Fremont Street Experience

The spot where Vegas was born is today a pedestrianised area – and there's always something going on.

A five-block pedestrian area right in the heart of town, Fremont Street takes you all the way back to the founding of this buzzing city. Here you'll wander past some of the classic neon signs that make up the landscape of Sin City while enjoying live bands, street performers and a stunning light show.

Fremont was where the visitors flocked back in the 1950s; the legendary home of famous casinos such as the Eldorado Club, the Golden Nugget and the Pioneer Club. It was here in 1931 that the Northern Club became the first to get its hands on a Nevada gaming licence – also incidentally the year when Las Vegas's first traffic light was built. You'll recognise it from an array of famous films, especially Elvis's 1964 hit Viva Las Vegas, and the 1971 James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever.

Head there today and you'll even get to enjoy a captivating light show, Viva Vision: a six-minute sequence held every night and timed to music. Displayed on a steel canopy 27 metres high and more than 500 metres long, the show makes use of over 12.5 million light bulbs and is pumped up by 550,000 watts of surround sound. The shows are themed around major events, but the Lucky Vegas show immortalising the city's icons and its history is the most popular.

Live entertainment is also in abundance around Fremont Street, with tribute bands and street performers of all kinds roaming the area. By night you'll enjoy the festival atmosphere here as street vendors occupy the area amid the casinos, shops and restaurants.

To the east you can also visit the Neon Museum. Here you'll get to explore some of the street's vintage neon signs drawn from casinos, hotels and loan businesses which are on show.

You can reach the Fremont Street Experience by taking the 'trolley' between the Strip and downtown, or by bus or taxi. If you're driving, you can leave your car free of charge for up to five hours at the Fremont Experience Parking Plaza at 4th Street and Carson.