Travel Guide: Vintage Las Vegas

The downtown side of Vegas is such a hidden gem! There’s a whole lot of history and mid-century modern beauty that’s easily overlooked.  Take a little vintage-inspired detour away from the strip  during your next adventure into the city!

Since you’ll be spending most of your time in Downtown, book a room near that area. We stayed at the Oasis at Gold Spike. It’s a super cute mid-century boutique hotel with a pool right in the heart of classic Downtown Las Vegas. We walked past El Cortez Hotel a few times, and it looked like a great vintage spot to stay as well!

Start the first day with a stroll down sparkly Fremont street. From the hotel we walked to brunch at PublicUs. On the way there we stopped in at Sister House Collective, a small shop that sells goodies that are all made by local Las Vegas women. Lots of cute gifts there! Make a stop at 11th Street Records if you’re in the market for some vinyl too!

The Neon Museum (more photos here) is a must-see for vintage lovers! It’s the only place to see the old neon signs that used to light up the city during the 20th century, and they’re such a pretty throwback to old school Vegas! I love the look of those sun-drenched neon signs. Book your tour here before you go, they can sell out pretty quickly.

 

We stumbled into a dark dive bar called Atomic Bar on our first night in Vegas, and were really excited about their great draft beer and cocktail selection. It has a cool space-age theme, and then after talking to the bartender a bit we found out it’s actually the first bar in Las Vegas from 1952, and was named atomic because the customers would watch the atomic blasts from the roof—pretty wild! Stop in for a drink and check out the floor safe from the 50’s that wasn’t discovered until a 2013 remodel.

After some drinks, grab dinner on Fremont street. We got Mexican food at La Comida, and then walked next door to grab drinks at Commonwealth. Inside of Commonwealth there’s a speakeasy called The Laundry Room . They were booked a week out when we came, so text them in advance at the number on their Facebook page if you want to go.

Go to the 18b Arts District for some of the best vintage shopping. There’s an antique mall, vintage furniture stores, and a few cool bars to stop in for a drink too. Grab coffee and/or brunch at Makers & Finders Coffee , then head over the vintage shops down Main  street. My favorite is Patina Decor, the owner has the best selection of vintage clothes!

If you’re still on the hunt for clothes there’s also a Buffalo Exchange across the street. I’d recommend  Vintage Vegas Antiques and Retro Vegas for vintage mid-century modern furniture.  After you’re done shopping grab a cocktail at Velveteen Rabbit, a cute dark bar with a good cocktail menu. There’s a quirky museum/shop Las Vegas Oddities & Antiquities that’s fun to stop by for a few minutes too.  End the afternoon by heading to the The Golden Tiki to grab some tropical drinks in Chinatown!

Here’s a full list of everything broken down by category..

EAT + DRINK
Makers & Finders Coffee (Arts District)
PublicUs (Downtown Area)
The Golden Tiki (Tiki Bar near the strip)
Frankie’s Tiki Room (Downtown Area)
Atomic Bar (Downtown Area)
Velveteen Rabbit (Arts District)
La Comida (Downtown Area)
Commonwealth (Downtown Area)
The Laundry Room (Downtown Area)

SEE + SHOP
Patina Decor (Arts District)
Vintage Vegas Antiques (Arts District)
Retro Vegas (Arts District)
Las Vegas Oddities & Antiquities (Arts District)
Neon Museum (Downtown Area)
Sister House Collective (Downtown Area)
11th Street Records (Downtown Area)