Among the most amazing creatures are five rare, golden crocodiles and a male water monitor (cousin of the komodo dragon). There's also an exhibit of piranhas. 877-632-7000.

• The Aquarium at the Silverton Hotel (3333 Blue Diamond Road) has a 25-foot-by-12-foot curved viewing window looking into a 117,000-gallon artificial reef with 4,000 tropical fish, three species of stingrays and three species of sharks. Three times a day, a marine biologist dives into the tank to feed the fish and answer viewers' questions. One of six aquariums at the hotel, the exhibit is free. Fish feedings are at 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.; 702-263-7777.

THRILL RIDES

If your kids are adrenaline junkies, Las Vegas has the amusement rides for them. Even a little trepidation can be conquered here.

My stepdaughter watched the Manhattan Express scream overhead as we entered New York New York casino. She wasn't sure she wanted to try the outdoor roller coaster, whizzing past the hotel's top floors, which are designed to look like the Big Apple.

Her 19-year-old cousin finally talked her into it and she disappeared into a car that looked like a yellow taxi cab.

And after a 203-foot climb, 144-foot drop, one loop and a sharp twist and dive later, she was eager to go again. But we had far more to do and see in Vegas.

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