Well, this weekend we are heading to Vegas. Monday is Ricky’s 30th birthday, and for his birthday he wanted to go there with friends. So that’s what we are planning. We will be there Friday night through Monday night, and we plan on taking advantage of our time there. We are actually staying in downtown Las Vegas instead of on the Strip. We thought it would be cheaper and less stressful. I don’t know that much about downtown, even though I have been there once. So I decided to do some research. I love researching for trips, and I get all excited about them, but then after we get back, I never feel that much like blogging about it. So, I decided to share some of the things I found before we go, while I am still really excited about it and into it. I figured there might be other visitors to downtown Vegas that could benefit from my research. Here’s my list of things that we might possibly check out downtown. Enjoy!
This is one of the many bar/casinos downtown. Their major claim to fame (and reason to visit) is that they have a snack bar inside that sells such delicacies as deep fried Twinkies, deep fried Oreos, and chocolate covered bananas. For only 99 cents! You really can’t beat that deal. They also have free drinks if you’re gambling (which most casinos do) and give out free Mardi Gras beads. Sounds like a fun place, and worth checking out.
This one we probably won’t actually get around to visiting. But the Mob Museum does sound cool, and gets some good recommendations. It’s $20 for admission ($30 if you buy a combo pass to the Neon Museum as well) and sounds like it would be worth it. Apparently you can hang out in there for a couple of hours or more, even. Might be something to check out on our next trip to Vegas.
This hotel and casino also contains a brewing company, which is one of the reasons it’s definitely worth checking out! Ricky has actually been there before and is excited about going back. If you are gambling in the casino and they ask if you want something to drink, you can get a microbrew. And if you go to the bar in the casino (called the Boar’s Head), you can get drafts for only $1.50. Or, if you want to go to the brewery/restaurant, they have a great happy hour from 4-6pm, and you can check out even more of their microbrews.
Main Street Station also has $1 margaritas, as do all Boyd’s casinos (which includes the California and Fremont as well). Another thing you might want to check out there is their buffet. On Friday nights they have a seafood buffet for $22, but the rest of the time they have a great price, especially on their lunch and breakfast buffets.
I didn’t hear a lot about this casino, but one thing we plan on checking out is Chicago Brewing, which is there. You know us and breweries. If there’s one there, we have to check it out. The other thing we might try to check out there is Magnolia’s, their restaurant. Word is that if it’s your birthday month, you can go get a buy one get one free voucher for Magnolia’s at the Players Club in Four Queens. Free is good! Oh, one more thing. There’s a new patio bar at Four Queens where you can get a great view of the light show and some good people watching downtown.
This is where we are staying! We will be in the D suite here. It looks like a great room, with three TVs and a huge shower. This will probably end up being the gathering place for our friends that are going to Vegas with us. There are also some things worth checking out in the D. There’s a long bar that is worth visiting and is a great place to watch and bet on sports games. The second floor also has some vintage slots and a Sigma Derby horse racing game. I think we’ll enjoy staying here. (Oh, and BTW, the image for this post is actually of downtown and Fitzgerald’s, which is now The D Hotel.)
This place is apparently not too happening anymore. It used to be good for a shortcut from the main hotels downtown to the California and Main Street Station, but apparently that shortcut is now shut down. The one thing this place does have is a jerky shop. That just sounds fun, and might be worth a visit.
This is maybe the most iconic hotel on the downtown strip. They have not only the world’s largest golden nugget, but beside it are vending machines where you can purchase your own gold bar. They also have a swimming pool with an enclosed water slide where you slide down through a tank of sharks. Crazy! Some of their bars/restaurants might be worth checking out, including Chart House, which is a restaurant with some cool aquariums along with their international beer bar.
Inside Other Hotels/Casinos
Plaza
This place has a pizza shop called Pop Up Pizza that sounds like it’s worth checking out. Also, there is a Hash-House-a-Go-Go, which is a restaurant that is supposed to be really good.
California
The Market Street Cafe here starts serving what is supposed to be some awesome oxtail soup at 11pm every night. It generates a line of people and always sells out, around about 3 am.
Golden Gate
If you visit Drupal’s, the restaurant here, they have some good shrimp cocktail (served in a sundae glass with sauce on top) for only $2.99.
Other Bars
Atomic Liquors
Apparently this is the oldest freestanding bar in Vegas. It has recently been remodeled and gotten some reviews. Might be worth taking a look at.
Insert Coin(s)
Ricky has been here and wants to visit this place again. It does sound really cool. It’s a bar with video games! How can you beat that?
Commonwealth
It seems the drinks at this place are kind of expensive, but it looks like a really neat place, and one I think would be worth a visit.
The Griffin
This is another place that Ricky visited the last time he was in Vegas. Our friend Jeremy was with him and really loved this bar. They called it the “dungeon bar”. Just that description alone makes me want to see what it’s like.
Frankie’s Tiki Room
This place has some cool photos online and seemed like a fun atmosphere. And you can even buy a tiki god glass to drink out of and take home with you. If you like luaus, this might be one to try.
Downtown Cocktail Room
The photos of this place just looked really cool. Seemed like a neat, cozy atmosphere inside. Go look at some photos and tell me this doesn’t look like a place you’d want to visit!
So there you have it. Quite a list of places to visit downtown. If you are visiting Vegas soon and staying on the Strip, maybe you should reconsider. It looks like there is plenty of great things to do downtown to have just as good of an experience (and probably cheaper). I’ll let you know after this weekend!
Life is a series of experiences. Some of mine include walking along the Great Wall of China, drinking craft beer in Belgium, playing poker in Vegas, reading novels at home, or just relaxing with my husband and lovable dog. This website is your invitation to join me as I take on the planet one experience at a time and blog about it for your enjoyment!
There is so much of this I’m doing the *next* weekend. Have fun and happy birthday to Ricky!
Man, I haven’t been to downtown Vegas in forever. We used to go to Main Street Station though all the time when we lived there – the buffet was excellent! Who knows if it is now though…I mean, it’s prolly been 14 years since I’ve eaten there.
Have fun, and happy birthday to Ricky!