Las Vegas Neighborhood Guide

Las Vegas is like anywhere else in the world, known for all-night parties, luxury megaresorts, and slot machines in literally every business, but it’s so much more than that. Sin City and its surrounding suburbs create a thriving metropolis where each area is as unique to each other as blackjack is to roulette, and this Las Vegas neighborhood guide will break it all down for you. 

The Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip is the most iconic location in Sin City. Filled with towering mega-resorts, luxury shopping, live entertainment, and celebrity restaurants around almost every corner, this is what people typically mean when they say they're spending the weekend in Vegas. It’s the tourist hotspot, and the area is easily accessible for visitors to explore every hotel along its four-mile stretch. The Las Vegas Strip is one of the best places to people watch, where you’ll see gaggles of sightseers with massive spiked slushies heading from one hotel to the next. There are no open container laws here, which means that day drinking while walking the Strip is almost a competitive sport. During the day, the streets are filled with pool-hopping bikini-clad bachelorettes, older couples trying their luck at the slots, and families enjoying a weekend away at the more family-oriented resorts. Once the sun sets, this glamorous Las Vegas neighborhood comes to life. The billboards light up the streets as visitors dress to the nines for a night of fine dining at 5-star restaurants like Ocean Prime, experiencing unforgettable live shows, or dancing to superstar DJs at a famous nightclub like Omnia at Caesars Palace. When visiting Las Vegas, The Strip is a required visit, no contest.

Fremont Street

Fremont Street is where Las Vegas began, back when mobsters ran the city and shrimp cocktails were only 50 cents a pop. Affectionately called Glitter Gulch due to its bright flashing lights, this historic Las Vegas neighborhood is beloved by locals and tourists alike. Pretty much every casino here was built between the 1930s and the 1950s. The oldest in the city being the Golden Gate Hotel, which opened in 1906 when Las Vegas was just a dirt road where cowboys could drink, gamble, and go wild. 

Nowadays, Fremont Street may look totally different, but that feral and raunchy spirit absolutely remains. Trust us when we say that Fremont Street is the weird area of Vegas in the most loving way possible. Street performers line the walkway underneath the massive LED canopy with breakdancers, musicians, and artists showing off their skills. Alongside these talented individuals, there are nightmarish variations of masked cartoon characters, men dressed like giant babies, and plenty of scantily clad ‘showgirls’ charging a pretty penny for a photo. This area is called the Fremont Street Experience, which aside from the street performers and the canopy, also offers free concerts, the SlotZilla Zipline, and plenty of special events throughout the year.

If you're looking for a glimpse into the old-school style of Las Vegas, there are a few places you can find it in spades. The first is The Mob Museum, built in the old courthouse at the end of Fremont Street this unique educational spot breaks down the history of the mob through a variety of interactive exhibits that border on the brutal like the bullet-filled wall from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. For a look into the glitzier side of Sin City, look no further than the gorgeous Neon Museum. This Las Vegas must-see is home to many of the retired signs from the classic days of Las Vegas that are brought back to life every night in all of their vivid, glowing glory. 

If you go across the street into Fremont East, you’ll see where the locals like to go for a night out on the town. The bars and restaurants here are mostly locally owned and feature some seriously killer restaurants and bars ranging from the divey to the trendy, each with its own unique vibe. There’s also Container Park, an enclosed mall made from shipping containers with a massive fire-breathing praying mantis guarding the entrance. It's a fun daytime hangout spot with shopping, dining, and even a treehouse playground for the kiddos that becomes 21+ after 9 pm. And yes, adults are allowed on the playground at night.

Fremont Street, in general, is better for a nighttime visit where you can check out the old-school neon while bar hopping. During the day, it can be a bit…underwhelming. The area has a large homeless population, and it's less tourist-oriented, so the streets surrounding the pedestrian mall feel more rough and tumble than other Las Vegas neighborhoods.

The Arts District

The Arts District, also called 18b, is a local favorite haunt filled with vintage shops, art galleries, and unique boutiques that give this area its distinct character. The walls of nearly every building are covered with brightly colored murals that range from beautiful landscapes to political pieces to classic street art. Every first Friday of the month, 18b hosts a massive outdoor market where crafters, food vendors, and other retailers fill the streets while live bands perform on a nearby stage. This Las Vegas neighborhood is one of the biggest up-and-coming hotspots, with new restaurants, shops, and nightlife opening all the time.This is also the LGBTQ+ hub of the city, with plenty of gay bars in the area and even an LGBTQ+ boutique hotel in the works. The Arts District also hosts the Las Vegas Pride Festival every October. The area is home to cultural hubs like the Burlesque Hall of Fame, multiple local community theaters, the Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum, and the Smith Center, which is only a mile away.

The Arts District is a highly recommended spot to visit, but during the day is when you’ll get the most out of this technicolor destination. The shops close relatively early, and the restaurants usually stop serving food by 10 pm. If a vibrant, eclectic nightlife scene is what you're after, there are some fantastic watering holes to choose from. 18b is home to rocker bars like Artifice, The Garden, which has drag performances nearly every night, and the delightfully nerdy Millennium Fandom Bar, just to name a few.

Chinatown

Chinatown Las Vegas is all about food, food, and more food! Every single strip mall here is filled with hole-in-the-wall spots serving up some of the most killer dishes in the city. We’re also a huge fan of the many adorable cafes in the area that feature menus of mouthwatering desserts alongside tasty coffees and teas. Even though it’s called Chinatown, the eateries here span the gamut of Asian cuisine, from the DIY deliciousness of Hobak Korean BBQ to the award-winning flavors of ShangHai Taste to the hearty Japanese comfort foods served at Zen Curry House. No matter what you're craving, you'll find it here. Chinatown isn’t as activity-heavy as other Las Vegas neighborhoods, but it’s close enough to Area15 that you can easily snag lunch or dinner before heading over to this psychedelic establishment to experience its many interactive installations.

Summerlin

Summerlin is one of the best neighborhoods in Las Vegas to live in, which means that its many restaurants, hotels, and activities are on the more luxurious side. The two shopping spots you should know about are Downtown Summerlin and Tivoli Village. These are the two biggest options in the area, and both have plenty of fantastic boutiques and restaurants to enjoy. Downtown Summerlin is next to Red Rock Resort and the Las Vegas Ballpark, home to the Aviators baseball team. The restaurants here are fantastic, with Harlo Steakhouse being a great upscale dining option that rivals those found on The Strip. The retail options here have really boomed over the last few years, with most shops falling into the mid-tier range of pricing, making them more affordable to the average person while still being high quality. 

Tivoli Village has a tranquil, quiet vibe perfect for a relaxed day of strolling through its Italian-style streets. Their shops range from wellness spas to art galleries to delicious food options like the Echo & Rig Butcher and Steakhouse where you can either dine-in or grab some high-quality meats to take home. Summerlin is a great place to bring the family. There are plenty of well-maintained parks, kid-friendly activities, and nature areas like Red Rock Canyon that are perfect for all ages. Summerlin isn't the place to find hot nightlife destinations, with the majority of its drinking spots being wine bars and sports pubs. If you decide to get turnt in this area of town and cause a scene, you will suffer the wrath of the suburban moms taking their kids to after-school soccer practice.

Henderson

Technically its own city separate from Las Vegas, Henderson is still an integral part of the area for locals and visitors alike. As your gateway to Lake Mead, Boulder City, and the Hoover Dam, Henderson is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat, stock up on outdoor supplies, or enjoy some chill shopping spaces for an afternoon. The District at Green Valley Ranch is a great place to wander when the weather is nice, and it has a variety of fantastic spots to grab a delicious meal or a cocktail or two. We highly recommend The Local Wine Bar, Boom Bang Fine Foods & Cocktails, and CRAFTkitchen if you’re in the mood for brunch. The Green Valley Ranch Casino is a favorite haunt for locals stuffed with family-friendly activities like a movie theater, live events, a Kids Quest, and an arcade. 

Henderson is a fantastic Las Vegas neighborhood for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. The Clark County Wetlands Park features well-paved trails that meander through groves of trees, over turtle-filled ponds, and through desert landscapes that are perfect for families with strollers or people with mobility issues. There are also a few playgrounds on the property that the kids will absolutely love. The hiking spots here are top-notch, ranging from the leisurely Historic Railroad Trail that overlooks Lake Mead to the advanced Gold Strike Trail that descends into a canyon with natural hot springs at the halfway mark.