What is Fremont Street?

As the second most popular Las Vegas sightseeing spot after the Las Vegas Strip, Fremont Street is home to many classic casinos, including the Fremont Hotel & Casino, the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, and the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino. The casinos illuminate the area with sparkling signs, earning the street the nickname "Glitter Gulch." Here you'll find one of the city's most famous and beloved signs, Vegas Vic, who's been waving to visitors since 1951. And more recently, the Fremont Street Experience revitalized the district, bringing light shows, live music, shopping, and even ziplining to the area.

What can I do on Fremont Street?

Fremont Street has something for everyone, so read on to see what's right for you:

If you're adventurous: Choose from a crazy activity such as watersliding through a shark tank at the Golden Nugget or ziplining 77 feet in the air at the Fremont Street Experience's SlotZilla Zipline.

If you're with your special someone: Elope at perhaps the only Denny's in the world that serves up both "I do’s" and stacks of pancakes.

If you're with kids (or grownups who act like kids): Take them to Downtown Container Park's Treehouse, named one of the best things to do with kids in Las Vegas. The park is open to both children and adults, and features a 33-foot-tall slide, among other things.

If you're hungry: The D Las Vegas has all appetites covered, from upscale Italian fare at Andiamo Steakhouse to Detroit-style hot dogs at American Coney Island, which is open 24/7.

If you want a drink: Las Vegas is all about glamour, and that means the city has a bar themed like a beauty shop: Beauty Bar. Those visitors who aren't sitting in 1950s salon chairs sipping martinis are hitting the dance floor, where DJs and bands play until 4 a.m.

If you want to pretend you struck it rich: Gander at a million bucks in cash at Binion's Ranch Steakhouse. The bills, which range from $1 to $100, were named the Best Photo Opp by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

If you need to go to the bathroom: You may think any restroom is fine as long as it's clean, but only the Main Street Station Hotel and Casino and Brewery's men's room is home to a hunk of the Berlin Wall. Women who want a peek just have to ask a security guard to escort them inside.

The Verdict

See it. There's an abundance of unusual things to do on Fremont Street, including some of the most fun free things to do in Las Vegas. Perhaps the most dazzling is the Fremont Street Experience's Viva Vision show, in which a gigantic screen looming over the pedestrian mall projects images—produced with 12.5 million energy-efficient LED lamps—in sync with tunes by Bon Jovi, the Who, and other artists. The area may have been nicknamed "Glitter Gulch" back in the '50s, but this spectacle shows why the name stuck.