Las Vegas Downtown – Main Street Station Casino Hotel
Like many of the casino hotels in downtown Las Vegas, Main Street Station is a gem that tourists often overlook. Opened in 1996, the hotel has 420 deluxe guestrooms and 28,000 square feet of casino gaming. More importantly, Main Street Station overflows with historic architecture, artworks, and antiques. From the Pullman railcars parked outside the hotel to the Berlin Wall slab tucked inside the men’s restroom, there are interesting articles scattered throughout the property.
The hotel’s front desk and bell desk offer detailed guides to the Main Street Station’s collection. After requesting a map, treasure hunters wander the property, searching for and reading about the many historic treasures. When hunger or thirst interrupts their quest, smart explorers visit the Garden Court Buffet or Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery. Both establishments offer some of the best dining values in Las Vegas and include a few hidden treasures of their own.
Outdoor Antiques
Sitting alongside the Main Street sidewalk are two railroad cars. The Blackhawk is a private railcar built by the Pullman Palace Car Company in 1903. From 1906-1917, it was used exclusively by Buffalo Bill Cody to travel across America with his Wild West Show. Next to the Blackhawk is the Cascade, a private railcar built in 1897 for a railroad executive. The opulent Cascade includes a sitting room/bedroom, guest room, stateroom, dining room, observation area, kitchen, and bathroom.
Nearby are red granite and bronze streetlamps from Brussels, Belgium that date from 1870. These were located in the city’s Central Square until the outbreak of World War I. Along the front of Main Street Station are fluted iron columns that originally supported the Windsor Barracks in London.
Main Street Station Hotel Lobby Artifacts
The hotel lobby and store have several antique apothecary cabinets made from mahogany that originated from an old drugstore in Covington, Kentucky. Nearby are a beveled glass door transom and sidelights from the home of Lillian Russell, perhaps the most famous actress and singer of the late 1800s through the early Twentieth Century.
Casino Gaming Under Historic Chandeliers
Gaming at Main Street Station includes 25 table games and more than 800 slot and video poker machines. Above the casino is Victorian-era bronze chandeliers, many from the Coca-Cola Building in Austin, Texas.
Other points of interest include a stained glass window that “Diamond Jim” Brady gave to Lillian Russell and “Goldie’s Window”, an intricately-crafted, Victorian-era stained glass window.
Dining at Main Street Station
The Garden Court Buffet is located inside a spacious room reminiscent of bygone days. White columns with ornate capitals are topped by arched lattice ceiling supports. Artifacts include chandeliers from the San Francisco Opera House and an Italian marble statue called the Goddess Fortuna. One of the best values downtown, the Garden Court Buffet offers all-you-can-eat meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
According to website casinos.id, The Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery serves American favorites such as burgers, pizzas, steaks, and ribs along with frothy pints of their award winning beers. Happy Hour Specials, available from 3-6 PM weekdays include appetizer specials for $4.50 and microbrew pints for $2.
Visit Main Street Station in Downtown Las Vegas
There are too many antiques at Main Street Station to include in this article. Old slot machines are exhibited throughout the property. A large brass boar from a fountain in Nice, France decorates the casino bar. Perhaps the most interesting item is a section of the notorious Berlin Wall. This concrete slab has been whimsically placed behind the urinals in the casino men’s room.
Designed to resemble a Victorian-era train station, the Main Street Station casino hotel and brewery is a must-see for antiques lovers and history buffs. Gamblers enjoy some of the best odds in Las Vegas and craft beer enthusiasts relish excellent brews at the Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery. When visiting Sin City, tourists should include this hidden downtown jewel in their vacation plans.
Budget Downtown Vegas Hotels
These hotels are older, and they’re not exactly as glamorous as the megaresorts on the Strip, but if you’d rather spend your Vegas budget on gambling and fun rather than a place to sleep, they are just the ticket.
Of the downtown options, these hotels will give you the best value for your buck.
Binion’s — If you’re simply looking for a cheap place to rest your head, and you don’t mind a slightly dive-y hotel, Binion’s is the place. Here, you’ll get a basic older room with a small bathroom, which may sometimes be less than perfectly clean and may show signs of wear and tear. But room rates can often be found for $39 or less a night and the hotel sits right along the Fremont Street Experience. It also has the highly rated Binion’s Ranch Steakhouse as part of its dining options, as well as a small rooftop pool and sundeck area. (Average Rates: $50-$80)
Fitzgeralds — Located on Fremont Street, one block from the eastern end of the Fremont Street Experience, this hotel often gets overlooked. It shouldn’t be though, because it offers moderate-sized clean rooms with friendly service at budget-friendly rates. Even on the busier weekends, rates rarely rise above $100, which is rare in Vegas. The only real drawbacks are slow elevators, which sound creaky if weighed down too much, and some rooms have an exterior hallway (motel-style), but otherwise, this is a good choice for budget travelers downtown. (Average Rates: $49-$69)
Four Queens — This hotel is in the midst of a renovation, but in the meantime, it offers clean rooms at rates as low as $29. It is located at the center of the Fremont Experience, making it a good central hotel for downtown exploration. Rooms are a bit on the small size, as this is an older hotel, but it is one of the nicer hotels along Fremont Street. If you luck into a renovated room, expect some luxuries like 32” flat panel TVs and in-room coffeemakers. Also worth checking out are the Canyon Club, which regularly pulls in national music acts, and the Chicago Brewing Company, which is often voted as having some of the best in-house microbrews and pizzas in the city. (Average Rates: $40-$75)
Golden Nugget — One of the nicest hotels downtown, the Golden Nugget sits in the center of the Fremont Street Experience. It recently underwent a $170 million renovation that included updated rooms, a nightclub, a new sushi restaurant and a pool area that holds a new aquarium with live sharks. A new $150 million additional tower will give the hotel 500 more rooms. Rooms here are also among the most expensive of the downtown hotels, but you can still find rooms most weeknights for $69 or so. It’s also the only AAA Four-Diamond property downtown, with service to match. (Average Rates: $69-$99)
Main Street Station– This hotel is located about two blocks north of the western end of the Fremont Experience, and offers clean rooms in an older hotel that is decorated in dark hardwoods and crystal chandeliers. Think early Vegas elegance. It also is home to the Triple 7 Brewpub, an award-winning eatery where they brew their own beers. It’s worth a visit to just to have one of their microbrews and a bite to eat. Rooms can pick up noise from the nearby train tracks and I-15, but they are clean and very nice for the price. Book during slower periods for rooms as low as $30 a night. (Average Rates: $40-$75)
As you can see, downtown Las Vegas offers good deals for budget travelers to the city. Transportation to the Strip is easy and plentiful, such as taxis, public buses and the new Arrow shuttle system, and there is an air of what Vegas used to be in its heyday.
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