Hidden From the Bright Lights: Las Vegas Secret Gems

Your shoes click on the sidewalk as you walk away from the bright lights casting shadows in the alleys, the wayward boa feathers floating in the air, and the plastic margarita cups spilling out their treasures on excited hands. Into the desert night you go. Past the 24/7 peep shows, away from the spinning roulettes, beyond the thick crowds—arriving to the hidden sites of Sin City not often seen by casual travellers. Keep this information to yourself–here are some of best hidden gems in Las Vegas:

Larry King on the Rocks

Blacked-out windows, blacked-out doors, and a thin red line of typography are your only hints that you’ve arrived at MOB Bar, the Prohibition-style speak-easy in the old downtown area. The dim lights bounce off jazz musicians and duelling pianos, playing an assortment of old and new tunes with the same smooth flavour as the house whiskey and scotch on the rocks. The drinks are stiff, the attire is proudly retro, and the vibe is both swanky and intimate. It’s the perfect place to give new life to your circa 2004 Justin Timberlake fedora and Larry King suspenders without any judgment.

Small Balls; Still a Great Time

The levers flip up and down, sending the brave balls of steel through tight shoots, bouncing hard off targets and spinning wheels. While this sight is common in pizza parlours and amusement parks across the country, nothing compares to the magnitude of the Pinball Hall of Fame. The scenery may imply an old laundromat, but the rows and rows of games are pure magic. Collector Tim Arnold has brought together roughly 200 pinball machines ranging in age from the 1950s to today, though many in the room are from pinball’s heyday in the 1970s. Space Invaders, CSI, Spider-Man, and The Simpsons™ are all prominent faces in the museum as you put quarters into metal frames for a good time. Give the balls a good tussle, and see how high you can score at the hall.

Subs and Headers Go Here

A preacher walks into a sex shop…never mind. When it comes to Vegas, always expect the unexpected, especially with a site like The Erotic Heritage Museum. Founded by a partnership between a preacher and a pornographer, the museum began as a mission to preserve erotic artifacts, film, and fine art. It’s since expanded to become a focal point of sexual education. While you’ll certainly see a number of pornography objects, you’ll also come full-frontal with exhibits dealing with sexual hypocrisy in religion, politics, education, and the media. Other exhibits include a spotlight on revolutionaries of sexual freedom, a collection of mammal penis bones, and a section dedicated to the psychology of human sexuality. It’s a pretty rousing time.

Tasty Brains Required

Twinkies® and bullets—it doesn’t get more American than that! One of the country’s favourite mascots, the zombie, is alive and well in Las Vegas. Head over to the Zombie Apocalypse Store, where you can find a wide range of supplies to help you make it through your vacation alive. Pick up any number of camouflage backpacks, camping equipment, real machinery, and sweet sweet nuclear-proof yellow pastries. If you don’t mind travelling a bit, the store also puts on a zombie shooting event every few weeks, where you can be dropped off at a zombie-crawling location and shoot them, uh, dead, with a paintball gun.

It wouldn’t be Las Vegas without a twisty array of dark and secret things. Stay in the shadows and make your way over to some of the hidden gems lying in wait.

Which hidden gems have you discovered in Las Vegas?