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.
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.
