Las Vegas used to be run so that everything that was done was used to facilitate gambling. They would have cheap rooms, cheap food, free parking and cheap entertainment so that people would come in and gamble. It worked well for a long time. However when the corporations came in and started buying up all the hotels, someone came up the idea that all the different functions of the hotel should be a profit center.
So they started charging for parking as hotel rooms rates went up. Food got more expensive and so did the entertainment. The corporations wanted to make sure that every function of the hotel made money.
Las Vegas is known as the glittery city of lights. This place in the dessert holds a unique appeal. It has been one of the most attractive sites for visitors from decades. The decorations feel like you have decorated the city with thousands of custom printed candles. Large resort complexes draw everyone starting from newly-weds to families who love to hand out.
Las Vegas is full of entertainment options. Most of the top starts name this place like home to attract a large audience every night. Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Death Valley National parks are some of the surrounding places to add to your experience.
In this post, we'll explore some of the most historic sites you can visit during your stay at Las Vegas. But don't worry though this is Las Vegas we're talking about, even the most historic museum here has a unique fun spin to it. Now sit back and enjoy as we explore the sites that saw how a city as improbable as Las Vegas came to be.
But first a little bit of transportation advice for those interested in seeing each of the sites. There is a very cheap bus that runs very frequently up and down the stip, and into city center and out to the airport. Tickets can be bought at automated kiosks. If you’re staying in town, get a bus pass. There is also a train than runs behind the casinos on the East side, but it’s much less convenient, and costs more.
But it’s faster if you’re in a hurry to get from one end to the other, especially during the evnening when the road is choked with traffic. One of the best way to see each of these sites is to book a rental car in Las Vegas, as some of the sites are not in las Vegas proper but in nearby car accessible places that often have great scenic drives.
So, without further ado let's begin our trip through Las Vegas history.
1. Clark County
It's hard to figure out the prehistory of any city, but amazingly some places can give you glimpses into Las Vegas's forgotten past. Valley of Fire is one such places. Since it’s not so hot yet, you can drive up interstate 15 and head north to the Valley of Fire. Here you can find amazing rock formations that take almost every shade of red. These formations were made millions of years ago when a deep oceanic basin was lifted to dry land and exposed to natural erosion which in turn produced the amazing coloration of the rock.
In addition to the unique rock formations, you can also find some petroglyphs from bygone cultures that seemed to have had an especial interest in this place. Yes, it's really hot here (summer up to 45 degree Celsius) but the complex rock structures of the Valley of Fire State Park are well worth a visit. The park is less than one hour away drive from Las Vegas.
2. Rhyolite
Now the Mojave Desert isn't what you'd call a fertile place. So before any casino or resort ever existed, towns came and went depending on the resources people could find around, one in particular: Gold. Rhyolite was built in 1904 during a gold rush, but by 1920 the gold ran out and the town was abandoned. It comes to prove that when a town exists solely to take advantage of a resource and that resource stops existing, people just leave.
Nowadays Rhyolite stands as an eerie abandoned town, perfect for those who enjoy more mysterious destinations. The town was built with more durable materials than most other ghost towns so there are more things to see. Adjacent to the town there is also an open-air modern art museum that only adds eeriness to this already haunting place with some fascinating and weird sculptures of ghostly figures.
The abandoned town is a roughly two-hour drive from Las Vegas. So its recommendable that you rent a car if you want to visit this ghost town. Websites such as Miles Car Rental, offer great options and discounts to find a good rental car.
3. The Mob Museum
If you want to explore something really out of the place in Las Vegas then Mob Museum situated in Nevada is a must-visit. It is majorly dedicated to showcasing the Mob history of America by means of engaging and interactive video clips. What’s interesting is that the exhibits deal and display everything from little nuances to major things about the exhibits.
Organized crime had a famous role in the making of Las Vegas as famous mobsters started investing their dirty money into more legitimate business, or well as legitimate as mobsters get anyway. You see, some of the earliest casinos and hotels in Las Vegas were funded by mobsters such as Bugsy Siegel, a notorious gangster from the Jewish mafia who decided to try his luck as a legitimate businessman in Las Vegas.
Now, Las Vegas has changed a lot since the days of the mobsters, but the city still remembers its murky past with the mob museum: a museum dedicated to the history of organized crime and the fight against it. Here you can find exhibits about the history of organized crime, including the recordings that incriminated many mafia bosses, and a hall dedicated exclusively to the influence of mobsters in Las Vegas
There is also an exhibit dedicated to the prohibition era called 'The Underground', which features a fully functional speakeasy bar and a distillery!
You can find the museum at downtown Las Vegas more specifically at 300 Stewart Ave there are parking options nearby.
4. Strip Gun Club
Las Vegas had a front-row seat for the beginning of the atomic era. You see, due to its remoteness and relatively low population, Nevada was chosen for making nuclear tests. Many of the mushroom clouds from atomic testing in the Mojave Desert, were actually visible from Las Vegas. In fact these awful detonations were used as a touristic attraction, to the point that there are a couple of cocktails made in honor of the atomic testing!
That speaks poorly about Las Vegas safety standards, but hey at least they're very committed to entertainment. And so, we'd be remiss if we didn’t pay a visit to this museum dedicated to both the scientific and cultural phenomenon that signified the atomic era.
Here you can find almost everything related to that strange and fascinating period of history: from the scientific equipment used in atomic testing to the toys and cultural paraphernalia involved in this crazy period of history full of equal parts folly and science.
You can find the museum at 755 E Flamingo Road. There is plenty of parking available and the place itself it's not far from the Strip. So if you want to sprinkle a little bit of history on your trip to Vegas this is the perfect place to visit.
5. Las Vegas Boulevard
With the most amusement options filled over more than two miles, the Las Vegas Strip sparkles and shines with huge casinos, hotels, theaters, cafés, and gardens. This celebrated part of Las Vegas Boulevard, running from the Mandalay Bay Hotel to the Treasure Island Hotel, is the place that most guests go to the city to see and experience.
6. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
if you want to see the surrounding community, drive up to Red Rock Canyon and take the scenic Loop. You talk about beautiful scenery! Wow! Its proximity to Las Vegas makes it a perfect destination for a good excursion. If you do not have time to go to the Grand Canyon then this can be a small-scale substitute destination.
And there you have it, next time you’re visiting Vegas and want to sprinkle some history on your trip you'll know a couple of places to visit.