Vintage Las Vegas Casinos 2026: Historic Casinos You Can Still Visit

Most of the Las Vegas that existed before the 1990s has been imploded. The Strip replaced its mid-century resorts with mega-resorts, and even recent landmarks are going: The Mirage and the Tropicana both closed in 2024. Old Vegas survives mainly downtown, along Fremont Street, where the city began, plus a couple of Strip properties that have kept their names since the 1960s.

This guide covers the historic casinos you can still walk into, and the two museums that tell the story of what was lost. Opening dates and history come from each property's or museum's own published history, checked in September 2026. Where a property's site could not be checked, we say so rather than repeat a date from memory.

The Historic Casinos at a Glance

Golden Gate (1906)

At the corner of Fremont and Main Streets, the Golden Gate calls itself "The Las Vegas Original Since 1906" and the first hotel in downtown Las Vegas. Its Original 10 rooms date back to the hotel's opening in 1906, and you can still book them, which is about as close as you can get to sleeping in the town that existed before the casinos. Its bar, Bar Prohibition, bills itself as the place where "Las Vegas legends from the Wild West to the Rat Pack have grabbed a drink."

The Golden Gate is small, and that is the point: this is what a Las Vegas casino looked like before anyone thought of building 3,000 rooms at once.

El Cortez (1941)

The El Cortez, on Fremont East, has the best-documented history of any casino downtown. Its own timeline:

• 1941: J.K. Houssels, one of the first people in Las Vegas to hold a casino license, builds and opens El Cortez with architects J.C. Grayson and Marion Hicks.
• 1945: Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Moe Sedway and Gus Greenbaum buy it.
• 1952: the neon arrow marquee and signature roof sign go up, "becoming one of the defining symbols of the Las Vegas skyline".
• 1963: gaming pioneer Jackie Gaughan buys El Cortez.
• 2008: Kenny Epstein, Gaughan's long-time partner and friend, buys it.
• 2013: it becomes the first hotel-casino placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Inside, look for the Las Vegas History Hallway, and eat at Siegel's 1941, the restaurant that replaced The Flame Steakhouse and is named after the year the hotel opened. Come after dark for the neon. El Cortez is a few blocks east of the canopy, an easy walk past the bars of Fremont East.

Binion's (1951)

Binion's is where downtown's gambling legend was made. According to its own history:

• 1951: Benny Binion buys the property at 128 Fremont Street and opens the Horseshoe Club, which it calls "the first real gambling hall and saloon in Las Vegas".
• 1960: he buys the neighbouring Boulder Club.
• 1970: the World Series of Poker begins, growing from "an intimate poker game with 10 of Benny's friends" into one of the biggest poker tournaments in the world. Caesars Entertainment, which now owns the WSOP brand, credits Jack Binion with hosting the first one.
• 1988: Benny's sons buy The Mint next door, doubling the property to a full block as Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel.
• 2008: TLC Casino Enterprises buys Binion's and still owns it.

Today it has a poker room, a sportsbook, the Top of Binion's Steakhouse and the Whiskey Licker Up Saloon, which it describes as the only open-air rotating bar with floor-to-ceiling retractable windows. Its hotel rooms are sold as the Hotel Apache. The Horseshoe name now lives on the Strip, where Bally's was renamed Horseshoe Las Vegas.

More Classics Under the Canopy

Four Queens (1966)

The Four Queens has been in operation since 1966 and still focuses on "high quality, traditional Las Vegas gaming and entertainment". In September 2026 it advertised no resort fee. Its basement restaurant, Hugo's Cellar, is one of downtown's old-school special-occasion dinners; book ahead.

Plaza (1971)

The Plaza, at 1 Main Street, has looked straight down Fremont Street since 1971. It stands on the site of the Union Pacific depot, the railroad stop around which Las Vegas grew. Oscar's Steakhouse sits in the Plaza's glass dome above the street, and the casino still runs keno.

Golden Nugget, Fremont, California and Main Street Station

These are among downtown's longest-running names too, but their own sites could not be checked for their history in September 2026, so we have left out dates rather than repeat them unconfirmed. The Golden Nugget is the most polished of downtown's classic names, with The Tank shark pool. The Fremont is a classic canopy casino. The California and Main Street Station, linked by a skybridge a block north of Fremont Street, are worth a look for Main Street Station's antique-filled interior.

The D (2012)

The D, at 301 Fremont Street, is a newer brand in an older tower: it opened as The D in fall 2012 and describes itself as "a modern-day casino and hotel with touches of vintage Las Vegas throughout", with new and vintage slot machines. Older guides promise a floor of coin-operated slots; the casino's site doesn't mention them now, so ask before you go looking.

The Strip's Survivors

Caesars Palace (1966)

Caesars Entertainment dates Caesars Palace to 1966, developed by Jay Sarno. It is the best-known survivor of the 1960s Strip. Almost everything around it is newer, from the Forum Shops to the towers, but the Roman theme, the fountains at the front and the sense of 1960s showmanship are the original idea.

Circus Circus (1968)

Circus Circus, at the north end of the Strip, has been running since 1968. It still puts on live circus shows above the casino floor, and its Adventuredome packs indoor rides under a pink dome. It is budget-friendly and a genuine piece of old Vegas.

Westgate (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton)

Off the Strip beside the Convention Center, the Westgate was formerly the Las Vegas Hilton. It is best known for its showroom history and for what it calls the "World's Largest Race & Sportsbook". Its site doesn't tell its own history, so check the showroom's current schedule if that is why you're going.

The Peppermill (1972)

Not a casino, but the most intact piece of 1970s Strip style. The Peppermill, at 2985 Las Vegas Boulevard South, has been open since 1972. Its Fireside Lounge has a fire pit, Tiffany-style flamingo lamps and royal blue booths. It opens 24 hours Thursday to Sunday, and 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday to Wednesday.

What's Gone, and Where to See It

Many of the famous names are gone. The Mirage closed in 2024 (a Hard Rock resort is being built on the site), and so did the Tropicana. Older landmarks such as the Stardust, the Dunes and the Hacienda are long gone. Two places keep their memory alive.

The Neon Museum

Founded in 1996, the Neon Museum at 770 Las Vegas Boulevard North holds "322 signs comprising of 977 pieces from over 200 properties", including neon from the Stardust, the Dunes, the Tropicana, the Flamingo, the El Cortez and The Mirage. Its visitors' centre is the lobby of the La Concha Motel, a shell-shaped building by architect Paul Revere Williams, which opened as the visitors' centre in 2012.

• Visit: the Neon Boneyard is the outdoor home of the collection, and the North Gallery shows Brilliant! Jackpot. In September 2026 admission started at $25 in the daytime and $35 in the evening; guided tours are an add-on. Book online.
• Free: the museum has 18 restored signs on display as public art, 15 of them downtown as the Las Vegas Signs Project, including pieces from the Hacienda, the Silver Slipper and Binion's Horseshoe.

The Mob Museum

At 300 Stewart Avenue, steps from Fremont Street, the Mob Museum occupies the city's former federal courthouse and post office. It opens daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. In the basement, The Underground is a Prohibition-style speakeasy and working distillery surrounded by 1920s artifacts, open until 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday. It is the best place to understand how the men who bought the El Cortez in 1945 fit into Las Vegas history. The museum says tickets bought online are up to 20% cheaper. See our museums guide.

A Vintage Vegas Walking Tour

Everything downtown fits into an easy evening on foot.

1. Mob Museum (afternoon). Start with the history, then a drink in The Underground.
2. Plaza and Golden Gate. Walk a few blocks to the west end of Fremont Street: the Plaza at 1 Main Street, the Golden Gate on the corner opposite.
3. Binion's and the Four Queens. Walk east under the canopy; the light shows run hourly from 6 p.m.
4. Fremont East to El Cortez. Past the canopy's east end, walk a few blocks past the bars of Fremont East (Atomic Liquors has been open since 1952) to the El Cortez and its 1952 sign.
5. Neon Museum (evening). A short ride north, for a pre-booked evening slot.

For more on the area, see our Fremont Street guide and downtown hotels guide.

Gambling Old-School

Downtown casinos generally have lower table minimums than the Strip, and some still offer games that have all but disappeared elsewhere, such as keno at the Plaza. Rules and minimums change often, though, so don't trust an old guide's promise of single-deck blackjack or huge craps odds. Read the sign on the table before you sit down:

• Blackjack: look for 3:2 payouts on a blackjack. A 6:5 table costs you much more over time.
• Craps: the odds multiple is posted on the table; higher is better for you.
• Video poker: pay tables differ from machine to machine, even in the same casino.

You must be 21 to gamble in Nevada. If gambling stops being fun, call the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling helpline: 1-800-GAMBLER (24 hours).

New to casinos? Read our casino beginner's guide.

Staying in a Historic Hotel

Several of these casinos are also hotels, and downtown rooms are usually cheaper than the Strip. The Golden Gate's Original 10 are the oldest rooms in town; the El Cortez and Plaza are the other historic choices, and the Four Queens advertised no resort fee in September 2026. Since May 12, 2025, federal rules require any mandatory resort fee to be included in the total price you are shown when you book, so compare total prices. See our historic hotels guide.