What Happens on a Thursday Night Out in Vegas Stays in Vegas
(Photo: Getty Images)
Ah, Thursday night — the only truly social night of the week. It’s the night when babysitters are booked, friends convene, and drinks are imbibed. There are no family obligations to fulfill, no amateurish weekend crowds to elbow through — and the possibilities are endless. The night starts after work and ends whenever you want. In any city. All over the world.
This week, we present the perfect Thursday night in downtown Las Vegas.
5 p.m.
Grab a latte and browse the stacks of vinyl at The Beat. (Photo: The Beat Coffeehouse & Records)
Leave your suit and stilettos behind, hop in a cab from your Strip hotel, and head to downtown Las Vegas. But you’ll first need fuel. Make your first stop for a cup of drip or French-press coffee at the Beat Coffeehouse and Records, which is just that, part coffeehouse, part record store. For further sustenance, walk just a few blocks down to Pizza Rock for a slice by 11-time world pizza champion Tony Gemignani.
Related: Beyond the Buffet: the Best Breakfasts in Vegas
6 p.m. Experience the sights of Old Vegas
See where the bright, twinkly lights of Vegas go when they retire from the Strip at the Neon Boneyard Museum. (Photo: Nick Sherman/Flickr)
Fueled up, it’s time to hit the streets of downtown Las Vegas. It’s just a 15-minute walk or a short cab ride to the Neon Museum Boneyard, where Las Vegas’s iconic signs live on, though their venues may be no more. Here you’ll get an hourlong tour through the boneyard of signs, each with its own story (just don’t call it a graveyard!). While theNeon Museum has both day and night tours, it’s on the night tour that someof the retired signs come back to life. Make sure, however, that you book your tour in advance online.
7 p.m. Hop to a craft beer tour
Grab a pint of beer brewed on-site and some yummy pub fare at Main Street Station. (Photo: Main Street Casino and Hotel/Facebook)
It’s no surprise that booze is constantly oozing out of Las Vegas, but it has long been from the lounges, clubs, and casinos. Now you can find craft beer flowing from downtown Las Vegas. And you’ve got options. At Main Street Station you’ll find Triple 7, a no-frills brewpub with several of their own craft brews. For a legitimate brewery experience, head to Las Vegas’s first craft brewery, Banger Brewing, in the thick of Fremont Street. Tag along for one of their free brewery tours before enjoying any number of their array of craft beers, like the award-winning jalapeño hefeweizen or Belgian pale ale.
Related: A Gentleman’s Guide to Drinking Well in Las Vegas
8 p.m. Fly above downtown Las Vegas
Soar over Fremont Street on the SlotZilla zipline. (Photo: Fremont Street Experience)
Who says you can’t get your adrenaline pumping in a major metro? Let your inner Batman loose as you fly 100 feet over the Fremont Street Experience. But don’t worry, you’re strapped in. The appropriately named SlotZilla, the world’s largest slot machine, features a couple of different “thrill flies,” including the 77-foot-tall zipline and, for the superhero within us all, the 114-foot zoomline, whisking you 1,750 feet down the Fremont Street Experience from above. Just make sure you didn’t drink too much beer from your last stop.
9 p.m. Experience the tastes of Old Vegas for dinner
Hugo’s serves up old-fashioned charm and fantastic food. (Photo: Four Queens Hotel & Casino/Facebook)
For all the new bells and whistles of downtown Las Vegas, it hasn’t forgotten its past, and there’s no better place to get a taste of Old Vegas than at Hugo’s Cellar inside the long-standing Four Queens Hotel. By this point you’ve certainly worked up an appetite (and deserve it), and there’s hardly a restaurant that says “Vegas” like Hugo’s Cellar. Here your lady is given a rose upon entering, your salad is made tableside, and your dessert is flambéed. Go crazy, but save room for the dessert cart. You’ll thank me later.
11 p.m. Channel your inner kid at Gold Spike
Hang out, drink a cocktail, and play some cornhole in the “backyard” patio at Gold Spike. (Photo: Gold Spike)
But while this isn’t the Vegas Strip, it is still Sin City, and the night is young. It’s just a short walk to Gold Spike (no, it’s not the name of a strip club), where you have permission to let your inner kid loose. Throughout the “living room” and “backyard” you’ll find larger-than-life versions of your favorite childhood games, including Jenga, Connect Four, cornhole, and chess. The difference from your childhood being that here you can have a beer while playing Jenga!
12 a.m. Have a nightcap at a secret bar
The Laundry Room is a secret bar that specializes in delicious, unique cocktails. (Photo: Commonwealth/Facebook)
It’s after midnight in Las Vegas, and you need a really good reason not to call it a night. Your reason? A bar called the Laundry Room with a secret entrance requiring reservations from a secret number. Sounds snooty, right? Not so fast. While the Laundry Room (yes, it once was a laundry room) has its rules, it may conjure up sentiments you’d expect from speakeasies of years gone by. I’d recommend stopping by the bar — located in the back of Fremont Street’s craft cocktail bar, Commonwealth — earlier in the day (or earlier on your trip) to ask around about the number to text for reservations. You didn’t think I’d actually give it to you, did you?
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