Classic Las Vegas Experiences
These retro spots embody the glamour and intrigue of Vegas.
Like every good entertainer, Las Vegas continues to reinvent itself. The first five years of this decade have seen a steady stream of new hotels, shows, bars, and sporting events. As the city evolves, it also does a great job embracing and celebrating its past: a glamorous and at times mysterious history that goes back to the Rat Pack era and beyond. Thankfully, there are still places in Las Vegas to reconnect with this bygone era. Here are some of our favorites.
Where to Stay and Play in Vegas
One of the most iconic landmarks in Las Vegas is the El Cortez Hotel & Casino, which opened in 1941 and considers itself the “longest continuously operating casino in Las Vegas.” The Fremont Street property recently completed an expansion to the casino that included two new bars and additional space for table games.
Accommodations include the “original 47” rooms, which are accessible via staircases from the main casino, as well as a pink-walled penthouse suite where casino pioneer (and former owner) Jackie Gaughan lived until he died in 2014. One of the other ties to the past is the second-floor barbershop, where barbers have been cutting hair since the 1970s. For another connection to yesteryear, walk the hallway lined with historic photos on the way to the High Limit Room on the gaming floor.
Also on Fremont, the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino has a pretty impressive history of its own. This hotel had the first phone number in Las Vegas and claims to have served the first shrimp cocktail. Today, the Golden Gate is owned by Derek Stevens, a casino magnate who also owns Circa Resort & Casino and The D Las Vegas downtown.
Not all classic hotels and casino resorts in Las Vegas are dinosaurs. More modern “classic” properties include Caesars Palace, which opened in 1966; the enormous MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, which was the first mega-resort when it opened in 1993; and the Bellagio Las Vegas, which opened in 1998 and has become synonymous with the Vegas vibe.
Where to Eat and Drink in Las Vegas
Although Las Vegas continues to add restaurants to the local culinary scene, a handful of eateries have withstood the test of time. Not surprisingly, many of these oldies-but-goodies double-down on theatrics, such as servers in tuxedos and special dishes prepared in tableside carts.
Perhaps the most famous of the classic Las Vegas restaurants is the Golden Steer, which opened in 1958. In its heyday the Steer attracted members of the Las Vegas Rat Pack and other celebrities of the era. Today, the restaurant is still a spot to see and be seen; it’s easiest to score reservations midweek, ideally months in advance.
Another classic steakhouse is Hugo’s Cellar, located in the basement of the Four Queens Hotel and Casino. This place opened in 1973 and is famous for its tableside preparations of salad and bananas Foster.
The Peppermill, on Las Vegas Boulevard, opened in 1972 and retains most of its disco-era kitsch in the Fireside Lounge with bubbling firepits and mirrored walls.
Then, of course there’s the restaurant at the Italian American Club, which serves classic Italian dishes in a setting that hasn’t changed much in the past 60 years. The restaurant displays memorabilia from Frank Sinatra, a former member, who has been credited as being instrumental in getting the club built.
No mention of classic Las Vegas places to eat and drink would be complete without paying tribute to Atomic Liquors, a dive bar on Fremont Street, three blocks east of El Cortez. Atomic opened in 1952; at the time the bar received the first-ever liquor store license from the City of Las Vegas. Local legend is that customers used to come in, buy beers at the bar, climb up to the roof, and relax while they watched for mushroom clouds rising from atomic testing sites in the desert. It remains one of the spiciest dive bars in town.
Must-Watch Classic Entertainment
The city proudly declares itself as the Entertainment Capital of the World, and some of the performers around town have been taking the stage for decades.
No. 1 on this list: Wayne Newton, who in 2025 celebrated his 66th year of performing in Las Vegas and is known around town as “Mr. Las Vegas.” Newton was born in 1942, and he’s been crooning tunes like “Danke Schoen” since he was 15. Recently he has been headlining a small cabaret show at Flamingo Las Vegas and performing three nights a week with his wife.
Barry Manilow still attracts big crowds at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. Manilow first appeared on stage in Las Vegas in 1988 and immediately became a fan favorite.
Several shows around town also have been running long enough to achieve classic status. There have been circus performers at Circus Circus Hotel & Casino since the property opened in 1968. Mystère, from the acrobat troupe Cirque du Soleil, opened in 1993 and has been running continuously since then; it is currently performed at the Treasure Island — TI Hotel & Casino. O, which is a Cirque show performed almost entirely in water, has run at Bellagio since 1998.
Classic Things to Do in Las Vegas
Three modern-day Las Vegas museums keep the past alive for visitors to experience at their own pace.
The Mob Museum digs deep into the city's sordid past of organized crime. In the three-story space downtown, guests can study coroner’s documents, see old weapons, or examine bullet holes in the brick wall that was the backdrop for Al Capone’s infamous Valentine’s Day massacre. In late 2024, the museum put on display Capone’s Colt 1911 .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, a weapon he referred to as “Sweetheart” because of how often it saved his life. The museum also has a speakeasy that makes its own beer and moonshine.
The National Atomic Testing Museum, explores the history of nuclear testing (which happened just up I-15) and its impact on modern culture. Here you can experience a simulation of a nuclear test and see personal atomic weapons, such as the Backpack Nuke.
The Neon Museum on North Las Vegas Boulevard offers reminder after reminder of Vegas’ bold and bright history. The museum is a series of open-air lots with old neon signs. One of the most notable recent additions is the neon guitar that stood in front of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino until it became the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in 2021. The Neon Museum has announced plans to relocate to the downtown Arts District, a move that will allow the museum to expand, by 2027. Hopefully these classic signs will shine brightly for decades to come.