Island visitors to Las Vegas often skip the Strip and head downtown, where the casinos know their names and the cafes serve oxtail soup. Here is the downtown circuit.
The Las Vegas Strip gets the headlines, but many Hawaii visitors spend most of their trip around Fremont Street, the city's original casino district. It is older, cheaper and, for islanders, more familiar.
The Fremont Street Experience
A pedestrian mall covered by a huge LED canopy, the Fremont Street Experience runs light shows after dark, free concerts and a zipline overhead. It is the centrepiece of downtown and a good place to start the evening.
Island-friendly casinos
- The California – the hotel most associated with Hawaii, known for island dishes at its cafe and a gift shop with Hawaiian snacks.
- Main Street Station – across the street, with a Victorian-style interior and a brewery restaurant.
- The Fremont – a classic on the Fremont Street mall, also popular with island guests.
Names and owners change over time, so check what is open when you travel.
Food that tastes like home
Oxtail soup, saimin, loco moco, spam musubi and plate lunches are easy to find downtown and in the wider city, thanks to the large Hawaii community in southern Nevada. Shave ice and malasadas have followed too.
Playing smart downtown
| Tip | Why |
|---|---|
| Join the players club | Free to sign up; points can pay for meals or rooms |
| Check table minimums | Downtown often has lower minimums than the Strip |
| Read the rules on the felt | Blackjack payouts vary; 3:2 is better than 6:5 |
| Set a daily budget | Decide before you play and keep it separate from shopping money |
Back home in Waikiki? Read why Las Vegas is called Hawaii's ninth island for the history behind the trip.
Top photo: The Fremont Street Experience canopy over Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. Photo: Julian Lupyan, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
