Looking like a castle out of the Middle Ages with its turrets, moat and even a drawbridge, Excalibur hotel and casino (3850 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, 702-597-7700) might look like the ninth hole on a giant putt-putt course from the outside, but this is one of the Strip's long-standing and popular spots. Opened on June 19, 1990 and at the time the largest hotel in the world, Excalibur has always been an ideal place to stay if you're visiting Vegas with the family. Now it may be home to Thunder From Down Under, the all-male revue featuring Australia's hottest hunks, but just steer the kiddies away from that and let them off at the midway or the SpongeBob SquarePants 4D ride.

Named after King Arthur's fabled sword, the Excalibur Hotel and Casino's theme is a throwback to medieval times enhanced with modernized Camelot couture and dining, gambling, and entertainment fit for kings and queens with touristy taste buds. The hotel's employees must be able to roll with the blue-blooded ballers they'll have to embody, and some have to be well-versed in the fine art of jousting to compete in the Tournament of Kings, the Medieval Times-like dinner show. After cheering through the jousting match, you can find live music every night at several of the restaurants and bars in the Excalibur Hotel and Casino.

Excalibur was renovated in 2000, upgrading 2,000 rooms now dubbed Widescreen Rooms. These new additions to the popular hotel include 42-inch plasma-screen TVs, iPod alarm clocks and remodeled bathrooms. They also offer the best access to the recently renovated pool, which reopened in the summer of 2008 and doubled in size. To make the poolside retreat complete, Excalibur offers amenities-laden cabanas, cozy fire pits, a serene relaxation pool and a poolside restaurant called Drenched. They aren't exactly amenities you'd expect at a medieval castle, but this is Vegas, after all.