Find the Best Things to Do in Downtown
By Terrisa Meeks
Las Vegas Local Expert
About Downtown
Photo courtesy of Jose Miletti
Downtown Las Vegas is where Las Vegas got its start. This is the original Glitter Gulch, and in the days before the Strip became the trendy new kid in town, Downtown was the place to go. Today it's the place to get a sense of what Old Vegas was like, although even Downtown has been updated, with the overhead canopy of the Fremont Street Experience and its Viva Vision light show.
See & Do
The front of the hotels along Fremont Street are still emblazoned with neon, and the Neon Museum has installed several vintage neon signs along Fremont Street and in the courtyard of the Neonopolis. During the day, you can make an appointment to see the retired signs housed at the Boneyard, which is just east of the Fremont Street Experience.
Party
Do you long for the days of old-fashioned cocktail lounges? The people at Fremont East understand, and they're working hard to bring back the kinds of bars where you don't have to shout over the music to talk. Places like The Griffin, the Beauty Bar, and the Downtown Cocktail Room put the emphasis on enjoying a round of great drinks. Fremont East is still small, and it's easy to wander from one hipster bar to the next.
Stay
Downtown Las Vegas hotels are a great place to find a deal on a room, and the since the Fremont Street Experience made the whole area pedestrian friendly, you can leave the car parked and walk to check out the action on Fremont. The Golden Nugget, Four Queens, and Fitzgerald's will give you good value on mid-priced rooms. The Plaza recently renovated, and the El Cortez has also done some updating. You'll find far less expensive rooms Downtown than on the Strip—which means you may have more cash for the casino.
Shop
Not far from Fremont Street, Las Vegas Premium Outlets offers shoppers great deals on familiar retailers: Ann Taylor, Coach, True Religion, and Ralph Lauren, for example. With 150 stores to browse, this branch of the Las Vegas Premium Outlets (there's also one south of the Strip) might keep you away from the tables all day.