A Local’s Guide to the Weirdest Neighborhood in Las Vegas

There are two kinds of Vegas tourists. Some are here for bottle service and dayclubs, and others are here to get weird. The first group rarely leaves the Strip, but the second group? Those are Fremont folk. Fremont Street is “old Vegas,” or at least what people think of when they think of “old Vegas.” It’s historic, yes, but also eccentric—and that’s precisely its appeal. Even locals love Fremont for what it is: a no-frills neighborhood in downtown Las Vegas (DTLV) teeming with entertainment and dining options, bathed in blinking neon and the steady color-shifting glow of the world’s largest LED screen. Where the Strip can be an unrelenting, merciless shake-down, Fremont is just fun. Bookmark this list for the next time you’re looking for things to do on Fremont Street.

If you really want to eat and drink as the locals do, head east! Atomic Liquors, the infamous dive bar known for its craft beer selection, Anthony Bourdain-approved cocktails, and people watching atomic bomb tests from its roof in the 1950s, has been holding down this side of Fremont for decades and has been expanding its presence in DTLV in recent years. Here, a separate free-standing sister restaurant called Kitchen at Atomic shares the bar’s corner and the expansive patio that faces Fremont, which is one of the best spots for people-watching.

Fergusons Downtown, a fully renovated and repurposed historic motel, is a vibrant community gathering space with various independent boutiques and specialty retailers and services, regular market events showcasing local vendors, live music and comedy nights, craft workshops, guided meditations, and so much more. Mothership Coffee is a popular Wi-Fi and chill spot, and F the Bar keeps the party going against the backdrop of the Big Rig Jig.

Further east still, you’ll find the historic Huntridge neighborhood, home to International Pizza Expo championship-winning Yukon Pizza, the endlessly charming retro throwback Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner, the fun and funky new Jive Turkey dive bar, and the VERY old, very iconic Huntridge Tavern dive bar.

They might not be state-of-the-art 5,000-seat theaters, but downtown Las Vegas has plenty of fun live music venues, many of which are on or near Fremont. If you want to keep things down and divey check out Backstage Bar & Billiards and Fremont Country Club (two venues, one building), which bring in all kinds of entertainment, from death metal to reggae.

The Usual Place and PublicUs, located on Maryland Street just south of Fremont in the same building, host various events, like burlesque nights and semi-weekly underground house music parties.

Just a few blocks south of Fremont, the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center has become the premiere Las Vegas venue for EDM mini-festivals, outdoor concerts by major headlining acts, and watch parties for local sports and playoff games. Entry for watch parties is free, but bottle service is available because this is still Vegas.

Not all Fremont bars were created equal. Start your night at the Griffin, where there are several cozy stone fireplaces, live music or DJs, and the drinks are always strong. If all you wanna do is dance, head over to Discopussy, where it’s all house, techno, and bass all the time. A slew of new nightclub-entertainment complexes also just opened in the last year. We All Scream is a “candy-colored clubland,” sort of like the Museum of Ice Cream meets EDM nightclub, with a killer rooftop that also serves ice cream and candy-flavored cocktails. Cheapshot is a tiny, 99-seat showroom and nightclub that’s all about debauchery, whether it’s monthly burlesque showcases in the Jiggle Room or gender-bending queer-forward dance parties.

The most well-known part of downtown is the Fremont Street Experience, a pedestrian walkway closed to traffic and covered by an overhead LED canopy called Viva Vision, the world's largest video screen with 49.3 million LED lights stretching 90 feet wide and 1,375 feet long. The best way to take in the full size and scope of the Fremont Street Experience is quite possibly from above. SlotZilla is the world’s largest slot machine (naturally) at 77 feet tall. Two levels of zip lines shoot out from the upper platforms. One takes riders down two blocks of Fremont Street from seven stories above while seated, and the other has riders flying superhero-style for five blocks from 11 stories high. This is an extremely Vegas thing to do, and you absolutely should.

Downtown Container Park in the Fremont East District is exactly what it sounds like a park made from shipping containers. One of the first and largest developments of its kind in the US, Container Park consists of nearly 40 repurposed shipping containers stacked two to three floors high. Inside you’ll find dozens of locally owned and independent bars, restaurants, specialty food businesses, art studios, toy stores, gift stores, clothing stores, and more.

For brunch needs: At the newly opened La Mona Rosa, “the pink monkey,” think and drink pink at their “Pink Brunch,” which features rose-colored drinks, dishes, and decor every Saturday. Barbie girls and guests are encouraged to dress the part, and everyone receives free pink heart-shaped sunglasses and hand-held paper fans to complete their look. Downtown Terrace can’t be beat with all day breakfast and bottomless mimosas served seven days a week from open to close, and the second-floor patio is a great perch for watching the crowd at Container Park. PublicUs, an outstanding neighborhood café that roasts its own coffee, bakes all its own breads and pastries, and serves breakfast and lunch items with a ninth island flair. Literally everything here is fantastic, but do not miss out on the pastries. The bread pudding is chef’s kiss. Beer and wine are also available.

For speakeasy drinks: Located just a block north of Fremont, the basement of the Mob Museum, known as The Underground, is both a working moonshine distillery and exhibit. The Prohibition-themed cocktail bar has its own dedicated entrance, so you don’t have to go to the museum itself to have a drink at the bar. Tucked inside Commonwealth, visit the super-secret cocktail hideaway that everyone knows about called the Laundry Room. Only 22 people are allowed inside at a time, so reserve your spot in advance to experience personal service from the “master cocktail craftsmen.” (No photos allowed!)

For outdoor dining: Park on Fremont is a low-key oasis amid the Fremont madness with a lush back patio hideaway with Secret Garden vibes. A recent refresh has transformed this place into an upscale burger joint, but the cocktails still slap. Sip on a “Flower Garden” on the patio, or get your group to go in on a “Lemonade Stand” cocktail for four.

Most of the casino resorts on Fremont Street have aged charmingly. Some have gone through extensive remodeling recently, such as El Cortez and Plaza. But only one was built from the ground up in the last 40 years: Circa Resort & Casino. As Fremont’s youngest and swankiest resort, Circa is a larger-than-life spectacle that could just as easily have been on the Strip but is very much at home on Fremont. This resort is home to the world's largest sports book standing three stories tall. The rooftop Stadium Swim is a multi-tiered pool amphitheater with six heated pools and a 143-foot, 14-million-pixel screen bright enough for sports viewing in broad daylight. The iconic Vegas Vickie neon sign has been fully restored and is the de facto mascot of the resort, which is also home to Barry’s Prime, one of the best steakhouses in town, and Legacy Club, a gorgeous rooftop lounge

One of the most iconic hotels in Las Vegas, the Plaza Hotel and Casino has been undergoing yet another transformation recently, freshening up the historic property and imbuing it with a new vintage charm that appeals to younger Vegas tourists born decades after the Plaza first opened in 1971. Guest rooms were most recently renovated again in 2023, with a highlight of that renovation being the Pool Patio guest rooms featuring a private covered patio that leads out to the recently remodeled pool deck, which—keeping with current trends—also has a pickleball courts and offers free lessons from a pickleball pro.

Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.