Downtown Las Vegas: Glitter Gulch, Ghosts and Gangsters

(9 reviews)

Las Vegas, Nevada audio tour: Downtown Las Vegas: Glitter Gulch, Ghosts and Gangsters

This is a 0.6mi walking tour

It takes an average of 30 mins to complete.

Las Vegas, Nevada

The United States

$9.99

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About the Tour

Las Vegas may be known worldwide for its glitzy Strip, but downtown is where the city's true soul resides. On this self-guided walking tour, you'll discover the fascinating origins of Sin City through its oldest casinos, iconic neon signs, and colorful characters. From mobsters who shaped the gambling industry to ghosts who allegedly never checked out, you'll experience the authentic Vegas that existed long before the mega-resorts arrived.

Your journey begins at the historic El Cortez, one of the oldest casinos in Las Vegas and a property once owned by infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel. You'll stroll down Fremont Street, the original heart of Las Vegas gambling, passing legendary establishments like the Four Queens, Golden Nugget, and Binion's. Along the way, you'll learn how visionary (and sometimes notorious) casino owners transformed a dusty railroad stop into the Entertainment Capital of the World.

You'll encounter the famous Vegas Vic neon cowboy, marvel at the spectacular LED canopy that illuminates Fremont Street, and finish at the Main Street Station Casino, home to an astonishing collection of historical artifacts – including a piece of the Berlin Wall repurposed in the men's bathroom. The tour ends at this remarkable casino-museum, where railroad themes and antiques from around the world create one of the most unique gambling establishments in the city.

During this 30-minute tour, you'll have a chance to:

Visit El Cortez, where mobster Bugsy Siegel once ran operations and where ghosts allegedly roam the basement tunnels
Learn about Frank Lefty Rosenthal, the casino manager who inspired Martin Scorsese's film Casino
See the world's largest gold nugget on display at the Golden Nugget Casino
Discover how Benny The Cowboy Binion revolutionized gambling by raising betting limits
Admire Vegas Vic, the iconic neon cowboy who once greeted visitors with a mechanical Howdy Partner!
Step inside the Golden Gate Casino, the oldest in Vegas, where rooms once cost $1 per night
Explore Main Street Station's extraordinary collection of historical artifacts from around the world
Learn how nuclear test viewings were once a tourist attraction at nearby Atomic Liquors

Take a step back in time through Las Vegas's colorful history, where gangsters, gamblers, and ghosts all played a role in creating the entertainment wonderland we know today. Even if you've visited the Strip dozens of times, this tour will show you a side of Vegas you never knew existed.

Tour Producer

Stefanie C

2 tours

My name is Stefanie, and I blog about the history of Classic Hollywood. I am not classically trained or college-educated in film studies. I didn’t receive a degree in history from Harvard. I just love Hollywood and its history.

Armed with a knowledge of the classic film actresses/songbirds and their life stories, my trusty Android, and Eliza, my pet cat, I’m hunting down star-studded stories both past and present.

Preview Location

Location 6

Vegas Vic

Stop here for a moment.

Take a look at one of the most famous neon signs in all of Vegas — the Vegas Vic Cowboy on your left, you can’t miss him. The waving cowboy was added to the Pioneer Club in 1951. Vic was made in the likeness of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce char... Stop here for a moment.

Take a look at one of the most famous neon signs in all of Vegas — the Vegas Vic Cowboy on your left, you can’t miss him. The waving cowboy was added to the Pioneer Club in 1951. Vic was made in the likeness of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce character from 1947. See the red circle on his pocket? That’s a Durham Tobacco tag dangling from a string attached to the bag of tobacco stored in his pocket. Vic came from an era when cowboys still rolled their own tobacco

“Howdy Pardner!” he would announce every 15 minutes. When Lee Marvin was filming the Professionals he staid at the Mint Hotel, and found the Western hospitality far too loud, so managers silenced poor Vic. Even though his sound was restored in later years, it no longer works, it seems, and Vic has been permanently muted. In spite of his silence, he has become so iconic in being a general welcoming sign that his likeness has been reproduced all around the world.

If you are lucky, you might catch a glimpse of Vegas Vic's wife, Vegas Vickie. As of this recording, she has gone on a bit of a vacation from Fremont Street but is scheduled to return upon the opening of the Circa hotel where a cocktail bar named for her will be her new home. She first made her appearance at the Glitter Gultch Strip Club when it opened in 1980. You might hear people call her Sassy Sally after a strip club, but call her by her rightful name. It’s Vickie.

Vickie and Vic have had quite a romance throughout the years, and since Vegas is the marriage capital of the world, romantics decided to make it official. In 1995 the two neon lovebirds were married in a formal ceremony.

Vickie and Vic represent just a part of the glittering displays of neon lights that gave this area the name of Glitter Gultch. If you want to see more of the neon signs, the best place to do so is at the Neon Museum. A boneyard of Vegas neon history, you can see these beautiful pieces of pop art light up at night through shows and guided tours. The place is well worth a visit.

Let's get moving again. Keep walking straight.

While we're walking, let’s talk about the elephant in the room—or let’s say, the very large LED elephant of a screen above you.

The 4-block-long, 90-foot-wide canopy that hovers over the street features 49.3 million energy-efficient LED lamps from Viva Vision. Each of the light shows lasts approximately 6 minutes, and they run every hour. While Vegas is known for never turning off its lights — a city that truly never sleeps — there is an exception here. The casinos lights on the exteriors of the buildings are turned off to make the canopy of light the star of the show.

The light show was an investment and one that paid off. The area has seen a Renaissance, and some figures estimate that more than 60% of the visitors to this area come to see the show. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Golden Nugget
Binon's
The D
Fremont Street Experience
Cowboy
Golden Gate Hotel & Casino
Plaza Hotel & Casino

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
600 E Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101, USA
Total distance

964m
Final location
200 N Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89101, USA
Distance back to start location

738.63m

Directions to Starting Point

Begin your tour in front of the El Cortez. Look for the ranch-style architecture.

Show Directions

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

For additional neon lights, don't miss the Neon Museum! It is, in my opinion, the best Las Vegas attraction.

Best time of day

Dusk is best, before the crowds make hearing the audio difficult and just when the neon is starting to light up. Noise-canceling earbuds are recommended!

Precautions

This is Las Vegas! Be careful when crossing busy streets, and watch out for pickpockets.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

Google Play Store

Last Updated

4 Dec 2025

Questions and Reviews

4.2 / 5

9 Ratings

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