Also known as ‘Old Las Vegas’, downtown Las Vegas is located a little north of the Las Vegas Strip. Downtown Las Vegas is the original birthplace of the city when it was discovered back in 1905. The oldest part of Las Vegas, it’s where all the history and gambling first began. Nowadays, it’s Las Vegas’ central business district and the heart of the casinos and hotels of the Mojave Desert in Nevada.
Fremont Street Experience
We were all craving a little culture, so decided to slip off to Downtown Vegas for a little more history. Where better than right where it all began? We hopped in a cab from the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip, and arrived at Fremont Street. First of all, we were struck by the vast amount of neon all around us.
Also known as ‘Glitter Gulch’, the Fremont Street Experience is in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas’ casino walk. It’s also where you’ll find many once famous casinos. Fremont Street took its name from John Charles Fremont who founded Las Vegas back in 1905. Back then, the street in Downtown Las Vegas had a vibrant gambling scene, even before gambling was legal.
Fremont Street has free nightly light shows which feature over twelve million lights and 550,000 watts of sound. In true Vegas style, it also boasts the world’s largest video screen. We caught a show on the screen focused on the music of Tiesto, who we’d seen after the Vegas pool party we went to. Throughout the year, the street also hosts various concerts, performances, and events for visitors to enjoy. We caught a rock show while exploring. If you fancy, fly above the chaos on the Slotzilla zip line. Here, you go ‘Superman style’ 12 storeys over Fremont Street for a birds eye view.
Don’t miss the iconic Golden Nugget – it’s hard not to spot thanks to its bright neon lights. With a casino and a vibe you won’t find on the Las Vegas Strip, the Golden Nugget has over 2,400 rooms. It even has a lagoon style swimming pool, and even a three storey shark tank with a slide that travels right through it.
Exploring Downtown Las Vegas
Downtown Las Vegas is home to various businesses, resorts, and tourist attractions. There’s some excellent cheap food, restaurants, shops, casinos, and even museums. It’s a popular place for both locals and visitors to come and escape the craziness of the huge resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. We wandered around the streets, taking in the neon and vibes of the area.
Heart Attack Grill has made quite a name for itself over the years. Although a little gimmicky, the restaurant actually serves up incredibly calorific meals. Even the advertising on the front that anyone who weighs over 350 pounds eats for free. Its signature dish is a 10,000 calorie Quadruple Bypass Burger, which has up to eight patties. Inside, there’s a medical theme and all of the servers wear nurse outfits. Although we didn’t go inside, it sounds like quite the dining experience!
Instead, we went for a walk along Fremont East and the rest of Downtown Las Vegas. We stopped instead for some very budget-friendly Mexican food at one of the street’s affordable eateries. It was delicious.
Although it’s not quite the sensory overload of Las Vegas’ Strip, it’s worth exploring. Take a little time out from the craziness of the city and get some culture. After experiencing enough of the bright lights of Vegas, we snuck home to bed for another couple of fun-filled days in the desert and beyond. Keep an eye out for the next post.
Have you visited Downtown Las Vegas? If so, what did you and see? Let me know in the comments below!
