There’s a lot going on in Downtown Las Vegas right now. Let us break it down for you.
Downtown is old . It ’s new . It ’s everything . It ’s where Las Vegas as we know it get and wherethe futureis taking shape . Yet the neighbourhood is n’t always easy to put into perspective . While the Strip dominates the tourist market with a understandably defined four - mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard , Downtown is a accumulation of air hole that tote up up to a neighborhood that can be surd to pilot .
While Las Vegas is enter a renaissance ofsports , resorts , and more , Downtown is stepping into its own public eye with a something - for - everyone posture . What should you do and where should you stay in downtown Las Vegas ? That look on who you are , so let us break it down for you .
If you’re looking for old-school Vegas: Fremont Street
Fremont Street is where Las Vegas first got its start . The neighborhood is in a flash recognizable in medicine videos byU2,The Weeknd , andU2again , plus countless film — includingSean Connery ’s last big car Salmon Portland Chase as James Bond . It ’s where you ’ll see Vegas Vic , the iconic neon polarity of a smoke cowboy , and theGolden Gate Hotel & Casino , which is the old haunt in Vegas , dating back to 1906 ( the first telephone set in Vegas was instal on site a year later ) .
The five blocks west of Las Vegas Boulevard are now cognise as theFremont Street Experience , a privately owned footer mall that ’s been closed to car dealings since 1994 . This is where you ’ll find tourist attractions like the dual - levelSlotzillazipline and theViva Visiondigital canopy , sport the largest LED screenland in the worldly concern ( apart fromthe Sphere , of row ) .
ButFremont East , the stretch of Fremont Street eastward of Las Vegas Boulevard , is a little more chill with attractions that cater to both holidaymaker and locals . In addition to theDowntown Container Park , a series of shops and eatery build out of old shipping container , the neighborhood is eating place and bar weighty . expend your dawn atPublicUssipping on macadamia caffe latte , the evenings atCarson Kitchen , the best restaurant in the vicinity , before stopping intoCommonwealthand itsfantastic speakeasy , theLaundry Room .
Fremont Street|Photo by Fremont East Joe Buglewicz of Las Vegas News Bureau
You ’ll find more old Vegas spell atEl Cortez , a historical cassino that ’s democratic with topical anesthetic who read how gambling works , orFergusons Downtown , a vintage motel that was revivify into an issue space for local shopping , art , and amusement .
And if knowledge of old Vegas is what you crave , you ’ll find it here too . Downtown Las Vegas does n’t have an prescribed museum territorial dominion , but is home to theNeon Museum , Mob Museum , Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort , andLas Vegas Natural History Museum — all within about a nautical mile of each other Union of Fremont Street .
If you’re looking for top-notch food and drinks: Downtown Art District
TheDowntown Arts Districtis pulsing with energy and excitement in the area west of Las Vegas Boulevard and Charleston . picture gallery and thrift shop have been there forever , but the arrival ofEsther ’s Kitchenjump - started the neighborhood as a culinary destination . Chef James Trees recently moved his key signature restaurant into a prominent , contemporary outer space to meet need and will exchange the honest-to-god spot into a globally inspired taste menu - construct the chef promise will be unlike anything seen in Vegas before .
When it comes to drinks , the Arts District is best cognise for its beer , prompting some ( including the city itself ) to dub the neighborhoodBrewery dustup . You ’ll incur at eight breweries and taprooms in the Arts District with more slightly further to the south in the Gateway District — most notablyAble Baker Brewing(named in honor of Nevada’satomic history ) and theSilver Stamp(a sign - free , retro - lounge that specializes in unconventional German laager ) .
Restaurants likeMain St. Provisions , Good Pie , SoulBelly BBQ , and1228 Main(a commissary of sort that produces bread for Wolfgang Puck ’s Vegas operation ) lash out out the top dining option , while bar likeGaragiste(wine),Velveteen Rabbit(cocktails ) , andBar Ginza(Japanese whisky ) are always buzzing .
Fremont East|Photo by Joe Buglewicz of Las Vegas News Bureau
If you still want to be close to the Strip: Gateway District
The Gateway District essentially connects the Strip to Downtown . Its most noteworthy resident isThe Strat , formerly have sex as the Stratosphere tower , which extend 1,149 base into the sky with a round viewing deck ( or " Skypad " ) that ’s one of those bucket - listing thing in Vegas , particularly if youchoose to have dinnerat theTop of Worldrevolving restaurant on the 107th story . The Strat recently unveiledAtomic Golf , a driving range that faces the Spring Mountains to the Benjamin West .
The stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard between Sahara Avenue ( where the Strip ends ) and Fremont Street is known for nuptials chapels , bond bond services , cheap motel , and grownup - theme businesses . Thearrival of Queen Las Vegascould be the commencement of a raw LGBTQ+ district to come .
If you want to be in the up-and-coming spot:
Midtown
Midtown could become the unofficial name for the area that bridges the Arts District with Downtown ’s unofficial " financial territorial dominion " of offices , City Hall , and theall - of import marriage ceremony licence bureau , as well as Symphony Park , home to the beautifulSmith Centerfor the performing arts . Weina Zhang , the enterpriser behind theEnglish Hotel(the only hotel in the Arts District ) , is expanding her attribute intoMidtown , a mixed - role site with two condominium towers , include one affiliate with Marriott , aggressively targeted for 2025 .
Historic Westside
It ’s also deserving watching development in the Historic Westside , land site of the long - gone Moulin Rouge ( the first mix cassino in Las Vegas ) and now acultural hub for the Black community . Visit eatery likeGritz CafeandSoul Foo Youngbefore head over to theWest Las Vegas Library , which has done a awful occupation of document the locality ’s history and presenting a wide variety of events . The infinite will double with anew position in 2025 .
Huntridge
The Huntridge neighborhood , about a Swedish mile Rebecca West of the Arts District on Charleston is centered around the revival of theHuntridge Theater . Dining pick includeYukon Pizza , easily one of the practiced pizza marijuana cigarette in townspeople , andWinnie & Ethel ’s , an old - school diner that takes inspiration from the forties rather than the ’ fifty . The country will truly make a riposte if the three - acreHuntridge Circle Park , which date back to 1957 , can be reopen to the public after beingfenced off due to crimein the area .
El Cortez Hotel|Photo by Joe Buglewicz of Las Vegas News Bureau
Main Street Provisions in Downtown Arts District|Photo courtesy of City of Las Vegas
Good Pie Pizza Bar|Photo by Sam Morris
Sky Jump at The Strat|Photo courtesy of The Strat
