There are entertainment and sights off the strip, but today I will run down some basic Las Vegas information. The main tourist area is divided into two parts. The first part is called "Downtown Las Vegas" and it was where the glitter used to be. I still remember when you could drive your vehicle through where the Fremont Street Experience is today. It was a sight to behold.
In downtown Las Vegas, you'll find classic casinos such as the Plaza, the Golden Nugget, Binions Horseshoe, the Fremont, and others. For gambling, I like Binions. It's still a place that feels like a gambler's casino.
The other section, which is more commonly known, is the Las Vegas Strip. Corporate entertainment at its finest—as I like to say. You could say that this is the themed part of Las Vegas. On the Las Vegas Strip there's Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, New York New York, Excalibur, Venetian, Bellagio and a slew of other themed casinos.
As of this writing, the famous Stardust has just closed down and will be imploded in 2007. Today, Vegas' motto is out with the old and in with the new. There's only so much space to build upon and Las Vegas is beginning to go vertical—lots of high-rise condos being built.
If you are looking for a friendlier atmosphere, lower table limits and don't mind a lack of top shows, downtown Las Vegas will be a place you might like. There's entertainment there, but you won't find the top shows like Blue Man Group.
The Las Vegas Strip has casinos that are the top of the line, but it has more of an assembly line feel. If you want to be awed, take a stroll down the Las Vegas Strip at night. Start around 6 p.m. or so and you'll see pirate shows, erupting volcanoes, water fountain shows and more—plus it's all free.
