Top things to do in Downtown Las Vegas for non-gamblers
With Las Vegas being founded on gambling and being famous the world over for gambling, it’s easy to assume that all there is to do in Las Vegas…is gambling. But you’d be sweetly mistaken friends! Sin City has got so much more to offer, including: museums, free shows, partying…and a zipline! Here are my top things to do in Downtown Las Vegas for non-gamblers.
SlotZilla Zip Line
The SlotZilla Zip Line in Downtown Las Vegas is cool for two reasons: it’s the world’s largest slot machine at 11-stories high and flies you across one of the most famous streets in the world, Fremont Street!
If you’re a bonafide scaredy cat, this is the zipline for you because despite the height, I thought this zipline was quite gentle. Having said that, I’ve been on the fastest zipline in the world so anything after that is going to feel a bit tame!
I experienced the SlotZilla Zipline on my 30th birthday but I wish we’d booked it at night as flying under the Fremont Street Light Show would have been uh-mazing. Plus they only give you a camera helmet at night, boo. It is so much fun though!
It’s only $25.00* to zipline sitting up but almost double the price to fly down in the iconic ‘superman’ position. If you’re not sure about parting with your cash for this one I would definitely book the cheaper option but make sure you go at night so you can record your experience.
Neon Sign Museum
The Neon Sign Museum presents a unique way for visitors to get to know Las Vegas through its most iconic neon signs. The ‘Neon Boneyard’ as its affectionately known collects and refurbishes neon signs to preserve the history of Vegas.
There are some cracking stories involving dodgy goings-on, celebrities and organised crime surrounding the most famous neon signs there. It’s well worth a visit to get all the juicy goss!
Tickets are $22 per person* or you can get a combo ticket that includes the mob museum (which I would highly recommend!).
The Mob Museum
Another great way to learn more about Las Vegas’ history is through its organised crime and law enforcement at the Mob Museum.
The museum takes you from the birth of the Mob, the impact of prohibition, the famous St Valentine’s Day massacre then onto how organised crime operates today. Throughout the museum there are cool exhibitions and plenty of fascinating crime artefacts.
One of the best parts of the Mob Museum is it’s based in a beautifully restored 1933 former courthouse and post office just minutes away from Fremont Street. The museum itself is worth visiting just to get a peek inside.
Tickets are $26.95 per person* unless you opt for the Neon Sign combo ticket I mentioned earlier.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park
This cute historic park is often overlooked by tourists as people assume that Las Vegas hasn’t got much a history. But at the Old Vegas Fort State Historic Park, you’ll find out where it all began.
The park is on the site of the former mormon fort, the first settlement in Las Vegas. Missionaries came here in 1855 as it served as the midpoint between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles.
It was eventually abandoned after the Utah War started but the fort still stands today as the first permanent, non-native settlement in the Las Vegas Valley.
The park is only $3 to get into so you’d be daft to miss it! We only took an hour to look around and the Neon Sign Museum is next door so it’s well worth a visit if you’re going there anyway.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
When someone says: “Las Vegas” you don’t automatically think of dinosaurs and sarcophagus’ do you? But funnily enough the Las Vegas Natural History Museum is home to both!
The museum takes you on a journey from prehistoric times all the way to the present with fun exhibits including a collection of dinosaurs, marine life and Egyptians.
It’s weird to think that dinosaurs were in Las Vegas 100 million years ago but it was only last year that a new species was discovered in Las Vegas’ Valley of Fire park! It’s believed to have been a duck-billed dinosaur, fifteen to twenty feet long. Crazy.
Admission is $12.00* for adults and $6.00 for children.
Zac Bagans’ The Haunted Museum
Zac Bagans’ The Haunted Museum is not for the faint-hearted but a must-see if you’re in downtown Las Vegas and love anything paranormal!
You’ll venture down creepy dim-lit corridors and secret passage ways to explore 30 rooms straight out of a Hollywood horror movie to see some of the most haunted items and artefacts from around the world.
Items include Ed Gein’s Cauldron, Charles Manson’s ashes and a possessed doll. But the most unsettling thing is said to be the original staircase from Indiana’s “Demon House,” notorious for powerful paranormal activity before being demolished in 2014. Following its installation, a group of construction workers apparently walked off the job and refused to come back. For this reason, visitors are required to sign a waiver stating they understand the risks before entering!
The experience is a bit pricey at $44* per person so if you’re not into the paranormal or a flat out sceptic, then this haunted museum isn’t for you. But you paranormal enthusiasts and wannabe ghost hunters will love it (ya know…if you make it out alive – muhahaha!).
Eat, eat and then eat some more!
If there is one thing you will never be in downtown Las Vegas, is hungry! If you’re getting there around breakfast or brunch time (hang over dependent), I’d suggest going to Vegenation. They do the most indulgent vegan breakfasts I’ve ever seen. I had the Stuffed French Toast with cream cheese and berry jam and it was hands down the best vegan brunch I have ever had!
Other awesome dishes there include, Avocado Toast, Super Food Porridge, Waffles, Tofu Scramble and the Badass Vegan Breakfast Burrito. It’s a top place and 100% vegan!
If you’re arriving at lunchtime or later in the day, definitely go for a White Castle burger and fries. Mr Footsteps and I have been dying to go to White Castle ever since the first Harold and Kumar movie and I have to say – it lived up to our high expectations!
They introduced a vegan burger in 2015 (hallelujah!) so I was a happy camper whilst Mr Footsteps enjoyed his slider tower. The crinkle cut fries as well make this burger joint like no other. Oh and it’s cheap too!
Party down Fremont Street
The fantastic thing about downtown Las Vegas is there is so much free entertainment! Add to that a few frozen yard cocktails and beers and you’ll find yourself happily partying away in the streets of downtown Las Vegas.
The Fremont Street Experience offers loads of different bars right outside the casinos, an insane light show on the huge LED screens on the canopy above Fremont Street and different DJ sets. It’s such a carnival atmosphere there when the sun goes down, it’s not to missed!
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What are your top things to do in downtown Las Vegas for non-gamblers? Or which one of these would you most like to try? Let me know in the comments below! 😄
*Prices as of February 2019 but are subject to change.
