Vegas beyond the Strip

Yeah Baby! The Strip might get all the attention, but if you want the real Vegas the only place to go is Fremont St. With its enclosed light show of a ceiling, freak show of people watching, and rock ‘n’ roll show of live entertainers you could be there for hours. Of course, it has casino or two should you want to make a wager, but my bet is that you’ll be fully occupied just taking it all in.

Park on Fremont is a everything that a gastropub and beer garden should be, with a very cool, hipster bar (featuring taxidermy—a must these days), as well as ample space to stretch out underneath cafe lights in the back. It’s like a little piece of Austin, Texas right in the heart of Vegas. Plus, it’s open for brunch on the weekends.

The Beat Coffeehouse is part dive bar, part roadhouse, part concert hall, part cafe, but somehow, this combination works. It’s a great place to catch a live show, chill out over a cappuccino (or a beer), and listen to tunes (on vinyl, of course) in downtown Las Vegas. They also serve breakfast, sandwiches, and pizzas—it’s a one stop, 24-hour shop.

A zip line installed down Fremont Street Experience has just gotten bigger and better. Slotzilla is a two-level, 1,700-foot-long zip line that will send riders speeding over the famous downtown pedestrian mall at 35 miles per hour. Wandering along Fremont Street can make for an interesting evening out, but zip lining above it also provides a perspective that you can’t get at foot-level. Go during the day for a better view of the world below you, but go at night for the chance to ride near the giant electronic Viva Vision screen, which plays light shows with music.