Fremont Street Experience - Where Las Vegas Began

Fremont Street Experience - Where Las Vegas Began

Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Las Vegas Strip Walk, a free self-guided tour.

Welcome to the original Las Vegas. The city grew up on Fremont Street long before the Strip existed: Fremont became the city's first paved street in 1925, and the Golden Gate, which opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada, still stands at the west end. The neon-packed blocks earned the nickname Glitter Gulch.

When the Strip's megaresorts started pulling the crowds south, downtown fought back. In 1995 it roofed four blocks with a curved canopy about 1,375 feet long and 90 feet high at its peak, and turned it into a giant screen. Since a 2019 upgrade it holds more than 49 million LEDs, and the light shows overhead are free every evening.

Above you, riders on the SlotZilla zip line whoosh along under the canopy. Look for Vegas Vic, the giant neon cowboy, the classic face of old downtown. Your walk ends here, under the lights, right where the city started.

Getting here: From the Neon Museum, walk about 15 minutes south on Las Vegas Boulevard, past the restored Hacienda horse-and-rider sign at Fremont Street, then turn right under the canopy.

Did you know?: The Golden Gate opened in 1906, just a year after Las Vegas itself was founded with a railroad land auction.

Photo op: Stand in the middle of the street during a light show and shoot straight up, or frame the neon facades with the glowing canopy above.

More on Wikipedia: Fremont Street Experience · Golden Gate Hotel and Casino · Vegas Vic

Stops on this tour

  1. Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign - The Photo Everyone Takes
  2. Fountains of Bellagio - A Lake in the Desert
  3. Bellagio Conservatory - A Garden That Changes Its Clothes
  4. Paris Las Vegas - Half an Eiffel Tower
  5. Flamingo - Where the Mob Moved In
  6. High Roller - A Half-Hour Lap Above the Strip
  7. Forum Shops at Caesars - Shopping in Ancient Rome
  8. The Mirage Volcano Site - Where the Megaresorts Began
  9. The Venetian - Gondolas on the Strip
  10. Sphere - The Strip's Giant Glowing Ball
  11. Neon Museum - Where Old Signs Go to Rest
  12. Fremont Street Experience - Where Las Vegas Began