Oldies but Goodies: Kicking It Old School Vegas-Style

by Bodog Casino | Jan 20 2009

No matter how much people try you can’t beat the old school.

Records still sound better, Michael Jordan is still the NBA’s greatest player and Madonna’s still better than all the little train wreck’s trying to emulate her career.

The same rule applies to Las Vegas. Sure the new hotel and casinos that pop up every week are cool to look at for a minute, but these modern monsters lack the charm of buildings the Rat Pack used to headline.

Never kicked it old school in Vegas? We give some cool places to check out.

The Plaza Hotel & Casino: Reminisce on the Rat Pack

Opened in 1971, the Plaza has its share of standard perks to help you enjoy your stay in Vegas: an 80,000 square foot casino, Lucky 7's Buffet, Plaza Diner Express, Seattle's Best Coffee, McDonald's, Subway, Noble Roman's Pizza, and a casino snack bar. But the one thing it’s got over many other gaming establishments is that ol’ Rat Pack charm. The Plaza has its very own Rat Pack “tribute” show, called The Rat Pack Is Back: The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey and Dean. If you’re looking for to reminisce on the Pack the Plaza is the best spot.

The Golden Gate Hotel, EST 1906

On One Freemont Street resides one of Vegas’ oldest casinos – The Golden Gate Hotel. Along with its early 1900s charm the casino/resort has been serving one of the best shrimp cocktails you’ll ever put on your lips, winning “Best in Vegas” for the last 50 years. Best thing is it still has a 50-year old price, costing only 99 cents!

With the cocktails and old-school charm the Golden Gate has 400 slots and plenty of your fave table games to ensure you’re not missing out on what Vegas does best.

El Rancho Vegas: Gone but Not Forgotten

Unfortunately you need a time machine to check this casino out, but we still felt it necessary to give you the 411 on this historical venue. It was build on 2500 Las Vegas Boulevard in 1941, becoming the first Hotel and Casino on the now cluttered Las Vegas Strip. With its sweet location some of the best entertainers in the business would perform in its Opera House: Nat “King” Cole, Dorothy Dandridge, Tony Bennett, and Milton Berle to name a few. Unfortunately, on July 17 1960 the whole place when up in flames. Though plans were made to rebuild the place it never happened. If you really want to visit what used to be the Strip’s first casino, it’s now a vacant lot.

The Flamingo: Bugsy’s Hotspot

Everyone who knows Vegas knows that many of the resorts had connections to the mob, but few can make that connection as strongly as The Flamingo.

Notorious gangster Benjamin Siegel, AKA Bugsy Siegel was one of the primary owners of the historical resort, using his many illegal connections to build the resort into a powerhouse in the late 1940s.

Not only does the place boast old school Miami architecture and 77,000 square feet of gaming space, it also has a central outdoor area with an exhibit of flamingos as part of a wildlife habitat. One of the most luxurious places of its time The Flamingo is still a great place to enjoy your gaming today.