The Alternative Guide to Las Vegas

Most gift shops tend towards the sweet or at least the silly: Las Vegas Oddities goes straight for the strange. The store specializes in items like a pendant made from a cross-section of a human femur, or an intricate shadowbox of a miniature murder scene. If you need goth woodcuts or vintage pinup photos, Soviet-era children’s toys or steampunk jewelry, they can help you out here.

The Pinball Hall of Fame has entertained Las Vegans of all ages for over a decade, though most of the machines are much older. Hundreds of pinball machines are here for the playing, from wood-and-metal 40s models to the newest technology themed to the latest TV shows.

One of Las Vegas’ oldest gay bars, Badlands Saloon always stayed true to its creed of a warm welcome and a strong pour. The western-themed watering hole is located in the Commercial Center, near a number of restaurants and other nightspots. Badlands hosts drag shows, bingo and trivia nights, but it’s also a fine place to have a relaxed cocktail in the late afternoon or early evening.

ReBar is a unique combination of bar, restaurant and thrift shop. Want to buy that light-up Lowenbrau sign? It’s for sale. That painting of a sad-eyed clown? It’s for sale. The beer stein in your hand? It’s yours for a few bucks. Everything at ReBar is available for purchase: Naturally this makes for eclectic decor. There is a wide array of beer available, with a stress on local brews, as well as specialty cocktails. John Mull’s brats and sausages are also served, adding better-than-usual bar food to the mix.

Las Vegas is a place where all track of time can be lost, and perhaps the most hours have been frittered away at the Double Down Saloon. The beloved punk-rock watering hole turned 25 last year and has gone from questionable hangout to Travel Channel-featured institution. The walls are covered in graffiti-ed murals, the bar serves Ass Juice and Bacon Martini’s alongside the usual beers and shots, and the entertainment ranges from hardcore bands to blues guitarists to burlesque acts to live radio shows. But perhaps the best entertainment comes from the stories swapped by an ‘only-in-Vegas’ cast of regulars.

Las Vegas’ nerd clubhouse, the Sci-Fi Center is where you can buy a comic, see a movie, watch a burlesque show and mingle with like-minded folk. It hosts screenings of cult and grindhouse films, as well as binge-watch TV shows. The Cinemondays program stresses classic and foreign films; there is also a monthly B-movie-themed burlesque show and occasional music performances.

One of Vegas’ most beloved dive bars, the Huntridge Tavern has been pouring 24 hours a day for over five decades. The red velvet wallpaper, beer signage and vinyl booths with clunky video poker machines remain largely unchanged. A steady stream of regulars come in at all hours for conversation and a cold one.

The serenity of Springs Preserve is only a few miles from the overstimulation of the Strip, but it seems much further.The 180-acre site is home to the Nevada State Museum, as well as a reconstruction of turn-of-the-century Las Vegas, Boomtown 1905. Trails wind throughout the property, through spring houses and around tortoise habitats, making it an excellent peaceful escape without leaving the city.

For lovers of vinyl, 11th Street Records is mecca indeed. Located at the far end of Fremont Street, the store stocks both new and vintage albums and singles—whether you seek the latest from local hero Shamir, a replacement for your worn-out disc of the Stones’ Let It Bleed or a signed copy of Television’s Marquee Moon. National Southwest Recording is an in-house studio where acts including the Killers and Anti-Flag have recorded.