The Ultimate Downtown Las Vegas Travel Guide

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This post is sponsored by the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. All opinions are my own.

 

I partnered with the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino to share a fabulous Downtown Las Vegas experience.

It’s unfortunate that after one of the most epic experiences in my favorite city, I had to convince myself that travel blog posts aren’t dead. I returned from fabulous Downtown Las Vegas right on the heels of a pause in travel and a worldwide pandemic. 

 

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Remember exploring?

The Mister and I are starting to take day driving tours to stay inspired by getting out and exploring the world around us. We’ve always benefited from our experiences in new places.

Even though we can’t take a flight or visit our favorite cities right now the same way we used to, we’re still committed to inspiration through exploration. Today we’re doing this safely in our car and only stopping in unpopulated locations where we can adventure alone.

Then I thought, we can’t be the only ones yearning for a taste of somewhere else— and that’s when it hit me.

We can still travel virtually, via beautiful pictures, videos and vivid descriptions! 

Like reading a book— except it’s a blog post with real-time working links that you can click, save and explore more. Like seeing your next dream vacation from a distance!

 

Watch My Downtown Las Vegas Things To Do Vlog

 

 

Virtual Las Vegas Guide: a bucket list of places to go first 

I was at the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino just before travel took a pause.

You probably know that I’m an old Vegas pro, but this trip was like no other I’d experienced before! It was rich in Vegas arts, history and culture, including a one-on-one meeting with the VP herself from the Nevada Museum Of Art!

This meeting was an excellent history lesson from the city’s founding to its current culture and direction. With juicy bonuses like where the who’s who about town hang out!

*SPOILER ALERT* The who’s who hang out in DTLV! (Keep reading, I’ll tell you exactly where.)

I also learned about hidden treasures around DTLV in the Las Vegas Arts District. You’ll want to Pin these for a later visit!

For the first time, I was off the beaten path of the Las Vegas Strip. Immersed in the heart of the city, the place where it all began with prohibition, mobsters, casinos, bright lights making Vegas a big city and of course, unsurpassed Las Vegas wining and dining. 

For the first time, I chose Downtown Las Vegas over The Strip. (Las Vegas like a local, and call it DTLV!)

 

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“What Happens Here Only Happens Here”

If that wasn’t enough, I was introduced to the new Las Vegas slogan: “What Happens Here Only Happens Here.”

Are you feeling the city’s new motto? I’m down with it. Even though my eyes have opened to see the city as a variety of happening places. More like a treasure chest of jewels and gems. Starting with the city’s ruby slippers, DTLV, aka Old Las Vegas, the place where it all began and where it’s still happening!

 

Pin the below pic to your “Las Vegas Dream Vacation” Board on Pinterest so you can quickly get back to it and make plans to visit all of the fabulous places here— that only happen here!

   

Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino

Voted “Best Hotel Value in Las Vegas.” The Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino offers a more authentic Las Vegas experience. Enjoy multiple onsite dining options from the timeless Triple George Grill, bottomless mimosas and brunch at Freedom Beat to the infamous Hogs & Heifers Saloon. On the casino rooftop you’ll find the Citrus Grand Pool Deck, a refreshing twist on the largest pool deck in all of Downtown Las Vegas!

I started my stay with a warm welcome at the newly renovated Downtown Grand. I quickly learned that this hotel is a DTLV favorite, so much so that although freshly renovated, the addition of a second tower of guest suites was already in the works!

My stay couldn’t have been more fabulous with friendly staff and sparkling chandeliers upon entry. There was an art exhibit with paintings hung across the entire ceiling. And true to the phrase, “Only in Vegas,” our room was spacious with modern decor and a vibrant red wall! Oh, and every morning we enjoyed the beautiful sunrise view overlooking the city.

 

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The Mob Museum

The Mob Museum is where I learned about Vegas prohibition, bootleggers, mobsters and speakeasies! This was a museum tour that I didn’t expect to love so much— but I did! I won’t give away the goods, but there’s lots of Vegas history in this building that’s only a street crossing over from the Downtown Grand.

What is there to do in Downtown Las Vegas tonight?

Fremont Street Experience 

Also, in convenient walking distance from the hotel is the famous Fremont Street Experience, the heart of the world’s most exciting city! If you’re looking for casinos, nightlife, dancing, souvenirs— or even a zip line ride across the city lights, Fremont Street is where you wanna be! 

Fremont Street Experience is a district of its own, a siren of sorts that calls on you to come out and play! We walked through  to meet up with a friend. The lights were lit, and the crowd was live both day and night!

 

 

 

Where the ballers at?

Looking for the who’s who in Las Vegas? It should be to no surprise that you’ll find old money in Old Las Vegas— and I’m not talking about in the casinos!

You can find the Las Vegas elite at Triple George Grill, across the street from the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino.

Triple George Grill is a restaurant and bar with elegant booth seating and an almost hidden dining room. Locals tease that the restaurant is a long time, old-time Las Vegas favorite, established 15 years ago and notably in the beginning years of the revitalization of Downtown Las Vegas. 15 years is a long time in Vegas years!  

And what’s on the menu at Triple George? Hands down THE BEST surf and turf east of the Pacific! And I would know. Not only am I from a coastal waters town, but I also tried almost everything on the Triple George Grill menu— just to make sure!

 

 

Don’t miss these places

A couple of other places that you should see on your DTLV tour include Makers and Finders, an LV Art District fave coffee shop, and a Latin food cafe. We spent hours in this eclectic restaurant with laptops out, catching up on work, and enjoying the Latin inspired treats. Plantain chips & dip anyone?

We also visited The Writer’s Block, an artsy book store and cafe with a one of a kind artificial bird sanctuary. Say whaaa? Yes, fake birds that anyone can adopt, and each adoption fee supports The Writer’s Block’s youth creative writing program!

You also don’t wanna miss taking your own tour of DTLV. Take in sites like Las Vegas’ very own Pawn Stars at the show’s actual pawn shop. You can’t help but notice it with daily crowds of people around the shop! And the many wedding chapels along DTLV’s Las Vegas Blvd with real-life couples that just got hitched! Yes, these kinds of weddings are still happening— and only in Vegas!

And if you happen to be in DTLV like I was taking care of biz, drive by the city’s premier development, Symphony Park. Symphony Park is the future home of the city’s first art museum. It’s also near the magnificent World Market Center Las Vegas.

The outside architecture at World Market Center Las Vegas is incredible, and the building inside will take your breath away with 16 floors of beautiful glass showrooms— the largest showroom complex in the world! We were there networking at Las Vegas Market, a trade show experience that only Las Vegas can offer with DJs, brunch and booze— and then lunch, and more booze!

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Downtown Las Vegas is worth the visit! Will you be there?

It’s unbelievable that the most exciting city in the world took a pause for the first time ever. I’m glad I captured some of the most incredible places in Downtown Las Vegas to share with you before the city as a whole went to sleep.

Downtown Las Vegas is open and ready to welcome us back! Will you be there?

My recommendation is to start your visit where it all began, in the heart of the city, otherwise known as Downtown Las Vegas.

Vegas has my heart, and travel posts live on!

Yours truly,

Shaunda

 

Like this post? Pin an image to your Las Vegas Board on Pinterest!

For more things to do in Downtown Las Vegas, check out this list by the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino.