Part 1 of an ongoing series about things to do in Vegas. The things to do and reviews will be free after this post, so make to to follow, subscribe, and come back to learn about everything Vegas has to offer and if seeing all the hotels is worth it! Read Part 2 now! Part 3 is here. Oh, look. So is part 4!
Things to do in Las Vegas have drastically evolved over the years. From the classic Vegas showgirl extravaganzas, Elvis weddings, and flashing pizzazz to a brief stint with family friendly get-aways to more modern party vibes, it’s an eclectic location that’s morphed into something nearly unrecognizable.
Regrettably, I wasn’t around for what many folks consider the “golden days” of Vegas. I visited when I was two (apparently), so I can’t say I missed them completely, but even after that “trip” and growing up, I had a specific vision of Vegas. It was flashing neon lights, women dressed in elaborate costumes performing in glitzy shows, mob bosses sitting in back room card games, and other-worldly colors and excitement. The reality of Las Vegas in 2020 is… somewhat different. It’s definitely still neon. But that’s about where my vision ends.
There are no more Vegas showgirl shows. The hotels aren’t all bedecked in Egyptian or pirate themes (to an extent. I’ll explain, I promise). The mob, if it’s still around (I’m a believer), isn’t running the show (that we know of…). It’s not glamorous. Even the neon is different than what I imagined it would be. It was updated and “modernized” to fit a new generation’s expectations of party life. Some may say my vision of Vegas was romanticized, and I’m not here to argue that. Maybe it was. But it’s not like I was expecting my vision to be perfect, or 100% accurate. I mean, I was expecting to be able to see a showgirl show. That was disappointing. And some of the… older? Classic? hotels were downright sad. But it was still startling to see where the old met the new. I thoroughly enjoyed parts of it, learned about eras I didn’t even know occurred, and formed a completely new vision of Vegas. The question now comes in – How is Vegas now? What is there to do in Vegas for free or cheap? What are the popular sites like? Is it worth walking the Strip, exploring hotel scenery, and maybe extending your trip like we did? Read on to find out how some of the major sites on the Las Vegas strip fit into expectations.
Keep in mind, all opinions are completely my own, based on my experiences and preferences. Everyone is different and unique – and that’s ok!
Also, please note all of these images were taken with an old iPhone so they may not be as good as my others! But still pretty good…
El Cortez
El Cortez Hotel and Casino is the longest continuously running casino in Las Vegas – isn’t that amazing? They are off the strip Downtown near the Fremont Street Experience, and they tout themselves as the “authentic Vegas experience.” Their building is even the only casino on the National Register of Historic Places, and they are one of the last remaining family-run casinos in Las Vegas. So, you can say they’ve got that old-Vegas charm I was wondering existed.
We chose to stay here our first few nights. We ended up moving hotels simply because we extended our trip four whole days and decided being within walking distance of the Strip (for the same price) would be beneficial to our site-seeing. I grew up going to casinos (what a weird statement. I guess I’ll explain). That is, my grandparents love casinos and often took me with them on their trips. They typically chose kid-friendly places where I could go to the pool, walk around the shopping area with Grandma, or play in the arcade, but I still remember being near the old casino floors. There was a certain restless yet calm energy continuously emanating from them. The atmosphere of El Cortez struck me similar, albeit more calming than I expected. It had an easy, low-key energy that didn’t overwhelm. But when you stepped outside, the neon signs and lights were still there!
Even though it didn’t 100% fit my classic Vegas view (I was expecting something a bit more hectic), I think this hotel is the closest thing you’ll get to old-Vegas, and I thoroughly enjoyed staying here. The bartender was charismatic, funny, and polite, and he even made my mom and I random drinks for fun with our free vouchers. The rooms are also updated and modern, which completely surprised me, so don’t worry about staying in an old, scary hotel.
Well, unless you’re afraid of ghosts! One of the best parts about staying at El Cortez (other than winning $25 my first time gambling! I’m not much into gambling or drinking, so we didn’t do that much, but I still impressed with myself), was our supernatural experience. And look, I’m a science-driven person and have a hard time believing in the supernatural (even though I absolutely love sci-fi and fantasy and all things supernatural…). But I genuinely don’t know how else to explain. In the middle of our first night, we both started stirring because we heard this weird buzzing sound. We could both tell it was annoying each of us, but we didn’t want to move and admit we had awoken, so we did nothing. It turned off after a few minutes! Great, right? No. It did it again. And again. After several more minutes, I finally stood up to figure out what the hell it was, but once I got up to make it stop, it cut off and never came back on. Ok, cool, back to sleep.
The next morning, I went hiking at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, and my mom stayed in the hotel to rest (we had a long day in Death Valley the day before). Lo and behold, the buzzing noise started again when she was alone. She finally figured out it was her toothbrush. She has an electric toothbrush; one you must press a button hard to start. And that button isn’t easy to get to. She had to completely disassemble the toothbrush to make it stop buzzing. The most interesting part? The toothbrush didn’t do that again until we stayed in the historic Quarter House in New Orleans. She had to take it apart there too.
Now, I know ghosts don’t just manifest to random items they have no connection to, but I like to believe it was something. Because what else could it be? Don’t answer that. Let me live in my little bubble, please.
So long story short, for less party and more classic Vegas, El Cortez is the perfect spot, and I loved our stay.
El Cortez review/score: 4.5/5
Why: I enjoyed the ambiance, but the décor wasn’t as “Wow” as some other hotels.
Downtown Container Park
In direct contrast to the old charisma of El Cortez is the Downtown Container Park one block away. It’s a modern open-air shopping center with stores and restaurants in metal containers. Furthermore, there’s tons of entertainment during non-pandemic times, like a praying mantis fire show with a drum circle (it’s a huge praying mantis and has a really cool story), pixel sticker room, and tree house play zone. It started out as an effort to revitalize downtown, and I think they are succeeding.
It’s a completely different expectation than classic Las Vegas, so that’s what you are looking for, this area isn’t for you. That being said, I loved walking around and seeing the (mostly) unique stores. There are local art shops, a magic store, and more. There used to be an awesome soap shop on the second level, but I believe it has since closed. One of the coolest places is the second most popular Whiskey bar in the country as rated by Yelp – Oak and Ivy! I especially loved the praying mantis.
Downtown Container Park review/score: 4.5/5
Why: Fantastic praying mantis and awesome idea. Some of the stores and cool/unique, but some of them are also typical stores.
The Neon Museum
The Neon Museum is a 501 (c) 3 organization that collects, preserves, and exhibits iconic Vegas signs. Not only do they exhibit signs and teach visitors their history in the boneyard, their visitor center is the old La Concha hotel lobby!
I was torn about visiting The Neon Museum. It’s expensive, and it’s just a bunch of old signs, right? Wrong. Well, sort of. It is a bunch of old signs, and they are all just kind of in a boneyard. But the non-profit that runs the museum is working hard to restore some of the signs, preserve the amazing history these signs represent, convey that culture to visitors from around the world, and exhibit the signs in the best way they can. They are also expanding into a larger building to grow the museum and exhibit even more with signs and history.
What convinced me to finally buy the ticket was a special event they were hosting. Lost Vegas: Tim Burton at the Neon Museum, to be exact. I love the Nightmare Before Christmas and Burton’s work and knowing that, my mom convinced me I had to see the limited time exhibit (let me know if you want to see more of the limited-edition installations). It seemed fated because it was originally supposed to finish February 15th (it was extended and finished online amid the pandemic) and we were there a few days before.
Not only am I ecstatic that I visited because of Burton’s creations, I’m ecstatic because I learned a lot about Vegas history. The Neon Museum really is where old Vegas (or Lost Vegas as Burton takes to calling it) and new Vegas meet. You don’t just buy a ticket to walk around and see the signs like I assumed – there are free tours every hour where volunteers tell you about the history of key signs. Alternatively, they have an app online where you can read about each one too! I read through many of the descriptions before the tour started and personally preferred the tour. I felt the passion that the tour guide had for the history of Las Vegas, and other tour-goers asked questions I wouldn’t have thought of. For example, the Neon Museum has the old Treasure Island skull, which has an interesting history and crack – a crack I wouldn’t have been able to find without the tour guide!
The Neon Museum review/score: 4.9/5
Why: It’s fun, it’s informative, it’s unique. Would I have given it the same score without Tim Burton’s installations? No, probably not. But still worth a visit. It’s only shy of 5/5 because I would recommend the Mob Museum first, so the Neon Museum’s score can’t be higher!
The Mob Museum
The Mob Museum provides a clear, authentic view of organized crime throughout history, but it’s not your typical “read and look” museum. There’s several interactive exhibits, artifacts, videos, and experiences that bring you back to different times in history. They even have a speakeasy in the basement! Like many other attractions, the tickets can be expensive, but we visited after 5pm (“happy hour” tickets) and did a combo ticket so we could do a distillery tour and tasting plus a crime lab experience in addition to exploring the permanent exhibits.
So, is the Mob Museum worth it? Absolutely. We spent four hours there and could’ve spent longer had they not closed at 9pm. And while I thoroughly enjoyed the distillery and crime lab, I’m not sure I would do them again.
The distillery tour and tasting isn’t as much of a tour as it is a tasting. Upon entering, you choose a table, and that’s where everything occurs. The distiller tells you some history interspersed with information about the Mob Museum distillery. The downside is the acoustics. I had to strongly focus and watch the distiller’s lips to hear him, but if I looked away for even a second, I missed whole parts of the presentation. So, try and make sure to sit near the front if you want to hear. Between stories, you get to try three alcohols (they rotate), about a thimble size of each.
The crime lab was quite fun, albeit quick. After being briefed, you rotate through stations – bullet and fingerprint comparisons, DNA matching, and autopsies with a corresponding investigation. The only thing I didn’t like was a personal pet peeve – the museum worker hovered. A lot. And spoke to me like I was 10. To be fair, she treated everyone like that, but it’s a very unpleasant occurrence for me.
The museum itself is broken into sections, starting on the top floor. It starts with organized crime’s roots and prohibition. There’s even a fun quiz area where you “play” against others if you choose to. One of the most noteworthy things is the actual St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall. I won’t go into detail about the massacre so you can learn when you go, but they have a video and music to go along with the wall where the shots happened. Floor two focuses on the law “cracking down” and the mob’s transition to Las Vegas. Political corruption and famous mob hits are also featured! Floor one focuses on organized crime today (yes, it still exists) and has an impressive wall full of mob men, which I could’ve spent hours reading.
The Mob Museum review/score: 4.9/5
Why: It’s not just a museum, it’s an interactive FUN experience. My only valid complaint was the acoustics on in the distillery room.
Fremont Street Experience
The Fremont Street Experience is nothing short of what it claims. A pure experience. There are multiple stages for live performances, tens of street “performers” (I question the validity of some of these people being called performers), vendor stalls, bars, and so much more. Like, so much. Solicitors, a really weird ceiling that plays a trippy visual show, people flying through the sky. It’s something you just must see to believe… and experience.
In terms of old and new, the Fremont Street Experience is somewhere between the two. At first, I fully thought it was new and modern, and there’s no doubt the party atmosphere is in full swing. But aspects of classic Vegas come in because of all the people drinking. From what I’ve read and heard, people used to roam the Strip drunk off their butts with street performers abounding. Now, the Strip still has people and performers, but it wasn’t as many as I was expecting. It wasn’t as debauched (although there were plenty of people handing out flyers for such activities). But the Fremont Street Experience was full of all the things the Strip was missing. I even yelled at some guy and flipped him off for refusing to leave my mother and I alone (I swear, if you knew me, this action wouldn’t fit with me or my personality. That’s just the whole feeling of the Experience, though!).
The Fremont Street Experience review/score: for what it is supposed to be, it’s 5/5. For my preferences it’s 2.5/5.
Why: It’s one of those glad-I-experienced things and things I will forever be grateful to laugh at. But it’s not my definition of enjoyment so it’s in the middle!
Have you done anything of these things in Las Vegas? What did you think? Let me know in the comments, and come back for more discussion for things to do for free on the Strip!
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Had to check this post since I am going to visit Vegas next month (my sister is coming from New York). I am getting some ideas since I hope to stay away from The Strip as much as possible. Plus, I have not checked Downtown Vegas as much as I have wanted.
I hope this was helpful! Thanks for stopping by.