Things To Do In Downtown Las Vegas

By Matt Lashley

When people think of Las Vegas, they are usually thinking about the Strip, but there is a whole other Las Vegas that can be experienced. This is called Downtown Las Vegas, or as it is sometimes called, old Las Vegas. Much of Downtown Las Vegas isn't so old anymore. Some of the buildings have been torn down, The Las Vegas Club is one example. Other buildings have been completely renovated, both inside and out. Some of these hotels may have new names you are not familiar with. In addition, there are new attractions that you may not know about. There has been a big effort by both the city and the casinos to develop the area, creating new and exciting attractions, and all of this was done while preserving the spirit of the Las Vegas of the past. Some of what you find here no longer exists on the Strip.

This book tells you about all of the highlights in and around Downtown Las Vegas. You will learn about the new free Loop Shuttle that takes you around an outer loop to make it easy to get around. This shuttle service is free, and gives you an opportunity to see a lot more of Downtown Las Vegas while you are there. The heart of Downtown Las Vegas is Fremont Street, and it has become quite a spectacle. There is a lot to see by walking casually down this pedestrian only street.

Many of the attractions in and around Downtown Las Vegas cost money, but there are many free things to do as well. All of the major things to do for free are covered. The highlights of the most unusual and popular places to eat are discussed.

Generally speaking, the cost of everything is lower in Downtown Las Vegas than on the Strip, so your money will go further. You may choose to stay at a downtown hotel while in Las Vegas, but if you are staying on the Strip, it is easy to get here by car. And if you don't have transportation, this book explains exactly how to get there by bus.

Things To Do In Downtown Las Vegas describes exactly what each attraction is and exactly where it is located. Hours of operation and admission prices are included when applicable. Web sites are also listed, so readers can find the latest information. There are photos found throughout the book for most of the places that are written about.

Read this book, and begin planning your next trip to Vegas to include Downtown Las Vegas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Teela Books
• Release date: Jan 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386569121

Book preview

Table of Contents

Introduction

Las Vegas Downtown Loop - Free Shuttle Bus

The Fremont Street Experience

The Viva Vision show

Free concerts

The Golden Nugget's Nugget

SlotZilla

Fear the Walking Dead

Neonopolis

The Little Neon Chapel Fake weddings

The Metropolitan Gallery of Las Vegas Art Museum

A Piece of the Berlin Wall

Mob Museum

Fremont East

Container Park

The Dome at Container Park

Symphony Park

Smith's Center

Discovery Children's Museum

Gold & Silver Pawn Shop

Pawn Plaza

Gamblers General Store

Premium Outlets North

Eating in Downtown Las Vegas

Gambling in Downtown Las Vegas

Outside of the Downtown Loop

The Haunted Museum

Neon Museum and Boneyard 

Cashman Stadium (The Las Vegas 51s)

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum

The Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort

Appendix – The bus system for Las Vegas Blvd.

Introduction

A lot of people sneer at downtown Las Vegas, and refuse to leave the Strip. I'm not sure why this is. Certainly, there are many older buildings downtown, but many of them have undergone extensive renovations. The Grand hotel is one example. But even if you decide not to stay downtown, it is still worth a visit. There are many great things to do here and that is what this book is about.

I chose not to cover the subject of gambling much because this is more of a travel book, but I do have a section about gambling in this book. However, I only mention it to compare it to what you see on the Strip. 

People talk about how Vegas used to be. They long for their memory of Las Vegas. There are even commercials on television about how old Las Vegas is still alive, but inevitably, it will be an Indian casino. The truth is, the old Las Vegas is alive and well; it is simply not found on the Las Vegas Strip. The old Las Vegas can be found in what people call Downtown Las Vegas. This is, essentially,  the old Las Vegas. If you have never been here or haven't been here in a long time, you will be surprised at how much of it has changed. There has been a big effort by both the city and the casinos to develop the area, creating new and exciting attractions, and all of this was done while preserving the spirit of the Las Vegas of the past.

Las Vegas Downtown Loop - Free Shuttle Bus

In June of 2017, the city of Las Vegas started a pilot program for free transportation that is designed to shuttle tourists and locals around the downtown area. Known as the Downtown Loop, this free shuttle bus picks up and stops at seven major destinations in Downtown Las Vegas. The shuttle is convenient because some of the downtown sites are a bit far to walk, or at least, they are too far to visit all of them on foot. It's also not easy to get around Downtown Las Vegas by car. Perhaps a few of the sites have good parking, but if you are staying on the Strip and you have a car, it might be worth considering parking your car and taking the free shuttle around town. The same problem with a car is true with the bus. You can take both buses that run on the Strip to reach Downtown Las Vegas, but except for a couple of sites, they are not helpful in getting around the downtown area.

The Downtown Loop shuttle has seven stops on its continuous loop around the downtown area. Although there is no first stop, there is a direction the shuttle travels. I will begin with the Fremont Street Experience stop because you are likely to be in the area. This stop is on Main Street, across from the Plaza hotel. From there, the shuttle stops at the Mob Museum, and then makes a right on 6th Street Stopping at Fremont East. The Next stop is at the Pawn Plaza, The Arts District, Bonneville Transit Station and finally, the Las Vegas North Premium Outlets. Naturally, from here it goes back to the Main Street stop again. Each stop is marked with a sign.

To summarize, the seven stops of the Downtown Loop shuttle are:

Fremont Street Experience – Main Street, South end of Fremont Street

Mob