A couple years ago while walking through MGM/ travel way I couldn't stand the smell of the marijuana is was so bad about make you puke. I had to leave.

MGM owns several casinos the Park MGM is smoke free it’s the only one on the strip from what I could find.

We took young grandkids there and they had a ball. Shows, food, swimming pool.

I think MGM was the only one with an open pool on the strip. The outdoor ones were all closed….i was wondering “what the heck?” Looked really fancy.

If you're staying at the Plaza, I would highly recommend going to Hash House a GO-GO, for at least one meal. We have not been to the one at the Plaza, but visit the one at the Linq, every time we go to Vegas, (at least once a year for the past 25, we just got back last week). We have never had a bad meal there. Not cheap , but not overly expensive either (for Vegas). The portions are huge and our favorite time to go is for breakfast.

Main Street Station is a Casino /Hotel that is very close to the Plaza and they have , probably the cheapest buffet, you will find in Vegas. , it is nothing fancy , but you can fill yourself up, at a very reasonable price. Now as for the best buffet, it would either be the Bacchanal at Ceasers, or The Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopoliton.( wicked spoon , is our favorite) They are both very expensive,( $100 + for 2) but we still , usually hit one of those 2 when out there.

Cabs can get pretty pricey. My guess for Plaza to Park MGM would be 35$ each way, maybe a little more. Not sure if you are Uber /Lyft savvy, those are more reasonable, and the cheapest is The Deuce, The Deuce, is the bus that runs up and down the strip. From Fremont all the way to the South end with many stops along the way. 3 day pass is $20, runs multiple buses 24/7 , on our most recent trip, the longest we had to wait was about 10 minutes, it isn't nearly as convenient, as taxis , but a LOT cheaper, if you plan to go very many places, other than Fremont.

Be careful of all the people who want you to take a picture with them, they can be very pushy when asking for money, generally I just completely ignore them and they leave me alone.

Another place , that might not be too bad ,as far as smoke, is Circa. It's right there on Fremont .My mother in law is very susceptible to smoke related problems, and she was suprised how well the air filtration at Circa worked. Of course that was more than a year ago , so it could be all gone to crap by now.

Hope you have a great time, and enjoy.

If you have any other questions, I might be able to answer them. I consider myself a " seasoned" Vegas goer.

We mostly did the Uber thing, was about a 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a cab…..not sure what app, the wife did that stuff. We bought 2 passes for that bus. Waited about 20min then looked at the timelines to Fremont and back…..45min. So we gave our passes away and took the Uber ride. But there was one driver with friggin rap music playing that took us through some “interesting” streets, another old Mexican who spoke no English and had a short fuse & road rage was comical. Honking, yelling out the window….buckle up!

after re reading your post, and the fact that you're only there 2 and a half days, maybe skip the bus, as Shakeyjake pointed out , the ride times can be a little longer.
We generally go 4 nights and on our most recent trip, the longest wait, and ride time together was about 40 minutes, that was from the Venetian to Fremont Street, but it was midweek, early in the day, so not super busy.
Another thing is , when you first get on , you may have to stand for a stop or 2, until a seat opens up.

I took the fam to Vegas once. Kids loved it.

Check out valley of fire. You can hike around or drive through, Petroglyphs are cool.
We took a tour bus from hotel to Hoover and then onto Grand Canyon and back.
Check out Diners Drive Ins and Dives Spots for some bbq.
Check out In and Out Burger.

Lots of cool things to do.

If you like Italian food i highly recommend Batista's Hole in the wall. Prices aren't terrible, food is incredible and dinner includes all you can drink white and red wine. Would need to make a reservation in advance.

Looked up the gun/knife carry rules in Vegas I was surprised they allow knives and guns in most places there. I’d feel naked without my knife at least in a strange place it’s not worth taking a gun on a plane it’s just a big hassle. I don’t plan on wondering much just a short distance to eat that’s about it.

I see they even have a White Castle nearby so I won’t starve, also a cheap steak house and buffet within a block or two.