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Millions of people visit downtown Las Vegas yearly for its top tourist attractions as well as the best-kept secrets of Sin City, namely the Fremont Street Experience. With eight downtown hotels and casinos within walking distance, including the iconic Venetian and Palazzo hotels, Fremont Street spans five city blocks and is full of unique boutiques and markets, fun attractions, and excellent food and drink options.

On its opening day, December 14, 1995, however, no one could have predicted how successful the venue would become due to the pushback from locals throughout the project's ideation phase and several divergent visions for the Fremont Street Experience.

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Today, Fremont Street is one of Las Vegas's most beautiful streets and, of course, its most popular; it's the second most famous street in the Las Vegas Valley, and Nevada, behind the Las Vegas Strip. Fremont Street, named after explorer and politician John C. Frémont, was and continues to be the address of many renowned casinos in the downtown casino corridor, including Binion's Horseshoe, Eldorado Club, Fremont Hotel and Casino, and The Mint, among many others.

Fremont Street History: How Fremont Street Came To Be

Since Fremont Street was so close to the original railroad terminal in the area, it served as a major route long before Las Vegas was officially established in 1905, according to The D Las Vegas. In 1925, it was the city's first paved road. By 1931, it had the city's first traffic signal. A senator named William Clark bought a 1,800-acre property in 1902 with the intention of including Las Vegas as a station on the rail line he was constructing.

The famous welcome to Las Vegas sign, Nevada
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
The famous welcome to Las Vegas sign, Nevada

In 1905, three years later, the railroad sold 1,200 lots in this townsite at auction to investors. From Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, the train brought more than a thousand prospective investors; many stayed to begin construction on the site almost immediately. Sales of these properties paved the way for the development of Downtown Las Vegas along Fremont Street.

Fremont Street's casino district began flourishing when gambling was decriminalized in the early 20th century. In 1910, after a period of prohibition in the early 1900s, gambling was made illegal, as was the sale of alcoholic beverages outside of hotels. As a result, several inexpensive hotels sprung up along Fremont Street.

From the 1920s onward, Fremont saw an influx of commerce and population as highways increased throughout the city. After the freeway was completed, drivers could avoid Fremont Street altogether, diverting traffic from Downtown Las Vegas and toward the Strip. Because of this, the Strip expanded rapidly while Fremont Street saw a decline.

Las Vegas's Fremont Street In The Movies And Media

The Fremont Street Experience has served as the setting for numerous movies. Both the 1950 Charlton Heston picture Dark City and the 1964 Elvis Presley film Viva Las Vegas used nighttime imagery of Fremont Street during the opening titles.

Downtown Las Vegas at night
Image by David Mark from Pixabay 
Downtown Las Vegas at night

In the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, during a car chase with the Las Vegas police, Bond side-rolls the car out of an alley onto Fremont Street. The 1978–1981 ABC television series Vega$, starring Robert Urich, also featured Fremont Street in its episode intros and many sequences.

Musicians also flock to this well-known street. U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" music video from 1987 had the band members meandering down Fremont Street as The Edge played acoustic guitar. The music video for Ice Cube's song "Chrome and Paint" included a lowrider and was filmed on Fremont Street. The Weekend also shot the video for his 2019 singles "Heartless" and "Blinding Lights" in the Fremont Street area.

Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada

Several popular TV shows have also featured the Fremont Street Experience, including Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, the Food Network's Paradise, and the hit NBC drama, This Is Us.

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What To Know About The Fremont Street Experience Today

According to Travel Nevada, in 1996, a six-block section of the once-bustling Fremont Street was closed to traffic and transformed into the pedestrian mall now known as the Fremont Street Experience. The Fremont Street Experience's four-block-long barrel vault canopy was fitted with 49 million LEDs in 2016 so that daytime light shows could continue.

The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada
Image by Michelle Raponi from Pixabay 
The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada

The Viva Vision canopy, the world's largest video screen, hosts nightly events that pay tribute to some of Nevada's most prominent features, such as Area 51, race car driving, patriotic displays, and more, every hour on the hour. A 550,000-watt sound system runs the length of Fremont Street and plays music continuously while the light and sound shows are not in use.

The Slotzilla Zip Line is the newest attraction on the Fremont Street Experience, and it launches riders from a 12-story tower that crosses the whole pedestrian mall. Start at either 77 or 114 feet above the ground and soar under the LED canopy like a superhero to get a bird's-eye view of the Fremont Street Experience, complete with celebrity impersonators, live music, and revelers.

The Fremont Experience, Las Vegas, Nevada
The Fremont Experience, Las Vegas, Nevada
The Fremont Experience, Las Vegas, Nevada

Also located on Fremont Street is the Golden Nugget Casino & Hotel, home to a 200,000-gallon shark tank that visitors may observe through glass, ride on a waterslide, or get up and personal with on a guided tour conducted by one of the casino's marine biologists.

The tour is one of the most unforgettable adventures in Las Vegas; it allows visitors to see sharks as they are fed and provides information on the various species found in the area. Within the Golden Nugget, visitors can also see the "Hand of Faith," the world's largest solid gold nugget at 62 pounds, discovered in Australia in 1962.

Learn how long a visitor needs to stay in Las Vegas before planning the ultimate trip to savor Sin City and the world-famous Fremont Street.