The Fremont Street Experience in old downtown Las Vegas is a great way to have fun and enjoy Las Vegas off the Strip. We stayed at the adjacent Golden Nugget Hotel and spent a lot of time exploring and having fun walking Fremont Street.  We listened to free live concerts, experienced the Viva Vision canopy screen light shows, ate some great food, had a beverage or two, did a lot of people-watching, checked out the street performers, and basked in everything that is the Fremont Experience. It was a full-on sensory overload of fun, entertainment, and excitement!

This is Darrell and Erin on Travel with D & E. Join us as we bring to you the Fremont Street Experience – Vegas Fun, off the Strip!

What is the Fremont Street Experience?

We spent a long weekend exploring cool attractions off the strip on this trip to Las Vegas.  This began with our stay at the Golden Nugget Hotel which put us adjacent to the Fremont Street Experience.  You walk out of the casino directly onto Fremont Street into the pedestrian mall.  

The venue or pedestrian mall is filled with an array of fun and interesting attractions.  As you walk down the street, you can watch the Viva Vision light and sound show.  People-watching is always a lot of fun.  There are people from all over the world, along with street performers, getting their Fremont Street Experience so it’s a lot of fun.  You will pass by many casinos, hotels, and dining, shopping, and drinking options.  You can go one or two city blocks past the end of the canopy screen as well.  There are just a lot of things you can do so you won’t be bored.

Now, let’s look at some attractions at the Fremont Street Experience:

People Watching

People-watching is truly something that Erin and I enjoy.  At the Fremont Street Experience, you will enjoy people-watching as you will see people from all over the world, in just about every size, shape, color, and dress.  

Street Performers

There are spots on Fremont Street that are reserved by street performers, some more talented than others, who may be doing magic, levitating, offering pictures with Chippendales and showgirls, spray paint artists, and everything else in between, of course hoping to get tipped by the visitors watching or getting pictures with them.  These local artists are quite entertaining!

Live Music Concerts

Free live music sessions are happening every weekend with music headliners and touring bands from May to October.  There are three stages on Fremont Street where these groups play.   There may be a rock band on one stage, you keep walking down the street and can see a DJ Dance type of band doing their thing.  Lots of variety and free concerts!

For example, we were listening to the “Alter Igor” band.  They were excellent and played a variety of genres on different days. 

Viva Vision Light Show

A highlight of the Fremont Street Experience is Viva Vision’s World’s largest LED canopy screen digital and sound shows.  The arched or barrel vault canopy screen is 1,375 feet long and sets about 90 feet above Fremont Street.  The screen is continuously scrolling through various synchronized light and sound shows with the main events at the top of every hour 6:00 PM until 2:00 AM. The visuals are remarkable, while the sound, driven by a 550,000-watt speaker, is just as spectacular. 

The canopy screen construction started on September 16, 1994, and the official public preview was held on December 14, 1995.  The canopy runs from Main Street to Fourth Street.  16 columns, each weighing 26,000 points, hold the canopy in place.  The canopy showcases 130,000 square feet of display space.  

The original construction saw nearly 2.1 million incandescent lights but held more than 12 million since a 2004 upgrade.  The current display was updated in 2019 providing a display that is seven times brighter and four times the resolution.  It now has over 49 million energy-efficient LEDs allowing it to operate shows even during daylight hours.

We can just stand or walk, drink a beverage or two, and just watch people, along with the Viva Vision screen all night!  It’s that good!

Vegas Vic

The famous Vegas Vic neon cowboy sign, installed in 1951, still illuminates Fremont Street over the Pioneer Gift Shop.  The Pioneer Gift Shop once operated as a casino, called the Pioneer Club.  These neon signs have become a part of what Las Vegas is known for.

SlotZila

SlotZila is the world’s largest slot machine that doubles as the launching pad for the ziplines going overhead above the crowds.

Zip-Zilla and Super-Hero Zoom Zip Line

The two zip lines provide a unique experience to enhance your fun and Fremont Street Experience!

First, the Zip-Zilla allows a zipline experience that is 7 stories high and 2 blocks long.  You are in a sitting position so that your feet dangle over the crowds below.

The Super-Hero Zoom’s zipline is 11 stories high and covers 5 blocks.  The trick here is you fly head-first like Superman providing you an exciting adrenaline-filled experience.

Erin and I decided to do the Super-Hero Zoom zipline on the last day there.  We went to get tickets at around 6:00 PM and found out the next slot available would be after 11:00 PM that night.  So, we said, never mind, LOL!

History of Fremont Street

Fremont Street, established in 1905,  is really where Las Vegas began.  In 1902, Senator William Clark bought an 1800-acre ranch to make this spot a train stop on the railroad he was building.  Vintage Vegas was the focal point in the city where business and pleasure game together.  It was also a railroad travel hub with a train station.  

As Las Vegas grew, so did Fremont Street.  In 1906, the first casino, the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, opened in this downtown area.  The city’s first movie theater, El Portal, opened.  Fremont Street had the first telephone line in the city.  The first paved street in Las Vegas was Fremont Street.  Fremont Street had the first air-conditioned and carpeted building in Las Vegas.  Needless to say, Fremont Street truly has a long and storied history.

Over time, many new Hotels and Casinos opened up along the Las Vegas Strip pulling away some business from Fremont Street.  In recent years, Las Vegas has invested funds to help revitalize the Fremont Street area by building the Fremont Street Experience.  It has become one of the most popular attractions in Las Vegas off the strip.

Where is Fremont Street Experience located?

The Fremont Street Experience occupies the westernmost five blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as “Glitter Gulch”, and portions of some other adjacent streets.  It’s official name is the Fremont East Entertainment District and is a cool spot in Las Vegas!

Closing

We did a lot of fun things off the strip but there’s nothing like spending some time in the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Vegas!  The overall atmosphere was just good times!

If you like this content you will want to check out all our other posts and video covering the Valley of Fire along with other attractions nearby Las Vegas including the Red Rock Canyon Trails and Overlooks,  the Grand Canyon West,  and the Old Historic Railroad Tunnel Trail, and other cool and fun attractions not on the strip. Feel free to check out the many YouTube Videos covering fun off the strip as well.  

Also, check out all our other posts and videos covering the many fun and historical attractions we have on our Travel with D & E channel. Do us a favor and subscribe that way you get to know when we put a new video out. Like the video and share it with your family and friends. Remember to put a comment below if you’ve been to the Fremont Street Experience and what you think of it.