{"id":17665,"date":"2013-07-17T02:50:33","date_gmt":"2013-07-17T02:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?p=17665"},"modified":"2021-10-28T16:43:20","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T16:43:20","slug":"downtown-vegas-2-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/downtown-vegas-2-0\/","title":{"rendered":"Downtown Vegas 2.0"},"content":{"rendered":"

History books will tell you that downtown Las Vegas<\/a> is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the entire city.\u00a0These days, however, the area has become Sin City\u2019s cutting edge.\u00a0<\/span>You may have already read about the ongoing $350-million <\/span>Downtown Project<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0a revitalization effort spearheaded by Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh to bring a new kind of urbanism to the area immediately surrounding the old City Hall (which Hsieh is refurbishing as Zappos\u2019 new world headquarters).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Also on the agenda for this fall: Shipping Container Park, a new open-air mall made from shipping containers; and Life is Beautiful<\/a>, a two-day music, food, art, and learning festival to rival the SXSW shindig in Austin, Texas<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>Between now and then, however, there are plenty of new-ish hotspots and attractions to check out downtown.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Because I often travel with my two daughters, No. 1 on my list is the DISCOVERY Children\u2019s Museum<\/a> (which formerly was known as the Lied Children’s Discovery Museum). This facility opened in the spring of 2013 next to the Smith Center for the Performing Arts (which, in and of itself, is worth visiting), and offers some of the most interactive and exciting exhibits at any children\u2019s museum in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Viewfinder tip: Don’t miss\u00a0Life is Beautiful<\/a>, a two-day art, food, and music festival in downtown Las Vegas this October.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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My personal favorite exhibit is The Summit, a 70-foot tower that ascends all three floors of the museum and pokes through the roof. There\u2019s a slide! There are science experiments! And<\/em>, there\u2019s also a great view.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Also on my list of downtown must-sees: Commonwealth, a circa-2012 lounge that has become uber-popular among locals and visiting hipsters alike.\u00a0<\/span>Why do I like this place? For starters, the cocktails – here you can get everything from punchbowls to boilermakers to a Wild Turkey whiskey sour garnished with beef jerky. I also love the vibe; inside you\u2019ll find tin ceilings and antique furniture (as well as a speakeasy in the back dubbed The Laundry Room), while outside, on a roof deck, you can drink and watch the light show on the other side of Fremont Street (a.k.a. the Fremont Street Experience) come alive.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Inside the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum (photos courtesy of museum)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In terms of downtown Las Vegas hotels<\/a>, old-school options are slowly but surely catching up with the times.\u00a0<\/span>Earlier this year, the <\/span>El Cortez<\/a> rolled out its Cabana Suites, 64 refurbished rooms in a standalone building with the feeling of a boutique hotel. Most of the accommodations have vintage furniture, lots of mirrors, and green walls. They\u2019ve also got plenty of attitude.\u00a0<\/span>Also worth noting: The Downtown Grand, which is slated to open in the old Lady Luck footprint this October, and is expected to offer a pool deck with real grass (in the desert, this is a big deal).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Finally, check out the Neon Museum<\/a>, which opened in its new south-of-downtown spot in 2012.\u00a0<\/span>This attraction revolves around The Neon Boneyard, a collection of more than 150 massive neon signs from Vegas casinos (and other establishments) of yesteryear. Tours here are guided and jam-packed with history; daytime bookings can be hot, while nighttime experiences are cooler and enable you to see a handful of the signs in action (that is, lit up).\u00a0<\/span>Whenever you visit the Neon Museum, be prepared to learn a ton. It\u2019s not often you can say that about a trip to Vegas.<\/span><\/p>\n


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What are your favorite things to do and see in Downtown Las Vegas?<\/span><\/strong>
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Exploring the newer side of historic Downtown Las Vegas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1830,1814,1782,1775,1777,1875,1788,1860,1810,1870,1774,1873,1818,1776],"tags":[328],"authors":[2227],"class_list":["post-17665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-city","category-destinations","category-fall","category-family","category-history","category-interests","category-las-vegas","category-museums","category-nevada","category-occasions-and-seasons","category-spring","category-summer","category-type-of-vacation","tag-memorial-day","authors-matt-villano","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDowntown Vegas 2.0 | Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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