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[quote=Anonymous]Second Walnut Canyon as a good suggestion.
Lake Powell is another idea (further north, on the Utah border, but really pretty).
You also go right by Montezuma's castle (no relation to the actual Montezuma) and Sunset Crater, either of which could be worth a stop.

I think of PHX to GC as more like a 5-6 hour trip, really, but maybe I'm mis-remembering.  It's an easy drive with a lot of nice scenery.  Depending on which way you go, you can easily cross through beautiful Navaho country (and can buy some really beautiful jewelry and other artisan's work).

I would take about 3 days at the GC and so something like this:  one day, let the kids earn their junior ranger badges and go to some ranger talks/visitor center; second day, maybe go horseback riding or something like that; third day, take a day hike into the canyon -- remember that it's twice as hard coming back up, so if you can hike for 2 hours, turn around after 40 minutes.  Bring lots of snacks and water and take breaks.  It is really, really beautiful -- way prettier when you get into the canyon, plus it gives the kids some sense of how tough it is to go all the way in and back.  I'm not sure about PP's suggestion of packing a lunch -- the path is not that wide and there are not many turnoffs to stop and have a picnic.  (Indian Point is halfway down and has lots of picnic space, but it's a crushing 6 mile walk back up, so unless your kids are really big hikers, I wouldn't try it at that age.) I would just do heavy snacks that can be eaten while on the move or standing.  Yogurt covered raisins, sunchips, nuts, GORP, etc.

Many many years ago when I was a kid we stopped at the Hopi cultural center and it was one of my favorite stops on that trip.  The hominy and lamb stew with fry bread at the restaurant was the bomb.  They closed it for years, but google indicates it may now be re-open.  It's a little out of the way, though.

If you do decide to fly back out of Vegas, Hoover Dam is worth a stop.  They have a tour and it's tremendous.

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