Right off of Las Vegas Boulevard, on Fremont Street, is the heart of old Las Vegas, also known as Downtown Las Vegas. This is a whole other side to Las Vegas, and a visit to this part of town will add depth to your visit. Las Vegas downtown is home to many of the older hotel casinos, many of which are still in use today. Away from the crowds of the Las Vegas strip, the downtown Las Vegas hotels and sights in the area combine to create a unique experience.

The Fremont Street Experience opened in 1995 and has since drawn visitors to this older part of the city and revived interest in the city's history. While the Fremont Street Experience takes up four city blocks, the main draws are not the downtown Las Vegas hotels, but the free light and sound show that begins just after sunset, and the themed shows that are put on here. You can catch the best view from the balcony of the second floor of Fitzgerald's.

Neonopolis, on the corner of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard also brings visitors to Downtown Las Vegas. This newer development which houses restaurants, shops, and indoor entertainment costs $100 million to build.

Las Vegas Strip Map

This area of Las Vegas downtown used to be known as "glitter gulch", because the casinos here were so brightly lit that it seemed like daytime when they were all turned on at night. Vegas Vic is a familiar sight to visitors to Las Vegas. Featured in many old and new movies which are set in Las Vegas, this well-known landmark is a giant neon cowboy used to greet visitors to Downtown Las Vegas with a loud "howdy partner!" until an actor filming here complained about the noise and silenced his boisterous welcome for more than 20 years.

While many of the Downtown Las Vegas Hotels are no longer in operation, many still survive to this day, and visitors who want to gamble straight ahead and enjoy a vintage Vegas experience flock to places such as Binion's Horseshoe. Check out the exhibit of antique guns near the hotel entrance, and enjoy cowboy cuts of beef in Binion's Ranch Steakhouse. El Cortez is also one of the remaining downtown Las Vegas hotels and should not be missed, either. The Golden Gate Hotel, which originally opened in 1906, still stands and is known for its 99-cent shrimp cocktails you can enjoy as you admire the photos covering the wall which commemorate the opening of the San Francisco Bay bridge. There is nightly piano entertainment as well.