Best off the Strip: Fremont Steet

by Bodog Casino | Oct 19 2009

Where the hell did Vegas come from? If you ever look out your window while approaching the city it seems like a mirage, like something you'd hallucinate while being stranded in the desert.

It makes you wonder how Vegas, with its giant, world-renowned buildings, amazing entertainment, and luxurious lifestyle came to exist in the middle of nowhere.

To find out you need to look into the history of Fremont Street.

Fremont Street has lost its popularity to the towering buildings of the strip today but back in the day it was Vegas. It had Nevada's very first hotel, the "Hotel Nevada" (which is the Golden Gate hotel today) in 1906. It had the state's first telephone in 1907 and in 1925 it had the state's first paved road. Then in 1931, it had the state's first gambling license, which was awarded to the Northern Club.

Eventually, being one of the few states in America with a gambling license, Fremont became the place to build up a hotel and offer casino gambling. Many storied hotel and casino spots like Binion's Horseshoe, Eldorado Club, Fremont Hotel and Casino, Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, Golden Nugget, the Mint and the Pioneer Club all would pop up on the historical street.

With the construction of all these lucrative casinos, more of those flashy neon signs were being built to attract the most attention. One of the more popular was Vegas Vic - you know, that big neon cowboy that waves? Because of all the bright hotel and casino signs Fremont Street earned the nickname "Glitter Gulch."

Unfortunately, with companies like MGM investing in some of the world's largest casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, Fremont Street began to take a back seat in the gambling realm in the 80s. It wasn't until 1994 that Fremont made a comeback. Looking to draw more people to the old area "The Fremont Street Experience" was created - a pedestrian mall that put most of "Glitter Gulch" under a barrel vault canopy for five blocks. Special light and sound shows, considered the biggest of their kind in the world, go down every night and there are even a number of free, outdoor concerts.

So why head to Fremont Street today? If you're looking for that old-school Vegas feel with good prices and the same great casino gambling found everywhere in the city, there's no better place to enjoy your vacation.