✨ VEGAS with Food Allergies— Our Allergy-Safe Itinerary with Kids (Ages 1 & 5) ✨

Written By Jane Park

How This All Started: The Prize We Took Two Years to Claim

Back in 2023, Emmalee won the grand prize at the Allergic Emma Event: a 3-day, 2-night Vegas stay at South Point Hotel—complete with a 3-course allergy-safe dinner crafted by a team trained by the legendary Chef Keith Norman.

“Allergic Emma” and Emmalee in 2023 when she won the raffle!

Chef Keith transformed South Point Hotel into one of the safest dining spaces for those with food allergies. Thanks to “Allergic Emma” our family got to enjoy a life-changing experience there. I was stunned that an experience like this could even exist.

But despite how incredible it sounded...
I hesitated to plan it. For two years.

👩🏽‍💻 From Google EA to Allergy Mom CEO

After a decade at Google, planning global offsites, flights, executive meetings, and travel logistics—I never expected those skills to really show their worth in motherhood, especially allergy parenting.

Planning this trip felt daunting.

Flying to a city we didn’t know well, in 110°F desert heat + dry wind, without the comfort of familiar relatives or grocery stores? Just the idea of eating out made my heart skip a beat.

But we did it—with a 1 yr old toddler, a 5 yr old, and food allergies in tow.

And it. Was. Worth. It. 🙌🏽

Why Allergy Moms Need Executive Planning Skills

Here’s how my old roles at Google helped us survive (and thrive):

🔹 Administrative Support:

  • Booking travel

  • Budget management

  • Packing and preparing just the right amount of allergen-free meals/snacks

  • Coordinating with hotel/restaurant staff

🔹 Team Operations:

  • Supporting my “team” (husband + kids) so we could all focus on what mattered—enjoying the experience, staying safe, and making core memories.

🔹 Clear Communication:

  • Contacting restaurants/hotels in advance

  • Using allergy cards consistently

  • Managing expectations with both my husband & 5-year-old

🔹 Culture + Morale:

  • Prioritizing fun, connection, and core memories—despite the inevitable stress

Behind the Scenes: Our Allergy-Friendly Travel Logistics

Planning Like a Pro Meant:

  • Mapping & studying up every meal

  • Scheduling around naps, milk-feedings, and allergies

  • Navigating travel w/ a stroller, 2 car seats, personal belongings, a cooler bag of safe-food

  • Confirming hotel fridge availability and safe dining options

  • Hydrating the family in 110°F dry heat

  • Keeping emergency snacks and allergy cards on hand always

🗓️ THE FULL ITINERARY

Friday (Day 1)

✈️ Flight to Vegas
🚌 Shuttle to car rental
🥪 Snacks in line (from our cooler bag):

  • Emma: turkey & pickle wraps + olives

  • Enzo: avocado, baked sweet potato, olives

🥘 Dinner @ Whole Foods

  • Organic rotisserie chicken, OLIPOP, spring water

Saturday (Day 2)

🍽 8AM Breakfast

  • Kids @ Coronado Cafe: allergy-safe rice + Bilinski sausage (brought from Whole Foods)

  • My Breakfast @ Tru Bru Café: Protein Bowl*: organic yogurt, PB, berries & an iced Americano (*tree-nut free — something I confirmed as a breastfeeding allergy mum. A bit of tree nut in my diet mean my allergic baby will struggle with eczema for a month!)

🦈 10:30AM Shark Reef @ Mandalay Bay

  • Bring stroller, prebook tickets, and expect $25 all day parking fee.

😴 12PM Kids Nap in the car (as we drive to lunch)

🍕 12:30PM Lunch @ St. Honore

  • Gluten-free pickle pizza (confirmed tree nut-free & delicious)

  • GF donut & pizza base = Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 (confirmed over the phone)

  • Emma’s packed lunch: True Story turkey, CHOMPS beef stick, banana, tangerine

🛍 2:30PM Chill @ Fashion Show Mall

  • Free parking, kids played on indoor swings, and I hunted for legit hydration (& found a very overpriced water at the ABC Store)

🚶🏽‍♀️ 4PM Venetian Resort Walkthrough

  • Gondola viewing

  • We were really just here on a chocolate-finding mission

🍫 4:30PM Dandelion Chocolate Tasting

  • Cross-contamination concerns waived - Emma has the chocolate tasting experience of her dreams. She got to taste all the chocolate bars & chose the 85% dark.

  • Cocoa fruit juice = my pick - so refreshing!

  • Frozen mocha = husband’s new fave.

  • Allergy Note: the pastries & drinks are not allergen free

🥩 6:30PM 3-Course Allergy-Safe Dinner @ Silverado Steakhouse (South Point)

For Allergic Emmalee:

  • Appetizer: Burgundy Sautéed Mushrooms (with garlic & EVOO)

  • Steak: New York Strip (hand selected, custom cut)

  • Dessert: Berries (in a glass goblet. She could have gotten Passion Fruit Sorbet too but this she says is her “favorite” dessert)

    For Adults

  • Appetizer: Oysters on the Half Shell w/ Horseradish & Tabasco

  • Steak: Filet Mignon & Blackened Rib Eye

  • Dessert: Berries (to-go for Emma to enjoy the next day)

  • Wine: white, red, and champagne from Italy

10:30PM Back at South Point Resort & Casino

  • Allergy-safe shower + bedtime routine

  • I snuck a GF cinnamon donut from St. Honore. It was so pretty. 😉

Sunday (Day 3)

🥩 8AM Kids Breakfast (in-room)

  • Leftover Silverado steak & mushrooms, Bilinski sausage, berries, sparkling water

🥣 9AM Adult breakfast @ Tru Bru (takeout)

  • Protein bowl (again, subbed out almond granola for peanut butter) + coconut milk matcha + iced americano (mine) & breakfast burrito + cold brew (his)

🏊🏽 10-11AM Hotel Pool

  • Shaded areas + free life vests = big win

🧳 12PM Checkout (via text message)

  • Packed perishables in ice filled cooler bag (got ice from hotel machine at checkout)

  • Tipped valet

🍴 1PM Lunch @ CRAFT Kitchen (Takeout we ate in the car)

  • Brisket + potatoes (me), chicken egg sandwich (him)

🛒 1:30PM Sprouts Market

  • Airplane/travel-safe snacks: true food turkey, EPIC chicharrones

🚗 Return rental car, airport shuttle, board plane

✈️ 4PM Flight Home

🌟 Unexpected Wins in Vegas

✅ Kid-friendly activities:

✅ Surprisingly many allergy-friendly restaurant options (check out the Spokin App)

✅ Vegas hospitality industry is highly trained in dietary accommodations because of:

  • International clientele

  • Celebrity chefs

  • Competitive standards

🧳 Allergy Travel Tips

🔹 Print multiple laminated allergy cards
🔹 Always bring safe food staples

  • As soon as we landed, we bought True Food turkey, Blinkski Organic sausage, Organic rotisserie chicken, OLIPOP, chicharrones, spring water, bananas, and tangerines (easy to peel & eat as we won’t have decent fruit washing options while traveling)

🔹 Call ahead to your hotel

  • Will they really have a fridge? Or is it only a mini fridge for products they sell?

  • Which on-site restaurants open late?

  • What groceries are nearby?

  • Do pools have life jackets for kids?

🔹 Pack like a pro:

  • Blanket washed in your own detergent (prevents flare-ups)

  • Long PJs (barrier from hotel sheets)

  • Refillable water bottles + quality electrolytes (code MUMWITHABUN)

  • Your own soap / body care (you never know what allergens are present in the public dispensers / hotel products)

  • Skin repair spray (code JANE15) + tallow balm with eczema prone skin in mind!

  • Hats & lip balm for desert wind

Your Turn

What are your must-bring allergy-friendly travel essentials?
Drop them below—I’ll keep updating this guide with your recs! ♡

Jane Park
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