Visitors love Las Vegas for the glitz, glamor and exuberance of the resorts that line the Las Vegas Strip 6.7 kilometers, but the most exciting neighborhood in the city at the moment is all about art.
This area, aptly named the Arts District, has become a haven for local creatives. It is a hotbed of culinary excellence, visual spectacle, digital design and theater.
It's home to one of the city's most popular restaurants, several cult bars and breweries, exclusive shops and a boutique hotel.
In a city synonymous with flashing neon, noisy slot machines and other electronic wonders, the Arts District continues to captivate with its art. It's also a mystery to anyone coming from outside the city.
There is no formal data on how many of Las Vegas' 40.8 million visitors in 2023 arrived in the Arts District. Whatever the number, it's a fraction of the visitors who arrive in the city, check into a hotel on the Strip and never venture beyond a short walk or rideshare.
Evolution of a neighborhood
O Arts District was officially created in the late 1990s. At that time, it was given the nickname 18b, after an 18-block area bounded by Hoover Avenue, Colorado Avenue, Las Vegas Boulevard, Commerce Street, and 4th Street. Over time, the neighborhood grew beyond these limits. Today it covers about 25 to 30 blocks (depending on who you ask) south and west of the city center.
In the beginning, the neighborhood revolved around a destination called The Arts Factory , a 1920s building that was repurposed to house studios for more than 30 artists. First Friday, street fair and gallery show on the first Friday of each month, started in 2002 and aimed at attracting people to the area. Little by little, in the 2010s, the Arts District began to grow.
The first turning point came in 2013, when sisters Christina and Pamela Dylag opened Velveteen Rabbit, a laid-back cocktail bar on Main Street. Another came in 2016, when Derek Stonebarger opened ReBAR, a bar inside an antiques store practically across the street.
The modern era began in 2018 when Las Vegas native chef James Trees opened an Italian restaurant named after his great-aunt: Esther's Kitchen.
Esther's became a sensation practically overnight. In 2020, Trees was named a James Beard Award finalist: Best Southwest Chef . During the Covid-19 pandemic, he has endeared himself to locals for his take-home pasta kits and a village of greenhouses converted for outdoor, socially distanced dining out back.
In early 2023, it was harder to get a reservation on Esther's than at many upscale restaurants on the Strip. That's when Trees decided to expand. Instead of adding to the original location's 58-seat dining room, he purchased the circa-1943 Retro Vegas building on the corner of Main Street and California Avenue.
The new $6 million facility, which opened March 8, seats 160 in the dining room and 27 in a freestanding bar. The new kitchen is twice the size of the original restaurant.
Perhaps most importantly, Trees said that when dinner service ends around 11pm each night, the new location will remain open with a limited menu until 2am, a first for a restaurant in this part of town.
“The new number of tables and [o novo horário estendido] they’re not about adding more toppings, we just want to allow people to actually make a reservation, then spend more time and have fun,” he said.
All about passion
Esther's Kitchen isn't the only passion project in the Arts District; In recent years, dozens of stores and other destinations have also taken root in the neighborhood. see the Fresa's Skate Shop home to Las Vegas' only indoor half-pipe.
Owner Amanda Quintanilla, who is from El Salvador, opened the Main Street store in 2022 as a place to support the local skating and skating communities. Today, the store sells dozens of different skates and blades and invites skaters to use the ramp for $15 per person, per hour.
“When I started skating [durante a pandemia], the Arts District was the place to come skate and hang out with other people who were into the scene,” she said. “It’s still the place to skate and connect with other people in the community, and now we’re a big part of that.”
At Spilled Milk, a mom-and-pop shop on Commerce Street, guests can shop funky glassware, colorful candle holders, jars shaped like animal heads and unique items from local potters. Owner Kori Cortez opened the store in February after years of pop-ups in which she sold her own macramé rainbows and other original tapestries.
“I developed a love and connection with the Arts District,” said Cortez, who once played bass in an electronic rock band. “The murals, the cafes and the artsy people – I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Even veteran hospitality figures are getting in on the Arts District action. The chef Wolfgang Puck he co-owns 1228 Main, a bistro that opened in July, and locals line up on weekends for fresh pastries and bread. O English Hotel opening in 2022, is named after celebrity chef Todd English.
Of course, art is still the main driving force behind everything in the neighborhood. A Arts Factory it continues to be the geographical and creative center, with artisans ranging from painters to jewelers maintaining ateliers inside. Nearby, the “Greetings from Las Vegas” mural was painted in 2020 and is now one of the most photographed destinations in the entire city.
Galleries range from high-end NFTs (JRNY Gallery) to more conventional contemporary art (Priscilla Fowler Fine Arts Gallery). Geller Gallery, scheduled to open in March on Commerce Street, specializes exclusively in imported art.
There's also a shop where fans can buy original works, prints and merchandise from Adam Rellah, the man behind the modern art brand Pretty Done .
Rellah opened the store in August after painting murals throughout the city. He said he didn't even think about opening somewhere else. “Main Street is the new Downtown,” he said. “Las Vegas is small, so there are no other places that embrace weird art, creativity, uniqueness and individuality.
It's like we're getting ready for this rebirth [do Arts District]. I’m glad it’s becoming what it is now.” Theater is also alive and well in the Arts District.
The LaMarre Theater is the only independent theater in Las Vegas with black owners and operators, and the Majestic Repertory Theater continues to generate buzz for immersive performances that make the audience part of the show. The Cockroach Theater (yes, that's really its name) is the Vegas Theater Company's second stage and highlights emerging actors.
Hot spots for nightlife
The Arts District has also built a reputation for its eclectic nightlife – a scene that's more laid-back, vibrant and down-to-earth than the lively, bustling nightclubs of the Strip.
Velveteen Rabbit and ReBAR were pioneers in this space, and subsequent additions such as Jammyland (with a Jamaican motif), Silver Stamp (with a robust beer menu), and Nightmare Café (a horror-themed cross between TGI Fridays and Spirit Halloween) laid the groundwork for more innovation .
More recently, vintage store Vintage Vegas opened a 1980s-themed cocktail lounge on March 1, stocked with barware and other period pieces that guests can purchase.
At the Liquid Diet accessible through an alley or unmarked door on Commerce Street (look for the mural of a bloody hand), co-owners Brett Pfister and Patrick Mannion list the nightly menu on handwritten pieces of butcher paper hanging at the bar, and they serve cocktails on ceramic tiles and mismatched glasses selected from local antique stores.
At the Stray Pirate a pirate-themed bar, portraits on the walls depict dogs dressed as rogues (see what they did there?), and alcohol-heavy drinks will make you wonder if the digital images of whales and sharks you can see through “windows” behind the bar are real.
Chris Gutierrez, general manager and partner, said the bar is the perfect representation of what the Arts District is all about. “When we were thinking about where to build Stray Pirate, the Arts District was the perfect location for our concept: a walkable community full of other food and beverage experiences that encourage each other to develop creativity,” said Gutierrez, who is famous in Las Vegas.
Vegas for the cocktail programs it created in bars like Corduroy, Oak & Ivy and Atomic Liquors . “Our concept really focuses on not just craft cocktails, but an engaging and fun tropical cocktail bar.
Ultimately, the spirit of the Arts District and the Stray Pirate are aligned in providing creative cocktails, service and experience for our guests.” Stray Pirate combines serious cocktails with a fun theme.
Across from the brewery, locals love Nevada Brew Works (and the adjacent Soul Belly BBQ) and the slightly more modern Able Baker Brewing, which also serves food. For oenophiles, The Wine Garden offers monthly classes where guests can taste wine and create flower crowns, while Garagiste offers tastings and light snacks in a modern space.
What comes next
The evolution of the Arts District will continue into the second half of 2024 and beyond. Near the southern end of the neighborhood (or just beyond it; again, depending on who you ask), the Atomic Golf driving range is scheduled to open in March.
Later this spring, Trees is planning to launch two additional experiences at the new Esther's: an as-yet-unnamed second-floor cocktail lounge overlooking the main dining room, and an enclosed courtyard that would host Sunday farmers' markets.
In the fall, he plans to open a French bistro and bar in a former gas station several blocks south, and an upscale prix-fixe restaurant at the site of the former Esther's.
Also this summer, Nevada H&C Distilling, known for its Smoke Wagon Bourbon, was expected to open a new facility on the corner of Wyoming Avenue and Industrial Road. The new facility was expected to include a large production area as well as a gift shop where visitors could purchase products and check in for tours.
On a longer timeline, the city has given the green light to the construction of more than 3,000 new residential units in and around the Arts District – developments that are sure to change the look of the neighborhood once again. In a city that is constantly reinventing itself, it's good to know that the next evolution will be inspired by art.
Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
