All eyes might be on the Las Vegas Strip, but the real action in Sin City is taking place just a few blocks north in the downtown area. Though Downtown Las Vegas is where the roots of the city took hold originally, attention shifted to the Strip beginning in the late 1940s and 1950s when several hotel-casinos were built along the two-lane highway leading into Las Vegas from Los Angeles. In recent years, however, with the addition of several attractions and significant financial investment, people have started to take notice of what’s happening in downtown once again.
Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has been a strong supporter of breathing life back into downtown for several years, and he was pivotal in the creation and eventual opening of the Mob Museum, one of the newest attractions in the area, which highlights the city’s organized crime history. The Smith Center, a world-class performing arts center, has been open for less than a year but has received rave reviews from locals and visitors alike, who applaud the long-awaited emphasis on arts and culture in Las Vegas. The Neon Museum, also located downtown, is finally getting a proper visitors center, and Neonopolis, located near Fremont Street, will be welcoming what is being billed as the world’s largest gay nightclub in just a few months.
In October, First Friday, the arts festival that highlights Downtown Las Vegas’ arts district, celebrated its 10th birthday, and a new festival, called Vegas StrEATS, brings together several food trucks for a monthly gathering outside El Cortez Hotel. Several hotels have been remodeled and rebranded, providing a fresh face where there used to be rundown, outdated businesses. The opening of these new attractions and the positive emphasis on and growth in the downtown area has led to a growing sense of pride in locals and an increase in interest from visitors.
At the forefront of this revitalization is the Downtown Project, a $350 million investment in the downtown area provided by the founder of Zappos, Tony Hsieh. This money is being invested in real estate, residential development, small businesses, education and tech start-ups, all of which are meant to create a community-focused large city through a vibrant, connected urban core.
It’s an interesting time to visit Las Vegas because it’s not the city it was even a year ago. The Strip will always excel in bigger, brighter and over-the-top attractions, but Downtown Las Vegas is well on its way to holding its own when it comes to class, character, culture and something curiously unlike the Las Vegas that everyone knows.